Duran Duran is A Big Thing
 
It's a new album, a new song ("I Don't Want Your Love"), and a changed attitude. But is it
the same Duran Duran?

If you thought Duran Duran was ready to disappear into rock 'n'roll's history books,
guess again! Thirty-year-old lead vocalist Simon Le Bon is back, along with Nick Rhodes,
age 26, on keyboards, and bassist John Taylor, who is 28. And you can bet that this
threesome is as musically powerful as ever!

This great group's new LP, Big Thing, has already produced a single called "I Don't Want
Your Love," and the popularity of that tune proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that fans
definitely do still want Duran Duran!

The group's huge appeal began in the early 1980's when Simon, Nick, and John were joined
with guitarist Andy Taylor and drummer Roger Taylor. As a fivesome, these stylish British
musicians reflected a glamorous, modern image through their songs and videos that created a 
sensation with music lovers around the world.  The guys' appeal was illustrated in the true
story of a seriously ill fan who awakened from a coma when her parents played some Duran Duran
tapes at her hospital bedside!

This beloved quintet recorded four albums and performed live nearly everywhere in the world
until 1985.  That's when these exhausted boys knew that they needed to slow down and make some 
changes, which included going their separate ways.  "It was like we'd started on the beach,
got onto a wave, and had ridden on the top of it long enough," explains Nick.  "Things had 
been getting out of hand."

In 1986 Duran Duran reformed - as a trio.  Andy had chosen to go solo.  Roger, who found that
the group's superstardom had become too demanding for him, settled down to run a farm in
England.  That left three Durans to carry the ball - Simon, Nick, and John.

The remaining threesome then came out with what was called the Duran Duran comeback album,
Notorious.  Though the album did not achieve the same huge commercial success of their previous
recordings, the guys knew that it was just a period of adjustment for them - and their fans.

Was the new reformation of Duran Duran going to stick?  Was their sound going to change?
And if so, should they really hold on to the name Duran Duran?  Fans had many questions
on their minds.

"The name means a lot to us," emphasizes John.  "We've lived with it for ten years now
and it's important to us that the name lives on and becomes associated with something
of substance."
	
And so it appears that the three Duran guys made the correct choice, considering the recent
success of Big Thing.  Though the sound of the album is a bit more high-tech (the presence of
fewer musicians gave way to the idea to use more synthesizers to create necessary sounds),
maybe even a little adventurous, it's clearly a Duran Duran LP - fun, musical and danceable!

"It has taken us two albums to sound like a band again," sighs Simon.  "It's a new sound,
but still obviously Duran Duran!"