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DURAN DURAN
1982 - Rio.
1985 - A View To A Kill.
1988 - Big Thing.
more DURAN DURAN.
way more Helter Skelter.

May 10, 1982 - 2022: 40 years of: Rio.

The Second British Invasion !

After the disco-craze had settled down on the American dance-floors, the still-high crowd had another thing coming in the pre-Thriller era. A new wave of handsome posh English young men, wearing sports-jackets and pastel socks simultaneously armed with killer backing-vocal hooks. Sounds funky ? DURAN DURAN's second record is one of pop's turning-point into the glorious 80s superflux.

Her name is "Rio". Wavy and fully danceable, the keyboards supports the track, while Simon Le Bon serenades this elusive ethereal Goddess. Stylish rock-guitars makes an appearance on "Hold Back The Rain", while the edgier "My Own Way" lits the room with it's hip bass-slaps, courtesy of DD's secret weapon: John Taylor.

The mega mega-hit and driving 80s-trendsetting power-house "Hungry Like The Wolf" is the perfect modern-pop fiesta. The ballad, the romantic "Save A Prayer" did climb high in the Charts, while the climatic album's closer, the mysterious melancholic "The Chauffeur" is the anti-single single, see attached sophisticated erotica-style video below.

The fast developing MTV-generation was literally assaulted by DURAN DURAN. The switch from radio-to-video, the changing of the guards and around the clock, you just couldn't look away ...on both shores of the Atlantic. The dazzling commissioned cover artwork-sleeve is a now iconic Patrick Nagel 1980s pop-art signature.

RIAA-certified 2x Platinum, the second album, the EMI gem, the exotic Rio LP is the springboard of what would be known as: 80s synth-pop newwave.

A hungrier and even more fashion conscious, DURAN DURAN would flay again with 1983's Seven And The Ragged Tiger LP ...along their newfound matching super-stardom status.

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Rio = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTizYn3-QN0
Hungry Like The Wolf = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJL-lCzEXgI
Save A Prayer = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Uxc9eFcZyM
The Chauffeur = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B__8N5d_LA
Rio = full LP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-qYYZrky1Y&list=PLvsYXqtYjMYdgicXNaFgEsgfgh17JpVdA
Interview in 1982
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYrQhljZfQk
Live in New-York in 1982
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4dKTblXrF4

May 6, 1985 - 2020: 35 years of: A View To A Kill.

One of the greatest song of the 80s sadly spoiled ...for one of the most boring movie of the 80s.

DURAN DURAN
...England's biggest export and synonymous with newwave and the MTV-pop generation of the explosive 80s.

JAMES BOND
...England's finest agent, MI6's best, servant to the Queen and synonymous with the 60s and 70s Cold War mind-games.

The song is a turning-point, commercially, for DURAN DURAN, adding more hooks and more drive to an already hot-catalog. The track chews you alive at first bite, the keyboard progression and Simon Le Bon's silky voice charms the listener until we all frenetically dance into the fire. Pretty boys, they were leaders of the Brit-pop race, closely followed by DEPECHE MODE. Enter legendary British composer John Barry. Mister Barry was already known as a soundtrack-composer and also penned 10 out of 13 Bond world-renown scores, including: Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger and Thunderball.

The match is heaven-made, as Le Bon and crew learned from the Master, while he himself, got a taste of this new young hip-trend that was sweeping discotheques across the globe.

Diametrically, the adventurous yet cheesy movie, sadly shows tiredness from EON Productions and it's licensed to kill special agent. They tried to incorporate the "computer element" that was setting in, in mid-decade, but the world-domination plot and expectations didn't match their previous classic works. Even Christopher Walken's devilish performance, Grace Jones's colorful exhibition and a #1 Billboard chart-topping pop-song couldn't rejuvenate the franchise.

A View To A Kill would be Sir. Roger Moore's 7th and final incarnation as 007, the end of the less-classy-more-funny Bond-era with larger than life antagonist.

RIP Patrick Macnee AKA Tibbett (1922-2015)
RIP Roger Moore KBE AKA James Bond (1927-2017)
RIP Tanya Roberts AKA Stacey (1949-2021)

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A View To A Kill = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp4CR2HcHLQ
Live at Live Aid in 1985
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Xui-9qAIEs
A View To A Kill = movie trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I63XGBqRsmw
A View To A Kill = movie review
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNLnmzUca3k

October 12, 1988 - 2023: 35 years of: Big Thing.

Still aiming for more big things.

Following both ARCADIA and POWER STATION side-projects and 1986's Roger Taylor and Andy Taylor-less catastrophic Notorious LP ...the wave had run it's course. During this newly crowded TEARS FOR FEARS, PET SHOP BOYS and DEPECHE MODE dominated era ...DURAN DURAN gives one last shot of 80s before the 90s.

The loud title-track for "Big Thing" hits hard with it's arena-rock flair, while overdriven-guitars teases-us on the instrumental "Lake Shore Driving". A focused band rocks the house with high stamina on "I Don't Want Your Love" and gives overdoses to the masses with the addictive "Drugs (It's Just A State Of Mind)".

The lounge-signature of "Too Late Marlene" is a soft cool-shot, while "Land" proposes an enjoyable exotic blend. A blazing rave vibe hypnotizes on the leading MTV-hit "All She Wants Is", a dark yet fully danceable-track featuring hot female moaning in the final-coda.

Crafted and recorded as a Le Bon + Rhodes + John Taylor trio, the boys to men recruited session-musicians to cover the guitars and drum-tracks. Two of those players would later join the band: guitarist Warren Cuccurullo and drummer Sterling Campbell.

A strong return, now in adult-mode, the reflex is initiated and the new DURAN DURAN was ready for another shot. RIAA-certified Gold, the ragged tigers would attack the 1990's, starting with the hip Liberty CD.

*
All She Wants Is = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-dxAxfkmvk
I Don't Want Your Love = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAAC9wttHM8
Do You Believe In Shame ? = video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_Io3CtmdoQ
Big Thing = full LP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PvuiLdKlgc&list=OLAK5uy_lu8YaDcfahEDfZc8aP0QcMuhrfNFoezoE
Interview in 1988
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLEffutu_eY
Live in Tokyo in 1989
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SVas3L4btA

more DURAN DURAN:

Poprock 85-89