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How many bands can you think of that, decades into their career, are still capable of springing surprises, of blazing fresh trails, creating new music that is up there with the imperishable songs that first propelled them to fame, fortune and critical acclaim? In 2015, Duran Duran will cement their place in that illustrious grouping with a new studio album - their 14th, no less - that burnishes their role in the story of pop, and puts the many young pretenders whose music they have influenced firmly in their place. As part of a major new recording deal with Warner Bros. Records,Paper Godsstarts the next chapter in the history of the band, with a host of A-list collaborators - including Nile Rodgers, Mark Ronson, Mr Hudson, Janelle Monáe, John Frusciante, Kiesza and Davide Rossi - joining the party.
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The four original members of Duran Duran - John Taylor, Roger Taylor, Nick Rhodes and Simon Le Bon - have announced today the global release of their 13th studio album, entitled ALL YOU NEED IS NOW. Produced by the Grammy Award-winning Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse, Adele, Kaiser Chiefs, Lily Allen) and mixed by Spike Stent (Madonna, Björk, No Doubt), the record is a return-to-roots homage to Duran Duran’s most celebrated musical panache.Selling over 80 million records over their three-decade career, Duran Duran certainly has a storied history, but this new tale begins in 2008. As part of a year-long run, they headlined festivals in a number of countries, playing arenas in others, and became the first group to perform at the Louvre Museum in Paris. Two nights later, in the same city, Duran Duran treated fans to a specially created “mega-mix” one-hour set that was filmed in a tiny theatre, with long-time-fan, Mark Ronson. This rare live performance, immediately proved that there was a powerful chemistry between Ronson and the band, and within just a few weeks, a much larger collaboration had developed, with Mark committing to produce the band’s 13th studio album. Starting out in the late Spring of 2009, at Sphere Studios in London, this much-anticipated Duran/Ronson union flourished, as writing and recording began on an exciting new body of work, which Ronson has boldly stated is the “imaginary follow up to Rio that never was.”With this newfound partnership, the band was energized and excited by the music they were creating. The result is nothing short of pure Duran Duran brilliance. The album features guest vocals/rap from longtime Duran Duran pal/collaborator Ana Matronic of the Scissor Sisters and R&B/neo-soul superstar Kelis, while Owen Pallett of Arcade Fire contributes the album’s string arrangements.Always at the forefront of the art scene, the band enlisted the talents of up-and-coming British art star Clunie Reid for the album artwork and packaging. Reid’s work has been recently shown at leading UK and US spaces, including the Saatchi Gallery, The Tate and the New Museum in New York. British fashion magazine POP’s creative team will provide art direction for the project.The stats on DURAN DURAN are remarkable: a total of over 80 million records sold, 18 American hit singles, 30 chart-toppers in their UK home market, and a global presence that guarantees them huge concert audiences on five continents. More remarkable still is the way they have achieved this, fusing pop music with art, fashion and technology. When they first broke in the early 1980s, Duran Duran single-handedly transformed music videos from a gimmicky marketing tool into one of the music industry’s most valued assets. With exotic locations, beautiful girls and stunning special-effects, Duran Duran took the visual imperatives of the New Romantic movement to another level, defining the MTV generation and bui
