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Duran Duran to record a new album with Andy Taylor

Due for release later this year

By Paul Sinclair

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38

Duran Duran have announced “a special new music project”, set for release later this year, which will feature “extended Duran Duran family and friends, old and new”, most notably the band’s former guitarist Andy Taylor who is terminally ill with stage 4 prostate cancer.

There’s clearly a sense of urgency around what would be an emotional reunion and Simon Le Bon is set to fly out to Andy’s home in Ibizia to record with his former bandmate.

While the band didn’t use the word ‘album’ in the post on their socials yesterday, John Taylor recently told The Mirror that “We’re working on an album right now that is going to be coming out at the end of the year and [Andy Taylor] is playing guitar. There’s a lot of cover songs on the album, songs meaningful to us when we were kids. So having him be a part of that project is great.”

Andy Taylor left Duran Duran after contributing a few guitar parts to 1986’s Notorious album. He rejoined the band in 2001 in preparation for what became 2004’s Astronaut and worked on the follow-up, Reportage, until he departed once again. Reportage was shelved and the Timbaland-produced Red Carpet Massacre was issued to a lukewarm reception in 2007. Since that time, Dom Brown has contributed guitar to Duran Duran recordings and performed on stage with the band but he has never been recognised as an official member. Brown didn’t play on 2021’s Future Past (Blur’s Graham Coxon was brought in) but continues to tour with the band.

There were rumours that Duran Duran planned to ‘finish’ Reportage with Andy in the near future, before the guitarist went public with his cancer diagnosis at the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame last November. It’s conceivable that some of that material could end up as part of this new record, but that remains to be seen.

If this new album is indeed released in 2023 (not a given, going by previous proclamations), at worst it will be only 26 months since Future Past and would therefore be Duran Duran’s quickest follow up to a studio album since 1988’s Big Thing was issued less than two years after Notorious.

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38 Comments

38 thoughts on “Duran Duran to record a new album with Andy Taylor”

  1. Well… IMHO, it is going to be either “Reportage” (or some fragments of it with other covers) or “Thank You” Vol. 2 or U2-esque “Songs of Whatever”. I am really looking forward to whatever it is.

  3. I’m excited for this, but less so with the covers comment. As fine and dandy as each individual cover on Thank You was, it didn’t work as an album & didn’t rise to the greatness of previous covers they did. It would’ve made a great EP (with tons of b-sides). It might’ve worked better if it wasn’t so delayed … by the time it was released it felt weird and anti-climactic after interviews saying they wanted to crank albums at a faster rate like Prince!
    Why all the hate for White Lines? They absolutely rock that track out live as they did on the Dilate Your Mind Tour (well maybe not quite, as that tour it was unexpected-like what are they doing this rocks -whereas now it’s oh that cover again)-I love it except for the fact that their tour jumps over too many original material albums being represented & White Lines is the only placeholder for a huge years-gap in the concert! Also although Liberty “bombed” it was an awesome record and the obvious segue into DD93.

    If time is of the essence, seems like finishing Reportage is the obvious choice. By most reports it was close to being done anyway if not completed & literally everyone wants to hear it and wishes it was released instead of RCM, which to date still sounds like a bunch of demos with one completed attempt at remaking Ordinary World…

    Let’s hope this is really cool….

  4. I saw Andy play with them back in 1983 in Birmingham, he is an amazing guitarist, I am off to see Duran Duran in Birmingham in 6 weeks for the 4th time and I wish he could have joined them there !

  5. I hope they just do another covers album but ask fans what they would like them to cover…
    a bit of Bowie, Jobraith, Lou Reed, Bolan, Chic?

  6. Really not sure how I feel about this. I understand why they are doing it, but unlike others, I’m not excited about the outcome. Is it an actual studio album? John says there’s covers? This project feels strange. Nick has always been clear, he doesn’t like looking back, he only likes to look forward. This feels like a nostalgic project. I’ve been caught out by reunion stuff before. When the original line-up got back together for ‘Astronaut’, it was an exciting prospect. But, it was such a huge disappointment. Along with ‘Paper Gods’, ‘Astronaut’ is still the worst Duran Duran album to date. It just didn’t work, it’s horrible, haven’t listened to it in years. Andy was criminally underused. What this new project will be is anyone’s guess. I’d rather they just finished, ‘Reportage’, I’d be far more interested in hearing that.

    1. Gee, I don’t know, maybe the looking back part and rushed nature of the project has something to do with Andy’s rapidly declining health and the ease of doing something like this as opposed to reviving a two decade old album which has probably been distributed to later projects by this point. You’re looking at this from a strange vantage point, they probably wouldn’t be doing anything at all like this if it wasn’t for Andy’s situation so maybe comprehension of the context here should have informed your response a little more.

  7. All this stuff about Warren, Dom and even Steve Ferrone getting involved is unbelievable. This is Andy’s moment, the man is dying for crying out loud. It is also a chance for the classic line up to have one last moment in the sun. As good as all the post 1985 Duran musicians have been, Duran Duran conquered the world and found a place in the hearts of millions with those five young lads who arrived with ‘Planet Earth’. Their 1983/84 tour was the closest thing I ever saw to Beatlemania. I suppose there are some who don’t know how loved the original Duran line up is. Epecially here in the UK, by those who were there at the beginning in 1981.

    Also, if you go down that ‘But suchabody played on this. Thisperson has been on so many albums’ road, there’d never be an end to it. What’ll be next? ‘Oh, the tea lady for the Big Thing sessions. She served the band well. Gave them extra custard creams.’

  8. Mixed feelings about this… After the release of the superb Future Past album I don’t want any wrong step with some covers or even worse: a “Christmas album”. I wish they’d work again with Warren Cuccurullo, but I think it’s quite unlikely.

    On the other hand, the gap between Liberty and Big Thing was shorter than between this and Notorious. Liberty was the first (and huge) misstep…

  9. Interesting that it’s only Le Bon going to Ibiza to write / record with Andy. One can only speculate on relations with him & the other members & with a new Arena tour to get ready, maybe there’s not enough time for the whole band to record, which going from previous interviews / books could be a stressful process, something that Andy probably does’nt need right now.

    Hopefully it will be good, there’s enough material to make a more than half decent album ( Beautiful colours . the Lykie Li song for starters ) I’m looking forward to it but I wonder where this leaves the proposed Halloween album recorded in Vegas last year??

    Sending my Love to Andy & his Family & friends xxxx

    PS- I think “Thank you” was amazing. They did’nt play it safe & go down the MTV unplugged route, they did what they wanted & I think it still sounds great to this day, no matter what the band / other fans think.

  10. Thank You was not the disaster some make it out to be. It torpedoed their momentum after TWA for sure. But the title track, Perfect Day, Crystal Ship…great covers. And I’ve liked the Bowie covers recently. So another covers album doesn’t scare me, and makes the most sense for something they could get Andy involved with. But yes, they need to listen to the fans and release Reportage in some form.

  12. Any Duran Duran stuff is welcome.

    Personally I loved the Thank You album especially White Lines – they had earned the right to experiment in my eyes. I’m just grateful they haven’t done the Rat Pack or Acoustic reinterpretation routes.

  13. Exciting news indeed, but let’s wait and see. The North-American tour is coming up so there’ll be not much time for recording. It would be great if the band would revisit some of the Astronaut-era demos like Beautiful Colours (one of my own all time DD favourites), Pretty Ones or TV vs Radio, which are stellar songs that are basically finished, and maybe the ‘better’ Reportage tracks for a proper album release (even if it’s just 8 or 9 songs). Add a cover or two (Instant Karma was recorded with Andy back in 2006 but never properly released), which is okay, but not a full covers album. No Thank You…

  14. So, is it going to be “Thank You Vol. 2” or “Dangerous Vol. 2”?

    As much as I’d love to hear more covers from the guys, the public really did not take to 1995’s offering, so not sure it’s wise to repeat the exercise. But hey, i’m a lifelong Duranie and would buy it, even if it was a 90 minute ambient ode with Simon reading the phone book (remember those?)

  15. A nice gesture and hopefully Warren will be involved too. I do always feel a bit sorry for Dom Brown though as he’s the band’s longest serving guitarist now but was never made a band member, he must feel rather undervalued and would have probably been gone had either Andy (pre diagnosis obviously) or Warren wanted to rejoin the band.
    Andy was vital to the shaping of Duran Duran’s early sound – he added the rock to the synth textures of Nick Rhodes and it was this contrast, the rough to the smooth, that made their sound unique amongst their contemporaries from that era.

    1. Let’s not forget Steve Ferrone. For me, he defined the sound on Notorious (7 out of the 10 tracks started with his drums) and he played on the two albums to follow. This may be heresy but he’s by far a better drummer than Roger Taylor and I hope they ask Mr Ferrone to join for a track or two.

  16. Lovely news. I hope the lads have a nice trip down memory lane and a great time recording together again. Wishing Andy and them all well and I look forward to hearing what they produce.

  17. It’s nice to read that Andy Taylor will joining them for some recording. A very underrated guitarist and always felt Duran sounded better with his guitar riffs in tow. I didn’t know he was suffering from Cancer and wish him and his family all the best in the fight.

    Not knocking Duran as was a fan, even in the wilderness years but I fear it will be another “Thank You”. Though, “Perfect Day” was in my opinion a very good cover.

  18. A mixture of “Reportage” tracks and covers should be great (as long as they stay away from 80s rap this time as white lines and 911 is a joke were not their finest moments). Sad circumstances, but one more DD album with Andy would be at least a great send off for him. His own solo album “Dangerous” was all (mainly rock) covers and I have to say I much prefer it to “Thank you”. Going to see DD at the start of May and taking our 8 & 6 year olds to their first ever gig!!! They love both the old stuff and the brilliant Future Past album.

    1. I really like both White Lines and both versions they did of 911 Is A Joke. The Needle And The Damage Done shouldn’t have been left off the album in my opinion, as it was one of the strongest covers they did in that era.

    2. A covers album is the last thing I would ever want, but if it involves Andy, I’ll take it. I hope they someday release Reportage as it was in a Deluxe version, and a finished version, with or without Andy. My pipe dream would be a career spanning huge set of all the demos, alternate versions, outtakes, rehearsals, etc.

  19. Happy to see they’ve made the peace with each other. I was grateful to see them live on the Astronaut tour (with Andy Hamilton on saxophone too). I’m a fairly big Duran Duran fan, but I could never really get into RCM, and really hope Reportage sees the light of day with a proper release someday. I thought Astronaut was a terrific comeback album and that there was another run of great albums in them. Unfortunately, Duran Duran had a unique ability to get in their own way. Although I’ve enjoyed their output since RCM, I do miss Andy’s input on occasion. Anything they put out with Andy now would be greatly appreciated and well-received by the fans.

    I just wish the members of Pink Floyd, Journey, and Styx take note and at least make the peace with each other before they regret not doing so. It might probably be too late for any of them to do anything musically significant for the fans, however, it would go a long way toward bringing their legacies full circle. I always get a kick out of seeing footage of Mick Taylor stepping onstage and jamming on a few songs with the Rolling Stones. Lucky for us that Tears For Fears got it right and have been able to deliver more wonderful music.

  20. Their last covers album (without Andy to be fair) was horrendous and a terrible career move….. why or why they continue to play White Lines live is beyond me!

    Don’t get me wrong I’m a massive Duran fan, with the exception of TY, Meda, PT, RCM & PG but really keen to see the original five work together in the studio again.

  21. Of course everyone is going to support this. A dying ex-band-member-founder joins back in for a last hooray. It’s like a Hollywood movie scenario. My heart sank however when I read the part about “a lot of cover songs”. Vibes of Thank You came back. Duran Duran just doesn’t get it. When I saw them last year in Madison Square Garden, they still played White Lines, one of the worst cover songs of all time. And rumors about Reportage? Releasing or fixing a shelved album is nice for fans (me) but let’s be honest, if it was a good album, it would have been released. So the combination of cover songs and dusting off a shelved album makes me fear the worst. Nice that Andy is involved and that they give him a chance to go out with a bang. Everyone will love that but quality wise, statistically, this is going to be a dud I fear. I hope I’m wrong as I love Duran Duran.

    1. I’d guess the reason they are choosing a lot of covers is sadly they are against the clock with Andy’s health.
      Trying to force and write an actual studio album in such conditions could be impossible and painful for all involved.

  22. I think like all Duranies, this is welcome news and great that Simon and Andy are together in the studio again (keep Rhodes out!) but Thank You part 2 probably doesn’t fill the world with anticipation, given it’s reputation!!!

  23. How incredibly nice, but also how utterly sad.
    It reminds me of the frenetically, urgently and quickly put – together Dali’ s Car second album… The same situation.
    Of course, while we would want them to be always happy and comfortable with each other and continuously produce the music we want forever, in reality our favourite bands are human beings, with their quarrels, difficulties, personal disagreements and private life decisions, which often make them take separate ways… Nevertheless these things always leave a bad “couldn’ t they have done this earlier..?” taste in your mouth, a great nostalgia.

    Indeed, let’ s hope they finish Reportage as well, that would have been my first thought given the circumstances and the already existing latent intentions on the part of the band to do so one day (at least based on what they declared to Classic Pop two years ago…).

    (I loved it when Andy stated in his letter “now that’ s a Duran Duran melody if ever I heard one” referring to All You Need Is Now. Totally agree, Andy. You should have been part of that album, but your mates did an exceptional job nonetheless).

    1. Indeed, let’ s hope they finish Reportage as well, that would have been my first thought given the circumstances and the already existing latent intentions on the part of the band to do so one day (at least based on what they declared to Classic Pop two years ago…).

      This would be my hope as well, but glad they are doing something.

      I’d be very surprised if a larger 40th anniversary anthology might finally appear, with a broader and larger array of unreleased music. Still, it’s fun to speculate.

  24. I don’t like the placeholder title and I m not crazy about another covers album. But it’s great to have Andy back and for not have to wait 7-8 years for a follow up to FP.

  25. The band mentioned a few months back that they may release a “Halloween-inspired” album after the one-off Halloween gig they did. They played a load of covers and songs that had a dark theme to them. Maybe it’s this. Great news either way.

    1. There’s some very good fan footage on Youtube of DD’s Halloween show in Las Vegas, and the band seemed very invested in the setlist. Worth watching even if you’re a casual fan like I am (my girlfriend is a diehard fan and thinks it’s one of the best shows she’s seen them do, including shows she’s seen in person). That alone would be a good official release but if they’d all go in the studio and do properly recorded versions of what they played at that show I think people would be pleasantly surprised. If it’s not that, still good news that there’s a fire lit under them to do more with Andy again, but kind of crappy if Dom isn’t involved as he’s put his miles in with the group and is a more-than-capable guitarist.

  26. Definitely exciting news, but it’s unfortunate that this project has come about due to Andy’s cancer issue. Naturally, we wish all the best for Andy, given his prognosis. It would be nice if the band could tidy up and get Reportage completed while Andy is still around, but any new material is welcome, even if it is some cover songs.

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