Duran Duran fans rejoice, band reissues first 5 studio albums on LP and CD this summer

Duran Duran is an English pop band that originally formed in Birmingham in 1978. After a few tweaks to their lineup at the start, the most iconic lineup consisted of Simon Le Bon on vocals, John Taylor on bass, keyboardist Nick Rhodes, guitarist Andy Taylor, and Roger Taylor on drums. The band has announced that their first five albums will be reissued in the summer of 2024.

Long out of print, Duran Duran, Rio, Seven and the Ragged Tiger, Notorious, and Big Thing will be reissued on LP and CD with remastered audio. The albums can be pre-ordered via Warner Music for release on July 17, 2024.

The band, which gets its name from the Barbarella (1968) movie character Dr. Durand Durand, announced the reissues on social media (below) and their website. Both formats will include the latest remasters with vinyl editions cut at the legendary Abbey Road Studios. The covers of the albums have been restored to the original, overseen by Malcolm Garrett, the designer of Duran Duran's first three albums.

Duran Duran was dubbed the Fab Five, comparing their success to that of the Fab Four, a moniker for the Beatles during their peak. The late Diana, Princess of Wales, declared Duran Duran her favorite band. They would perform at the Princess Diana Tribute Concert held in June 1998 at the request of her family.

The Grammy, Brit, and Ivor Novell award-winning band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. Their first five albums have ranked on over 20 Top 10 album charts worldwide and define the sound of a generation. Iconic singles from these albums include "Hungry Like The Wolf,"
"Rio," "Girls on Film," "Save a Prayer," and my personal favorite, "The Chauffeur," which is the band's most covered song.

Duran Duran album reissues

Duran Duran, the debut album for the band, solidified the band's sound and introduced a new British pop order. The single "Girls On Film" featured the first "found sound" bites in music with the camera clicks which open the song.

The band's second album, Rio includes many iconic songs, which birthed some of the first music videos and innovative mini-movies, that earned them heavy rotation on MTV.

Seven and the Ragged Tiger produced the band's first No. 1 single in the United States, "The Reflex." They performed the song on the popular British pop music program Top of the Pops, which airs on BBC.

Scaled down to three members, Le Bon, Rhodes, and John Taylor, the band released their fourth album, Notorious. Although the album didn't do as well as previous releases, it marks an experimental phase of the band, which is popular with long-time fans.

The fifth album, Big Thing, was even more experimental and considered the band's most exploratory work up to that point. It featured the No. 4 single (in the US), "I Don't Want Your Love," and the band's last top ten hit in the UK (until 1993), "All She Wants Is."

Duran Duran continues to tour and, in 2023, released their 10th UK Top 5 album, Danse Macabre. The band also headlined at London’s Hyde Park, performing at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace, closing the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in their hometown of Birmingham. They also held sold-out shows in Madison Square Garden and three nights at the Hollywood Bowl.