Duran Duran

Duran Duran are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States. Since the 1980s, they have placed 14 singles in the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart and 21 in the Billboard Hot 100, and according to the Sunday Mercury, they have sold more than 100 million records. While they were generally considered part of the New Romantic scene along with bands such as Spandau Ballet when they first emerged, the band later shed this image. The band worked with fashion designers to build a sharp and elegant image. The band has won a number of awards throughout their career, including two Grammy Awards, two Brit Awards receiving the award for Outstanding Contribution to Music, an MTV Video Music Award for Lifetime Achievement, and were awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The group was formed by Nick Rhodes and John Taylor, with the later addition of Roger Taylor, and after numerous personnel changes, Andy Taylor and Simon Le Bon. So far the band have not disbanded, but the line-up has changed to include American guitarist Warren Cuccurullo from 1989 to 2001 and American drummer Sterling Campbell from 1989 to 1991. The reunion of the original five members in the early 2000s created a stir among the band's fans and music media.Andy Taylor left the band once again in mid-2006, and London guitarist Dom Brown has since been working with the band as a session player and touring member.

Links To Peel
On his BBC Radio One show from 17 March 1995, Peel mentioned that someone wrote to him mentioning that he played Duran Duran's first single:


 * "The Duran Duran tune. First time I've ever said the word Duran Duran on the programme, I think, although somebody did once write and tell me I played their very first single: this could be the case."

Duran Duran's first single was Planet Earth, which was a UK Top 20 hit single in 1981. There is evidence that Peel played their second single Careless Memories on 28 April 1981 and the B side which was a cover of David Bowie's Fame on 05 May 1981. Apart from that there doesn't seem much evidence that he continued playing their material, when the band achieved their first UK Top 10 single Girls On Film. The only exceptions were on 09 April 1993 (John Peel Is Jakki Brambles) when Peel was covering Jakki Brambles while she was away and playing some of her playlist, which included Duran Duran's Come Undone single and on 15 July 2004, as a preview for Melys covering Girls On Film in their next Peel session.

Other Shows Played
(The list below is incomplete and compiled only from the database of this site. Please add further details if known.)

1981 1993 2004 TOTP
 * 28 April 1981: Careless Memories (7") EMI
 * 05 May 1981: 'Fame (12 inch-Careless Memories)' (EMI)
 * 09 April 1993 (John Peel Is Jakki Brambles): Come Undone (single) Parlophone
 * 15 July 2004: Girls On Film' (7") EMI
 * 27 May 1982 (TOTP): Hungry Like The Wolf
 * 18 November 1982 (TOTP): Rio
 * 25 December 1982 (TOTP): Hungry Like The Wolf
 * 05 May 1983 (TOTP): Is There Something I Should Know?
 * 02 February 1984 (TOTP): New Moon On Monday
 * 10 May 1984 (TOTP): The Reflex