'THANKS FROM DURAN DURAN'
Published on Monday, April 3, 1995

Byline: By Larry Flick, Billboard


Duran Duran bassist John Taylor says the title of the venerable pop act's forthcoming set of cover tunes, ''Thank You,'' is more than an expression of gratitude to the bands that influenced him and his cohorts.

''We are just so damned thrilled to be putting out another album,'' he says with a laugh. ''Strange as it may sound, the experience of completing a project that actually finds its way to the public is incredibly spiritual and somewhat humbling -- even after all of these years. Recording these songs, which have always meant so much to us, just made the process all the more a tingly, exciting experience.''

Taylor says the group's Capitol album, which is slated to hit retail Tuesday, was initially inspired by Bryan Ferry's ''These Foolish Things'' and David Bowie's ''Pin-Ups,'' a pair of renowned cover albums that were released in 1973.

''We wanted to bring a different energy to familiar songs, while also paying proper tribute to those who have given us the inspiration to make music,'' he says. ''Those albums were perfect examples of how that can be accomplished.''

The seeds of ''Thank You'' were planted in 1992 during the sessions for their last long-player, ''The Wedding Album.'' After pruning down what Taylor describes as a ''mile-long'' list of potential selections, the act began to cut tunes in different cities while on a 16-month world tour.

The songs on ''Thank You'' span several genres. Classic rockers, such as Bob Dylan's ''Lay Lady Lay'' and ''Crystal Ship'' by the Doors, are placed alongside interpretations of hip-hop anthems like ''911 Is A Joke'' by Public Enemy's Flavor Fav and Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel's ''White Lines.'' Among the other songs on the set are Iggy Pop's ''Success,'' Elvis Costello's ''Watching the Detectives,'' and ''Ball of Confusion'' by the Temptations.

Despite the abundance of recent cover albums, neither Capitol nor Duran Duran is fearful of a backlash. ''I think the hard work we've put into each song will win out in the end,'' Taylor
says.

Tom Corson, vice president of marketing at Capitol, agrees. ''The truth is also that a large portion of Duran Duran's audience has not heard a number of these songs. Something like (Velvet Underground's) 'Perfect Day,' for example, will probably draw a different reaction from them than material with a more mainstream radio history.''

As Capitol puts its promotion and marketing pieces in place, Taylor is dividing his time between working on original material for the next Duran Duran album -- which he says could be done by the end of 1995 -- and finishing a long-in-progress second album by his side project, the Power Station. He hopes to have the occasional band's album ready for release in the fall by Capitol.

''The Power Station album has that big, big sound, while the new Duran songs (are) taking us in a fresh direction,'' he says. ''Doing 'Thank You' gave us a chance to look within and confirm our purpose, which is to constantly push forward -- and that's what we're always going to do.''

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