Duran Duran have today reissued their first five studio albums – Duran Duran, Rio, Seven and the Ragged Tiger, Notorious, and Big Thing on vinyl and CD. Long out of print, this exciting reissue marks the first time this iconic collection is available in the original 1LP and 1CD format, with remastered audio, since their initial release. The albums are out now via Warner Music here.
The release comes as they prepare for their headline performance at this year’s Latitude Festival on 28th July. A UK festival exclusive, the band’s announcement caused major excitement last year when it launched the festival without any of the wider lineup; a clear indication of Duran Duran’s status and pulling power in 2024.
Both 1LP and 1CD formats feature the latest album remasters, with vinyl editions cut at Abbey Road Studios. The album artworks have been closely restored to the original sleeve designs, overseen by Malcolm Garrett, the visionary designer behind the band’s first three albums.
The bands first five albums have defined the sound and style of generations. Their acclaimed singles like ‘Hungry Like the Wolf’, ‘Rio’, ‘Girls on Film’ and ‘Save a Prayer’ consistently dominated singles charts around the world on their release, and continue to soundtrack the lives of millions of fans. The music and magic within these five records propelled the band to the very front of the global music scene, establishing Duran Duran’s status as cultural icons and one of the most influential groups of all time. Now, 16 studio albums deep into their recording career and counting, Duran Duran are still performing many of these songs in packed arenas all over the world.
The five albums, which between them graced over 20 Top 10 album charts around the world, provide a rich cross section of their formative years. Here we are reminded anew of their self-titled debut’s era-defining boldness. A record that completely solidified the signature sound of Duran Duran, whilst simultaneously soundtracking turn of the decade angst, and introducing a new British pop order. As opener ‘Girls on Film’ presented the first use of “found sound” in music with its instantly recognisable camera motor drive clicks, and the apocalyptic shock of ‘Planet Earth’ took hold, and the bands innovation was signalling what British pop music would do next.
The year between the first album release and the dawn of the Rio era was shaped by huge artistic growth. The album elevated the band to global status and produced a trio of Top Ten hits in ‘Save A Prayer’, ‘Rio’ and ‘Hungry Like the Wolf’. The latter two of which birthed some of the first-ever music videos that fans all over the world would fall in love with as MTV launched them into heavy rotation, also helping the band reach super-stardom in the US and beyond
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