In
summer of 1978, Nigel Taylor enrolled at the Birmingham Polytechnic's College of Art and Design, where he met student Stephen Duffy. Nigel suggested Stephen to meet with childhood friend Nicholas Rhodes. The three of them eventually founded (what became) DURAN DURAN.
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When Nigel watched the 1968 sci-fi movie BARBARELLA (
Friday, October 20, 1978 22:50) on BBC one, he came up with the idea calling themselves DURAN DURAN. He suggested this to Nick on the next day (
Saturday, October 21) in a local pub named THE HOLE IN THE WALL, and later that day he met Stephen in the stairwell outside the college kitchen, and also told him about his idea.
First Line-Up ... until April of 1979Nigel Taylor (John Taylor) - guitar and backing vocals
Nick Rhodes (Nick Rhodes) - synthesizer, tapes and rhythms
Steve Dufait (Stephen Duffy) - fretless bass, vocals and rhythm guitar
First demo recorded on a cassette tape recorder in the space above Nick's mum's toy shop, called
DUSK AND DAWN. The cover featured a black-and-white photocopy of a New York streetscape shot. See this tape here on the very left in this THE DEVILS EPK (at 12:57) video:
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Tracks on that demo are:
SOUNDTRACK
AZTEC MOON RICH*TAKE (THE LINES AND THE SHADOWS)
HOLD ME/POSE ME
A LUCIEN MELODY
HAWKS DON’T SHARE*Additional named tracks from that time period are:
TOY ROOM TO TOKYO
SO COLD IN EL DORADO
LOST DECADE*
BIG STORE*
NEWHAVEN-DIEPPE*
SIGNALS IN SMOKE** re-recorded by THE DEVILS (Nick Rhodes and Stephen Duffy) in 2002 for the album
DARK CIRCLES, which could have been the very first DURAN DURAN album.
First gig (with only the three of them):
April 5, 1979 - Lecture Theatre at Birmingham Polytechnic, UK
"this is the very first DURAN DURAN recording dated 5-4-79 with John Taylor, Nick Rhodes and Stephen Duffy. The recording refers to their performance at Birmingham Art College [history tells that the THE DEVILS project started when Stephen told Nick that he had found that tape in his old desk]."
After the first gig Simon Colley (a friend of Stephen) joined the band (in April/May of 1979).Nigel Taylor (John Taylor) - guitar, fx and voices
Nick Rhodes (Nick Rhodes) - synthesizer, tapes and rhythms
Steve Dufait (Stephen Duffy) - lead voice and bass
Simon Colley - clarinet, voices and bass
Known gigs:May 10, 1979 – Birmingham University, Birmingham, UK
May 29, 1979 - Hexagon Theatre, Birmingham, UK
(initially planned for May 8, but postponed to May 29. The Hexagon Theatre was actually used as a puppetry theatre)
June 1, 1979 – Barbarella's, Birmingham, UK
After that gig at Barbarella's Stephen Duffy left the band.
See also THE DEVILS EPK Part 1, which is very informative
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And THE DEVILS EPK Part 2
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Anyone else wants to add anything from these very early DD days, before Andy Wickett and Roger Taylor joined the band in summer of 1979? Do it here
Would be much appreciated!
to be continued
