(Translated from my original Italian text by Gemini and Piero Scaruffi)

The romanticism, futurism, and danceability of the early "electronic" British rock groups, such as Roxy Music and Ultravox, were pushed to extremes toward disco and electronics by Duran Duran, appearing not as decadent dandies or dehumanized androids, but as sentimental and metaphysical bards (original members: John Taylor, Nick Rhodes, Roger Taylor, Simon LeBon, Andy Taylor). At the same time, the group sensed the suggestive power of music videos and placed crucial importance on the visual aspect. Singer Simon LeBon thus became a phenomenon of teenage fanaticism.

While the debut album, Duran Duran (Harvest, 1981), doesn't make much sense beyond the cult following, in the pathos of Planet Earth and the catchy Girls On Film, Duran Duran perhaps offered the best of the movement; meanwhile, the songs of Rio (Harvest, 1982), the peak of their mannerism and melody�specifically Save a Prayer and The Chauffeur, as well as the single Is There Something I Should Know (1983)�mechanically exploited the trick of a syncopated rhythm, catchy choruses, and electronic flourishes that were well-suited for the most decadent and sophisticated dances. In this sense, Hungry Like The Wolf remains the most exemplary song of their style, and Rio their most convoluted composition. The production had become vigorous and deafening. The electromechanical polyrhythms, high-flown vocals, and atmospheric keyboards served for a while as the benchmark for groups of the genre.

After the horrific Seven And The Ragged Tiger (Capitol, 1983), and the colossal successes of Reflex, New Moon On Monday, and Union Of The Snake (tracks that were less melodic but arranged in a more futuristic manner and sung more melodramatically), the group split in two: Andy and John Taylor (guitar and bass) formed Power Station with Robert Palmer on vocals; the others formed Arcadia.

From the live album Arena (1984) came the new hit, The Wild Boys, which perfected the clich� with an existential touch. This was followed by the "theme song" for the soundtrack of A View To A Kill (1985) and the album Notorious (Capitol, 1986), which marked the arrival of Warren Cuccurullo (formerly a sideman for Frank Zappa) on guitar and included the eponymous hit. The group was reduced to a quartet (John Taylor, Nick Rhodes, and Simon Le Bon plus Cuccurullo) for Big Thing (Capitol, 1988) and Liberty (Capitol, 1990)�the former mediocre at best (Do You Believe In Shame and Palomino), the latter more pathetic than horrific.

Decade (EMI, 1989) collects their hits.

The group returned with Duran Duran (Capitol, 1993), also known as The Wedding Album, an infamous jumble of imitations (Madonna in None Of The Above, George Michael in Come Undone, Prince in Shelter) containing the hit Ordinary World, and with Thank You (Capitol, 1995), a collection of covers. They were also sued for an unauthorized version of Cavern by Liquid Liquid with the title changed to White Lines.

Medazzaland (Capitol, 1997), without bassist and founding member John Taylor and with keyboardist Nick Rhodes at the helm, pivots on the single Electric Barbarella and also includes the catchy Big Bang Generation. Duran Duran adapted to the times, as shown by the Oasis-style So Long Suicide.