![]() People couldn't understand why I walked away from this thing that was at the height of its creativity, its fame, its success. Could you talk about how you arrived at that decision and how it felt to step away from such a huge pop cultural phenomenon? You took some time away from doing this in 1985. But I don't think we really found the blueprint until "Rio." And of course, it's gone on to be regarded as a classic album of the '80s. I think we've finally achieved what we've been looking for." ![]() I sat in my room in Sri Lanka and put on my headphones and I listened to the record all the way through and thought, "Wow, this is quite something. I got to Sri Lanka and - remember the old cassette Walkmans? - I got a cassette of the album. Nick (Rhodes) had stayed behind for a few days in London to do more mixing on the record. We'd just finished the "Rio" album and were flying to Sri Lanka to do some videos. So it's a great little club to be part of.ĭo you recall a point in those early days where it felt like you had really captured what it was that you were going for as the sound of the band? And I think we're definitely part of that club where the early records sound great. I hear Chic records and they still sound amazing. It's so important to have the right producer. We've been lucky enough to work with Colin Thurston on the first couple records, Alex Sadkin, Nile Rodgers, Bernard Edwards. When I hear an early Duran song on the radio, I always think, "Wow, that still sounds great." And I think it's down to amazing production. I mean, I'm not one to blow my own trumpet (laughs). What do you think of those earlier records when you hear them now? We don't kind of sit around saying, "Oh, wow, it's our 40th anniversary." But I think we feel appreciative that we're still recognized, that we can still go out and play, that we can still release new records. I can't think of many bands that have been playing together as long as this and still releasing music that's being embraced by the public. It feels great to still be in the building. So again, the title kind of tells you that. We were going through a few different avenues. "Seven and the Ragged Tiger" was a slightly more complex-sounding record. I mean, you think of "Rio." That just tells you almost what's gonna be on the record. The title has always been so important with Duran Duran. And they said, "Oh, wow, it's kinda like your future past, isn't it? You look into the future, but the record has elements of your past." And John just hooked onto that phrase. ![]() I think John and Simon (Le Bon) were describing the sound of the record to somebody. Was part of the appeal of titling the album "Future Past" the idea of moving on into the future while also embracing what you like about your past? The energy coming from the audience is quite like nothing I’ve felt since the early days when we came to America in the early '80s. Now seems an especially great time for this type of record, coming out of the pandemic. In fact, the first song we ever played live as Duran Duran was "I Feel Love." So to have him come and work on this record has given it that kind of early Duran feel. He's very much part of the DNA of those early records. Of course, we worked with Giorgio Moroder, who's a real hero of ours. So there was a lot more live playing, a lot more work from John (Taylor) and I in the studio, where we kind of really dug in and created some organic grooves. He wanted to incorporate the earlier kind of grooves into the more contemporary music we're producing. We have to thank Erol Alkan, the producer who did most of the record, for that. My friend who's seen the tour twice says the dance floor-friendly nature of the new songs feels like a bit of link to the earlier records. In a candid Zoom call from Las Vegas, Taylor talked with The Arizona Republic about keeping the spirit of "Rio" alive while looking to the future in advance of the Phoenix date on a tour where the energy of the fans feels a little like touring the States in the '80s. "It's not like we're trying to shoehorn something into the set that's kind of very abstract and not really in keeping with the early material," he says. One reason is how well the "Future Past" songs have been blending with the hits on which their legacy has come to rest, from "Girls on Film" to "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "Rio." ![]() "It does feel like that actually," Taylor says. They seem to be having a lot of fun on these shows. Roger Taylor and his bandmates are about to take their rightful place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, an overdue honor that dovetails nicely with a 2022 tour celebrating Duran Duran's 40th anniversary and a great new album titled "Future Past." Duran Duran has been eligible for nomination into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame since 2007.
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