Duran Duran
All You Need Is Now

For the first half of their career, Duran Duran were more popular with the public than critics. Then - strangely enough - as their records got worse, the situation reversed.

Except it was those early records critics and musicians fell in love with, finally realising that not only was John Taylor a bit of a hottie, he also knew his way around a bass guitar better than most of his peers. Ditto for the rest of the group.

Over the last decade and a half Duran Duran lost their way with the public, a slide not even the reunion of the original line-up in 2001 could halt. Their last record, 2007’s Justin Timberlake-assisted Red Carpet Massacre, was the second-lowest selling of their career.

Enter Mark Ronson - record producer, superstar DJ and self-confessed Duran Duran fanatic. He told the band to make a imaginary follow-up to 1982’s Rio, the band’s second - and arguably best - album, saying they lost their way after that.

And bizarrely enough, they agreed - and the result is the best thing they’ve done since 1982.

All You Need Is Now is pure, unadulterated Duran Duran - it’s that rare example of giving the fans exactly what they want, yet also succeeding on an artistic level.

‘Being Followed’ is the album’s standout, updating their debut single ‘Planet Earth’ with a glossy, modern sheen, nailing the darker side of the band’s sound in a way they haven’t since 1981’s self-titled record (the band released another self-titled record in 1993, paving the way for Weezer).

The song that best encapsulates that Rio sound though would be ‘Girl Panic’, which leads with Roger Taylor’s funky drums, and piles on Nick Rhodes’ synths as if there’s a quota to be met. And this being Duran Duran, there bloody well is, and thank god they’ve realised this!

There are some oddball moments, though fans who skip over the greatest hits in favour of the original albums know Duran Duran have an artier side not represented in the pastel suits, yachts and supermodels of their classic music videos.

‘The Man Who Stole A Leopard’ is the best example here, a slow, sinister piece with Simon Le Bon dueting with Kelis (yes, Kelis...WTF?) and an imaginative string arrangement from Owen Pallett (Arcade Fire, Final Fantasy).

Classic era guitarist Andy Taylor might be gone, but the new guy Dominic Brown earns his keep, contributing to most of the album’s best songs, such as ‘Other People’s Lives’, probably the heaviest track on the record, and the breezy ‘Runway Runaway’. Who needs three Taylors in a band, anyway?

Kaiser Chiefs drummer Nick Hodgson's contribution 'Too Bad You're So Beautiful' is pretty decent too, mixing a bit of Devo into the Duran sound.

All up, it’s not perfect - Ana Matronic should stick to her day job with the Scissor Sisters - but who really expected a decent, perhaps even great, album from Duran Duran at this point in their career?

In a just world, All You Need Is Now will ensure Le Bon’s yacht supply will stay healthy.

Try it if you like: The Killers, MGMT, Scissor Sisters
Buy All You Need Is Now from iTunes