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| The Duran Duran Timeline | ||
| << 1982 | 1983 | 1984 >> |
|
Duran Duran re-issues its first album, the self-titled Duran Duran, along with the newly-recorded hit single "Is There Something I Should Know?". Nick produces an album for Kajagoogoo, and then Duran returns to the studio to begin recording Seven and the Ragged Tiger. A massive world tour begins in Australia and the UK. | ||
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Jan 7 | Nick and Julie Anne visit with Andy Warhol in New York |
| ? | DMM Mega Mixes released in Germany |
| ? | The compilation album Sol De Verão - Internacional is released in Brazil, featuring "Save A Prayer". |
| ? | "Rio" is included on the compilation album 12 Inch Delights released in Hong Kong. |
| ? | John appears in print ads and commercials (in Japan) for the Aria Pro II bass. (Image) |
| Jan? | Simon is filmed walking down some steps for a re-edited 'Staircase' version of the Careless Memories video; which appears on the March released video album. This is now rare, as the band now use the original version. (Version Comparison). |
| Jan? | Nick visits the Embassy Club in London, where he meets Christopher Hamill (aka Limahl, lead singer for Kajagoogoo). |
| Jan 15 | Clip of Rio shown on the Nationwide British TV show ahead of the Rock and Pop Awards. (YouTube). |
| Jan 22 | American Top 40 with Casey Kasem: January 22, 1983 broadcast, featuring "Hungry Like the Wolf" at no.34. |
| Jan 29 | Dick Clark National Music Survey: January 29, 1983 broadcast in the USA, featuring "Hungry Like the Wolf" at no.30. |
| Jan ? | Nick produces Kajagoogoo album White Feathers at Chipping Norton and Utopia studios, where Duran recorded parts of their first album |
| Feb 5 | Dick Clark National Music Survey: February 5, 1983 broadcast in the USA, featuring "Hungry Like the Wolf". |
| Feb 8 | Duran awarded Best Album, Best Group, and Simon is awarded Best Male Vocalist at British Rock & Pop Awards. The presenters are David Jensen and Anne Diamond, with Dev Bevan, and Toyah Wilcox. Broadcast 9th Feb. (Best Group), (Best Album), (Best Male Vocal), (Article). |
| Feb 19 | “Too Shy” by Kajagoogoo, backed with “Take Another View”, released and hits #1 in the UK |
| Feb 19 | American Top 40 with Casey Kasem: February 19, 1983 broadcast in the USA, featuring "Hungry Like the Wolf" at no.9. |
| Feb 20 | Highlights of a Duran Duran show recorded on 15 November 1982 is broadcast using the BBC College Concert album. |
| Feb 26 | American Top 40 with Casey Kasem: February 26, 1983 broadcast, featuring "Hungry Like the Wolf". |
| Feb 26 | “Hungry Like the Wolf” peaks at #3 in the US |
| Feb 28 | Duran is in Canada. Photo session by Steve Rapport at the Smash Hits office in Ontario (Source). |
| Mar 1 | Rio album goes gold |
| Mar 2? | Simon is interviewed by Tim Rice for Late Night Chat Show on INTV. Le Bon is enjoying the success of the band; their music heard by people outside their generation, visuals not as important as the music; video a third medium after recording work & live shows. |
| Mar 4 | Duran lip-synchs a performance of "Hungry Like The Wolf" and “Is There Something I Should Know?” (HLTW), (ITSISK), (ITSISK) on the Oxford Road Show (BBC2) TV program in the UK, and answer pre-submitted fan questions (YouTube); bootlegged on Planet's Core: Vol. 1 and Looking For Passion |
| Mar 5? | Duran Duran Video 45 with videos for “Girls on Film” and “Hungry Like The Wolf” released in US. (The VHS-format tape contains MTV-friendly "day version" of “Girls”, while the Beta format contains the uncensored "night version"). 5th of March issue of Billboard Magazine talks about the TV element of the EMI Music Video/Sony promotion for the release running for 2 weeks to tie in with a Duran concert being broadcast on the 5th of March on MTV - with a toll-free number being given in the spots for people to find a local stockist. |
| Mar 5 | Simon, Nick and Andy appear on Saturday Superstore in the UK. At the end of the show, they throw a pie around. (Ending) bootlegged on Planet's Core: Vol. 1 |
| Mar 11 | Video album Duran Duran released on VHS, Beta, and laserdisc. Sometimes referred to as the Duran Duran Video Album or Duran Duran: The First 11 Videos. In February 1984, the video album Duran Duran won a Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video, while the Video 45 won the Best Short Form award. |
| Mar 12 | Andy, John & Roger appear on The Saturday Show (ITV) in the UK. With Tommy Boyd. They are joined by their parents. John says they have got to get away to write. (YouTube). bootlegged on Planet's Core: Vol. 1. |
| Mar 14? | The Band fly from London to Manchester UK to record the Oxford Road show. |
| Mar 14? | Oxford Road Show - The Making Of Is There Something I Should Know is recorded, behind-the-scenes clips of the band at the airport and before the show. Airs December. (YouTube), (YouTube). |
| Mar 15 | Nick, John, Roger and Andy arrive at John F Kennedy International airport in Queens NY on Pan AM international flight #1 at 4:10pm, around 100 fans turn up to meet the band and made a lot of commotion, Simon flew in from Canada the same day although he missed the fans he heard the response his bandmates received. |
| Mar 16 | The first of many rehearsals for an appearance on Saturday Night Live, Andy Warhol filmed a sequence about Duran for his cable TV show while they were busy with their rehearsal. They were also interviewed by Rolling Stone magazine. |
| Mar 16? | During this week they received Gold discs for American sales of RIO at a party hosted by Capitol Records President Jim Mazza. |
| Mar 17 | Pre-recorded lip-synch performance of “Is There Something I Should Know?” airs on the The Kenny Everett Television Show on BBC One in the UK. bootlegged on Mixology, (YouTube), (YouTube) (there was a previous suggestion that it was filmed on the 13th but no evidence). |
| Mar 17 | At around 1pm Duran were back at the NBC studios rehearsing for Saturday Night Live. |
| Mar 17? | Missing Persons lip-synch performance of "Destination Unknown" airs on German TV. (YouTube), (YouTube). |
| Mar 18 | Pre-recorded Duran Duran on film feature on the Oxford Road Show, with Peter Powell (BBC2) TV program in the UK. (air date confirmed via the BBC Genome Project) |
| Mar 19 | “Is There Something I Should Know” single released as a stand-alone single around the world except in US, backed with “Faith in this Colour”; the first release uses samples from Star Wars. Note — some sources say this was March 14th, and the first chart was 20th? |
| Mar 19 | At a video signing at the Video Shack in Times Square in New York City, the band is mobbed; twelve mounted police are called in to break up the crowd and the guys have to be smuggled out the back of the shop. (YouTube) |
| Mar 19? | John, Roger and Nick interviewed by New York's Channel 7 news about the mob at the video signing |
| Mar 19? | Simon and Nick on live at 5 in New York. They mention the Rio (single) is about to be released in the US. (YouTube) |
| Mar 19 | Duran performs “Hungry Like The Wolf” and “Girls on Film” on Saturday Night Live (S8E16) in the US (Robert Guillaume is the guest host). (SNL HLTW) |
| Mar 19 | American Top 40 with Casey Kasem: March 19, 1983 broadcast in the USA, featuring "Hungry Like The Wolf". |
| Mar 20 | “Is There Something I Should Know?” single enters the UK charts at #1, for the first of two weeks. |
| Mar 20? | Duran start to be banned from hotels around the world, but particularly in New York, as fans camp outside of hotels; screaming, singing, chanting, and banging drums all night. This disturbs hundreds of regular guests, who complain of not being able to sleep because of the noise. |
| Mar 21 | The band fly back to the UK |
| Mar 21 | “Hungry Like The Wolf” peaks at #1 in Canada |
| "Is There Something I Should Know?" is featured on the DJ only album British Invasion, released in Japan. | |
| Mar 23? | “Rio” single reissued in US, containing the Kershenbaum 7" remix of “Rio” and backed with "Hold Back the Rain" (remix) |
| Mar 23 | Top of the Pops mid-week chart shows DD are in at No.1 (Source), and airs Duran's lip-synch performance of “Is There Something I Should Know”. (YouTube), (YouTube), (YouTube). TOTP was on a Wednesday that week, not a Thursday, as it was a live show. It was always filmed the day before during this period - so filmed Tues 22nd. |
| ? | 30,000 Mis-pressings of Is There Something I Should Know? (UK: EMI 5371) are withdrawn. According to Wikipedia: "these were promptly withdrawn when copyright concerns were raised". The original Slow Mix and an Alternative Slow Mix can be found on bootlegs. A faster version of Faith In This Colour is produced, this time without the Star Wars samples. |
| Mar 27 | “Duran Duran (1981 album)” peaks at #42 for 2 weeks in the 4th run in the UK charts. |
| ? | "Is There Something I Should Know?" is included on the German compilation Hit Attack. |
| ? | The promotional only single New Romantic Fever released in Italy, featuring "Is There Something I Should Know?". |
| ? | The Brazilian compilation album Winners - Bandeirantes FM released, featuring "Is There Something I Should Know?". |
| ? | The mixed compilation album B.O.P.S. No. 2 released in Greece, featuring "Is There Something I Should Know?". |
| ? | Keep on Dancing compilation released in Australia by EMI, featuring "Is There Something I Should Know?". |
| ? | The US promo only compilation album Plenty Good Music released, featuring "Is There Something I Should Know?". |
| ? | Band lip-synchs “Is There Something I Should Know?” on the Riverside Show in the UK. |
| Late Mar | Video album Duran Duran released on VHS, Beta, and LaserDisc. Featuring videos for the singles plus "Lonely In Your Nightmare", "Nightboat" and "The Chauffeur". |
| Late Mar | The band flies to France. |
| Mar-May | Duran Duran takes 2 and a half month break at a chateau in Cannes on the Cote d'Azure in France. (Source). Nick says they were inspired by the Rolling Stones recording their album Exile on Main Street. (Source). |
| Late Mar | The band lived the lives of tax exiles, spending most of their time in France, which had laws that allowed for the longest period of exile. Julie Anne Friedman lived in Chateaus in the countryside, the glamorous Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris, and later an apartment across the street from a reclusive Marlene Dietrich. She writes: “Duran Duran had not broken France, so we could walk around unnoticed. By contrast, going to Italy, there were 5,000 screaming fans outside our hotel. We had to be smuggled through the kitchen, and be escorted by police motorcade,” she remembers. “It’s very hard to describe living inside a bubble like that.” (Source). |
| Late Mar | The band begin jamming trying to find new songs. Ian Little writes: "Everyone lived and worked in a three-storey chateau while a 24-track mobile studio rented from North London's RAK Studios was parked outside. With the band set up alongside a 14-channel mixer in a large, open room on the top floor with a pitched roof and bare floorboards, Ian Little sat behind the truck's API console and recorded the jam sessions to a 3M M79 two-inch tape machine.” (Source) |
| Mar 31 | Top of the Pops re-airs Duran's lip-synch performance of “Is There Something I Should Know” (YouTube), (YouTube) |
| Apr 1 | Toshiba EMI (sponsored by Victoria Record Center) puts on two free promotional Duran Duran "Film Carnival All Over Japan" events from 1-2.30pm & 3-4.30pm in Hall 6F of the Victoria Record Center, Suzuran Street, Tokyo. |
| Apr 2 | American Top 40 with Casey Kasem: April 2, 1983 broadcast in the USA, featuring "Hungry Like The Wolf". |
| Apr 2 | “Rio” single peaks at #14 in US |
| Apr 3 | Toshiba EMI (sponsored by Gyokuondo, Ukai Kogyo) puts on a free promotional Duran Duran "Film Carnival All Over Japan" event from 3pm at a venue just listed as "Civic Center Large Hall" on the ticket. However I 'think' this refers to the "Nagoya Civic Assembly Hall", which has both a Forest (Large) Hall & a Village (Medium) Hall. |
| Apr 9 | American Top 40 with Casey Kasem: April 9, 1983 broadcast, featuring "Rio" (@ no.40) and "Hungry Like The Wolf" (@ no.3). |
| Apr | A lot of time was spent waiting for spare parts to arrive from London, playing around in Cannes, playing Tennis, etc. "Elaine and Tracy saw a ghost in one of the rooms" of the mansion. (Source). |
| Apr | Duran Duran album repackaged with new photos and re-released worldwide (with “Is There Something I Should Know?” added and “To The Shore” dropped); it is the first Duran album available on CD. |
| ? | The compilation album Sales Promotion Service released in Italy, featuring "Is There Something I Should Know?". |
| Apr 16? | Simon and Nick are Guest VJs on MTV, with Andy Warhol as their guest; the rest of the band appears at the end to present their gold record for the Rio album to MTV as a thank you for helping them break in America. Nick has orange hair, and mentions Alex Sadkin. (Note: Bowie's album Lets Dance released April 14th). (YouTube) |
| Re-release of Duran Duran album peaks at #10 in the US | |
| Apr | “White Feathers” album by Kajagoogoo released worldwide |
| Apr | “Too Shy” single by Kajagoogoo released in the US |
| Apr | The band was having trouble writing new material, due to almost non-stop partying. |
| Apr 26 | Rio album goes platinum in US (1 million units sold) |
| Apr ? | Nick, John and Roger are awarded Viewer's Choice 'Most Popular International Act for Australia' award by Molly Meldrum, for the Countdown TV show (YouTube). The song “Is There Something I Should Know?” plays in the background. The show was broadcast 1st May, 1983; and includes (YouTube (Outtakes)) |
| Apr 30 | Toshiba EMI put on the first of two free promotional Duran Duran "Film Carnival All Over Japan" events from 2-3.30pm at the Kawai Musical Instruments Manufacturing Co store in Naka-ku, Hiroshima. |
| May | Duran begins demoing new songs; several demo tracks are recorded, including the song “Seven and the Ragged Tiger (Song)” (YouTube), later to become “The Seventh Stranger”. In attendance are Ian Little. |
| May 5 | Top of the Pops re-airs Duran's lip-synch performance of “Is There Something I Should Know?” (YouTube), (YouTube) |
| ? | With his bass tracks completed, John parties in Cannes every night; the band often doesn't start working until 4:00 pm, and are lucky to get two hours of work done each day |
| May 6? | Jools Holland 'A Day In The Life' show recorded. Jools interviews the band during their stay in France. (Part 1), (Part 2), (Part3). |
| May 7 | Toshiba EMI put on the second of two free promotional Duran Duran "Film Carnival All Over Japan" events from 2-3.30pm at the Kawai Musical Instruments Manufacturing Co store in Naka-ku, Hiroshima. |
| 7-18 May | Band members visit Cannes film festival |
| May | “Is There Something I Should Know” single released in US, backed with “Careless Memories” |
| May 5 | Mike Read's Replay Selection re-airs Duran's Saturday Superstore lip-synch performance of “Is There Something I Should Know?”. |
| May | Westwood One's Off The Record: 23/24 radio show album broadcast in North America, featuring interviews with members of Duran Duran. |
| May 14 | Simon on the cover of UK's No.1 Magazine. (Cover Image). |
| May 14 | Countdown America: May 14, 1983 broadcast, featuring "Rio". |
| May 15 | BBC College Concert: 34 broadcast, featuring "Girls on Film". |
| May 21 | John Taylor flies over from France (Cannes) to makes the first of several appearances on the British TV game show Pop Quiz as a regular as team captain. On this occasion, he is joined by Andy Fairweather-Low and Martin Ware of Heaven 17, along with David Gilmore of Pink Floyd as the other team captain. The team result is a draw. Airs May 21st. (YouTube). |
| May 22 | Rolling Stones Continuous History of Rock & Roll: 85 broadcast in the USA, featuring "Girls on Film". |
| May 22 | BBC College Concert: 35 broadcast, featuring "Hungry Like The Wolf". |
| May 28 | Musical Express (Spain) airs Duran Duran's lip-synch performance of “Is There Something I Should Know?”. (Source) |
| May 30 | On Memorial Day in the U.S, Missing Persons plays the "US Festival" in Devore, in Southern California (sponsored by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak). (Dest. Unknown), (Walking in LA). |
| Jun 4 | “Is There Something I Should Know?” single peaks at #4 in US |
| Jun 7 | Diehard fan John (probably) at the premier of new James Bond movie Octopussy, with a small role by Janine Andrews. |
| ? | John and Roger visit Tokyo |
| ? | Japanese Suntory Whisky commercial features "Is There Something I Should Know?"; bootlegged on Tokyo Tapes. (YouTube) |
| summer | WNBC Music Magazine airs a Duran profile, including interviews with John, Andy and Roger |
| Jun 11 | Duran on the cover of British TV schedule magazine TV Times. An article advertises A Midsummer Night's Tube, 24th of June (Friday), on Channel 4. (Cover). |
| Jun 15? | The band fly to Montserrat. (Note: Some reports say this first session was in May.) |
| Jun 15? | Duran begins five weeks of recording at George Martin's AIR Studios in Montserrat, hoping to become more focused. Alex Sadkin was brought in as the head production honcho. [NB — The original date of May on here doesn't make sense for them spending 5 weeks & flying back on the 19th of July - plus there was a bit of time when they were back in the UK after being in the South of France, as the Jackie magazine article of the 2nd of July places them in Birmingham at some point in late May &/or early June.] |
| Jun 20 | Duran records “The Reflex” (with the help of a couple of bottles of John's birthday champagne). |
| Jun 24 | A Midsummer Night's Tube (aka "DD A Day In The Life Of") airs on TV; with Jools Holland interviewing the band in Fréjus, France. From the contents, this was recorded at some point in mid-May, during the Cannes Film Festival, with the band talking about focusing on the soundtrack to the Hammersmith show (so that was clearly overdubbed) & rehearsing for the July charity shows workwise; along with having a break. Nick has a two-tone haircut and Andy has long hair. (Part 1), (Part 2), (Part3). |
| Jun 25 | American Top 40 with Casey Kasem: June 25, 1983 broadcast, featuring "Is There Something I Should Know?" at no.25. |
| Jun 25 | The radio show album Rock USA: June 25, 1983 broadcast in the USA, featuring "Is There Something I Should Know?. |
| Jun 26? | Nick gets food poisoning while at Montserrat. |
| Jul 1 | Part II of 20 Years of British Rock hosted by Spencer Davis broadcast in the USA, featuring Duran Duran. |
| Jul 2 | Duran Duran interview and article appears in Jackie magazine, Issue 1017. Cover |
| Jul 4 | “Too Shy” by Kajagoogoo peaks in the Canadian Top 10 |
| Jul 7 | Riverside (BBC 2) airs Seagulls On The Cable, a documentary about British artists in the USA. Duran Duran is featured. |
| Jul 8? | The band are finding working conditions in Montserrat difficult. Nick says: "The food was bad. The studio kept falling to bits. The tape machines weren't running at the right speed. I thought the whole place was very shoddy." |
| Jul 17? | Titles for songs on the new album are: "Union of the Snake", "The Reflex", "Cut Loose", "Spidermouse", "Madagaska" and "Seven and the Ragged Tiger". |
| Jul 18 | The band finish up their first five weeks recording at AIR Studios in Montserrat. |
| Jul 19 | The band flies back to England from Montserrat via Miami. They get only 4 hours sleep on the flight. They return to UK at 7:30am on a pan-am flight from Miami for a week to take part in a charity concert in aid of MENCAP. |
| Jul 19 | The band are mobbed at Heathrow by 250-2000 fans (depending on who you read), and then driven to the Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane for a quick brush up and appliance of makeup. Later in the Lobby they take press photos with Nina, a handicapped girl, with MENCAP. (Source). |
| Jul 19 | They rehearse at The Dominion Theatre. |
| Jul 20 | Duran Duran: Old Dominion Theatre, London, England. ⓢ A Prince's Trust command performance for Prince Charles and Princess Diana, The Prince and Princess of Wales. They were plagued with many sound problems and issues during their one hour long set. The bass drum pedal broke twice. Andy broke a string. A box of chocolates from a fan detunes John's Bass. They had tuning problems during Save a Prayer. Simon hurled himself around the stage to make up for the sound issues. Prince Charles later said "I never knew you had to be so fit." (Source). Bootlegged on Prince's Trust Rock Gala. (TV News Clip), (live clip). |
| Jul 20 | It was later discovered that the Irish Republican Army had laid plans to assassinate the royals at this show. The terrorists meticulously planned every detail, but the man due to plant the bomb was a police informant. Sean O’Callaghan located a spot in the wall of a bathroom near the Royal Box into which the bomb would fit, but failed to set the delayed timing detonators and 25 lb. of Frangex, a mining gelignite, that would have killed or injured anyone within a 60ft radius. Roger Said "They wanted to kill Diana and Charles and us and everybody in the room. Finding out about the bomb was the scariest moment of his life." (Source). |
| Jul 21 | UK national newspaper The Daily Mirror initially prints a cover headline "Diana's Delight", about last night's performance. But hours later, by the later morning edition, the front page headline instead was changed to "Diana's Let-down". Nick poses with copies of both headlines. (Image). |
| Jul 21 | Simon and Nick appear on UK Breakfast TV, with clips of their Prince's Trust audience, and a short interview. (YouTube), (YouTube). |
| Jul 22 | The Hon. Edward Adeane (Private Secretary to the Prince of Wales from 1979 to 1985) types a letter to the band from Buckingham Palace on behalf of "The Prince & Princess of Wales", thanking them for their generosity, conveying how much they enjoyed the performance, & expressing their apologies for missing the encore - "The only reason why they left the Royal Box when they did was because they were specifically told by the management that you were not going to reappear on stage." It's not known who kept the original letter, however a number of copies were made of various quality - with, for example, Roger's parents having a clean photocopy from the original (which was later passed onto the daughter of a friend of theirs who was a fan); whilst the copy that Rocks (Paul Neate) had was clearly a few generations down the line & was probably done unofficially. |
| Jul 22 | Duran Duran album goes gold in the US (500,000 units sold) |
| Jul 22? | John; an avid Bond Fan; owned an Aston Martin which he kept at his parents' house in Birmingham. John takes his Aston Martin for a spin and it breaks down 400 yards down the road. |
| Jul 22 | The band travel to Birmingham, Friday 22nd, and spend the night at the Holiday Inn. A crowd of 30 girls gather, most of them booked into the hotel in the hope of a glimpse of the band. They chant "Simon, come to the window!". Newspaper reporters interview the fans about the fan club. (Source) |
| Jul 23 | The next morning it is raining. Duran perform a fantastic sound check of Is There Something I Should Know? at the Villa venue, putting their MENCAP performance to shame. John jokes "Never mind our gigs, we play great sound checks!". (Source) |
| Jul 23 | Duran Duran: Aston Villa Football Grounds, Birmingham, England (with Prince Charles & The City Beat Band, and Robert Palmer). ⓢ A benefit concert MENCAP. Duran have a special guest for the Aston Villa gig, Ellen Hanslow who lost her parents in a helicopter crash on the Scilly Island. Simon stumbles around, the pitch was water logged after heavy rain and only 18,000 fans turn up for the gig, causing the event to make a loss. As MENCAP raises far less money than expected; and after accusing newspaper stories, Paul, Michael and the band each contribute £10,000 to make up the difference. (Source). Bootlegged on Football Ground. |
| Jul 23 | After the Villa gig the band hold a homecoming party at the Rum Runner, where John meets Robert Palmer who performed at Villa Park. They discuss the possibilities of recording together. |
| Jul 23? | Simon announces his engagement to long term girlfriend Claire Stansfield. |
| Jul 24 | UK Sunday Newspaper The News of The World runs with the front page headline "Duran Duran Fans Rage: It's a Rip-off"; from their interview with fans on Friday about the fan club. (Source). Other newspapers go with "Durantastic", "Durandemonium". "Secrets of Sexy Simon" (Sunday Mirror) and "Prince of Heart-throbs - How Duran star found his own true princess" (Sunday People) - about Claire Stansfield. (source). |
| Jul | Westwood One's Off The Record: 33/34 radio show album broadcast in North America, featuring interviews with members of Duran Duran. |
| Jul ? | John records a segment for BBC's Rock School, broadcast in November |
| Jul 25? | Band returns to Montserrat for another month of recording. It is Hurricane season, and they only get one more "useful" song. |
| Jun/Jul | Nick suffers an attack of "paroxysmal tachycardia" (abnormally fast heartbeat); attributed at the time to stress and/or sun poisoning. Nick is airlifted off the island in a helicopter for hospital treatment. Some reports say that was June? |
| ?? | Nick returns to the band from hospital. |
| Jul/Aug? | Progress on Montserrat stalls, Nick complains the outside is too hot, the inside is too cold. John feels there is nothing to do and is boring. The band think about moving to Nassau. |
| Jul 31 | “Duran Duran (1981 album)” peaks at #41 in the 5th run in the UK charts. |
| ? | Soon after Nicks recovery, the band fly to Australia. |
| Aug 2? | Band moves recording and mixing to 301 Studios/Castlereagh Studios, in Sydney Australia |
| Aug 2? | John shares an apartment in Sydney with producer Alex Sadkin |
| Aug 4 | Smash Hits interview with the band. Talks about their two recent UK dates, recording on Montserrat, and says Simon was packing for Australia on the Sunday after the Aston Villa show. The band went "from Montserrat to London to Sydney, all within the space of a week". (source) |
| Aug 10 | Toshiba EMI put on a promotional Duran Duran & Kajagoogoo "Film Carnival" event at 2.30pm (doors 2pm) at the Tsukushi Kaikan (Tsukushi Cinema) in Fukuoka. The event flyer & ticket were sent out in a copy of the debut LP - also containing a promo booklet & sticker sheets for the British Invasion LP, & a separate Kajagoogoo flyer - with each ticket allowing up to 3 people in (until capacity was reached) though with a 300 Yen entry charge, & a "fun lottery" on the day. |
| Aug 18 | Toshiba EMI put on a promotional Duran Duran & Kajagoogoo "Film Carnival" event at 1.30pm (doors 1pm) at the Radio Kansai Hall in Kobe. The event flyer (& i assume the ticket) were sent out in a copy of the re-release of the debut LP - with each ticket allowing up to 3 people in (until capacity was reached) though with a 300 Yen entry charge, & a "lottery" (*not* a "fun" one like in Fukuoka) on the day.
Additionally this flyer refers to it being "the second carnival" with additional material added - so these were separate & updated events from the April/May dates added previously - whilst it also appears to indicate that there had been one in Kobe earlier in the year. |
| Aug 20 | American Top 40 with Casey Kasem: August 20, 1983 broadcast, featuring "Is There Something I Should Know?" at no.7. |
| Aug 23 | Some Duran-related content shown on ITV (the documemtary or concert probably). |
| Aug 27 | Duran Duran at Hammersmith Odeon broadcast in the UK on BBC Radio. |
| Aug ? | Nick loses his orange hair, lets it go brown, then adds a blonde streak on top for a two-tone blonde on brown look. |
| Sep 3 | American Top 40 with Casey Kasem: September 3, 1983 broadcast, featuring "Is There Something I Should Know?" at no.29. |
| ? | When they get homesick, Andy and John visit Gerry Laffy's Sydney apartment for home-cooked English dinners |
| Sep | John is hospitalized in an Australian hospital for two days with "nose trouble" from cocaine. |
| Sep 16-18 | The Source: Duran Duran Concert Profile airs on the radio in the USA. The band is interviewed about the fans, New Romanticism and the altitude to the videos. |
| Sep | John takes MDA (MDMA/Ecstasy) for the first time, in a night club. He is blown away, feels elated, and says it brought him "closer to God". (Source: Into The Pleasure Groove). |
| Sep | The next night, John is keen to reproduce his high from MDA, but fails to get high and instead gets moody. None of the others in the band are interested in the drug. (Source: Into The Pleasure Groove). |
| Sep | Alex Sadkin and John are in the studio. Alex asks John to re-do the bass on a song for which the chords have been changed. The song "Seven and the Ragged Tiger" was going to become "The Seventh Stranger". John is in the bathroom, and reacts by saying: "F*ck Alex, that song was finished. I'm Finished, I'm done!" and smashes a glass through a shower door. Andy and John finish the last overdubs on "Seven and the Ragged Tiger" that afternoon. Andy is also bored, and threatens to leave the band. John says "Don't worry [Andy], the next project will be bigger"; but this was the beginning of a rift - with himself and Andy on one side, and the Band and the Barrows on the other, that would lead to the split over the next two years. (he says that this was where he began planning Power Station project?) |
| Sep | John turns to drink and drugs and parties, and starts to pull away from the rest of the band. |
| Sep | Andy, John and Russell interviewed on Australian TV by Molly Meldrum. Russell mentions the next video will be filmed in Parramatta. (YouTube) |
| Sep | The Band films “Union of the Snake” video with Russell Mulcahy, in Parramatta - a suburb of Sydney, using 35mm film |
| Sep | Simon, Andy and Russell Mulcahy interviewed on the set of the “Union of the Snake” video, for Australian TV by Molly Meldrum. The clip includes some behind the scenes footage. (YouTube) |
| Oct 1 | Renée Simonsen is the face on the cover of Roxy Music's compilation album: The Atlantic Years 1973-1980, released Oct 1, 1985. The model appears in a close full-face shot, which was meant to make the package seem more seductive. John Taylor must have bought the record at some point. They began dating in 1985. (Atlantic Years), (Atlantic Years), (Image). |
| Oct ? | The band works at mixing the “Union” single right up to the last minute, leaving themselves only 24 hours to write, record and mix “Secret Oktober” for the b-side |
| Oct 3? | Mixing of the new album completed. |
| Oct 5? | Duran flies in Bengal tiger for a £65,000 photo shoot for the album cover and tour program. |
| Oct 6? | Photo session (with the Tiger flown in from Melbourne and drugged) on the steps of Sydney Art Gallery, for the album and tour program covers. |
| Oct 10 | “Union of the Snake” video released to MTV a week before radio receives the single, amid much protest from radio stations, who feared that video would supplant radio in the promo game |
| Oct ? | John and Roger interviewed on Australian channel SAS10. They talk about their audience, the compartmentalized nature of working together. They show the new album cover. They have worked on the album for six months, and have thrown out many songs. The band had their first number 1 with Planet Earth in Australia. (YouTube). |
| Oct 17 | “Union of the Snake” single released worldwide, backed with “Secret Oktober” |
| ? | The compilation album Australian Rock Talent: Part. 2 released in Indonesia, featuring "Union of the Snake". |
| Oct 21 | John's rented BMW spins out of control and crashes into the Sydney Harbour Bridge; he escapes without injury. (According to Mike Read and the yesterday's press). |
| Oct 22 | Simon interviewed on the phone for the Saturday Supersore by Mike Read about JT's accident, the video premiere of “Union of the Snake” and the future satellite interview to Late Late Breakfast Show (YouTube) |
| Oct 22 | Late Late Breakfast Show (BBC1) appearance in the UK. (YouTube). |
| Oct 22 | Rock USA: October 22, 1983 broadcast in the USA featuring "Hungry Like The Wolf". |
| Oct late | Two-week rehearsals for Sing Blue Silver tour begin at Sydney Showgrounds. |
| Oct 30 | “Union of the Snake” single peaks at #3 in the UK. |
| Oct 30 | “Duran Duran (1981 album)” peaks at #67 in the 6th run in the UK charts. |
| Oct 31 | BBC Rock Hour - 444, the second Annual Salute To Halloween Show broadcast in the USA, featuring "Hungry Like The Wolf". |
| Nov 1 | John is featured on Rock School show (BBC2) in the UK, and later PBS (U.S) demonstrating the “Planet Earth” bass line; the show also includes an interview with Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers; bootlegged on Planet's Core: Vol. 1 and Looking For Passion (YouTube), (YouTube) |
| Nov 1 | The Band is interviewed for Spanish TV show Tocata. They are at a London Hotel. Roger is titled Rocky Talyor. (YouTube) |
| Nov 5 | “Union of the Snake” single peaks at #3 in US |
| Nov 6? | The band interviewed by Smash Hits magazine, which appeared in a 16 page special feature 8th December 1983. There is still a week to go until their first show. Andy and Michael Barrow share a house in the suburbs, while the rest live in the city. Michael is on the telephone, trying to secure press coverage for the Perth show. He says EMI have pressed up 19,000 copies of the wrong LP, after someone picked up the wrong master tape from the studio. (Full Article). |
| Nov | John and Roger tape intro to “Hungry Like The Wolf” video for US TV show NBC's Friday Night Videos (YouTube) |
| Nov ? | John, Nick and Roger interviewed by Molly Meldrum for Countdown Australia TV show (YouTube) |
| Nov ? | Simon and Nick appear on Australian TV with Don Lane, opening to an orchestrated disco version of GOF. Nick has a two-tone haircut. They mention the raunchy videos, making the video for Union of the Snake in the desert. Simon says he joined the band by phoning up after a party. (Part 1), (Part 2) |
| The SING BLUE SILVER Tour The tour begins with sold-out shows in Australia | |
| Nov 12 | Duran Duran: National Indoor Sports Centre, Canberra, Australia |
| Nov 13 | The band appears as hosts on Countdown, Australia. They present songs and share their future plans. (YouTube) |
| Nov 16 | Late Late Breakfast Show (BBC1) appearance in the UK. Noel Edmonds interviews the Band via satellite from Sydney, with Australian animals but no Wombat (YouTube), (YouTube), (YouTube) |
| Nov 16 | Duran Duran: Sydney Entertainment Centre, Sydney, Australia (with The Little Heroes) INXS attended the show with their girlfriends |
| Nov 19 | Duran Duran: Festival Hall, Brisbane, Australia (with The Little Heroes). ⓢ bootlegged on Live In Australia '83 |
| Nov 20 | Duran Duran: Festival Hall, Brisbane, Australia (with The Little Heroes) (Source). |
| Nov 20 | Andy: “We [DD] were at a David Bowie [Serious Moonlight] concert at the Sydney Cricket Ground (Nov 19-20, 1983),” Taylor recalls. “I knew quite a few of the band, and I ended up at the afterparty in some hotel suite. I went into the [bathroom] and I bumped into Tony Thompson, and we just started talking – not doing anything naughty, although I was a bit drunk. ‘I f___ing love your playing,’ all that. And at some point John got involved in the conversation. I got up the next morning and I’m like: ‘Did we really form a band?’”. (Source), (Source). Denis O'Regan: "At the Sebel Townhouse in Sydney I introduced David to my old friends Duran Duran again (I'd first done so in France earlier in the tour), but interestingly they spent a lot of time speaking to David's drummer Tony Thompson from Chic. Two years later he joined the Duran Duran offshoot group Power Station." (source) - where, checking Bowie's itinerary, this 'could' have happened on the 19th, 20th or 21st; with Bowie flying to NZ from Sydney on the 22nd. |
| Nov 21 | Seven and the Ragged Tiger album released worldwide |
| Nov | Seven and the Ragged Tiger: Press Pack issued to the media. |
| Nov 22 | Duran Duran: Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Center, Melbourne, Australia |
| Nov 23 | Duran Duran: Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Center, Melbourne, Australia |
| Nov 24 | Duran Duran: Memorial Drive Tennis Courts, Adelaide, Australia |
| Nov 27 | Seven and the Ragged Tiger enters the UK charts at #1. |
| Nov 27 | Duran Duran: Entertainments Centre, Perth, Australia |
| Nov ? | The band interviewed on Japanese TV (YouTube) |
| End Nov | The tour ends. Simon flies to Canada, while the rest fly to London |
| End Nov | Simon (27) and Canadian model and actress Claire Stansfield (20) buy an apartment together in her hometown of Toronto |
| Dec ? | Nick buys house in London. |
| Dec ? | John tries and fails to get a date with model Yasmin Parvaneh. |
| ? | Simon and Nick interviewed on UK TV show London Calling (YouTube) |
| ? | The Sing Blue Silver Itinerary: UK Tour 1983 book issued to band and tour crew. |
| Dec ? | Andy, John and Roger appear on the UK's childrens' TV show CBTV, with Anneca Rice. (YouTube). |
| Dec 6 | The band appear on Harty (BBC1) in the UK. (YouTube), (YouTube) |
| Dec 6 | Duran Duran: Apollo, Manchester, England |
| Dec 7 | Duran Duran: Apollo, Manchester, England |
| Dec 7 | Duran Duran: Apollo, Manchester, England |
| Dec 7 | Simon and Nick interviewed for an hour for DURAN DURAN In Conversation. It happens at the cafe. They've discussed the venues, fans, the altitude of the press and some other things. |
| Dec 8 | Duran Duran: Queens Hall, Leeds, England (with Australian Crawl) A pre-show feature appears on the BBC's (FB). |
| Dec ? | Oxford Road Show in UK shows behind-the-scenes clips from the tour. (YouTube). |
| Dec 9 | Andy opens a wine bar named “Rio” in Whitley Bay, near his hometown. There is a restaurant upstairs. |
| Dec ? | Simon and Nick appear on the UK Newshound show, Pop Spot segment. Nick mentions always getting bored during weekends off, where he has to be doing something. (YouTube). |
| Dec 10 | Seven and the Ragged Tiger peaks at #8 in US |
| Dec 10 | Duran Duran: Royal Highland Exhibition Hall, Edinburgh, Scotland (with 16 Tambourines) |
| Dec 11 | Duran Duran: Queens Hall, Leeds, England (with Australian Crawl). ⓢ bootlegged on Queens Hall 1983 |
| Dec 11? | Andy and John appear on Pebble Mill TV show, from Birmingham UK. Fans gather in the snow and must scream from some distance away. Andy talks about opening his wine bar recently. (YouTube), (YouTube). |
| Dec 12 | Duran Duran: National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, England (with Australian Crawl). ⓢ bootlegged on N.E.C. TV Show 1983 This show is filmed for The Tube TV show (NMOM) |
| Dec 12 | The NEC Birmingham show is filmed for The Tube, in a segment called 'Tube On The Road', along with interviews with Simon, Nick and John. They mention the Wombat story, and recording in Montserrat was cold and boring. (YouTube) |
| Dec 13 | Duran Duran: National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, England |
| Dec ? | A live clip of “The Reflex” from the Birmingham NEC show is aired on German television. (YouTube) |
| Dec-Mid | Simon and Nick interviewed by Mal Reding about the title of the third album, the charts chances of “Union of the Snake” and the future single "New Moon on Monday". (Audio). |
| Dec 15 | Duran Duran: Brighton Centre, Brighton, England |
| Dec 16 | Duran Duran: Brighton Centre, Brighton, England (with Australian Crawl). ⓢ bootlegged on Live In Brighton |
| Dec 17 | The band appear on a festive Saturday Superstore (BBC1) in the UK. A festive show, they mention the new tour dates for next year. (Part 1), Part 2) |
| Dec 17 | 'Modern Art'/staircase photoshoot with David Montgomery at his Chelsea studio - images used on the Feb Rolling Stone cover, "The Biggest & The Best", etc. (this was also filmed for the US however my original tape was stolen in the 90s so can't confirm what it was for - PD) |
| Dec 18 | Duran Duran: Wembley Arena, London, England |
| Dec 19 | Duran Duran: Wembley Arena, London, England |
| Dec 20 | Duran Duran: Wembley Arena, London, England. ⓢ bootlegged on Sing Blue Wembley |
| Dec 22 | Duran Duran: Wembley Arena, London, England |
| Dec 23 | Duran Duran: Wembley Arena, London, England. ⓢ bootlegged on Duranmas '83 and 5th Night At Wembley 1983 |
| Dec 24 | On the strength of the British tour, “Union of the Snake” re-enters the UK charts for 4 weeks; peaking at #66 on the 7th of January. |
| Dec 24 | American Top 40 with Casey Kasem: December 24, 1983 broadcast, featuring "Union of the Snake" at no.3. |
| Dec 26? | John (a devoted James Bond fan) begins dating actress Janine Andrews (known for her small role in Octopussy). |
| Dec 31 | Airing of the interview for a norvegian music program, Zikk-Zakk, with Ivar Dyrhaug: "Godt Nytt År Norway!" (YouTube). |
| Dec 31 | Countdown America : Top 83 of '83 (part II) broadcast in the USA, featuring "Hungry Like The Wolf" at no.35. |
| Dec 31 | American Top 40 Year-End Countdown 1983 with Casey Kasem broadcast, featuring "Is There Something I Should Know?" at no.53 and "Hungry Like The Wolf" at no.21. |
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