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Duran Duran Come Undone (Again)
Duran Duran is hungry for a replacement.
In a statement posted on the band's official Website, the 1980s synth-pop band confirms that founding guitarist Andy Taylor has decided to quit Duran Duran just as the group is getting ready to embark on the U.S. leg of its latest world tour.
"The past five years have been an incredible journey for us all—and having the original five back together was something that we had wanted to see happen for some time," Taylor's bandmates, Simon LeBon, John Taylor, Nick Rhodes and Roger Taylor, said in a message to their fans.
"As of last weekend, however, the four of us have dissolved our partnership and will be continuing as Duran Duran without Andy, as we have reached a point in our relationship with him where there is an unworkable gulf between us and we can no longer effectively function together. Although obviously disappointed and saddened about this, we are excited about the next chapter of the Duran Duran story and look forward to seeing you all soon."
Taylor's departure marks the second time he's ditched Duran Duran.
After the British New Wavers shot to fame in the early '80s on the strength of such pop classics as "Hungry Like the Wolf," "Rio," "Wild Boys" and "The Reflex," years of relentless touring led Duran Duran to take a break.
During that time, Andy Taylor (none of the band's Taylors are related) formed the edgier Power Station with Robert Palmer, while LeBon and Rhodes formed their own splinter group, Arcadia.
The quintet reunited briefly and contributed the title track to the 1985 James Bond film A View to a Kill. That same year, Duran Duran also performed at Live Aid before a crowd of 90,000 at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. Shortly afterward, Andy Taylor quit Duran Duran to pursue a solo career, playing on just a handful of tracks on the band's next release, 1986's Notorious.
Andy Taylor was replaced by session guitarist Warren Cuccurullo, who had previously played with Frank Zappa's touring band. Cuccurullo remained in the band from 1989 until 2001, before rejoining his previous band Missing Persons.
With Taylor back in the fold, the original lineup reassembled and returned to the studio to work on a new album in 2002, the band's first since 1983's Seven & The Ragged Tiger. The following year, Duran Duarn launched a wildly successful 25th anniversary tour, which sold out within minutes, and was given a lifetime achievement award at the MTV Video Music Awards.
In 2004, Duran Duran capped the comeback by signing a four-album deal with Epic Records. Last year, the band gave a nod to its Live Aid success by headlining Bob Geldof's Live 8 concert at Rome's Circus Maximus.
This year, the band announced plans to enter the virtual world and give performances inside the user-based online digital community Second Life and hooked up for a three-song collaboration with Justin Timberlake and rapper-producer Timbaland.
While Taylor's bailing puts his mates in an awkward position, it will not jeopardize Duran Duran's upcoming road trip.
Session player Dom Brown will fill in for Taylor on the trek, which kicks off Thursday in Chicago and stops in eight cities before wrapping up Nov. 11. The London native, who has played with the likes of Rod Stewart and Elton John, previously played with LeBon and the boys in late 2004 and early 2005.
After the tour ends, Duran Duran plans to head back into the studio to finish up work on the new disc, which is expected to hit stores next year.
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