DURAN DURAN
RHODES & TAYLOR MAKE PODCAST HISTORY�.
�ONLY AFTER DARK!�
DURAN DURAN�s Nick Rhodes and John Taylor have made UK media history by launching the Guardian�s new Film & Music podcast.
The two part podcast features an extended interview with Rhodes and Taylor, by Guardian Film & Music Editor Michael Hann and 60 second clips of six tracks from the duo�s �Only After Dark� compilation album - a collection of their favourite songs from the period 1978-1982.
The featured tracks are David Bowie: �Always Crashing In The Same Car�; Simple Minds: �The Changeling�; Magazine: �Shot By Both Sides�; Brian Eno: �The True Wheel�; Bryan Ferry: �The �In� Crowd� and Wire: �I Am The Fly�.
Peter Wells-Thorpe of The 3003 Group, Duran Duran's online strategic marketing agency, who organised the podcast for the Guardian, commented, �This is the first time that music from the major record labels and music publishers has been officially approved for use within a podcast; and is the latest in a series of music & technology �firsts� pioneered by Duran Duran�.
Curated by Rhodes and Taylor �Only After Dark� is released by EMI Music on May 8th and highlights one of the most dynamic periods in UK music, when the sounds of the late �70s clashed with the experimental sounds of the early 80�s, fusing punk, glam, art-rock, disco and synth pop.
The album gives a unique insight into the music that inspired Rhodes, Taylor and fellow band members Simon LeBon, Andy Taylor and Roger Taylor to form Duran Duran and includes Magazine�s �Shot By Both Sides�, Yellow Magic Orchestra�s pristine, oriental, techno classic �Computer Games�, the Psychedelic Furs' first single �Sister Europe�, Giorgio Moroder�s magnum opus with Donna Summer, �I Feel Love�, Simple Minds� �Changeling�, and the title track �Only After Dark� by Mick Ronson.
Previously, publishers of music podcasts had been restricted to using only music from independent record labels, under a special licensing agreement with AIM, ( Association Of Independent Music)
�We have now opened the door for major record labels and publishers to make podcasting a permanent part of their marketing mix for new releases� added Peter Wells-Thorpe.
Part 1 of the podcast is available as a free download from the Guardian�s web site
Podcast
Part 2 will be available from today (Tuesday 9th May, 2006.)
Duran Duran � Breaking The Sound (Media) Barrier
1: In 1981, Duran Duran made music history with the release of the first-ever extended video for a song, made to accompany the 12� dance mix of �Girls On Film.� Directed by Godley and Creme, the clip was met with much controversy and was immediately banned by both MTV and the BBC.
2: In 1982, the band broke tradition once again, becoming the first group to shoot a music video on location. With director Russell Mulcahy Duran Duran filmed three ground-breaking clips in Sri Lanka for �Save A Prayer,� �Hungry Like The Wolf� and �Lonely In Your Nightmare,� that not only helped to give them a truly global fan-base but also marked the start of a new era on music television. Later that same year they filmed the video for �Rio� in Antigua � which became an MTV classic, and spawned some of the most iconic and enduring images of the band.
3: In 1984, on their US arena tour, Duran Duran became the first act to utilise live video cameras and video screens in their show, to bring the action closer to the audience.
4: In 1995 Kevin Godley directed two live clips for the band: �Rio� and �White Lines�, at Wembley Arena, in London, using a newly developed technology that created images that could be projected in an even larger format than IMAX.
5: In 1997, after 17 years on the cutting-edge of music and technology, Duran Duran became the first band in the history of the Internet to digitally download a song for sale on the Worldwide Web. �Electric Barbarella� was downloaded from Abbey Road Studios in London using Liquid Audio.
6: In 2000, Duran Duran�s video for �Someone Else Not Me� was premiered on www.shockwave.com. The video was produced entirely using Macromedia Flash Technology and was the first video to be broadcast on MTV and VH1 using this form of digital animation.
7: Also in 2000, the �UK Pop Trash Tour� featured the world�s first use of �augmented reality� technology in a live concert. Duran Duran worked with a computer graphics producer to create advanced 2D and 3D visual effects, allowing animated characters to appear live, on stage, with the band.
8: In 2001, during a �Close Up Tour� show in Anaheim, California, the band made the first fully �immersive� video and audio recording of a rock concert. To do this they used 360-degree panoramic video cameras and a 10.2 channel audio recording system to capture the show. This pioneering recording was co-ordinated by producer Jarrell Pair with audio/video researchers working with Dr Tom Holman, who is best known for creating the Lucas Film�s THX audio standard.
9: Also in 2001, unable to land the Space Shuttle Atlantis due to poor weather, NASA decided to wake up the crew with Duran Duran�s �Hold Back The Rain� in an effort to ward off further weather delays. It worked and the shuttle landed safely at Cape Canaveral.
10: In 2004, NASA sent a second Mars Exploration Rover into Space, called Opportunity. The craft�s main task was to investigate whether Mars had ever had environments that were suitable for sustaining life. Each morning NASA woke the Rover with a song, and, in early February, they chose Duran Duran�s �Is There Something I Should Know� in hopes of �encouraging� Opportunity to find some more answers.
11: In 2006, the band�s founder members Nick Rhodes and John Taylor launched the UK Guardian newspaper�s Film & Music Podcast show, with a 2-part interview discussing their �Only After Dark� compilation album - a collection of some of their favourite music from the period 1978-1982. This mini-podcast within a podcast made UK media history, as this is the first time music from the major record labels and music publishers has been officially approved for use in a podcast, with 60 second clips of 6 tracks being played as part of the interview.
