DURAN DURAN MONTHLY COLLECTOR’S CORNER: JULY, 2020

July 16th, 2020 was an incredibly important anniversary for Duran Duran. On that date in 1980 the band played their first show with the classic five member lineup that went on to take the world by storm. Here’s a flyer from the first gig Simon, Nick, John, Roger, and Andy played together at the Rum Runner.

To celebrate that auspicious occasion, we’ve brought together forty images from these amazing forty years. Let’s start big with one of the earliest photo sessions of the ‘fab five.’ These photos are very rarely seen, taken just after Simon joined the band in May of 1980.

This photo set from 1983 was sold via the fan club. Each 3 ½ x 5 inch image is printed on real photographic paper. These were taken by Fin Costello, and shots from the same session have popped up over the years in various places, notably the official 1984 calendar.

These large format prints were originally sold via the fan club, but later licensed and sold at retail. On the back, each card gives info about the band and the member whose photo is on the front.

This set of square photo cards is from late 1981 and was the second set of photos sent out by the fan club, along with a newsletter, a merch order form, and a card with the band’s pre-printed autographs. These cards are harder to find than the first set from earlier that year, coming out while the fan club was in the middle of moving its offices from Birmingham to London.

The photos in this set of postcards from 1984 are from the same Francesco Scavullo sessions that formed the basis of the official 1985 calendar.

Rebecca Blake took some wonderful photos of Duran Duran in 1983, many of which are iconic of the ‘Ragged Tiger’ era. This set of 8x10 inch photo cards is a wonderful example, As with the work of Scavullo, many of these images did the rounds on a wide variety of merchandise and promotional items.

This set of photo cards from the fan club is from spring 1982. The RIO era launched with an entirely new fan club packet that contained a welcome letter from Simon, a newsletter, a merch sheet, and if you were a new member, a redesigned membership card.

These 8x10 inch photo cards from 1984 are from the United States. The photos were taken by Mike Owen, from the same session that provided images for the booklet included with the first vinyl edition of the album ARENA.

Whether you've been along for the whole ride, just a part, even if you’re brand new, we want to see your pics and hear your stories! With forty years of Duran Duran, we’ve got a lot to celebrate!

Created by Derek Supryka // Pictures by Derek Supryka // Edited by Katy Krassner