From the VH-1 web site (http://www.vh1.com/score/issue15/feature):

Duranland
by J. E. Coan

Nineteen years ago, two young men, suffering from the general malaise which comes in times of teenage boredom, decided to form a band. Say it was a lark, or a way to get chicks, or the lure of a rock and roll lifestyle. Whatever the catalyst(s) for the formation of Duran Duran , those two young men, Nick Rhodes and John Taylor, never looked back. Duran Duran, once synonymous with British New Wave, music videos and screaming girls, has endured with an ever evolving sound and sensitivity to changes in the world of music and technology.

Just as they embraced the "new" medium of music video in the early '80s, Duran Duran has embarked on utilizing the technology of the Internet. The band's newest single, "Electric Barbarella", has brought them into the still-to-be-proven arena of cyber-sales. The band and their record label, Capitol, fought to make the song available for purchase on the web before it even hit the stores &endash; and record stores fought back.

This was not the first time the group had caused a stir over the release of a single. In 1983, "Union of the Snake" was released to MTV before it was available for radio airplay. To the very anti-video music press of the time, this was controversy. But Duran Duran owed a lot to music video. Image has always spoken for this band, sometimes louder then the music ever could. Their sensitivity to image brought them fame but also a continual struggle for critical appreciation of their music. In the last 17 years, they've proven they're not only survivors, but musicians worthy of recognition.

For many people, the story of Duran Duran blurs after Live Aid, the last concert the original "fab five" -- Simon LeBon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, Andy Taylor, Roger Taylor -- played together. Although forever living in the shadow of their early enormous success, Duran Duran's albums, for the most part, have sold well and garnered hits in the top 15. The musical styles of their albums have been diverse, spanning New Wave, Euro-disco, funk, world music and instrumental experimentation -- sometimes all on the same album. But the group's story is as much about ever changing band members as it is about ever shifting musical styles. Roger Taylor departed in 1986. Andy Taylor left the next year, playing on 1987's Notorious only because he was obliged by contract to do so. Big Thing, released in 1988, saw the addition of Warren Cuccurullo, formerly of Missing Persons, as lead guitarist. Drummer Sterling Campbell lasted for one album, 1990's Liberty, the first Duran album not to spawn a US hit.

Liberty was a low mark for the group and it seemed they were destined to disintegrate into the nostalgia of the 1980s. Duran Duran, always up to a challenge, released a second eponymous album (a.k.a. The Wedding Album), in 1993. The fruition of this release was not only two hits, "Ordinary World" and "Come Undone", but the musical recognition they had always been denied.

Still, as Warren Cuccurullo is quick to point out, Duran Duran's fight for critical acclaim is without end. Thank You, an album of cover tunes released in 1995, was perceived as a throw-away effort. The group promptly returned to the studio to work on their 11th album. The bomb dropped when John Taylor decided to quit early this year. Continuing undaunted, the three remaining members continued to write and their new album, Medazzaland, was born.

With Medazzaland, Duran Duran continues to do what they, in the words of Cuccurullo, have always done: make modern music with an emphasis on the mixture of melody and technology. But there is more to their newest release than a couple of drum machines with guitar layered over them. Songs like "Who Do You Think You Are?", "Out of My Mind" and "Big Bang Generation" highlight what Duran Duran do best -- write super pop songs. There is a bit of experimentation, as always, with tracks like "Silva Halo", "Buried in the Sand" and the somewhat bizarre, very electronic "Medazzaland".

Almost two decades down the road from that fateful decision by two teenagers, the core chemistry of Duran Duran remains. They continue to cover new musical ground -- striving for recognition, but happy with their devoted following. Whether they receive accolades for this latest offering remains to be witnessed. But you can bet it will not stop the Duran machine.