Formation  |  Development  |  Getting Serious  |  Preparing to Conquer the World  
 
Chapter 2 : Development
 

Duffy took the songs and brought them to his new band, The Subterranean Hawks, while his old Duran buddies had to start from scratch after his departure. Big Store, Hawks Don't Share & Aztec Moon Rich all have been adapted by The Hawks.

Andy Wickett, formerly frontman of TV Eye and now out of job, was recruited by Nigel and Nick. The three of them started rehearsing, and soon decided that they needed a live drummer.
Roger Taylor, who'd previously played in The Ripper Band, Crucified Toad (1977) and The Scent Organs (1978/1979), was encouraged by Andy Wickett and luckily agreed to come over and play with them.
With Roger on board, who already has had some regional success and also played at Barbarella's with The Scent Organs, Nigel switched to bass guitar and became the driving force along with him. They rehearsed in Andy's squat at Cheapside, a street in the industrial part of Digbeth in Birmingham, while The Hawks rehearsed downstairs in the same house.

The new line-up from June/July to September/October 1979 was:
Nigel Taylor (John Taylor) - guitar, bass
Dior Bates (Nick Rhodes) - synthesizer
Roger Taylor - drums
Fane (Andy Wickett) - lead voice

This Duran Duran incarnation was ready to cut their first demo. They recorded four songs in September of 1979 with Bob Lamb, former drummer with The Steve Gibbons Band, in his home studio.





The song titles on that demo cassette have been:
    See Me, Repeat Me
    Reincarnation
    Girls On Film
    Working The Steel

These particular demo recordings have been
released by Andy Wickett on CD-R in July of
2004, and years later, in January of 2016, on
CD and 12" vinyl through Cleopatra Records.

Another bunch of demos from September 1979 has been published on 12" and as a digital EP by Cleopatra/Bandcamp. This release came out of nowhere and has another rare and interesting gems demoed at Bob Lamb's studio.




The demos on that additional EP are:
    Dreaming Of Your Cars
    Love Story
    X Disco
    To The Shore


Not long after these demos have been finished, the quartet found Alan Curtis, who had previously played with London Pride, as a full-time guitarist.
This five-piece line-up lasted until winter of 1979:
Nigel Taylor (John Taylor) - bass
Dior Bates (Nick Rhodes) - synthesizer
Roger Taylor - drums
Fane (Andy Wickett) - lead voice
Alan Curtis - lead guitarist
 


They played these gigs together:
Oct. 11th - The Golden Eagle, Birmingham
Together with the band Au Pairs.
Nov. 14th - University (Cellar Bar), Birmingham
Nov. 15th - University (Cellar Bar), Birmingham
Nov. 25th - Red Star Club
Nov. 25th - (Star Social Club), Birmingham
Together with the bands Vision Collision and The Detectives.
Initially planned for Nov. 18th, but postponed to Nov. 25th.

Dec. 8th - Little Lakes Caravan Park, Bewdley

The relationship with Andy Wickett then began to fray. Nigel, Nick and Roger couldn't imagine taking the long ride to success with him, and Andy wanted to go more into dub reggae. Consequently, Andy left for a band called Xpertz.

 

About This Document 

This document refers to the years
of formation (1978 until 1980)
It was compiled and
developed by
Ansgar Thomann
in dedication to
the 40th anniversary
of Duran Duran's birth













This first draft of Girls On Film was co-written by Andy Wickett, who later got paid by Tritec for the confirmation that he has no interest in any of the Duran Duran musical works or compositions.

Stevie's Radio Station , a TV Eye favourite, was also rehearsed by Duran Duran when Andy Wickett was on board. The chorus chords from this TV Eye song plus the verse chord structure and tempo from See Me, Repeat Me morphed to what would become the song Rio several years later.








Dreaming Of Your Cars was initially another TV Eye tune, written by Andy Wickett.
Love Story became Khanada,
X Disco evolved into Late Bar and To The Shore is only a very early sketch of the incomparable beauty it became when Simon Le Bon got involved.