We countdown the Top 20 Duran Duran Collaborations across their 40-plus years in the business…
Duran Duran have always been receptive towards outside input, aligning themselves with the best and most interesting players in their respective fields. But in their mid-80s heyday, the boys kept the ‘featured artist’-style collaborations at arm’s length, reserving such dalliances for side projects or one-off events, rather than within the day job.
During that initial run, side projects allowed members to exercise their own artier ambitions, beyond the limits and expectations of the group’s teen pin-up status. These days, however, it’s typical for a new studio album to contain a smattering of named guests, highlighting their A-list pulling power and wealth of showbiz mates.
Inevitably, it can be hit and miss. But collaborations, when done well, are a wonderful thing. Often, the coming together of contemporary peers from different corners. Or perhaps a passing of the baton to the next generation. The young’uns get a leg up from the legends, while the old-timers can look hip by association. To succeed, the sum must be greater than its parts.
With too many to list here, honorary mention goes to TV Mania, (Sex Pistols meets Guns N’ Roses supergroup) Neurotic Outsiders, producer Erol Alkan, Bowie’s pianist of choice, Mike Garson, and Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles.
20 ANA MATRONIC
The Scissor Sisters’ co-vocalist lends her lungs to Safe (In The Heat Of The Moment) on 2010’s All You Need is Now. On paper, it’s the perfect pairing. And sure, they deliver a funky, up-tempo disco workout that gets the toes tapping. It’s a fun, serviceable track custom-made for the dancefloor, supplemented with some frisky cowbell that infuses a Rio carnival flavour. Though, for all the sense of momentum, in truth it doesn’t quite live up to the promise, failing to light up in the way that it perhaps could have done. True to the title, they are playing it safe.
19 JOHN FRUSCIANTE
The Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist is no stranger to funky riffs and chart success, making him an inspired choice to fill the six-stringed hole in Duran’s sound on Paper Gods. Frusciante contributed his signature licks and slinky flourishes to four tracks, including Butterfly Girl, The Universe Alone and Northern Lights, plus a screaming, reverb-laden solo, more akin to Brian May, on What Are The Chances?. His parts were delivered remotely, but it’s tantalising to imagine what they could have achieved, had they jammed it out together in the same room.
18 NICK WOOD
Though not a household name, the producer is particularly in demand for his TV, film and commercial work. Introduced by Wood’s roommate and Le Bon’s future wife, Yasmin, they worked together on Simon’s first solo outing, Grey Lady Of The Sea – a standalone track for the soundtrack of Drum, a documentary on Le Bon’s attempt at the Whitbread Round The World Race 1985. It followed a near life-threatening episode when they capsized off the Cornish coast. The ultimate yacht rock anthem is a lost treasure that deserves salvaging from the deep.
17 WENDY BEVAN
Nick Rhodes is the group’s serial collaborator, routinely filling time between Duran Duran commitments with various projects, often of a cerebral outlook. Such an example is Astronomia, with Wendy Bevan, borne out of the Covid lockdowns. But far from simply dipping a toe in to help pass the time, this is a fullyrealised, four-album suite of instrumental music. With titles including The Eclipses Of Algol and Heaven And Hell In The Serpent’s Tail, it’s unlikely to be popping up on daytime radio, but it’s the real deal.
16 GIORGIO MORODER
Really, what took them so long? Giorgio Moroder’s sound is all over early hits like Planet Earth, while their first ever performance together as a five-piece was a cover of I Feel Love at the Rum Runner. But it took them another 40 years to get together. Rhodes’ girlfriend arranged a surprise birthday meeting, then, another five years later, plans were made. Moroder turned up with a small suitcase, pulled out a keyboard and they got down to business. Talking to Rolling Stone, the boys noted that Moroder was very precise, taking no crap from anyone.
15 MR HUDSON
An unlikely protégé of Kayne West, Birmingham-born Benjamin Hudson McIldowie was initially touted as a new-folk troubadour, but has since found his true form as the go-to hip producer for US R&B royalty. Clearly, Duran Duran wanted a slice of the action, perhaps enticed further by sharing a hometown connection. Mr Hudson produced the album Paper Gods, while appearing as a featured guest on the track of the same name, and has continued to work with them on Danse Macabre.
14 LINDSAY LOHAN
One of many high-profile collaborators on Paper Gods, the former child star, later maligned somewhat cruelly as tabloid fodder, seems a curious choice to provide the spoken word vocals on Dancephobia. That said, it helps to have showbiz mates, and her contribution fits the bill perfectly; her sultry tones echo the vibe of Madonna circa Vogue. Danceophobia is one of the more divisive tracks on the record, a clear attempt at sounding on the pulse with the then-current electro funk dominating the charts. But taking cues from Daft Punk, it’s harmless fun that will shatter one’s fear of the dancefloor.
13 ARCADIA (STING/ DAVID GILMOUR/ GRACE JONES)
Arcadia’s one-off album, So Red The Rose, spawned a string of A-list collabs, including heavyweights Sting and David Gilmour on the gorgeous The Promise. A beautifully subtle, melancholy track, one might have expected more bombast given the cast. Sting is largely relegated to backing vocals, while the driving element throughout is Mark Egan’s stunning fretless bass. Elsewhere, Grace Jones drops in on Election Day, and though a fleeting cameo, her presence make the perfect embellishment.
12 IVORIAN DOLL
An interesting choice of collaboration, this one appears to fall into the category marked ‘street cred with the kids’: aligning with an upcoming urban artist from the UK drill scene, whose career began as a YouTuber. However, any cynicism is swept aside by the surprisingly great results. The rapper lays down a sweet guest verse on Hammerhead, a fan favourite on 2021 album, Future Past. With Blur’s Graham Coxon on guitar, Hammerhead rides along on a funky, boxy wah-wah slap bass riff from John, rousing gospel backing vocals and electro flourishes that recall Gorillaz.
11 TOVE LO
The Swedish starlet Ebba Nilsson, aka Tove Lo, is a regular chart fixture, having worked with many A-list artists including Coldplay (Fun), and co-written for stars including Dua Lipa, Ellie Goulding, Charli XCX and Kylie Minogue. Known for her “brutally honest” songwriting, it was only a matter of time before drawing the attention of the group, appearing on Give It All Up on Future Past. It’s a hypnotic, ethereal track, made more so by Tove Lo’s glassy vocals. The slow burner rides along on a four-to-the-floor beat, gradually building in intensity.
10 MARK RONSON AND FRIENDS
The band first worked with Mark Ronson when Le Bon and Rhodes appeared on the title track of his third album, Record Collection, alongside with UK grime star Wiley. In the same year, the Ronson-produced All You Need Is Now featured a host of big-name collabs ranging from Ana Matronic to Kelis. Curiously, Kelis’ excellent though understated contribution to The Man Who Stole A Leopard is upstaged by an unlikely collaboration: newsreader Nina Hossain’s recounting of the titular fictional news story.
09 MELLE MEL AND GRANDMASTER FLASH
1995’s covers album, Than You, has been derided as the “worst album ever”. But it includes some gems, including their inspired take on the classic 1983 hip-hop track White Lines (Don’t Do It). For authenticity and approval, they brought in original creators Melle Mel and Grandmaster Flash of the Furious Five. It may seem an unlikely mishmash, but it fared surprisingly well, pre-empting the rave-rock of The Prodigy’s Firestarter, thanks to some meaty riffs courtesy of Warren Cuccurullo.
08 BAND AID
Well, we had to include it, didn’t we? It is, after all, the biggest collaboration of all time; the collaboration to end all collaborations. Much parodied, but forever remaining a cultural behemoth, the star-studded Band Aid (of which Duran Duran were probably the biggest names at the time) was the peak event in pop history. It’s also their only collaboration to include all five original band members, that’s not specifically labelled as a Duran Duran record. Simon Le Bon was awarded the best line (something upbeat about having a party), and it inadvertently led to working with Sting on Arcadia, after discovering how well their voices blended.
07 VICTORIA DE ANGELIS
The young Danish-Italian bassist adds her low-end grooves to Danse Macabre, playing on Talking Heads cover, Psycho Killer. De Angelis rose to prominence as part of the group Måneskin, who first appeared on the Italian X-Factor, before winning Eurovision in 2021. Far from being put out by the competition, it was Duran’s own four-stringer, John Taylor, who extended the invite. The pair met at a party, bonding over their shared love of Talking Heads bassist Tina Weymouth, and their bass battle is a pure delight. As their instruments lock horns, De Angelis delivers the goods, injecting sass into their sound.
06 GRAHAM COXON
Like John Frusciante before him, Blur’s guitarist was enlisted on Future Past to solve their ‘guitar problem’. Ostensibly, they couldn’t be more different: Blur helped usher in the gritty, back-to-basics approach of the 90s that swept away the glam sheen of the 80s that Duran Duran represented. Coxon remains the scruffy, bookish beatnik, compared to the pristinely tailored boys. But sonically, it’s a match made in heaven. Coxon took the appointment seriously, schooling up in advance to see how he could supplement the sound. Talking to Rolling Stone, Simon commended the “strong flavour” he brings, while John called Coxon’s contribution “absolutely immense”.
05 STEPHEN DUFFY
2002’s Dark Circles by The Devils was a blast from the past, with Nick Rhodes collaborating with Duran Duran’s original frontman, Stephen Duffy. The creative flame was reignited following a chance encounter between the pair at an art gallery, when Duffy revealed he had found the old master tapes of their formative recordings in late-70s Birmingham. The result is a homecoming of sorts, while hinting at the darker edge the band might have taken in a parallel universe. Within a few years, the playing field would be levelled somewhat, after Duffy produced Robbie Williams’ best-selling Intensive Care.
04 JANELLE MONÁE
A featured spot from Ms Monáe is like a badge of honour, and the R&B singer obliged on fab single, Pressure Off. Some collabs look great on paper though don’t deliver the goods, but this ain’t one of them. It’s everything you’d hope it to be and more: a big can of sunshine, bubbling over with goodtime vibes and sheer zest for life. Pressure Off is a celebration of everything that Duran Duran stand for. Released at a time when the best of the 80s was being celebrated rather than maligned, it succeeds at reminding everyone of the rightful owners of the pop crown.
03 JOHN BARRY
“Bon. Simon Le Bon.” Their first time working with an external writing partner led to one of the finest Bond themes ever, though the initial meet-up apparently ended up as a drinking session. A View To A Kill was the first truly 80s Bond theme, bucking the trend of classic crooner throwbacks for a contemporary, fresh take. Yet those strings and horn stabs from film composer Barry add a touch of cinematic opulence. It’s still the only 007 theme to top the US Billboard 100, and you’ve got to love Godley And Creme’s Bond-inspired Eiffel Tower music video, too.
02 NILE RODGERS
Duran Duran’s lasting partnership with the Chic guitarist wins the longevity prize. The producer has sprinkled gold dust on many of the band’s records over the years, beginning with his No.1 remix of The Reflex, before producing the remaining trio on Notorious (following Andy and Roger’s departure). Most recently, Rodgers lit up Pressure Off, and contributed to Black Moonlight on latest album Danse Macabre, also taking to the stage with them alongside Ms Banks at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Though not the only member of Chic that Duran have worked with, Nile Rodgers has become an honorary member, welcome to drop in and lay down some funky chops whenever. During a live set in the 80s, Simon introduced him onstage, saying, “This band went through a difficult time [during Notorious]. The band might not have made it if it weren’t for this gentleman…”
01 THE POWER STATION (ROBERT PALMER/ TONY THOMPSON)
In the ballsier of the two mid-80s splinter groups, Andy Taylor finally got to live out his guitar hero ambitions. Robert Palmer’s gravelly vocal tones switched the smooth, rich melodrama of Simon Le Bon for a grittier rock’n’roll swagger. Their biggest single, Some Like It Hot, reached No.6 on the Billboard charts and No.13 in the UK, while their T-Rex cover version, Get It On (US No.9 and UK No.22) is wonderfully unbridled. The Power Station proved the perfect name for the project: muscular and unflinching, just like its brash, robust 1980s production.
Those thundering drums from Chic’s Tony Thompson, the two wild boy Taylors, and that voice. Though only a tantalisingly fleeting hook-up (briefly reprised in 1996, though John Taylor doesn’t play on their reunion album, the disappointing Living In Fear), it tops out on sheer firepower alone.
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