Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor has left the reformed band following ‘creative differences’ with their management, according to a report. The News of The World claim that 45-year-old Taylor was unhappy with the decision to pursue a collaboration with hip-hop producer Timbaland and scrap an album’s worth of recorded material that was a return to their New Romantic roots. Duran Duran’s management originally cited illness as the reason for Andy Taylor’s absence from the resurgent group’s current European tour, with Dom Brown performing his duties alongside singer Simon Le Bon, bassist John Taylor, drummer Roger Taylor and Nick Rhodes on keyboards. Arguably the world’s biggest band in the first half of the 1980’s, Duran Duran’s commercial fortunes suffered a huge blow in 1986 when Andy Taylor first left the group midway through recording the Notorious album, alongside Roger Taylor. The remaining trio drafted in American guitarist Warren Cuccurullo as a replacement and the new line-up enjoyed a commercial and critical renaissance with The Wedding Album in 1993. Following a flop covers album in 1995, John Taylor left the ailing band with just two original members remaining. A reunion of the classic line-up in 2001 resulted in Lifetime Achievement Awards at the Brit, Q and MTV Awards and a UK Top 3 album Astronaut in 2004. A new album was set for release last summer, but has now been postponed until early 2007 after the new change in musical direction and, reportedly, line-up.
Digital Spy(story) and Duran Duran’s MySpace (photo)
I am so upset now, I can’t even comment on his departure.
