Duran Duran Vs Spandau Ballet

I admit I was a crazy Duran Duran fan.

And yes, I was a craaazy Simon Le Bon fan.

Nothing strange for a teenager in the 80s... whatever my daughter thinks!

Family digressions aside, I also liked Spandau Ballet, despite the rivalry that the media wrote existed between the two bands.

In reality, one wonders if this rivalry really existed or if it wasn't (much more likely) the usual tabloid ploy. For what reason, no one knows... I would've bought the magazines with articles on Duran Duran anyway, even without the gossip. But many artists have received, receive and will receive similar treatment.

An example above all: The Beatles and the Rolling Stones. When I read Life, the biography of Keith Richards written by Richards himself with James Fox, I was pleased to learn of afternoons spent together with John Lennon at the home of one of the two.

Wow! Gossip may sell, but imagining such a scenario, for a true fan, is a dream.

Duran Duran

Bassist John Taylor and keyboardist Nick Rhodes founded Duran Duran with Stephen Duffy, the group's first singer, in 1978 in Birmingham.

The three, still teenagers, attended the same school.

For the name of the group, they were inspired by a character in the film Barbarella.

Stephen Duffy left the band after a few public performances, and after a series of temporary members, Duran Duran found its definitive lineup with drummer Roger Taylor, guitarist Andy Taylor, and singer Simon Le Bon.

With the exception of Andy Taylor, the other members are still with the band today, although they have often pursued separate projects, founded other bands, or simply taken periods of reflection.

To date, Duran Duran have sold over 150 million records worldwide and continue to make music and perform.

Spandau Ballet

Spandau Ballet are also still active.

After playing together from 1979 to 1990, they reunited in 2009.

The band was founded in London by guitarist and keyboardist Gary Kemp and guitarist and saxophonist Steve Norman, who attended the same school.

They were later joined by drummer John Keeble, singer Tony Hadley, and Martin Kemp, Gary's younger brother, who played bass.

The band has sold 25 million records, but since their 2009 reunion, they have only released one album of unreleased material, in the same year. There is no shortage of greatest hits, however.