Why Did Guitarist Andy Taylor Leave Duran Duran In The 1980s?

Regardless of your music tastes, you may have heard of the band known as Duran Duran. This band that came out of Birmingham enjoyed a lot of fame, women admired how they looked and they had a big fanbase that loved their music. 

While it looked like nothing could go wrong, that was not the case because guitarist Andy Taylor would up and leave the band in 1986. What was so bad behind the scenes that the fame they were enjoying wasn’t enough to stay? What caused their lead guitarist to quit?

The Early Days of Duran Duran

The band got their start in 1978 at The Rum Runner which was a club in Birmingham. They formed when guitarist John Taylor and a keyboard player named Nick Bates created the band with two other people that they knew from school.

In two years, the band went through different members including two more men with the last name Taylor. The singer who is regarded as part of the classic brand was the final person to join which also happened in 1980.

1980 turned out to be an eventful year for Duran Duran because it was in December when they signed a record deal with EMI. Duran Duran got this deal by doing shows in London and Birmingham while finding businesses that would give people a taste of what Duran Duran was.

Their First Albums

Their first album which was titled “Duran Duran” came out in 1981 and the song “Planet Earth” grabbed the attention of fans.

Something else that got the attention of fans in the United Kingdom was the video for “Girls On Film.”When MTV aired the video “Girls On Film” they removed a lot of the content that was claimed to be erotic.

The next album from Duran Duran was titled Rio and it came out a year after their first album. This record was successful in Europe but it didn’t achieve the same success in the United States.

DJs in the United States started doing dance remixes which led to the record company remixing Rio and releasing it for a second time in November of 1982. Videos were shot for the tracks “Rio” and “Hungry Like The Wolf” which had a sophisticated look that led to Duran /Duran becoming known worldwide.

Teenagers loved Duran Duran so much that their popularity was comparable to The Beatles at their most popular. By the time their next record was released, Duran Duran was selling out venues all over the world. Unfortunately, problems were just around the corner.

Duran Duran Become An International Success

When they were making their third album, the band was in two different countries which presented struggles. Their record label was demanding that their next record named “Seven and The Ragged Tiger” match the same success as “Rio.” and stress of production caused members to start abusing drugs.

Andy Taylor was one of the band members that turned to substance abuse. Although Andy Taylor married his girlfriend in 1982, many people looked at Andy as a skirt chaser.

During the tour in 1983-1984 promoting their third album, more band members started becoming anxious between arguments over how the band should progress and increasing drug use.

The Beginning Of The End For The Band

In 1985, singer Robert Palmer and drummer Tony Thompson started working with John and Andy Taylor from Duran Duran to create the group: Power Station. The first record from Power Station sold very well. Andy would also play guitar on Riptide which also did well.

Duran Duran did not see their success disappear. Their song for the James Bond movie “A View To A Kill” took the top spot on the charts in the United States. While Duran Duran was still successful, issues would become too complex to fix the following year.

In 1986, the band members were spread out across three different continents. Drummer Roger Taylor was the first artist to leave the band in 1985 claiming he couldn’t continue living his life of recording and touring as he did for the last four years.

Why Did Andy Taylor Leave Duran Duran?

Andy Taylor left Duran Duran in 1986 because he was tired of just being the guitarist of the group and wanted to work on an individual album. He already had several successful side ventures. That is why Andy Taylor left Duran Duran in 1986.

Later Duran Duran would try to reunite for a group project but Andy would leave the group again citing that after his father died, his heart wasn’t in the group anymore. Andy still has a music career today and many people remember what he created while with Duran Duran.

Last update on 2024-04-28 at 12:06 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API