“There’s not a bad note on Rio. Everything just came together for that album”: Duran Duran’s John Taylor breaks down the group’s landmark album and how it inspired his signature bass

Whether you liked it or not, in 1982 the British pop world was in thrall to the New Romantics. Perhaps the musicians were just too pretty to ignore, and the prettiest of all were undoubtedly Duran Duran, an outfit who combined their love of American disco with punk and the fledgling synth-pop scene.

In terms of musicianship and songwriting the members of Duran were frighteningly evolved for their age. Prominent among them was bassist John Taylor, who laid down some incredibly catchy basslines alongside the two other unrelated Taylors, Andy (guitar) and Roger (drums), as well as keyboard player Nick Rhodes and singer Simon Le Bon.

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