Duran Duran: Unseen . . .: Photographs 1979 - 82 [Hardcover]

Malcolm Garrett (Author), Kasper de Graaf (Author), Paul Edmond (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2008

To celebrate their rebirth as a touring band, Duran Duran's original design team assembled this book of outstanding mostly unpublished photographs of the band themselves and the Birmingham music, fashion, and club scene from which they sprang. All the photographs were taken by photographer Paul Edmond during the period when Duran Duran first shot to fame, beginning with the release of their debut single, "Planet Earth," in March 1981. Besides Duran Duran, Paul Edmond was friendly with all the leading exponents of the Birmingham style explosion—Patti Belle and Jane Kahn (whose label Kahn & Belle typified post-punk glam style); Jon Mulligan, lead singer of the band Fashion; and Jane Farrimond and Martin Degville; who created the fashion label Ya Ya—and who later became famous as members of the band Sigue Sigue Sputnik.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Malcolm Garrett designed all of Duran Duran’s record sleeves, posters and merchandise. Kasper de Graaf wrote the first national magazine articles about Duran Duran and worked with them for five years.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Reynolds & Hearn; 2nd edition (December 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1905287658
• ISBN-13: 978-1905287659
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,365,076 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great if you go in with eyes wide open, March 4, 2006

By 

jts-hotone "Amy B." (Vancouver, WA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Duran Duran Unseen (Paperback)

I already knew that this book included pictures other than Duran Duran when I bought it from Amazon. (A little birdy told me). So I was prepared for the fact that approximately 50% of the images were of the band. But, oh, how interesting it is to see the people they hung out with: Other musicians, fashion icons of the area/era, etc. The wild, the weird, the strange, the sublime. Boy George, Annie Lennox, Bow Wow Wow and Spandau Ballet are all included. If you are a long-time fan you will know some of the others by name. Some will be new to most people who lived outside the UK at the time.

There are captions by the photographer, members of the band, and others who were part of their world. These help fill in the blanks and provide additional glimpses into the scene that Duran Duran was born into.

The photographs are quite beautiful, and there are some very interesting and stunning shots of the band I've never even seen circulating on the Internet. Quite a few, actually.

If you go into this with your eyes wide open, knowing that this is not just about Duran but about the swirl that was happening around them at the time, this is worth your money. If you are thinking you only want something that is strictly about the band, then skip it.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Unseen...almost, February 24, 2006

By 

Matthew M (Southeast Michigan, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Duran Duran Unseen (Paperback)

Duran Duran appear on fewer than half of the pages. The rest show photographs of other personalities from the same era in the Birmingham music and club scene. The highlights are the caption comments by the band (and others) that accompany the photos and the few photos of the band that are different than those published elsewhere, such as those outside the studio in which they recorded their first album. I enjoyed it but was a little put off by the bait and switch/cashing in on Duran factor.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 1978 all over again, June 7, 2006

By 

Raul Miguel Barcena Zubieta (queretaro, MEXICO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Duran Duran Unseen (Paperback)

it's great to see a book that captures the images of the late '70 and early '80 of the night clubes in Birmingham and also see that along Duran Duran were another artists and singers that later became famous and some of them infamous. yeah, Duran isn't in all the photos but if you're a die hard fan you can't miss this one.