Duran Duran “Astronaut” 2004. Today, April 26th, is Duran drummer Roger Taylor’s birthday (b. 1960) and it’s been almost exactly one year since I stood about 20 feet away from him while he dj’d at the iconic Pacha nightclub in Ibiza, Spain.

Roger Taylor at Pacha, Ibiza, 2022

Astronaut is Duran Duran’s 11th studio LP; it went to #3 in the UK and to #17 in the US. I pretty much stopped buying DD2 on vinyl in the mid-80’s (I have Astronaut   on CD) so scooped up this limited edition clear vinyl reissue last year. Of the later Duran releases, it definitely ranks towards the top for me. “(Reach Up for the) Sunrise” is one of my favorite songs in their catalog. The single hit #5 in the UK, went to #1 on the US dance chart (#89 on the regular charts) and it’s an endlessly uplifting, practically perfect pop song. Also fabulous from Astronaut is the title track, a modernized synthpop-space age rocker and the synth-funk’d “Bedroom Toys“and “Nice” (the latter released as a single only in Europe). I also love the doo-doo-doo’d “Taste the Summer” and the gorgeous “What Happens Tomorrow” which went to #11 in the UK and to #2 on the US dance chart. Its video was nominated for the Visual Effects Society Awards in 2005 for “Outstanding Visual Effects in a Music Video.” I cannot wait to see Duran Duran perform again later this summer, but I doubt I’ll get close to them as I did to Roger last year in Ibiza.