ROBERT PALMER : Music & Style

Over the years and up to the present, groups such as Cream, Blind Faith and The Firm have been validating the viability of putting members from disparate groups together on stage and in the recording studio. What makes The Power Station unique is that it was forged by two performers who were and are members of a concurrent band, and who were seeking only a temporary deviation from their normal musical identities. When Duran Duran's bassist John Taylor and guitarist Andy Taylor (no relation) conceived of and finally went ahead with The Power Station, the idea was to abandon the lighter Duran Duran feel and create music which would blend the raw vigor of the Sex Pistols with the aggressive intensity of Chic. That's exactly what they've done, along with British singer Robert Palmer and ubiquitious drummer Tony Thompson, and the public has responded. The group's self-titled Capitol Records album is rapidly climbing the charts, while the first single Some Like It Hot is closing in on the top 10.

Three years ago, the then-unnamed group was simply envisioned by John and Andy Taylor as an experimental vehicle for them to vent some of their subdued harder musical edges and create a bolder, purer rock sound than that of Duran Duran. Once Palmer and Thompson were secured, and producer Bernard Edwards joined the team, the scope of the project had escalated. Last year, an album was finally recorded at New York's Power Station Recording Studio, from which the group not only emerged with eight songs on tape, but with a name as well.

Even at that point, John Taylor, who recently spoke with Cash Box, couldn't foresee to what extent The Power Station would meet with public and critical approval. "I knew it was good," he recalled, "but i was too involved with the recording to consider how it would sell. The record actually turned out better than we expected... exactly the way we had hoped it would, but I thought it was all finished at that point and that we'd go our separate ways. Instead, it's turned into a monster. It's all become a bit of a strain, but it's very satisfying."

Just how well The Power Station wound up selling is testament not only to the actual music involved, but to the tremendous following that its members have garnered in their separate careers. Above and beyond John and Andy Taylor, who of course benefit from their Duran Duran connection, more than a few people have followed the thriving careers of Palmer, Thompson and Edwards over the years. The Power Station's vocalist has been on the scene for years, primarily as a solo performer but also with such artists as Little Feat, Desmond Dekker and Gary Numan. When Palmer was brought in the studio, Taylor immediately felt "it was a magical thing" and The Power Station had its singer. Tony Thompson was playing with David Bowie when he was approached by John and Andy Taylor for the group and was throroughly enthused right away. Thompson has become one of the best known drummers on the scene after years of working with such performers as Diana Ross, Mick Jagger, Elton John and Madonna.

It was Thompson who then suggested that Edwards become involved. Although mostly known as the bass player for Chic, Edwards had a wealth of production experience and was a perfect choice creatively and personally, according to Taylor. "We immediately got on well. It turned out to be great for me because he's always been an idol of mine. He knows how to bring out the best in each individual performer. He works on a very human level." Duran Duran recently had the opportunity to work with Edwards also, when the group recorded the title song for the upcoming James Bond film A View To A Kill.

Now that The Power Station has proven to be such a success story, Taylor is in the midst of perharps the most rewarding and yet demanding time of his life thus far, with a promotional schedule that reflects his unusual stature as a popular figure in two bands at once. When asked whether he ever feared alienating Duran Duran's audience by straying off into different musical directions, Taylor asserted he was always fully confident people would support him, particularly since he would still be as invovled with his original band as he had been before. As to whether Duran's other members resented the formation of The Power Station, Taylor said, "We're much too grown up and above all that. We all have varied projects that we work on outside of the group."

The key question for everyone involved with The Power Station in and out of the industry is what the future holds for the group. According to Taylor, the unexpected popularity has been, of course, welcome, but there are still no plans to record another album.

Peter Berk (Cash Box, April 1985)