Duran Duran's '80s sound gets an update

NEW YORK -- When Duran Duran asked superproducer Timbaland to come up with some hit-worthy songs for their new album, they knew they'd have to give up a fair amount of creative control.

After all, while Timbaland has worked with artists as diverse as Justin Timberlake, 50 Cent and Missy Elliott, he's not really a collaborator: He's more of a musical director, infusing those artists with his unique brand of hypnotic pop, and his musical imprint permeates every aspect of any song he touches.

To that end, the veteran rock group was willing to follow his artistic lead -- to the extent that they scrapped an album that was almost completed, relying more on electronic sounds in hopes that Timbaland's contemporary dance vibe could push the British pop band beyond a nostalgia act.

"I remember ... [when] we were kind of coming to the decision that we were going to let go of all of this music, and we were going to let go of songs that we had been working on for months and months," said bassist John Taylor. "But there was such a thing that we were moving forward, that we were creating this new identity."

Taylor recalls telling Timbaland about the expectations surrounding the record: "You gotta understand that we have an audience that not only hears Simon's voice, but they hear my voice, they hear Nick's voice and Roger's voice in the way that we play."

In the end, the group believes that they were able to retain their ethos, yet blend it perfectly with the new sound, with "Red Carpet Massacre." They also feel the club-centric CD's dance grooves that recall their '80 heyday may give them pop success.

"If it is going to cross over to radio, this would be the right one to make it happen," said keyboardist Nick Rhodes.

"It's a very modern sound, and although it's Duran Duran, it also fits in with a lot of the other music that Timbaland has made."