Duran Duran win new album deal

Eighties rock band Duran Duran have been forced to embark on a dieting and fitness programme to secure a ? 10 million recording contract.

After recording their first album with the original lineup for 15 years, the band have triggered a bidding war between labels keen to release it. Universal, EMI, Sony and BMG are among those offering a massive advance for rights to a three to five album deal.

The tracks recorded by Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, Roger Taylor, Andy Taylor and John Taylor are said to be some of their best. But there remains one stumbling block.

"There has been some concern that they won't match up to what pop band members look like today - but they're pretty fit now," said a friend of the band. "They are all now in great form, physically. The music is some of their best and they really look the part. It's incredible to think that they are in their forties."

The £10 million contract is one of the largest offered to a band who have reformed with an original line-up after such a sustained absence.

Le Bon, Rhodes and another artist - Warren Cuccurullo - have been performing under the band's name for the last few years, with little success. Cuccurullo has now left to rejoin to his old band. Meanwhile, the band's other three original members - Roger Taylor, Andy Taylor and John Taylor - have returned. Le Bon, 43, said: "It's something we are very much looking forward to. There has always been an incredible chemistry and musical energy when we have got together."

Before the band went their separate ways in the Eighties, they were one of the most successful groups in British musical history. Their debut album Duran Duran in 1980 reached No 3 in the UK charts, selling 2.5 million copies. Their 1982 album Rio spawned three UK Top 10 hits - Hungry Like The Wolf, Save A Prayer, and Rio.

Other hits have included Bond track A View To A Kill, Notorious and Wild Boys. The group is rated 68th in the top 500 bands of all time by the Guinness Book of Records and have notched up 222 weeks in the singles charts since they began, 22 years ago.

Drummer Roger Taylor, 42, lives with his wife Giovanna and their children in Barnes. Lead singer Le Bon is married to model Yasmin, and lives with their three children. John Taylor, 40, once married to Amanda De Cadenet has made his acting debut and lives in LA. Rhodes, 40, is a staple on the party circuit and in gossip columns. Guitarist Andy Taylor, 41, left the band and launched an unsuccessful solo career in the US.