New Issue: Duran Duran (GB)

I received this card today from Royal Mail.

This new issue will be released on 17th September (next Thursday) and will celebrate Duran Duran.

This is the latest in a series dedicated to Music Giants. In recent years we have had stamps for AC/DC, The Who, Iron Maiden, The Rolling Stones, Queen and Pink Floyd. This design was first used for a special set celebrating The Beatles back in 2007.

The card says that "few bands have shaped sound, style and visual culture quite like Duran Duran. Bold, inventive and always evolving... blending music, fashion and technology with effortless sophistication." It adds that this new set of stamps "showcas[es] iconic album artwork that reflects the band's distinctive visual identity and enduring cultural impact".

I checked whether there was a particular anniversary that these stamps are marking, but it seems not. I am not sure why Royal Mail didn't wait a couple of years to release these for the band's 50th anniversary.

There is of course a "vibrant" miniature sheet (above), a "stunning" Limited Edition Prestige Stamp Book and a "striking" ingot. All of which have great commercial value for Royal Mail and will appeal to Duran Duran's fans but are probably not of so much interest to philatelists.

Design Quality: Anyone who knows anything about recent Royal Mail stamps will have seen this design many times. When it first came out in 2007 it was different and fairly innovative, but now it is just a template for future issues and all that changes is the album covers being used. It's still a strong design but it has become very predictable and, in my mind, tired. I often criticise pointless miniature sheets but this time the design is definitely better than the main stamps. 3/10

Theme and Subject Choice: Music Giants has become part of the stamp calendar, so there was always going to be a band picked for this year and it happens to be Duran Duran. I know a bit about them and they were huge back in the 1980s so they're probably worth a special issue. But why not wait until their 50th anniversary and do something a bit different? 6/10

Historical and Cultural Relevance: I think Duran Duran had huge cultural relevance back in the day. I know a bit about them and I'm not that into 80s music, so that probably tells you how big they were. They had some huge hits. So if you're going to have a different Music Giants set every year, Duran Duran seems like a pretty good choice from a cultural and historical point of view. I just thing the historical connections could be strengthened either by tying it in with an anniversary or ditching the standard album cover template and showing more historical photography. 6/10

Innovation and Creativity: Duran Duran may be "bold, inventive and always evolving" but this design isn't. What's with all this sticking with the same formula for 20 years? That isn't very rock n' roll, is it? 0/10 Collectability: There are a lot of music fans out there who will like these and I would imagine there are collectors who are really into the Music Giants stamps. 6/10

Personal Appeal: Great band, but another predictable stamp issue. Any Duran Duran fan who knows their albums would know exactly what the stamps would look like. Personally, I think creative people deserve creative tributes. I like the theme and I think that Music Giants should probably be here to stay, but can we try some different ideas with the design? 2/10 Overall Score: 23/60