Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor has left the band for a second time. Andy Taylor originally quit the group in 1986 while recording the album Notorious, shortly after drummer Roger Taylor. Bass player John Taylor left Duran Duran in 1997, part way through recording the album Medazzaland.

Andy, John and Roger reformed with their former bandmates Simon Le Bon and Nick Rhodes in 2001, embarking on a highly successful 25th Anniversary tour, and releasing the comeback album Astronaut in 2004.

However, British newspaper News of the World has reported that Andy was unhappy with plans to scrap an album's worth of recorded material which returned the band to their New Romantic roots. The band and management were instead keen to pursue collaborations with hip-hop producer Timbaland and singer Justin Timberlake.

An official statement from Duran Duran says, "As of last weekend... the four of us have dissolved our partnership and will be continuing as Duran Duran without Andy, as we have reached a point in our relationship with him where there is an unworkable gulf between us and we can no longer effectively function together."

Session guitarist Dom Brown will stand in for Andy Taylor in the meantime (he featured on Duran Duran's first three studio albums, and previously filled in for Andy on two other tours.

A group of fans have launched a campaign to try and persuade Sony/Epic to release what they're calling "The Lost Album". The full 5-member lineup of Duran Duran have been recording with producer Michael Patterson for some time, and completed the bulk of their album in May this year. According to drummer Roger Taylor, the songs apparently return to Duran's "dance and new wave origins".

* Beyond Thunder: Sony/Epic Campaign to release "The LOST ALBUM"