The Devils

The first incarnation of Duran Duran in 1978 included Rhodes as keyboardist, John Taylor on guitar and Duffy as songwriter/vocalist and bassist (along with Simon Colley). This line-up performed live for almost a year before Duffy and Colley left the band.
Duffy moved on to a solo career and the Lilac Time, and Duran Duran eventually went on to fame with drummer Roger Taylor, guitarist Andy Taylor and singer Simon Le Bon.
In 1999, Duffy came across an old tape recording of a live Duran Duran concert from a 1979 show. Shortly afterwards, Rhodes and Duffy met by chance at a fashion show, and began talking about the old music. They decided it might be fun to re-record some of those original, dark, art-school, pre-Le Bon Duran Duran songs – including "Big Store" which was set in the department store Rackhams and a song eulogising the nightclub Barbarella's.
A few months later they took to the studio, using vintage analog instruments but modern production techniques to recreate the early Duran Duran sound. The lyrics remained unchanged.