The Power Station’s much-loved album Power Mad: Live At The Spectrum, Philadelphia makes its vinyl debut for Record Store Day 2026. Simon Rushworth spoke exclusively to co-founder Andy Taylor.
A reflective Andy Taylor remembers there was already an overriding sense of restlessness in the ranks as one of the biggest bands on the planet reached an inevitable crossroads. It was the autumn of 1983 and Duran Duran’s third studio album, Seven And The Ragged Tiger, had failed to impress the critics, despite enjoying significant commercial success.
Time consuming sessions in France, the Caribbean and Australia saw Taylor and co. crisscross the globe in search of the perfect sound but the relentless pursuit of perfection had taken its toll: cracks had started to appear long before the record’s release.
Fast forward 12 months and a planned hiatus was in full swing. Andy Taylor and John Taylor — flushed with success, financially independent and thick as thieves — had set about forming a rock-focused supergroup while Simon Le Bon and Nick Rhodes launched art pop act Arcadia.
“John and I were joined at the hip at the time, in terms of our relationship,” recalls Andy. “The Power Station was born out of a few drunken conversations and some mad inspiration listening to records we both enjoyed. Most of all it was driven by a love for music. We had the means to pay for a studio and nobody could say ‘no’ to us. All the big dots started to join.”
Originally Andy and John had planned to showcase a different lead vocalist on each of the songs set to feature on The Power Station’s debut. Names mooted for the project included Mick Jagger, Billy Idol and Mick Ronson. But when Robert Palmer was invited to record Communication — and subsequently expressed an interest in laying down the vocals for the T Rex standard Get It On — the Taylors agreed there was only one man for the job.
With Chic drummer Tony Thompson adding the funk, The Power Station was born. “We were an accidental supergroup,” adds Andy. “It was just a happy set of circumstances that led to a very special record.
“Tony had always been one of our favourite drummers because of the whole Chic thing. And it was Tony’s idea to bring Bernard Edwards in as producer. We met Bernard at Le Parker Meridian in New York City. We played him a few ideas over a diet coke and a chat.
“Tony had told us that Bernard had this deep understanding of rhythm and we dug the funky aspect of Chic. It was clear he had the chops to produce the album. Tony and Bernard were one of the great rhythm sections of all time.”
If Thompson put the power into The Power Station then Palmer was, for a while at least, the ace in the pack. “Robert’s voice is timeless,” sighs Andy of a singer who passed away in 2003, aged just 54. “And for that reason The Power Station’s debut album has always stood the test of time.”
The bulk of the record was cut at Fulham’s Maison Rouge Studios — a stone’s throw from the hotel where Taylor and his Duran Duran band mates had signed their first major label deal.
“The reason we used Maison Rouge was because it had a studio room and a stone room at the back,” explains Andy. “We set up the drums in the stone room and went mad on the mics. We even had the kit mic’d up through the floorboards.
“We were inspired by the drum sounds coming out of Power Station studios in New York. We wanted to create the steroid version of what we were hearing on these American records. But we needed the right drummer and the right environment to achieve that. Within The Power Station, Tony was always the star.
“Because John and I were dripping in fame by then, it wasn’t difficult to let Tony shine. I remember when we delivered the record to the record company, they said the drums were too loud. That was the whole fucking point!”
The Power Station’s debut album eventually dropped on March 25, 1985. Earlier this year the album received the full re-release treatment with out-takes, demos and live cuts. Andy’s incredibly proud of a magical moment in time and adds: “If I was a footballer it would be like my version of the European Cup. Maybe not a World Cup. But that Power Station debut is a real trophy of a record.
“There wasn’t any money in it and, as it turned out, it was a short-lived thing but it was incredible while it lasted.
“Dave Grohl has said it’s one of his favourite records. I think he was talking about the Foo Fighters’ 2021 album Medicine At Midnight when he admitted he still hadn’t made his ‘Power Station album’. Those are the kind of compliments that make all of this worthwhile. They’re priceless.
“I guess that’s the ego thing kicking in but when someone of that stature talks about your work it’s incredibly humbling. Tony is one of Dave’s favourite drummers and The Power Station album is one of his favourite records. To think we helped to influence Nirvana’s sound is incredible.”
January’s expansive CD reissue of The Power Station’s debut — laid out across multiple discs — featured the band’s legendary concert at Philadelphia’s Spectrum in August 1985. Record Store Day 2026 sees the fabled set become available on vinyl for the first time and Andy adds: “Even back then it sounded great. It was one of the first full live shows and Michael had only just joined.”
Palmer — keen to focus on his solo career — had already quit by the time The Power Station embarked on its US headline tour and Michael Des Barres had stepped in to front the in-demand supergroup.
“The Philly concert captures The Power Station how we were meant to sound,” adds Andy. “I know there were shows we played that were better — and a few that were probably worse — but that night there was pure energy. Even then we weren’t really a band. John and I played together but The Power Station was put together. Fortunately it still sounded ok! It’s a very old show but there are no click tracks and it’s purely live. Even the guitar sounds decent… I think!”
By the time the original line-up reformed in 1996 Andy believes the secret ingredient had been lost. “On the follow-up, Living In Fear, we lacked the spontaneity of the first record,” he adds. “I think too much time had passed and a lot of life caught up with people at that point. I always regret that we weren’t able to get The Power Station back together sooner. We’re going to look at the second album again but I guess one of the reasons our debut still matters so much is that it was the only record that featured all of the original line-up, all of the time. That’s why it’s so special.”
Andy continues to write and record despite battling prostate cancer and it seems a follow-up to 2022’s Man’s A Wolf To Man could well be on the cards. “I’ve been working on some new material,” he reveals. “I’m always making new music!”
A limited edition three-disc vinyl version of Power Mad: Live At The Spectrum, Philadelphia is released on April 18 via Warner Music.
Andy Taylor images courtesy of Crest Photography/Sir Graham Wylie Foundation