there for three weeks. To capitalise on its success, Capitol Records reissued the band's 1981 self-titled debut studio album in the United States with an updated sleeve photo and replacing "To the Shore" with the new single. From March to April, Duran Duran underwent an exhaustive press tour and live performances before recording commenced on their third studio album. Recording history French sessions At the decision of their managers, Paul and Michael Berrow, Duran Duran opted to spend a year away from the UK as tax exiles to avoid paying the very high tax rates successful UK musicians were required to pay. To record their third studio album, the band moved into a three-story château in Valbonne, France on the Côte d'Azur in April 1983, installing a 24-track mobile studio that was rented from North London's RAK Studios. According to author Stephen Davis, the idea was for work to ensue amidst the lavender-scented hills above the city. They almost immediately attracted tabloid criticism. In an interview with The Times in 1995, bassist John Taylor stated: Despite the criticism, Duran Duran managed to escape some of the large media hype surrounding them, which their photographer, Denis O'Regan, attributed to the château's relaxed atmosphere. The band had ended their partnership with the producer of their first two studio albums, Colin Thurston, so Ian Little, who had co-produced "Is There Something I Should Know?", was brought in to produce the sessions. At the château, the instruments were set up in a large empty room upstairs and wired to the recording equipment outside, meaning the musicians were forced to travel back and forth in between takes to verify it was taping properly. The group spent three months working out demos and ideas. Like their previous studio albums, the rhythm tracks were recorded first, with lyrics written and taped at a later date. The sessions began timidly but productivity quickly decreased due to a lack of new material; John later said that all their material had been used up for the first two studio albums. The musicians were burned out, so creativity was at an all-time low. Little later verified that "nothing had been written in advance, so the biggest starting point they'd ever have would be another song." Workdays did not start until 4 p.m. due to the antics of the band members, particularly John, and only lasted a couple of hours. On one