Soldiering on (1997–2000)

Freed from some internal writing conflicts, the band returned to the studio to rewrite and re-record many of the songs on Medazzaland. (Taylor's work remains on only four tracks.) This album marked a return to the layered experimentation of Big Thing, with intricate guitar textures and processed vocals. The track Out of My Mind was used as the theme song for the movie The Saint, but the only true single to be released in the United States was the quirky Electric Barbarella, which was the first single ever to be sold online. The video for this single, featuring a sexy robot purchased and played with by band members, had to be censored before airing on MTV, but there was little of the controversy that had surrounded Girls On Film. Barbarella peaked at #52 in the U.S. in October of 1997. Although Medazzaland was released in the U.S. in October 1997, the album was never released in the UK. Barbarella was later released in the UK as a single from the 1998 Greatest compilation album and peaked at #23 on the UK chart in January 1999.

The group played a set at The Princess Diana Tribute Concert on June 27, 1998 by special request of her family.

Duran Duran parted ways with Capitol/EMI in 1999, although the label has since used Duran Duran's back catalogue to release several compilations of remixes and rare vinyl-only b-sides. The band then signed what was intended to be a three-album contract with Disney's Hollywood Records, but it lasted only through the poorly received 2000 album Pop Trash. This slow-paced and heavy album seemed out-of-keeping with earlier band material. Rhodes' intricate production and Cuccurullo's songwriting and experimentation with guitar sounds and time signatures were not enough to hook the public, and the album did not perform well. The dreamy single Someone Else Not Me lasted barely two weeks on the radio, although its video was noted as the first to be produced entirely with Flash animation. While supporting Medazzaland and Pop Trash, Duran Duran toured with bassist Wes Wehmiller and drummer Joe Travers.