Though they were formed almost as an accident, The Power Station proved to be fairly successful as one of a pair of side projects that split off from Duran Duran when the synth-rockers took a year off of their touring schedule. It scored a number of hits on the Billboard charts, most notably a cover of T. Rex's "Bang a Gong (Get It On)."

The band's story begins with Duran Duran's bassist John Taylor, who was dating model Bebe Buell that year. He was arranging for her to add vocals to a cover of the classic glam rock song "Bang a Gong," with fellow Duran Duran member guitarist Andy Taylor and former Chic member Tony Thompson, who would be the drummer. It all looked set to happen before Buell and Taylor broke up. Because they had already recorded some demos, they figured they would stick it out and try to get another vocalist. They ended up getting a big name--Robert Palmer. Palmer decided to stick around and sang on seven other tracks. The self-titled album was released as The Power Station in 1985, and immediately soared on the charts.

The success was unexpected, to say the least. Their cover of "Bang a Gong" climbed to a peak position of nine on the Billboard Hot 100, while another track, "Some Like It Hot," reached a peak of six on the same chart. The album itself was a six on the Billboard 200.

Palmer was invited to tour as well, but decided against it just days before they began. Micheal Des Barres replaced him. The member's mutually agreed to break up after the tour was over, and the Taylors went back to Duran Duran--splitting from the group permanently not long after.

The band reformed and released a follow-up record, Living in Fear, in 1996, but the public failed to take notice.