Music Greatest
Digital Life Average Rating:

Rating: - "Why Don't You Use It, Try Not To Bruise It..."
If you are a regular follower of my reviews, you've probably gathered that I'm a huge fan of 1980s' rock. Poison, Motley Crue and the best of them all Def Leppard - I love them. However, Duran Duran was a band I never really liked. True, I pretty much based on my opinion on them on one song (the dreadful James Bond theme "A View To A Kill", which I'm sure will eventually grow on me), but just their look alone also didn't appeal to me. But then I heard "The Reflex" in "American Wedding" (during Stifler's dance bar at the gay bar), and I knew that I had to have that song. Well, I purchased their new hits cd "Greatest" for that one song, but I wound up getting much more than I wanted.

"Greatest" offers pretty much all the Duran Duran you could possibly. In addition to "The Reflex" and "A View To A Kill", you get certified 1980s' classics like "Rio" (one of the best music videos ever!), "Wild Boys", "Notorious", "New Moon On Monday", "Is There Something I Should Know" and a host of others to satisfy your cravings for blissful nostalgia of the era of big hair and big hooks. Plus you get two songs from their 1993 comeback, "Ordinary World" and "Come Undone", as well as their awesome 1997 minor single "Electric Barbarella" (the title is fitting since the group actuallly took its name from the 1968 Jane Fonda classic "Barbarella"). To entice hardcore Duranies, album tracks such as the awesome "Serious" and the Prince-like "Skin Trade" (which actually was a single) have been added.

The bonus dvd is brilliant, containing their videos. Oh, those classic videos. In short, this album is highly recommendable. I would suggest purchasing it as soon as possible.

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Rating: - Fine collection
When my 'Decade' CD from 1989 eventually gave up the ghost, I went looking for a replacement; I went one better and bought this. Taylor/Taylor/Taylor/Rhodes (Bates)/LeBon/Cucurillo et al are here to entertain you through 19 of their greatest cuts (where's the Chauffeur??) and they don't disappoint. The single edits are fine, personally I wouldn't mess with the original All She Wants Is but other than that and, I suppose, the non-chronological track listing, I can't really complain.

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Rating: - My Favorite Group of The 80's
Duran Duran could very well be the most underrated group of the 1980's. With big acts such as Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince and "The Boss" ruling the charts it's easy to see why Duran Duran could be overlooked. Dubbed "The Fab Five" Duran Duran produced many memorable hits and videos, such as "Girls on Film" , "Hungry Like The Wolf" , "Rio", "The Reflex" and "Wild Boys" to name a few. It was groups like Duran Duran that really brought MTV to the forefront in the early and middle 80's. Unfortuantely the original band dismembered to soon when in 1985 when Andy and John Taylor (no relation) left to form "The Power Station" with Robert Palmer while Simon LeBon, Nick Rhodes and Roger Taylor formed Arcadia. Duran Duran was reduced to a trio in 1986 with Lebon,Rhodes and Roger Taylor.
Anyway, this album has it all from "New Moon on Monday" to "Notorius" to "Is There Something I should Know" "Planet Earth" "Save a Prayer" "Union of the Sanke" "A View to a Kill" and even includes their two top ten hits in the early 90's "Come Undone" and "Ordinary World" plus more. This is an awesome compilation by one of the best groups of the 1980's and my personal favorite. If you are a big fan of "The Fab Five" this is a definite must for your collection!

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Rating: - Classic new wave music...what everyone today is imitating
For those that only recall "Hungry Like the Wolf" and all the countless songs Duran Duran had on the radio, one can easily forget how different, unique and innovative a band like Duran really was in the early 1980s. Duran Duran were no doubt the first "new romantic" or "new wave" outfit that bands today like The Killers, Franz Ferdinand, The Strokes, The Bravery, Interpol and the like are influenced by/imitating with a great degree of success. (Who said the '80s were never cool? The joke is on them now!) And now, the original lineup of the band is back and still making great music (the 2004 Astronaut album).

This collection of hits showcases both elements of Duran Duran: the early dark, brooding and eerie "new romantic" sound they mastered on their first and second albums, as well as the masterful pop music found on their third album and all of their singles. The relevance of the Duran sound has been vindicated by the current rush of today's top acts to say Duran Duran was an influence. The songs on GREATEST sound as fresh today as they were then on the first days of MTV.

GREATEST also highlights the output of Duran in the 1990s, including the two (Top 10) 1993 hits "Ordinary World" and "Come Undone", which are just as classic as "A View to a Kill" and "Planet Earth". The late 1990s Top 40 hit "Electric Barbarella" is also showcased, and is worthy of inclusion here. Even "Serious", a single off of the disastrous early '90s album Liberty fits right in.

Some often forget Duran Duran was indeed a talented and instrumentally gifted outfit. The rhythm section of Roger Taylor (drums) and John Taylor (bass) are at long last getting their dues for the true talent they possess. Andy Taylor is an underrated guitarist who shines with both his delicate, atmospheric tones as well as the urgent and rocking sounds displayed on many of their hits. Nick Rhodes is frequently imitated for his influential synth work, which provided so much atmosphere to Duran's output. Finally, Simon LeBon is perhaps the most brash and over the top front man since Mick Jagger, and that fit perfectly into the Duran style as Duran became the kings of MTV.

What's missing? This should have been a double CD set. Classic album tracks like "New Religion", "The Chauffeur", "Careless Memories", "Lonely in Your Nightmare", "The Seventh Stranger", "Anyone Out There", "Friends of Mine", "Hold Back the Rain" and "Nightboat" are all missing. Even latter day singles like "Perfect Day" (featuring a then one-off return by Roger Taylor on drums for this 1995 track), "Do You Believe in Shame" and "Out of My Mind" deserve recognition. And if the collection was ever updated, "Sunrise" and "What Happens Tomorrow", from their 2004 comeback album Astronaut, both deserve inclusion here as they both received radio airplay.

Many of the songs on the GREATEST album remain highlights in a live Duran Duran concert setting in 2005. You like The Killers? You like the rush of "new wave" influenced music currently underway? This is a great place to start to see where it all began.

Highly recommended.

Also recommended by Duran Duran for modern day "new wave" fans: albums like "Duran Duran" (their debut album), "Rio", "Astronaut", "The Singles 81-85" and "Seven and the Ragged Tiger".