Duran Duran - Duran Duran the singles 81-85

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Music reviews of Duran Duran the singles 81-85

Music Review: Duran Duran at their pre-Power Station/Arcadia BEST!
Rating: 5 Stars

At school.

At home it was a different story entirely.

At home I was utterly fascinated every time a Duran Duran video played on MTV...and as I started learning how to play music myself, I became increasingly aware that in addition to having an impeccable sense of style, Duran Duran were an incredibly sound band in terms of musical and lyrical competancy and innovation. And when Duran guitarist Andy and bassist John Taylor recorded their (really rockin') "Power Station" side project with Robert Palmer and Tony Thompson, I felt it was safe to "come out of the closet" and admit that I'd really been a Duran fan the whole time.

The keyboardist in my first band (Erika, if you're out there somewhere reading this, I hope you're doing well) took notice of my interest in Duran Duran; she was definitely a frontline Durannie from the beginning and she made me an extensive mix tape from her collection of 7" and 12" singles; extended versions of hit songs, non-album "B"-side tracks, and live recordings that I'd never heard before. And I promptly lost the tape within a couple of weeks of getting it from her.

I could never bring myself to ask her for another copy (this was before file-swapping; recording a mix tape had to be done in real time)...and I could never find any of the songs even on cassette, let along vinyl (I hadn't owned a turntable since 1984), so I waited in vain for some sort of rarities compilation to be released, with the wait somewhat rewarded by the "Night Versions" and "Strange Behaviour" CD's released within the last few years.

As good as those respective compilations are, this box set is unequivocably better. The Powers-That-Be have lovingly reconstructed every single released by Duran Duran from 1981 through 1985, including all of the obscure "B"-side tracks and the extended "Night Versions" of the respective hit singles that were included on Erika's mix tape. There could be some issue taken with the format in which this collection is marketed; it is awkward and unwieldy to have to change CD's every 12 to 15 minutes, but the truth is that this IS a "singles" collection and there can be no denial that the collection has been reproduced as faithfully as possible.

I would almost recommend this box set over Duran's first three albums on CD to second (and third) generation Durannies; the spirit and creativity of the band is best captured here, and although some of the album tracks that never made it to release on singles do hold their own, the non-album tracks are a nice time capsule to an era when an artist would be expected to create songs that were actually worth flipping a single to hear.

For the generation of fans who likely haven't heard some of these songs in 20 years, welcome home...this is the collection we've all been waiting for. Enjoy with all due reverence.

Description of Duran Duran the singles 81-85

Alternative Rock CDs

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