I am a die-hard, crazy, insane, would-take-a-bullet-for-Simon-Le-Bon fan of Duran Duran, and it’s very difficult to remain entirely objective whenever you’re writing about one of your favorite subjects. I can go on for miles about how underrated the band is and why Liberty is their worst album ever. It’s difficult to let their music do the talking when the most people ever know of them is the glittery pop fluff a la The Wild Boys. But there’s a lot more experimentation involved with each and every one of their albums, almost to the point where it is nearly impossible to truly compile the perfect compilation. If you’re a Duranie, you probably have your workout mix, your dance mix, your slow mix, etc. But when it comes down to a hits compilation that boasts itself even in the title, you better bring the goods to the table: Is Greatest truly the greatest from Duran Duran? Well, yes and no.
I’m never going to be able to pin point the perfect collection of Duran songs, but when I look at this late-90s release, this is a pretty damn good assembly. Their career spans from 1981 to the present (this collection was released in 1998), and this collection gives you just about every hit you could generally want from the band. Their seriously decadent beginnings are represented by the classics Girls on Film and Planet Earth, which were definitely bigger hits across the pond in their home-country of England. On the downside, these tracks fit in so well with their future progression, that I don’t really feel they do a good job of coaxing the listener to dive into the heavily epic debut record (Duran Duran). But still, I could probably survive on what else is listed here, including their break-through hits Rio and Save a Prayer, which were recorded during a period where the band was just transitioning from underground glam-punk to super stardom. Speaking of progression, unlike their first hits collection Decade, this album is not in order—regardless, everything still runs pretty smoothly. Their over-saturated period is also represented here in the form of New Moon on Monday, an option omission from their first compilation; A View to Kill, their infamous Bond track; as well as The Wild Boys, a non-album track first seen on their “live” album Arena. And once the rainbow faded out, the “depressed” years of the band became the hits Notorious and I Don’t Want Your Love, which is presented in 7” remixed form (brilliantly done Shep Pattibone).
Duran Duran had a whole career after the 80s, though, and some might not remember their success in the 90s with the rock-ballad Ordinary World, but that actually comes to this disc directly from 1993. And in the UK specifically, they enjoyed a slew of moderately successful Top 40 singles , one of which is included: Electric Barbarella, which is a song that finally addresses the band’s namesake. However when it comes down to cons, Greatest has a glaring omission in Rio-single My Own Way, which is quite possibly my favorite Duran track of all time. Regardless of this, were it included, it probably would have been that dreadful disco mix from the 7” single. Perhaps it’s a bit of a double-edge sword. If I ignore the records released after Greatest (Pop Trash, Astronaut, and Red Carpet Massacre), I’d say that this truly is the definite Duran Duran collection, which features just about all of their hit singles. The band’s career is very well represented here, as it showcases the very strong highlights of their thirty years together.
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VERDICT 01. Is There Something I Show Know? [4.5 Stars] 02. The Reflex (7" Version) [5 Stars] 03. A View to Kill [4 Stars] 04. Ordinary World [5 Stars] 05. Save a Prayer [5 Stars] 06. Rio [5 Stars] 07. Hungry Like the Wolf [5 Stars] 08. Girls of Film [4 Stars] 09. Planet Earth [5 Stars] 10. Union of the Snake [5 Stars] 11. New Moon on Monday [4 Stars] 12. The Wild Boys [3 Stars] 13. Notorious [5 Stars] 14. I Don't Want Your Love (Shep Pettibone 7" Mix) [5 Stars] 15. All She Wants Is [4 Stars] 16. Electric Barbarella [4 Stars] 17. Serious [4 Stars] 18. Skin Trade [1 Star] 19. Come Undone [4.5 Stars]
SCORE: 5 STARS (Rounded up from 4.3 for actually being a good compilation.)
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