The Singles 81-85 [Box]

Performer: Duran Duran
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Duran Duran: Simon LeBon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, Roger Taylor, Andy Taylor. Producers include: Colin Thurston, Ian Little, Duran Duran, Alex Sadkin, Nile Rogers. Compilation producers: Nigel Reeve, Jo Brooks. Here's something no Durannie can live without. A 13-disc box set containing replications of each of Duran Duran's most significant singles released between 1981 and 1985, The Singles 81-85 is a package that -- much like the band itself, as many of the haters would argue -- is most practical as something to look at. The very idea of swapping discs out of the player after every two of three songs seems like a cumbersome one, especially since most of the B-sides function as little more than curiosities. Still, there's plenty for the old fanatics to reminisce over, from the often superior "Night Version" remixes, to the endearingly silly acoustic version of "The Chauffeur," to scarce tracks like "Khanada," "Faster Than Light," and "Sekret October." Even if this serves no purpose to you whatsoever, it's at the very least fascinating to flip through the sleeves and watch the stark, angular graphic design of the early '80s morph into the garishly loud design of the mid-'80s. From "Planet Earth" through "A View to a Kill," the box plots the course of one of the '80s most successful singles acts. ~ Andy Kellman

At the dawn of the 1980s, Duran Duran was part of Britain's "futurist" or "new romantic" scene, which merged glam-rock attitude with disco beats and synthesizers to form an intensely fashion-conscious variant on new wave. With their good looks and pop hooks, the group ruled the music world for the first half of the decade. After that, there were numerous side projects (Arcadia, Power Station) and personnel changes, but the original band reunited to much ado in 2003.

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