Duran Duran - Greatest
Album Notes
Greatest was an update of the 1989 tenth anniversary compilation album, Decade: Greatest Hits. The new release included songs from their eponymous debut album through 1997's Medazzaland. The album includes all 14 songs featured in Decade: Greatest Hits, plus "New Moon on Monday" and four singles from the 90's, however both "Save a Prayer" and "Rio" are presented in their shorter US versions in order to fit on a single CD whereas they appeared in their full versions on the former compilation. This collection covers all of the band's most popular phases and includes all the key tracks.
The album was released by EMI after parting ways with the band after the disastrous Medazzaland album release in 1997, and marked the first of many releases designed to capitalize on the band's extensive EMI-controlled back catalog.
To coincide with the release of the Greatest album in the United Kingdom, the song "Electric Barbarella" was released as a single. This track was originally released as a single in North America in 1997 to promote the Medazzaland album (which was never released in the UK).
As of 2009, the collection has sold over a million copies in the United States.
To date, a full collection of Duran Duran's singles on one album still hasn't been released.
The album release was followed in 1999 by the release of a videotape compilation of the band's groundbreaking music videos, also entitled Greatest. It was not released on DVD at the time, probably due to the band's disintegrating relationship with Capitol Records.
Review by Daniel J. Hamlow:
Among the vanguard of the Second British Invasion of the 80's was a group dubbed the Fab Five. These pretty boys got their name from Milo O'Shea's character in the Jane Fonda cult classic Barbarella. I refer of course to Duran Duran, who during their peak years comprised of Simon LeBon (vocals), Andy Taylor (guitar), John Taylor (bass), Roger Taylor (drums), and Nick Rhodes (piano), he of the heavy makeup. But the reason why Duran Duran stood over contemporaries like the Human League or Spandau Ballet was their MTV coverage and stylish videos and that certain edge they had in their mostly danceable pop tunes.
Their first UK hits were "Planet Earth" and "Girls On Film." The first had a lively and upbeat synth backbeat much like Spandau Ballet or Berlin and is a standout. The second, with rapid-fire camera snap effects, was the group's first UK Top Ten hit, and made notable by its racy Godley-and-Creme directed video. Its chorus, where the title is sung twice in a row, the second at a lower pitch to make an accompanying and memorable couplet. But they hit pay dirt when the superbly upbeat "Is There Something I Should Know" topped the UK charts-it later hit #4 in the US. "Please please tell me now..." Oh yes!
Rio, which featured silk-screen girl album artwork from Nagel, had the title track, with a cascade of keyboards and drums, before settling into a more leisurely chorus-"my name is Rio and she dances on the sand..." But love that sax solo in the middle of it all! Also from that album, the #3 "Hungry Like The Wolf" with a guitar riff that would later become hardened in the Power Station, featured catchy hooks in the chorus, great guitar from Andy Taylor, and a running pizzicato-like synth.
Despite their hit power, they only had two US #1s. The first was "The Reflex"- remember, "whyyyyyyyyy don't you use it? Tryyyyyy not to bruise it"? Definitely one of their best songs with Roger Taylor's power drumming. The other was the title hit to Roger Moore's last James Bond outing, A View To A Kill, alternately upbeat and moody song with an airy synth, whose video had shots of DD mixed with film scenes to make it look like they were also in the movie.
Songs like "Hungry Like The Wolf", with Andy Taylor's guitar riffs, and the tribal thumping drums and grinding guitar of their #2 hit "Wild Boys" seemed a prelude to the Power Station, the Robert Palmer-led side project which Andy and John Taylor joined during Duran Duran's hiatus. When Andy and Roger Taylor left, DD did the Genesis thing-"and then there were three." Simon, John, and Nick released Notorious, whose funk-laced title track reached #2. It was slightly different from their earlier oeuvre, but when the mid-paced "Skin Trade," with its horn arrangements accompanying the usual synths, only charted at #39, it was clear DD was losing its audience. A pity, as it's not that bad a song.
Their last big hits came from their 1993 Wedding Album, which yielded a brace of more maturer and mellower singles, the reflective "Ordinary World" with a nice guitar solo from ex-Missing Person's guitarist and new member Warren Cuccurullo and majestic synths and vocals, and the moody "Come Undone" with high-pitched female vocalist singing the refrain.
The songs are not in chronological order, not too big a complaint. It supersedes their previous compilation Decade, which didn't include the two Wedding Album singles and "Serious" from their ignored 1990 Liberty album. The grinding near-techno of "Electric Barbarella" from the John Taylor-less Medazzaland, seemed to show the band ironically coming full circle-remember where they got their name from? Despite coming this late in the game, a great single by all means. The fact that the original members got back together for Astronaut indicates that despite their brief splash from 1981 to 1984, they were one of the most important forces in the 80's music and fashion scene. Take a bow, guys.
Greatest was an update of the 1989 tenth anniversary compilation album, Decade: Greatest Hits. The new release included songs from their eponymous debut album through 1997's Medazzaland. The album includes all 14 songs featured in Decade: Greatest Hits, plus "New Moon on Monday" and four singles from the 90's, however both "Save a Prayer" and "Rio" are presented in their shorter US versions in order to fit on a single CD whereas they appeared in their full versions on the former compilation. This collection covers all of the band's most popular phases and includes all the key tracks.
The album was released by EMI after parting ways with the band after the disastrous Medazzaland album release in 1997, and marked the first of many releases designed to capitalize on the band's extensive EMI-controlled back catalog.
To coincide with the release of the Greatest album in the United Kingdom, the song "Electric Barbarella" was released as a single. This track was originally released as a single in North America in 1997 to promote the Medazzaland album (which was never released in the UK).
As of 2009, the collection has sold over a million copies in the United States.
To date, a full collection of Duran Duran's singles on one album still hasn't been released.
The album release was followed in 1999 by the release of a videotape compilation of the band's groundbreaking music videos, also entitled Greatest. It was not released on DVD at the time, probably due to the band's disintegrating relationship with Capitol Records.
Review by Daniel J. Hamlow:
Among the vanguard of the Second British Invasion of the 80's was a group dubbed the Fab Five. These pretty boys got their name from Milo O'Shea's character in the Jane Fonda cult classic Barbarella. I refer of course to Duran Duran, who during their peak years comprised of Simon LeBon (vocals), Andy Taylor (guitar), John Taylor (bass), Roger Taylor (drums), and Nick Rhodes (piano), he of the heavy makeup. But the reason why Duran Duran stood over contemporaries like the Human League or Spandau Ballet was their MTV coverage and stylish videos and that certain edge they had in their mostly danceable pop tunes.
Their first UK hits were "Planet Earth" and "Girls On Film." The first had a lively and upbeat synth backbeat much like Spandau Ballet or Berlin and is a standout. The second, with rapid-fire camera snap effects, was the group's first UK Top Ten hit, and made notable by its racy Godley-and-Creme directed video. Its chorus, where the title is sung twice in a row, the second at a lower pitch to make an accompanying and memorable couplet. But they hit pay dirt when the superbly upbeat "Is There Something I Should Know" topped the UK charts-it later hit #4 in the US. "Please please tell me now..." Oh yes!
Rio, which featured silk-screen girl album artwork from Nagel, had the title track, with a cascade of keyboards and drums, before settling into a more leisurely chorus-"my name is Rio and she dances on the sand..." But love that sax solo in the middle of it all! Also from that album, the #3 "Hungry Like The Wolf" with a guitar riff that would later become hardened in the Power Station, featured catchy hooks in the chorus, great guitar from Andy Taylor, and a running pizzicato-like synth.
Despite their hit power, they only had two US #1s. The first was "The Reflex"- remember, "whyyyyyyyyy don't you use it? Tryyyyyy not to bruise it"? Definitely one of their best songs with Roger Taylor's power drumming. The other was the title hit to Roger Moore's last James Bond outing, A View To A Kill, alternately upbeat and moody song with an airy synth, whose video had shots of DD mixed with film scenes to make it look like they were also in the movie.
Songs like "Hungry Like The Wolf", with Andy Taylor's guitar riffs, and the tribal thumping drums and grinding guitar of their #2 hit "Wild Boys" seemed a prelude to the Power Station, the Robert Palmer-led side project which Andy and John Taylor joined during Duran Duran's hiatus. When Andy and Roger Taylor left, DD did the Genesis thing-"and then there were three." Simon, John, and Nick released Notorious, whose funk-laced title track reached #2. It was slightly different from their earlier oeuvre, but when the mid-paced "Skin Trade," with its horn arrangements accompanying the usual synths, only charted at #39, it was clear DD was losing its audience. A pity, as it's not that bad a song.
Their last big hits came from their 1993 Wedding Album, which yielded a brace of more maturer and mellower singles, the reflective "Ordinary World" with a nice guitar solo from ex-Missing Person's guitarist and new member Warren Cuccurullo and majestic synths and vocals, and the moody "Come Undone" with high-pitched female vocalist singing the refrain.
The songs are not in chronological order, not too big a complaint. It supersedes their previous compilation Decade, which didn't include the two Wedding Album singles and "Serious" from their ignored 1990 Liberty album. The grinding near-techno of "Electric Barbarella" from the John Taylor-less Medazzaland, seemed to show the band ironically coming full circle-remember where they got their name from? Despite coming this late in the game, a great single by all means. The fact that the original members got back together for Astronaut indicates that despite their brief splash from 1981 to 1984, they were one of the most important forces in the 80's music and fashion scene. Take a bow, guys.
| EC1097 | Duran Duran - Greatest |
| Label: | EMI Records |
| Catalog#: | 7243 4 96239 2 7 |
| Format: | CD [Compilation] |
| Made in: | Europe |
| Released: | Nov 3, 1998 |
| Barcode: | 7 24349 62392 7 |
| Style: | Synth-pop, New Wave |
============================================================================
Duran Duran - Greatest
============================================================================
01. Is There Something I Should Know
02. The Reflex
03. A View To A Kill
04. Ordinary World
05. Save A Prayer
06. Rio
07. Hungry Like The Wolf
08. Girls On Film
09. Planet Earth
10. Union Of The Snake
11. New Moon On Monday
12. Wild Boys
13. Notorious
14. I Don't Want Your Love
15. All She Wants Is
16. Electric Barbarella
17. Serious
18. Skin Trade
19. Come Undone
Total Time: 01:18:22
============================================================================
01. Is There Something I Should Know
02. The Reflex
03. A View To A Kill
04. Ordinary World
05. Save A Prayer
06. Rio
07. Hungry Like The Wolf
08. Girls On Film
09. Planet Earth
10. Union Of The Snake
11. New Moon On Monday
12. Wild Boys
13. Notorious
14. I Don't Want Your Love
15. All She Wants Is
16. Electric Barbarella
17. Serious
18. Skin Trade
19. Come Undone
Total Time: 01:18:22
Companies, etc.▼
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – EMI Records Ltd.
Copyright © – EMI Records Ltd.
Mastered At – Abbey Road Studios
Glass Mastered At – EMI Uden
Pressed By – EMI Uden
Marketed By – EMI
Distributed By – EMI
Credits▼
Artwork [Package Design] – Malcolm Garrett
Compiled By – Nigel Reeve, Terry Burch
Mastered By – Nigel Reeve, Terry Burch
Notes▼
℗ 1998 the copyright in this sound recording is owned by EMI Records Ltd.
© 1998 EMI Records Ltd.
Printed and Made in EU
Barcode and Other Identifiers▼
Barcode (Text): 7 24349 62392 7
Barcode (Scanned): 724349623927
Matrix / Runout: EMI UDEN 4962392 @ 1
Matrix / Runout (Mould inner ring): 010722
Mastering SID Code: IFPI L047
Label Code: LC 0542
Price Code: F: PM 520
Rights Society: bel BIEM
Distribution Code: UK: 496 2392
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – EMI Records Ltd.
Copyright © – EMI Records Ltd.
Mastered At – Abbey Road Studios
Glass Mastered At – EMI Uden
Pressed By – EMI Uden
Marketed By – EMI
Distributed By – EMI
Credits▼
Artwork [Package Design] – Malcolm Garrett
Compiled By – Nigel Reeve, Terry Burch
Mastered By – Nigel Reeve, Terry Burch
Notes▼
℗ 1998 the copyright in this sound recording is owned by EMI Records Ltd.
© 1998 EMI Records Ltd.
Printed and Made in EU
Barcode and Other Identifiers▼
Barcode (Text): 7 24349 62392 7
Barcode (Scanned): 724349623927
Matrix / Runout: EMI UDEN 4962392 @ 1
Matrix / Runout (Mould inner ring): 010722
Mastering SID Code: IFPI L047
Label Code: LC 0542
Price Code: F: PM 520
Rights Society: bel BIEM
Distribution Code: UK: 496 2392
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