Duran Duran: Greatest

By: Erik Swift

December 2003

DVD Features Video: 1.33:1 Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo Hidden alternative versions of Videos Hidden Interview Footage Le Galerie De Duran DVD-ROM Section Containing: Weblink to the Official Duran Duran Website 30 Minute Audio Q & A Session with Nick Rhodes and Simon Le Bon in 1999 Photo Gallery - Featuring over 80 images from throughout the band’s career Lyrics to all songs featured on the DVD Screen Saver and create your own wallpaper DVD released on 11/11/2003 by EMI Running time of 110 minutes Disc 1 Planet Earth Girls On Film (Long Uncensored Version) The Chauffer Hungry Like The Wolf Save A Prayer RIO Is There Something I Should Know? Union Of The Snake New Moon On Monday (Ep Version) The Reflex Wild Boys (7″ Edit Version) A View To A Kill Disc 2 Notorious Skin Trade I Don’t Want Your Love All She Wants Is Serious Burning The Ground Ordinary World Come Undone (Uncensored Version) Electric Barbarella

Every band and their mother seem to be releasing DVDs lately. It’s pretty easy to book a few nights at a club and film an intimate concert, and including a bonus disc of behind-the-scenes looks at your favorite group is becoming the norm for new CD releases. Rare is a video collection that can truly document a band’s growth and evolution. Duran Duran has done just that with their new double-disc DVD releases. Hard-core fans deserve handsome packages, and this band doesn’t disappoint.

Coming on the heels of the original lineup’s first US tour in nearly two decades, Duran Duran’s “Greatest” is the visual companion to the 1998 EMI Records VHS and CD compilation of the same name. The early cheese of “Planet Earth” or the directionless “Chauffeur” aside, Duran Duran – along with ZZ Top, Michael Jackson and Madonna – were among the most widely recognized names of the early MTV era. The soft-porn Godley & Crème-helmed “Girls On Film” was just an inkling of what this quintet was capable of in 1981. The slow-motion water cascading across barely-clothed women remain one of the enduring images of the music channel. Just one year later, the beautifully painted ladies, rapid-fire editing and exotic locations of the Russell Mulcahy-directed “Hungry Like The Wolf” struck a chord with the world, and the band became one of the biggest of the 1980s.

Duran Duran differed from their peers by ignoring fake backdrops and snaring big budgets, enabling them to jet to Sri Lanka and film epics like “Rio” or to construct the massive Mad Max-style sets of “Wild Boys.” Behind the videos remain great compositions. “Ordinary World” deservedly gave the band success in the mid-nineties because it’s a good song. John Taylor’s prominent bass underlines “Save A Prayer” and prevents an exercise in mediocre balladry, while the dominating fat synthesizers of “All She Wants Is” give it an eerie feel. Besides, their title track for “A View To A Kill” was the only good thing about that movie. 21 videos are listed on the jacket, but the amount of hidden material is a treasure trove for the seeker. The Easter Eggs are a bitch to locate, but the club version of “Planet Earth” is a real find, and the multiple cuts of “New Moon On Monday” are interesting to view. The promotional film for the “Liberty” album is overkill – I heard more music from that disc in those 15 minutes than I had in 12 years. The only thing lacking here is completion. Where are the videos for “Nightboat” or “Too Much Information”? With more than three hours across two DVDs, there is room for inclusion.

Reviewer’s Opinion: BUY IT!!