Duran Duran the singles 81-85 [Box set, Single]

Duran Duran | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 10, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 13
• Format: Box set, Single
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B00008NEGG
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (81 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #143,041 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The arrival of The Singles demonstrates perfect timing. With the impulse to treat 1980s pop with irony finally dying and cutting-edge American bands such as the Rapture and the Faint directly sourcing Brit synth-pop, this lavish box set now sounds like a key dance-rock primer. Unlike the other major players in the early 1980s British Invasion of America, Simon Le Bon, John Taylor, Roger Taylor, Andy Taylor, and Nick Rhodes weren't afraid to rock. They rocked hardest on their early singles, as the glossy black box of the first 13 singles, lovingly recreated for CD, proves. The first eight--from the turbo-powered disco of "Planet Earth" to the synthetic Beatles-influenced pop of "Is There Something I Should Know?"--work on the tension between the band's mega-pop ambitions and their rudimentary instrumental skills, creating an eerie, erotic desperation. The full compliment of B-sides--particularly a hysterical, uber-youth club stab at David Bowie's "Fame"--charm with their gung-ho ridiculousness. "A View to a Kill" may be slick Bond theme, but this set is so evocative of strange pop times that you'll end up with "Rio" and "The Wild Boys" on a permanent mind-loop. --Garry Mulholland

Product Description

UK box-set spans the height of the 80s icons career from their very first single 'Planet Earth' to their James Bond tune 'A View To A Kill'. 13 discs including all the original B-sides. The packaging is a flip top box with each single in a 'pouchette' reproduction of the original artwork. EMI. 2003.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Duranie's Dream Comes True: The Best CD Box Set Ever., June 22, 2003

By 

Kevinduran (Indianapolis, Indiana USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Duran Duran the singles 81-85 (Audio CD)

To help celebrate the reunion of the five original members of Duran Duran, Capitol/EMI decided to box together Duran Duran's first 13 singles, recreating the artwork and exact track line-up's of each vinyl 12-inch single. They have done a remarkable job! Each single comes in a slim cardboard sleeve, and each cd's artwork (the actual art on the cd) recreates the original record labels that appeared on each vinyl record. Someone has painstankingly worked on finally giving Duran Duran their due: one of the most underrated groups of all time finally has a collection that they can be completely proud of.

Past Duran Duran greatest hits collections have been nice, but haven't been as thorough as they should have been. "Decade" left off the important hit "New Moon On Monday"; "Greatest" presented "Save A Prayer" in a horribly edited version. "Greatest" also had confusing and uninspired artwork which the band reportedly hates. Both cd's left off important singles "Meet El Presidente" and "Do You Believe In Shame?"- which don't appear in this box set because they were released after 1985.

Everything about this singles box set is perfect. The small box that the cd's are housed in easily fits on a cd shelf. The box isn't ill-fitting or cumbersome like a lot of cd box sets. The cd's have all been remastered. These songs have never sounded clearer. If you have the much coveted "Essentials: Night Versions" (which is now out of print) or the import-only "Strange Behavior" (both cd's are remix collections), you still need this box set. There are a lot of non-album b-sides that have never been released on cd before domestically (there was a 2 cd Japanese import that collected four Duran Duran e.p.'s that was released well over a decade ago that contained the b-sides here, but that set has long been out of print). If you are any sort of Duran Duran fan at all, you know that their b-sides are always brilliant.

The U.S. edition of the box set is the same exact edition that was released overseas. The artwork that is contained on the "Is There Something I Should Know?" and "The Reflex" cd's are the same as the import 12-inch singles (the American artwork was different.)

Also included inside the box is a fold-out poster/booklet. One side is a picture of Simon, Roger, Nick, John, and Andy; the other side is the track listing.

Here's hoping that Capitol/EMI plans on following up this release with a second box set, starting off with the "Notorious" singles.

Make sure you look out for the reissues of "Duran Duran" (the first album) and "Seven And The Ragged Tiger" (with restored album packaging just like the version of "Rio" that was released last year) coming this fall!

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Duran Duran at their pre-Power Station/Arcadia BEST!, March 14, 2004

By 

Brent A. Anthonisen "Johnny Sideburns" (Alpharetta, GA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Duran Duran the singles 81-85 (Audio CD)

I was a metal kid in high school from Fall of '81 through graduation in Spring of '85 (roughly the timeframe covered with the song selection in this box set); I wore blue jeans, black "RUSH" T-shirts, and a leather jacket to class and wouldn't have been caught dead listening to Duran Duran.

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.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What took them so long?, January 24, 2004

By 

Eddie Konczal - See all my reviews

This review is from: Duran Duran the singles 81-85 (Audio CD)

This is a "Holy Grail" of sorts for diehard Duran Duran fans: a 13-CD collection of the band's singles from 1981-1985, including remixes and B-sides. I've been waiting for ages to have songs like "Khanada," "Like an Angel," and "Secret Oktober" on CD - and here they all are, in one glorious package!

The box set might have been presented a bit more economically: each CD corresponds to one single, and therefore features only 2 to 4 tracks. (It really helps to have a CD burner so you can compile your favorite songs onto one or two discs). But reproducing the original artwork on each CD sleeve is a really nice touch. This box set appeals as much to the eyes as to the ears; appropriate, given the importance of visuals to Duran's image.

And last but not least - the singles! Sure, they've been compiled before. But presented in this comprehensive package, songs like "Planet Earth," "Hungry Like the Wolf," "Rio," "New Moon on Monday," "The Wild Boys," and "A View to a Kill" remove all doubt that Duran Duran was the premier singles band of the 1980s.