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Whistle Stopper - Greatest
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List Price: $17.98
Our Price: $5.98
Your Save: $ 12.00 ( 67% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Capitol
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0724349623927
Label: Capitol
Manufacturer: Capitol
Number Of Discs: 1
Publication Date: 2004
Publisher: Capitol
Release Date: 1998-11-03
Studio: Capitol
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Definitive Duran Duran.
Comment: "We used to be a very chi-chi name to drop in '79, but then the Fab Five hype started and something went wrong. Something went really wrong."--John Taylor.
I confess. I became hooked on Duran Duran's "Fab-Five" sound from the very first time I saw the Godley & Creme video of "Girls On Film" (banned in Britain and heavily-edited for MTV) in 1981. It was that video (featuring women pillow fighting and mud wrestling) that prompted me to hunt down copies of Duran Duran and Rio at my local record store. Those two albums, with a big push from MTV, sparked a worldwide Duran Duran version of Beatlemania for the polished, yet Wild Boys in the band: Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, Roger Taylor, Andy Taylor, and Simon Le Bon. By 1986, the hysteria had waned and the band was losing much of its momentum due to fatigue and tension.
Greatest is an update of the band's earlier, ten-year anniversary compilation album, Decade: Greatest Hits (1989). It captures the band in peak form, including a definitive selection of the Duran's hits from the 80s ("Girls on Film," "Rio," "Hungry Like the Wolf," "Save a Prayer," "Notorious," and the James Bond theme song, "A View to a Kill") and four singles from the 90s ("Ordinary World" and "Come Undone"). Complete tracks include:
1. Is There Something I Should Know 4:10
2. The Reflex 4:23
3. A View To A Kill 3:35
4. Ordinary World 4:42
5. Save A Prayer (Single Version) 3:47
6. Rio (US Edit) 4:44
7. Hungry Like The Wolf 3:25
8. Girls On Film 3:27
9. Planet Earth (Single Version) 3:57
10. Union Of The Snake 4:22
11. New Moon On Monday 4:16
12. The Wild Boys 4:17
13. Notorious 4:00
14. I Don't Want Your Love (Shep Pettibone 7'' Mix) 3:47
15. All She Wants Is (45 Mix) 4:26
16. Electric Barbarella (Radio Edit) 4:17
17. Serious (7'' Edit) 3:56
18. Skin Trade (Radio Cut) 4:25
19. Come Undone (Edit) 4:14
G. Merritt
Customer Rating:
Summary: Duran's Big Hits
Comment: The CD has all the main hits (pre Astronaut) plus a few lesser known hits. Some songs are edited versions so if that is an issue, beware. This is especially evident on the Rio tracks and Ordinary World. For most people, though, these are the versions they know having heard them on the radio for 20+ years. I could say that such and such song should have been included (OK, Violence of Summer) but can not find any real fault in the selection. The sound quality is fine which should not be a surprise; the sound quality of DD was always top class.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great
Comment: Great CD. I has the most popular tracks on it. Very good length for a CD with 19 songs. Does not dissapoint.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Greatest? Not Entirely.
Comment: This is a great compliation of Duran Duran hits from the awesome 80s and the lackluster 90s. However, when I purchased this CD, I was dismayed to see that DD decided to add in "Serious" from the Liberty bomb of 1990 and "Electric Barbarella" from the Medazzaland bomb of 1997. There are several DD tunes that could have been added (all of which performed better on the charts than these 2 stinkers). DD could have added, "My Own Way", "Careless Memories", "The Chauffeur", "New Religion", and "Hold Back The Rain".
But, even though these two disappointing anchors weigh down this album, the rest of the songs bring back great memories for those of who were lucky enough to grow up in the 80s. "Is There Something I Should Know?" (my all-time favorite DD song) starts the CD off on a rollicking clip. This song just cannot be ignored and your feet start dancing before your brain can start thinking. One other big asset is the #1 Bond Hit, "A View To A Kill" (the only James Bond theme song to ever hit #1). This 1985 classic is when DD was at the top of their game and could have dominated the remaining 80s, if it hadn't been for the band breaking up. The CD builds momentum with the great dance hits of "The Reflex", "Wild Boys", "Union Of The Snake", "Hungry Like The Wolf", "Planet Earth", and "Girls On Film".
The only thing that the production company compromised was the slow-build towards the opening dance riff in "Rio" was omitted and "Save A Prayer" was completely butchered in favor of a shorter version. I assume this was due to space limitations of the CD capacity. I can see why "Notorious", "Skin Trade", "I Don't Want Your Love", "Ordinary World, and "Come Undone were added to "Greatest". But, why oh why, waste time and space with "All She Wants Is", a very low-performing hit from mid-1989.
If you are a fan of the 80s DD, this is still a great compilation to pick up, especially with the addition of "New Moon On Monday", which was stupidly omitted from their first greatest hits release, "Decade". If you are a fan of the 90s DD, there is still some stuff here for you (although I'm convinced the band sold out to please the 90s fans with the additions of "Electric Barbarella" and "Serious", so that they could sell more CDs). I think even if these 2 song-bombs had been omitted originally and nothing was put in its place, the CD would have still sold millions of copies.
The next time DD puts out a greatest hits compilation, I hope that they will release at least a 2 CD set with a heavy emphasis on the founding 80s, less emphasis on the band changes of the 90s, and lots of "Astronaut" hits from 2004. If "Reach Up For The Sunrise" and "What Happens Tomorrow" were added and "Serious" and "Electric Barbarella" were dumped, then this will be a true stretch to the greatest. Unfortunately, DD production teams will probably litter the 2 CD release with some current bombs from the "Red Carpet Massacre".
Customer Rating:
Summary: Get it for your car!
Comment: I love Duran Duran. This CD is great for your car, so you can drive along, singing and tapping your foot to the groovy music, however, a few of the songs are edited---the endings are dropped off, i.e., the very end of "Rio". Also, I would just like to say that if you like Duran Duran and think that this CD is representative of their work, then you are missing out on some great music. I especially recommend "The Wedding Album".
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Editorial Reviews:
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While English pop monarchs Duran Duran have remained active for two decades, it's clear that the indomitable ensemble was at its peak during those mercurial '80s. This greatest-hits collection documents the band's ambitious beginnings as a funky glam-rock outfit and follows its gradual transformation into a high-tech pop band with loads of commercial appeal. Featuring now-classic tunes like "Girls on Film," "Rio," and "Planet Earth" as well as more recent songs like "Ordinary World," Greatest focuses on Duran Duran's unending string of hit singles. Although the young quintet that performs "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "A View to a Kill" has little in common with the posh, aging trio featured on 1997's "Electric Barbarella," vocalist Simon Le Bon provides some impressive continuity to these proceedings. --Mitch Myers
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