Duran Duran on DVD!

Akward but still cute as a button!

Duran Duran were not only one of the biggest bands of the 80s, they were also innovators in the realm of the music video. MTV darlings and teen idols, their lush, exotic videos broke ground and made the art of the music video actual art. Duran Duran loved beautiful women, gorgeous locales and striking images. A good portion of their groundbreaking work was directed by Russell Mulcahy, such as Hungry Like the Wolf, Rio, The Reflex and the sumptuous fan favorite Save a Prayer. After a couple of video release featuring various songs, Duran Duran: Greatest – The DVD finally brings most of the band’s best videos together in one double disc DVD.

Highlights:

Uncensored version of the racy Girls on Film Video

Several hidden Easter Eggs, including a TV Spot, a look at the Liberty Press Kit, Interviews and Alternative Videos!

A great scope of the band’s history over the last two decades as ever-changing artists

My biggest quibble with this release is the omission of Duran Duran’s two best videos. Lonely in Your Nightmare is simply elegant and although it wasn’t a hit, the video and song are definitely worth seeking out. The other video, Nightboat is a great homage to Lucio Fulci’s masterpiece Zombi. This is probably my favorite Duran Duran video because it’s the most like a short film and is quite eerie and atmospheric. Both videos can be found on the vhs release simply titled, Duran Duran Video Collection.

The other downside to this release is that Disc 2, which features predominately later releases when the band was boiled down to three original members and then only two. These videos lack those certain elements that made the videos on the first disc so memorable. Luckily, the music is still a lot fun and the video for Ordinary World does boast some lovely work.

All in all, Duran Duran: Greatest is a must for Durannies, and a good way for the novice to see most of the band’s best music video work.