Duran Duran - Double Pack - Duran Duran > Reviews > Gloss and glamour

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Mediocre
Quality and consistency of tracks	Mixed
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Average
Value for Money

Advantages:	couple of good tracks
Disadvantages:	Le Bon

Recommend to potential buyers:

no

Full review

Duran Duran were one of the bands that arrived with the new romatic movement in the early 1980’s. Fronted by the universally despised Simon Le Bon, the musical backing was provided by Nick Rhodes (keyboards), Andy Taylor (guitar), John Taylor (bass) and Roger Taylor (drums).

Throughout their career they were derived by the critics and panned for their preoccupation with form rather than substance, but they did make some good singles in their time.

1981 earned the group plenty of flak from British music papers like New Musical Express and melody Maker, which accused them of being frivolous and trivial. However, new magazines like the Face and Smash Hits enthusiastically welcomed the group. That same year, their debut album, eponymously named, sold well, reaching number 3; it contained a number of hit singles, Planet Earth, Careless memories and Girls On Film.

It also included the melancholic Is There Anyone Out There, the lyrics of which owed much to Bowie’s Space Oddity.

If you like Duran Duran, you’ll like this - if not, you’ll hate it. Me, I like the singles, but I loathe the band.