Duran Duran- Greatest

Duran Duran is one of the quintessential 1980's pop bands. There was a time in my life when I wasn't sure whether or not I had ever heard a Duran Duran song. Upon purchasing this album it became clear that not only had I heard Duran Duran before, I was intimately familiar with no less than 11 of the 19 tracks on this greatest hits compilation.

Duran Duran is a 1980's juggernaut. I enjoyed their work in the 90's as well, but when you look at what Duran Duran cranked out in the 80's, it becomes clear that they are part of the upper echelon of 1980s musicians. It sounds odd for me to say it, but in much the same way that certain baseball players may not look like hall of fame material in their playing days, and only by looking at their stats when all is said and done do they look hall-worthy, Duran Duran doesn't seem 1980s hall of fame worthy until you realize that they were the band that played "Is There Something I Should Know?" "The Reflex" "Rio" "Hungry Like the Wolf" "Girls on Film" "Planet Earth" and "Wild Boys" all of which are classic 1980s hits. Not only are those songs fantastic, Duran Duran has many other great songs, some of which didn't even make the greatest hits compilation.

When you think of the greatest 1980's hit makers, you probably think of Prince, Michael Jackson, and Madonna first. They're like the Babe Ruth, Cy Young, and Ted Williams. Duran Duran is Andre Dawson (one of my favorite players, actually). Dawson wasn't a first-ballot hall of famer, but when you really step back and look at his stats, his records, and how he played during his era, it's clear he deserves a plaque in the hall. Maybe I'm stretching this baseball analogy a bit thin, but the point is that Duran Duran is probably better than you think they are. End of story.