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!

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.

It's really tiring, listening to the newly mastered CDs and noticing they don't sound as good as even the early mastered CDs.

I end up keeping *both* versions, and listen to the original normally. If I want to hear the 'special fatures' that the remasters have, then and only then do I put them on.

Looking at the wave forms on these CDs (as with most of the newly remastered CD), you see plenty of clipping. I really wish the record companies would quit this line of thinking that 'louder is better'. It ruins so many great additions to these CDs.

'The Singles' is a wonderful recreation of all the original singles that Duran Duran put out. I would recommend it highly for anyone who followed them early in their career as I had. Again, I just wish they hadn't compressed the music. Admittedly, it's not as bad as some others I've heard/seen, but there's still no reason for it.

For those that only recall "Hungry Like the Wolf" and all the countless songs Duran Duran had on the radio, one can easily forget how different, unique and innovative a band like Duran really was in the early 1980s. Duran Duran were no doubt the first "new romantic" or "new wave" outfit that bands today like the Killers, Franz Ferdinand, The Strokes, The Bravery, Interpol and the like are influenced by/imitating with a great degree of success. (Who said the '80s were never cool? The joke is on them now!)

This box set showcases that early dark, brooding and eerie "new romantic" sound combined with the masterful pop/rock music Duran was so famous for, the sound that the aforementioned bands are serving up on their albums some 25 years later. The relevance of the Duran sound has been vindicated by the current rush of today's top acts to say Duran Duran was an influence.

All of the hits are here and their "night versions" are as well. Duran were the masters of the remix in the early 1980s, and they would often re-record large portions of each song for their remixes, highlighted by the stellar "Planet Earth" and "Wild Boys" remixes, otherwise known as "night versions" which were played in the clubs.

The big prize on this album are the long lost Duran b-sides, songs that are just as good as the songs that were released on the original Duran albums. "Late Bar", "Fame", "Like An Angel", "Khanada", "Faster Than Light" and "Secret Oktober" are excellent tracks worthy of appreciation today. (All singles come in their own sleeves, complete with original artwork.)

Some often forget Duran Duran was indeed a talented and instrumentally gifted outfit. The rhythm section of Roger Taylor (drums) and John Taylor (bass) are at long last getting their dues for the true talent they possess. Andy Taylor is an underrated guitarist who shines with both his delicate, atmospheric tones and what quickly became more urgent and rocking sounds, and Nick Rhodes does just the same thing, only with keyboards. Finally, Simon LeBon is perhaps the most brash and over the top front man since Mick Jagger, and that fit perfectly into the Duran style that ruled the airwaves and MTV.

You like the Killers? You like the rush of "new wave" influenced music currently underway? This is a great place to start to see where it all began.

Highly recommended.

Also recommended by Duran Duran for modern day "new wave" fans: albums like "Rio", "Seven and the Ragged Tiger", "Astronaut" (their excellent 2004 comeback) and "Duran Duran" (their debut album).

I purchased this set because it has ALL of my old favorites from Duran Duran. I was in high school when some of these songs were released, and I was always a big fan of the 12 inch single format because of the "extras" that would be included on the B-sides. Unfortunately I never was able to collect all of the songs on the 12-inch vinyl format, but that problem is solved! This is a must-have for anyone who loved the Fab Five and wants to relive the 80's!