Hardly complete... I meant to give it 3 stars...

The first singles box seemed to have pretty much all of the officially released DD singles-output for the years covered. This set doesn't. In particular, it's missing just about all of the non-album tracks from the "Wedding Album" era. Where's Ball & Chain, Time for Temptation, or Stop Dead? Also, where's To The Shore or the demo version of the Chauffeur? They were all released on singles, but they seem to have been excluded to allow more time for fairly dull remixes of Drowning Man and Too Much Information, plus a needless "greatest hits" review. Oh, well. Plus, the packaging is incorrect. Track 2 of the "Do You Believe In Shame?" single is not the remix listed, instead it's "The Edge of America" from the Big Thing album (the remix is not on the cd at all). This is still a cool collection, but I have to wonder who dropped the ball on the tracklist.

The Most Underrated Band - 12 Stars

The fact that the Durannies continued after their barrage of hits with true musical masterpieces like these is amazing. The new album "Astronaut" is also an aural masterpiece. These guys WRITE the music and lyrics and PLAY the instruments! I find this era of their output the most sumptuous and adventurous. It as also made me revisit their "covers" album 'Thank You' - and I have now actually understood it! They're not the beatles but there is something really intrinsic about the way the put it all together and make art. Thanks, guys.

Worthwhile if maddening addition to Duran fans' collections

Everyone knows that Duran Duran was the premier singles band of the 1980s. But "Singles Box Set 1986-1995" shows that the post-"classic" period was nothing to sneeze at. This is a 14-CD collection of the band's singles from 1986-1995, including remixes and B-sides. While it may disappoint some hardcore fans, this boxed set serves as a long-overdue retrospective of an era that has gotten short shrift on other Duran compilations.



Unlike the earlier boxed set, which consisted of vinyl-era singles featuring only 2 to 4 tracks, this compilation features generous CD-era singles consisting of 3 to 10 songs each. Late 80s singles such as "Notorious," "Skin Trade," and "Do You Believe in Shame" illustrate the maturing of Duran's style after the departure of original guitarist Andy Taylor. And 1990s hits like "Ordinary World," "Come Undone," and "White Lines" demonstrate that Duran Duran's staying power extended far beyond the "MTV decade."



Beyond the singles, diehard Duran Duran fans may find it frustrating to get to the good stuff. You have to wade through endless dance mixes and previously released album tracks to find the real nuggets here, which include "We Need You," "I Believe/All I Need to Know," the Simon LeBon spoken word pieces "God" and "This Is How A Road Gets Made," and a cover of Neil Young's "Needle and the Damage Done."



Despite the generous running time, there are some egregious omissions, particularly "Stop Dead" and "Time for Temptation" (outtakes from 1993's "The Wedding Album"). Just about any serious Duran fan would have preferred these over the nine-millionth remix of "Violence of Summer" or "White Lines.". Did we really need two live versions of "Notorious" - especially when the band is obviously out of tune on the second one?



Durannies will argue endlessly about the set list, and rightly so. But in the end, the value of "Singles Box Set 1986-1995" justifies the purchase price. You're paying a little over $3 per disc, which is far less than you would have spent over the years to acquire the individual CD-singles. It's a worthwhile - if maddening - addition to any Duran Duran fan's collection.