Pitchfork

When I was eight years old, I was convinced that I was Duran Duran's biggest fan. After all, when my friend Nikki and I raced to name all the members, I always beat her. We had matching Duran Duran folders at school. My babysitter had a crush on the guitarist, so I did too. I knew every word to every song on Rio and was working on Seven and the Ragged Tiger. I had no idea what "The Reflex" was about or who the "Girls on Film" were, but I loved the band then, and I believed that they loved me too.

This latest release is one in a series of Essential collections from artists who peaked in the late '80s and early '90s. The good news is that the CD is accompanied by 14 pages of liner notes explaining how the band was formed, and how they envisioned the keyboard as the future of rock and roll. (Actually, the keyboard wasn't really "the future of rock and roll" in 1984, but rather, "the present." By 1988, it was as abandoned as the theremin.) The bad news is that none of the new versions are better than the original singles.

This CD contains singles which you can find on the band's self- titled debut, their follow-up Rio, Seven and the Ragged Tiger, and the live LP Arena. Thankfully, it ends there. (Remember their cover of "9-1-1 is a Joke?")

There is an additional CD included which contains a bonus version of "New Moon on Monday" which can only be played after you visit the Duran Duran website. It's an interesting idea, but is not any better than the dulled sounds of the new remixes of "Union of the Snake" and especially "Planet Earth."

I guess what I'm saying is, these songs were better (albeit only a by little bit) before they were remixed for the dance clubs. (All together now:) It it ain't broke, don't fix it.