Rio

Performer: Duran Duran
Engineer: Colin Thurston
Producer: Colin Thurston
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: This is an Enhanced CD which contains regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files, including the videos for "Rio," "Hungry Like The Wolf" and "Save A Prayer." Duran Duran: Simon Le Bon (vocals); Andy Taylor (guitar); Nick Rhodes (keyboards); John Taylor (bass); Roger Taylor (drums). Additional personnel: Andy Hamilton (saxophone). Recorded at Air, London, England in 1982. Includes liner notes by Simon LeBon and Nick Rhodes. Digitally remastered by Tony Cousins. This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files. The artistic progression from the band's self-titled debut to the following year's RIO was the greatest aesthetic leap of Duran Duran's career. The group moved from catchy but somewhat rudimentary New Romantic synth-funk to elegantly arranged, sophisticated pop-rock, concentrating more on song structure than dance beats. For their efforts, they were rewarded with superstar status, due chiefly to "Hungry Like the Wolf," a lascivious tune that injects a welcome dose of rock & roll guitar. The most impressive tracks on RIO, though, are the more contemplative, balladic offerings, like "Lonely in Your Nightmare," "Save a Prayer," and especially "The Chauffer," with its stream-of-consciousness lyrics and unconventional structure, arty without seeming pretentious. If you only have one Duran Duran album, it should be RIO.

Spin (p.104) - "[T]he Durannies take new-romantic pop to the masses with lush, synth-driven choruses and lavish videos..." Q (6/00, p.61) - Ranked #98 in Q's "100 Greatest British Albums" - "...Defined early '80s aspirational glamour, comprising 9 trashily addictive tunes..." Magnet (p.114) - "[T]he Taylors, drummer Roger and guitarist Andy, laid down an aggressively grooving foundation over which vocalist Simon LeBon and keyboardist Nick Rhodes dropped candy-coated bits of melody and insouciant jet-set attitude." CMJ (1/5/04, p.10) - Ranked #13 in CMJ's "Top 20 Most-Played Albums of 1982". CMJ (1/5/04, p.10) - Ranked #1 in CMJ's "Top 20 Most-Played Albums of 1982". Q (Magazine) (p.125) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Originally released in 1982, today both the Chic-inspired basslines and aspirational lyrics of RIO seem utterly contemporary..." Pitchfork (Website) - "RIO isn't just front-loaded with some of the era's most bulldozing hits, it's still Duran's best shot at an artistic legacy." Record Collector (magazine) (p.85) - 5 stars out of 5 -- "1982's RIO was and remains one of the 80s' finest pop statements..." Record Collector (magazine) (p.84) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Duran Duran gave some thought to their 12" singles...[and] -- the biggest achievement of all -- laying down mixes which don't sound embarrassing two decades later."

At the dawn of the 1980s, Duran Duran was part of Britain's "futurist" or "new romantic" scene, which merged glam-rock attitude with disco beats and synthesizers to form an intensely fashion-conscious variant on new wave. With their good looks and pop hooks, the group ruled the music world for the first half of the decade. After that, there were numerous side projects (Arcadia, Power Station) and personnel changes, but the original band reunited to much ado in 2003.

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