Search - Duran Duran :: Rio

Jeannette J. (tsarien) from SAN JUAN, PR
Reviewed on 8/11/2009...

this certainly introduces you to the wonderful cadences of Duran Duran, and if you think they are just another 80's band, you are sooo wrong.

Why doesn't my generation have music like this!?

mssmd | 09/09/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I wasn't born yet when this record was released, so I missed out on the Duran Duran heyday. But the other day, I heard this incredible song on the radio called Rio. No doubt in my mind, the best song I've ever heard. Its just utterly perfect in every way! The musicianship is phenominal. John Taylor's killer bassline, combined with Nick Rhodes arpegiated synthesiser riffs created one of the best songs ever. Listening to Duran Duran is like watching a really awesome movie. The songs take you on a musical adventure, you never know what's going to happen next.



A record like this could only come from the 80s. I understand that Rio was a monster hit in the 80s, but if it were released today, it would have flopped big time! Top 40 radio wouldn't touch these guys today. Something this complex would never be a hit in the new millenium. In the 21st century, nobody wants to hear accomplished musicianship, they want cr@p instead! So us poor unfortunate people who were born in the 80s and don't remember them have to suffer through a bunch of bratty, suburban, juvenile delinquent tunes by Green Day or Avril Lavigne every time we turn on a radio! Its just not fair!







"

A shining example of 80s pop music at its best

Eddie Konczal | 01/29/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Duran Duran was perhaps the quintessential 80s pop band, and 1982's "Rio" was the quintessential Duran Duran album. Birmingham, England's "Fab Five" were primarily known for their hit singles and the lavishly produced videos that accompanied them. "Rio" includes some of their very best hits: "Hungry Like the Wolf," "Rio," and "Save a Prayer." But this is more than just a singles album. With "Rio," Duran maintained their New Romantic pop excellence over the course of an entire album. They would produce many more hits throughout the 1980s, but they wouldn't release another full album as strong as "Rio" until 1993's "The Wedding Album."



On "Rio," Duran perfected a formula that they devised on their first album, 1981's "Duran Duran," and would repeat throughout the 1980s: a "side one" of catchy, up-tempo songs and a "side two" of moodier, atmospheric numbers. For those who remember the days of vinyl, "Rio" is truly an album of two perfect sides.



"Side One:" The opening chords of "Rio" explode like crashing ocean waves, with Nick Rhodes' ingenious use of synthesizer arpeggios setting the stylistic tone for the record. The title track's euphoric, eternally memorable chorus is equaled a few songs later by that of "Hungry Like the Wolf," "Rio's" other smash single. "My Own Way," a bigger hit in the UK than in the US, doesn't quite match the catchiness of those two songs, but nowhere else is Simon LeBon's braggadocio so gloriously evident ("I'm on 45!"). "Lonely in your Nightmare" is a lovely, piano-driven midtempo song, while "Hold Back the Rain" is an aggressive, pulsating dance track that spawned endless 12" mixes.



"Side Two:" The ominous intro of "New Religion" segues to a bass-driven groove that exemplifies Duran's moodier side. "Last Chance on the Stairway" is a giddy paean to youthful romance, a teenybopper's guilty pleasure. "Save a Prayer," a lush, calypso-flavored ballad, evokes romantic nights in tropical paradises, while the final track, "The Chauffeur," builds dramatically from a sparse keyboard ostinato to a dense instrumental coda that became the highlight of many a Duran Duran concert.



There's no doubt that Duran Duran relied on visuals as much as music to achieve their fame. Indeed, "Rio's" exotic, exuberant Nagel cover girl succeeds as well as the music itself in establishing Duran's jet-setting zeitgeist. But with "Rio," Duran Duran proved they're more than just well-coiffed video stars. As emblematic of the 1980s as they are, these songs have nevertheless stood the test of time. Like a glittering, multifaceted diamond, "Rio" endures as a shining example of 80s pop music at its best."