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Rio

Duran Duran

1982

Rio
Album Summary

Rio is the second studio album by English band Duran Duran, originally released worldwide on 10 May 1982. It reached number two in the United Kingdom and number one in Australia and Canada. It produced several worldwide hit singles including the title track, "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "Save a Prayer", all of which charted in the UK top 10 and US top 20. The album was remixed and re-released in the United States in November 1982. It peaked at number six on the Billboard 200 album chart in the US on 12 March 1983 and remained on the chart for 129 weeks. It earned a gold disc on 1 March 1983, and was certified platinum on 26 April 1983, eventually reaching double platinum status.

Wikipedia

Rating

3.47

Votes

12077
Genres
Rock
New Wave
Pop

Reviews

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Sun Feb 14 2021
5

So fucking good man, Hungry Like the Wolf and Rio are my obvious favorites but the start of New Religion is fire. No skips and a perfect length, def gonna listen to this album a lot more now. Already Saved: Hungry Like the Wolf Saved After Listening: Rio (idk why i didn't already have this one), New Religion, Save a Prayer

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Sat Jan 30 2021
4

Holy shit the bass on this album is incredible! An album and band my metal-loving ass completely dismissed as a kid. This is some good shit.

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Mon Jan 18 2021
5

Loved this one. Duran Duran is quintessential '80s synth pop, and this has gotta be one of the best albums in that space. Of course, I've heard "Rio" and "Hungry Like the Wolf," but I was surprised to find that almost every track on here is a banger, even the more contemplative songs. I think I loved all but two tracks. How this only peaked at #6 on the US Billboard charts is beyond me. Favorite tracks: Rio, Hungry Like the Wolf, Last Chance on the Stairway. Album art: Iconic. This is the first we've had that isn't a photograph, and doesn't feature the artist. But for me, it's the most easily identifiable. If you took all the text off the cover and just showed me the art, I would know it in a second. But aside from that recognition, it's also a fantastic cover design. The art style is awesome, perfectly '80s. 5/5

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Wed Jan 20 2021
4

The year is 1982. Man, what a time to be alive! Especially for me, being that I was born that year. Imagine, you’re an adolescent in an era that, although there wasn’t any internet yet, there was cable television. Cable was kind of mind blowing to be honest and it was the Wild Wild West at this time. Kids didn’t have Tik Tok or YouTube, but they had MTV!! I’ll hold the tired jokes about how that’s when they actually played music. MTV helped introduce all kinds of music to people that previously only had three channels to choose from when watching television. How did the infant network manage to set themselves apart from any other old thing on the boob tube? Well because if you want to be on MTV you obviously have to have a music video. Having visuals to go along with music that you could see over and over without having to be at a live concert or being forced to sit in front of Ed Sullivan or Dick Clark was revolutionary for the young folks of the time and a humongous marketing tool! Speaking of revolutionary, Paul Revere warned that the British were coming way back in 1775. Well, that wouldn’t be the only invasion since then. The British Invasion in the 60’s changed the musical climate of the entire world. In the late 70’s and early 80’s there was a second invasion. No warfare was necessary, we welcomed it this time around! Now to get on with it, as an Englishman would say. Duran Duran utilized all of the tools listed above. This group of young guys went viral before there was viral. They understood the popularity of Punk Rock and glammed that shit all the way up! Now, that may have been a deal breaker for the widely homophobic demographic of that time, no worries though, a video for a little song titled Girls on Film came out and, what I would have to guess is an enigma of record breaking prepubescent jack off sessions would be had worldwide because of it. That video will still make some guys and girls blush to this day. Look it up if you don’t know what I’m talking about. Just be sure to find the uncensored version. Keep in mind, this was a great time to be alive because the HIV epidemic wouldn’t hit until a couple of years later. Being able to be free sexually if you so shall chose to had little consequences compared to the near future. Duran Duran became so popular that it became cool for girls to like this band as much as the boys and, let’s be real, Duran Duran probably already had the girls attention anyways. Posters and magazine covers were sure to be plastered everywhere. This new English phenomena was just beginning. Now on to my review of the actual music! Every song on this album is as salacious as the guys themselves. If you’re alive and more than 4 years old, you’ve heard Hungry Like a Wolf and Rio for sure. They’re expertly recorded to excite you, make you want to dance and most importantly give you that sexy feeling. Rio gives you a tropical feeling. Listening to it I can see the girls dancing in the sand. Horny, errr I mean Hungry Like The Wolf is self explanatory. The videos these guys put out were top notch. So much beauty, action and anticipation. The music videos that accompanied these songs were next level and inspired classic shows and movies, at least stylistically, like Miami Vice and Scarface. Tell me I’m wrong. They also have sold more than 100 million albums to date. Other great songs from Rio include New Religion, Hold Back the Rain and Lonely In Your Nightmare. Patrick Nagel created the cover art that is so iconically 80’s you get nostalgic just looking at it. In closing, Duran Duran put out pretty good music. Their success, in my opinion, should be chalked up to their vision. The styles, the fashion, the marketing, the good looks and the smarts of these party animals made every guy want to be them and every girl want to be with them.

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Mon Jan 24 2022
1

Almost want this on my best albums just for the cover. But the music really bores me. Judging only the 9 first songs on the original album, this is a 1 The deluxe version adds so much good stuff, and actually makes the songs good, I can't comprehend why the difference is so big. "My Own Way" - Manchester Square Demo and "The Chauffeur (Blue Silver)" - Early Version are really good, but the originals are just straight trash.

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Mon Dec 27 2021
2

It’s hard to believe I used to love this band, I must have listened to this record a thousand times when it first released. I even had a nice Patrick Nagel print hanging in my bedroom. But now I find Simon Lebon’s voice annoying AF and the arrangements very cheesy, esp that 80’s sax, ugh. They only song that I still like is Save a prayer because it’s the least formulaic sounding. The other new wave pop groups of the era did better work and don’t sound nearly as dated now, eg OMD, The Cure, Tears for Fears, The The etc.

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Thu Apr 21 2022
2

Maybe you had to be there. For someone like me how doesn't really have much nostalgia for the 80s, it's just too pop and 80s electronic drums and keyboards for me.

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Thu Jan 14 2021
5

All in all a great album with hits I barely remember from when I was young to fresh ones that just blew me away Favourite songs: Rio, The Chauffeur, Hungry like a wolf, Save a prayer, My own way

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Sun Feb 14 2021
5

Saved Prior: Hungry Like the Wolf Not Saved: 9. Lonely in Your Nightmare Cutting Edge: 8. Save a Prayer 7. New Religion Off Rip: 6. My Own Way 5. Rio 4. Last Chance on the Stairway 3. The Chauffeur (all of the songs mostly had the same vibe except for this one. didn't expect to like this one as much as I did) 2. Hold Back the Rain 1. Hungry Like the Wolf Overall Notes: Didn't think I was going to give this album a 5, but looking back I saved all but one song so how could I not. Hit that 80's alt zone dead on. The hooks are absurdly good and took it from a 4 to a 5. Every single song had a really good melodic element to it.

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Mon Jan 30 2023
4

Came way way more impressed than I expected. It’s rock, it’s pop, it’s synthy as hell. A lot of rock bands in the 80s did the synth thing in really tasteless ways. This is well done, a great fusion of rock guitar and rhythm section with synth heavy pop. Melodies are creative and sticky, but this would be a 5 if more songs experimented like “The Chauffeur.”

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Fri Mar 19 2021
1

Here we go again...I under why some like this album and even put it at top of their list of they were into 80’s synth pop. I don’t understand why it’s here though in this list? I doesn’t say much for music from the age of modern man when a non eventful album full of lacklustre songs like this is judged one of the best of all time. I found it drab. 1 Star!

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Mon Jan 18 2021
5

This is probably THE quintessential 80's new wave album, only to be rivaled by "Songs From the Big Chair". The synths are fresh, the bass is bombastic, the guitar riffs are energetic, everything comes together to create perfectly crafted songs. Admittedly I never listen to the lyrics of these songs because the music itself commands so much attention. These songs inspire so much joy, they're effortless to listen to, and there's not much more to say other than that I love every song on this album. Favorite track: I honestly can't choose Least favorite track: none

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Tue Sep 27 2022
5

This album is great! I. LOVE. EVERY. SONG. Do you hear the bass? Amazing! Here are some stories about Duran Duran. 1. I have relatively recently had a dream wherein I was running around an indoor flea market singing the "You make me feel alive, alive, alive!" part of the title track repeatedly at the top of my lungs. 2. When the album came out, there were families that had MTV and families that did not. Mine did not and this created a particular kind of desperation in me for music videos. At a party at the home of one of my dad's work colleagues, the kids all shuffled into the living room, where the host's kids were watching TV, the oldest daughter controlling the remote. She clicked on MTV where the video for Rio was starting but said, "oh, I've seen this" and clicked away and I died a little inside and still remember it a full 40 years later. 3. I have a friend who tells the tale of decorating a Christmas cookie in 1983 with the name Duran Duran and her mother storming out of the kitchen and proclaiming with complete sincerity, "Christmas is ruined!" I think that is very funny.

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Tue Jan 10 2023
5

"Вы хотите к ним с драм-машинкой выйти? Да они меня еле терпят, вас вообще сожрут! ... Делайте, что хотите: играйте хоть Duran Duran, мне всё равно." - Майк Науменко Виктору Цою в фильме Лето (2018, Серебренников). Хм, может и ко всем остальным рецензиям подбирать эпиграфы?🤔 Кстати просмотр фильма "Лето" вообще открыл для меня тогда много разной хорошей музыки, которая там играла или упоминалась. В том числе и Duran Duran. А потом когда я привёз с дачи (и забрал с собой в Люкс) пластинку "Notorious", я взял её, не слушая, на доверии к знакомому имени. Конечно же я её послушал чуть позже: да, прикольный саунд, но на Кино не похоже, вообще. Так что Майк в фильме чутка преувеличил ;) Альбом "Rio" был выпущен за 4 года до вышеупомянутой записи. В них есть похожие черты, например, обилие синтетического звука. Ну и в целом это одного поля ягоды. По рассказам отца, это была музыка их дискотек, и я прекрасно себе представляю как это проходило в актовом зале ленинградской ФМШ. Вообще я может быть и сам под такое потусовался, даже сейчас (ууу, старпёр). Так что Duran Duran - это тоже своего рода маркер эпохи нью-вейва, как Pearl Jam для гранжа. Длина треков кстати тоже намекает на то, что это танцевальная музыка прежде всего: помимо большой продолжительности особое внимание уделяется припевам и хукам, для лучшего рАсКоЛбАсА. А вообще здесь есть какая-то тонкая грань между песней для концерта на стадиона и для дискача в ДК: композиции вроде и туда, и туда подходят. Тёма мне устроил сегодня небольшой спойлер, и такой: "прикинь, Lonely in Your Nightmare - это блин Гранитный камушек в груди!". И вот теперь это может быть сбило меня с толку, но я тоже слышать это сходство! Но надо отдать должное Duran Duran, у них поинтереснее мелодические ходы и аккордовая последовательность. Но между этими песнями точно что-то есть! Говоря также о похожестях, упомяну группу из советского синти-попа - Кофе, и особенно трек Zero. Чем-то напомнило Rio. Возможно, главными упрёком, который можно предъявить этому альбому, будет являться его недостаточная, как говорит Тёма П., "выебонистость". Ну, он довольно обычный, если рассматривать его в контексте всей существующей музыки, и в этом направлении "Notorious" мне нравится чуть больше, там огромную работу выполняют разнообразные духовые инструменты, усложняя треки. Хотя работа над различными ритмическими рисунками здесь проделана хорошая, нельзя сказать, что все песни прям калька друг с друга (как это обычно бывает с попсой). Короче вероятно, это будет первая честная пятёрка (не считаем Pearl Jam). В прошлый раз я поставил 4+ "Ladies And Gentelmen...", потому что там не было трека, от которого пошла бы приятная дрожь по телу; все они были равнозначно хороши или плохи. А вот здесь мне, во-первых, понравилась плотность звучания (=сочетание композиций друг с другом), а во-вторых, два трека (Last Chance on the Stairway и Save a Prayer) вызвали те самые "мурашки".

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Tue Feb 27 2024
5

Loved it, I can see why it was such a hit

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Fri Dec 25 2020
4

80s to the core. Still, weirdly doesn't sound super dated like some late 80s stuff does. Pretty fun, the songs can be a bit long though. Favorite tracks: "Hold Back the Rain", "Rio", "Save a Prayer"

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Thu Feb 04 2021
4

I independently listened to this album last week, in the pre-1001 days where free will guided our album choices, so I'm locked and loaded. This album is the top of the mountain. The peak new wave achievement: sparkly synthesizers everywhere, giant spritely pop songs, nonstop infectious hooks, that metallic flanger vocal effect, a devastatingly handsome collection of Englishmen (who actualy wrote and performed the whole album). Plus the real hero: BIG BOOTY FRETLESS BASS. And the Chauffeur is a cool spooky song. I imagine this one will be divisive among the Mayo crew, but you gotta respect the top of the genre even if you don't love the genre. I don't fuck with disco, but Donna Summer rules. A

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Mon Jan 10 2022
4

Ahaha, this is an album I know so well. I was an eleven-year-old girl when this came out, so there you go. Listening now, I think this album is as good as it ever was. It's a New Romantic classic, and a still a really fun listen. Rio is probably the strongest, most perfectly crafted album Duran Duran ever made, the album that made them stars. Credit where it's due: John Taylor is a legitimately great bassist, delivering a surprising, funky groove that a lot of English bands did not have. You pull Taylor out of Duran Duran and you have a considerably less interesting band. The best songs on this album are the ones that lean into that groove, like the title song and "New Religion." Taylor's funky bass plays well against Andy Taylor's equally strong, energetic riffs and Roger Taylor’s crisp, punchy drumming style. Nick Rhodes' keyboard arrangements are elegant and exotic sounding, with a vibe straight out of Bowie. Simon Le Bon had a lot of charisma as a front man and his voice works well with these songs, even if he wasn't as strong a vocalist as some of his contemporaries. The album is book ended with two excellent songs in "Rio" and "The Chauffeur." The rest of the songs vary in quality, but the overall flow from beginning to end is really good. The danceable stuff is where the band excels, but the ballads are also still lovely to listen to, with some of the prettiest, most stylish keyboard arrangements out at that time. Fave Songs: Rio, New Religion, The Chauffeur, Save a Prayer, Hungry Like the Wolf

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Mon Jan 17 2022
4

A cup of kickass riffs. 500 grams of irresistible grooves. 10 slices of hooks that are either terrible or doesn't age well. A can of dull, whiny vocals. And finally, a desired amount of layers of deliciously interesting production instrumentals. Mix everything careful until it's thick enough for future molds to sneak in. And behold! A typical new-wave album! An odd yet perfectly sane mixture of delicious and repulsive.

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Mon Apr 04 2022
4

Slick, haughty and perhaps even a touch forbidding - Duran Duran in their pomp sound like a band that simply didn't produce music for the lumpenproletariat. But before you dismiss this as the soundtrack to boardroom cocaine binges, think again; the boys knew how to write a brilliant pop song, even when mucking around with the rule book. All the big songs on here - 'Rio', 'Hungry...' shimmer and shine; perhaps even better are 'Save a Prayer' with its wonky synth riff, and 'The Chauffeur', a startling slice of pop modernism. 'Rio' still sounds a bit like the future.

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Tue Jan 10 2023
4

Бас охуетительный, конечно, просто пу шеч ка, дорога на работу задалась бодренькой. Но добавил только "My Own Way", "The Chauffeur", все таки альбом будет стоять на полочке "круто иногда вспомнить" Интересный факт: "Lonely In Your Nightmare" отослал мое подсознание к "не ходи к нему навстречу, не ходи. у него гранитный камушек в груди". Оставлю вас с таким инсайтом, хорошего дня :)

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Sat Feb 27 2021
3

A very enjoyable record!! Definitely worthy of the list, but it just didn't have what it took to push beyond 3 stars for me!

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Sun Feb 11 2024
3

The overabundance of synth pop on this list has made it difficult for me to have a real objective opinion on some of these 80’s synth records. There really isn’t a lot of variation in the sound between a lot of the bands and when you’ve heard so much of it, it just kind of becomes a coalesced mash of synthetics, where it’s hard to tell what makes one band stand out from another. Rio is fine, it’s more upbeat than some of the others, but aside from the songs we all already know, most of it doesn’t really stand above any of the other 80’s synth pop records on the list.

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Wed Mar 09 2022
2

Annoyingly catchy 80's pop. No thanks.

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Thu Jul 08 2021
5

Pretty solid. You can see the influence on Radiohead they had.

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Tue Jan 26 2021
5

If I was alive when this was released, it might have been too much, but I really appreciate the cocaine fueled production for what it is now. Loved the whole album

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Tue Feb 16 2021
5

Last song was a little underwhelming, but the rest of the album is fantastic. Banger after banger.

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Thu May 13 2021
5

Fantastic. Classic. So Good.

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Sat May 22 2021
5

Äärimmäisen positiivinen yllätys. Duran Duran oli ennestään tuttu pääosin hittiensä kautta, mutta tämä levyhän oli todella tasavahva kokonaisuus. Hitit (Rio, Hungry Like a Wolf, Save a Prayer, My Own Way) ovat klassikoita, joskaan ei puhkikuunneltuja sellaisia. Lisäksi levyltä löytyi aivan uusia kiinnostavia tuttavuuksia josta tykkäsin kovasti (Lonely In Your Nightmare, The Chauffeur). Lähes virheetön levy omassa genressään, joka ansaitsee listauksen tähän mennessä ensimmäinen yllätysvitosen.

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Wed Jan 13 2021
5

I listen to this album a couple times a year. Great album to start with! Upbeat and classic.

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Thu Jan 14 2021
5

I like it - I was already familiar with a lot of the songs but it's nice as a whole. 4.5 - I like it and would listen to it again, but don't know that it's a favorite of all time. I wrote that halfway through, still listening, pushing it to a 5, I really like it and some of these I wasn't familiar with are really good. It also feels like they go together as an album.

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Fri Apr 23 2021
5

Got some classics and all around a pretty good album

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Mon May 10 2021
5

Es uno de mis álbumes favoritos

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Mon May 10 2021
5

used to hate this when i was younger cause "the 80s" but now that Im old and sad as fuck i cant get enough of cocain pop

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Wed May 19 2021
5

love this album, so captures that those of the polished new wave 80s pop.

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Sun May 30 2021
5

Loved it. I have been spoken derisively about synth heavy 80s albums in the past, but I'm growing to enjoy quite a bit of that style of music. Rio is well paced, and features interesting lyrics, amazing bass lines, and intriguing synth/keyboard work. I will definitely be returning to this album.

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Mon Aug 02 2021
5

Ha, expected to hate this but it's a riot

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Sat Aug 21 2021
5

Surprisingly delightful. I had mentally filed Duran Duran as "that ur-80s band" and never sat down to really listen to them. This album is excellent - it's fun, and sentimental, and has some real bops.

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Sat Sep 25 2021
5

I want my MTV. This is truly a pop gem that definitely transcends the synth era. Enjoyable from start to finish.

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Sat Sep 25 2021
5

Truly a sensation album, not just for the music, but for the video generation it created. Certainly their best.

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Thu Oct 14 2021
5

Dynamic sounds, absolute bops

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Sat Oct 16 2021
5

Hi ha discos que s'han de valorar per sobre d'imatges, actituds i èpoques. 'Rio' és la cúspide del génere new romantics i un dels millors treballs de pop comercial dels 80. No es cansa un mai d'escoltar-lo i sempre és font de sol, platja i bons moments. Podrien ser nou singles junts en un sol disc, i algun d'ells, com 'Save a Prayer', 'The Chauffeur', 'Lonely in Your Nightmare' o 'Hungry Like a Wolf', destaquen entre els millors temes pop de la década

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Sat Oct 16 2021
5

One of if not the best pop album of the 80’s. It’s slick and stylish without being overdramatic and becoming a parody of itself.

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Tue Oct 19 2021
5

One of the best pop albums from the 1980s - with great album tracks such as The Chauffeur that are just as good as the hit singles.

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Thu Oct 28 2021
5

I thoroughly enjoyed this album. My favourites are My Own Way, Hungry Like The Wolf, New Religion and Last Chance On The Stairway.

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Thu Nov 11 2021
5

Super nice 80s album. Felt at home right away

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Tue Nov 16 2021
5

I love this album man. It's the 80's in a bottle.

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Tue Nov 23 2021
5

не ну прям очень хорошо, приятно и красиво

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Mon Jan 03 2022
5

Classic album with multiple favorites already on my list. The lyrics on the favorites make less sense when you read them. Seems to be more about the catchy / familiar rhythm. Hungry like the wolf is fun on Rock Band (drums). The main tracks will stay in regular rotation.

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Thu Jan 06 2022
5

I usually think that the 80s didn't add much to the music discourse, but albums like this prove me wrong.

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Fri Jan 21 2022
5

Legendary 80s album. Still holds up.

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Fri Jan 28 2022
5

John Taylor - a god amongst men.

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Mon Feb 07 2022
5

definitivamente dançande e muuuito anos 80

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Fri Feb 11 2022
5

Nostalgico, mas alto astral.

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Wed Mar 16 2022
5

After a respectable first album, Rio is when Duran Duran really got going. Everything fits well together here; lead singer Simon Le Bon doesn't always hit the correct notes, but what he lacks in intonation he makes up with tone that is uniquely suited for this kind of music. John and Roger Taylor (no relation) are a tightly locked, always grooving rhythm section - the title track's bassline is especially iconic, and John Taylor's playing is on a whole new level. Meanwhile Andy Taylor's (still no relation) very tasteful and restrained guitar playing adds some welcome rock overtones. And Nick Rhodes' keyboard parts are not only embellishment, but are totally integrated into these songs. This album more than any other defined the new romantic sound of the early 80s, and set an antithesis to the then-prevalent punk movement. Every single track here is worth a listen, but the standouts are Rio, Save A Prayer, and Hungry Like the Wolf. It's truly iconic for its era. 5/5

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Tue Mar 29 2022
5

Quintessential British new-wave

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Sun Apr 03 2022
5

Weirdly, I kinda like this one. I am hearing a kind of Yes-like vocal and it just feels kind of right. I feel like I will come back to it as much as I have Magazine's Self-Titled. Highlights: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 9.

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Sat Apr 30 2022
5

I love this album and I listened to the band playing live many of the songs in here. Big fan.

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Fri May 20 2022
5

The soundtrack to junior high for me. Terrible years, I don't think anyone enjoys being 13, especially in retrospect. But even that can't taint my love for Duran Duran; I'm finding that I still know every word of every song. Even the album cover is the 80's crystalized in one image. It is impossible to listen to these songs and not see the videos in my mind's eye. MTV propelled Duran Duran into superstardom and they likewise made MTV central to teenage life. So. Many. Memories.

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Thu May 26 2022
5

05/25/2022 Super fun from start-to-finish. An absolute blast to listen to!

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Sat Jul 02 2022
5

Released just after my 18th birthday - FOURTY YEARS AGO. But it feels like yesterday to me. A solid album, with great melodies and - as always - solid bass lines. Already part of my collection.

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Mon Jul 11 2022
5

my favorite band as a kid, my Roxy Music! lots of bangers on here, live version of The Chauffeur pips it but otherwise pretty awesome for a "boy band"

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Tue Jul 26 2022
5

Very briefly: Duran Duran popped up and I thought to myself: Ah yes, a nice 3* album, just the standard 80s. I was so terribly wrong, I think this is an incredible album. I really had no idea anymore. How did I dismiss this all these years as 'just another 80's band' The bass, the melodies, everything on this album is just right. I'm not skipping a song. Personal Favorites: My Own Way and New Religion 4.5*

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Fri Jul 29 2022
5

The perfect 80s synth-pop-funk album. Not enough credit is given to bassist, John Taylor, whose funky bass lines make this album & much of DD's catalog more than lip gloss pop. Rio sits on my top 20, and is the perfect listen start to finish. The Chauffeur is haunting & sultry, and the video is film noir erotica. I adore this album. 5/5.

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Sun Jul 31 2022
5

My mate Alan Eaglecock and I used to piss on eachother whilst miming along to Duran Duran. HIS NAME IS ALAN AND HE PISSES ON MY FACE. Those hot summer nights and delicious golden showers, what an innocent time it was.

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Sat Aug 06 2022
5

Rio is one of the greatest album openers of the 80’s. The energy, the composition…. THE SAXOPHONE…. Jesus! The songwriting is beyond great, Le Bon sounds amazing and the band plays their hearts out. I almost cried due to the sheer emotions on display in Save a Prayer. It’s worth noting that ⅗ of the band is surnamed Taylor. Without being related. A British band if there ever was one!

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Tue Aug 09 2022
5

Brilliant, classic slice of 80s new wave

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Tue Aug 09 2022
5

One of my absolute favorite albums. The memories this brings back are priceless, but some of these songs that were not overplayed on the radio in the 80s are now also some of my favorites. I especially love “The Chauffeur.” 10/10

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Wed Aug 17 2022
5

such a fun and cohesive production, instant favourite

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Wed Aug 24 2022
5

Absolutely love this and will listen to it so much more now!!

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Wed Aug 24 2022
5

Solid pop rock record. No skips.

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Fri Aug 26 2022
5

Great album! Delicious 80s pop

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Fri Aug 26 2022
5

Badass, cool, energetic, awesome riffs and power chords, rhythmic supporting drums, a sexy obligatory 80s sax part, over-the-top sci-fi synths, and plenty of hits to sing and dance to. This has it all. This album justifies New Wave's existence and prevalence as the pop music of the early 80s, being super accessible and consistent (no obligator ballads or other bullshit), maintaining a momentum to the very two last introspective chill tracks. It's engaging and interesting, with plenty of interesting sounds and painted atmospheres to focus on yet never repeating used tricks (thank god they abused what synths were capable of). They really nail down pop song structures, full of hooks with plenty of exciting changes to look forward to, and always leaving me satisfied, which is incredible considering the songs have an average runtime of 4.5 minutes. The greatest strength of this album is it having 9 tracks... you can tell they really roughed out the edges on each one. None of them were forgettable. Why it got negative reviews when it first released, my only clue is the hatred of the over-saturation of New Wave. But I wouldn't dismiss this one. All fantastic tracks, accessible for anyone, and fun from start to finish every time.

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Tue Aug 30 2022
5

this album astonished me. it definitely exceeded my expectations. i had heard some tracks before, but those that i hadn’t blew me away!

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Mon Sep 12 2022
5

Amazing album. Still as current as it was then.every song a winner

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Sat Sep 17 2022
5

Si no te da ganas de bailar Durán Durán no entendés nada. Alto disco

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Mon Sep 26 2022
5

Jeez I love it Right up my alley, forgot how many hits they have in one album Madness

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Tue Sep 27 2022
5

Yesterday when reviewing the 80s album from The Go-Betweens I wrote “there are many other albums in this style I’d rather be listening to.” The band I had in mind when I wrote that was Duran Duran. Rio is their masterpiece. I don’t think I’ve listened to this album in its entirety since the 80s. The musical talent on display is incredible. “Rio” is such an absolutely brilliant opening to the album. It leaves no doubt that this is going to be an exciting ride! “Hungry Like the Wolf” is my all-time favorite Duran Duran song. I clearly remember the first time I heard this song. My mom and I were in the car and it played on the radio and I instantly became a huge Duran Duran fan. The song is exhilarating from the incredible opening giggle to the closing moans. It still gives me goosebumps! “Save a Prayer” deserves a place as one of the greatest songs of the 80s. It’s quite unique, haunting and beautiful! On this listen the consistent quality of the rest of the album really struck me: “My Own Way”, “Hold Back The Rain”, “New Religion”, “Last Change on the Staircase” (hooray for a marimba solo!). While we’re at it, I've got no good reason to overlook “Lonely in Your Nightmare” and “The Chauffeur”… every song on this album is worthy of Rio’s perfect, iconic cover art! I love this album!

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Tue Sep 27 2022
5

I never jumped on the Duran Duran fan-wagon. Not that I had any issues with them…I just never caught the wave. As such, I have never listened to a Duran Duran album in its entirety…at least not that I can recall. This was a blast!!! No track disappointed.

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Tue Sep 27 2022
5

The overwhelming feeling that this album brought to me was how much I loved watching MTV in the early 80s. Now, I had to go to friend's house to watch, but watch I did and it all came back to me. Because of MTV, many of these songs came with visual memories as well. It was so much fun to listen to this whole album! I know that part of my joy at listening to his was feeling like I'm 14 again, but I'm okay with that. It's still great pop music.

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Thu Sep 29 2022
5

This was my gateway drug to the wonders of the New Wave movement. Upon further reflection, this thing is about as New Wave as Lil Nas X is country. The sheer disco-funk of this album is shining though. So much on this album to love and I think Rio is the most balanced musical composition for quintet that I’ve ever heard, bar none. Come fight me about it. Lastly, The Chauffeur is a criminally-underrated track that almost bridges the gap between pop New Wave and alternative goth artists of the era. I adore this album. It’s in my desert island collection, and if I’m allowed one album, then it is my desert island music selection.

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Sat Oct 15 2022
5

I have this one on vinyl, I feel like Duran Duran gets a bad rap for being poppy 80s music but they were absolute masters at getting songs stuck in your head. I love 80s music so I'm biased but this is a great one. Obviously Rio and Hungry Like The Wolf are the most well-known songs here, but Lonely in your Nightmare and Save a Prayer are severely underrated.

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Thu Dec 08 2022
5

Camp, cheesy, a tad samey but I loved it

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Wed Dec 21 2022
5

One of the best new wave albums ever created, full of brilliant songs and also really popular and influential: a masterpiece in every aspect.

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