Rio

Prachtig album, Save A Prayer carried wel. 7,5/10

What an album, I don't usually divulge in extensive reviews but this is in my all time top 3. The slap bass hits hard on most tracks and is the driving force of the album weaving intricate, bubbly, and deeply funky basslines that elevate tracks like the title opener and "My Own Way" into dancefloor royalty. Nick Rhodes’ was the genius of the band and his lush, cascading synth washes are just fantastic and work seamlessly with the rhythm guitar. Le Bon's cryptic "word-salad" lyrics and passionate vocals work perfectly with the New wave, romantic fantasy that was Duran Duran. For me Rio remains a flawless, time-capsule of an album deeply set in the early 80's but never old. It wears its glamorous aesthetic proudly and stands as one of the most cohesive, listenable, and danceable records ever pressed to vinyl.

My views on this band and album have changed fairly drastically over the years. I had started with a fairly negative view of both. This material was simply too associated with MTV for me to engage. Looking back, I don't regret the music I listened to, but I wasn't particularly fair in my judgement of quite a bit of music. This album is actually pretty impressive and its understandable why it sold so well. Duran Duran bring in funk elements to its previous electronic new wave sound to very good results. The hooks are instantly memorable and the songs bring in a lot texture through the use of base, synth, and guitar. Great drums as well. Everything is good here and this could have had more than three hit singes.

Perfect 80’s synth pop. Way ahead of its time.

Strange ending and some repetitiveness, but also some strong bass-fueled new wave boogie.

A good listen

Four bangers on the album. The other 5 are not crap either.

I thought these guys were like the smelly fruit

fine, elegant dance rock

My second favorite Roger Taylor

Much better than I would have given it credit for when it came out. Then I thought Duran Duran were a boy band making music for girls. And while that was self evidently true, that music is pretty damn good.

Save a Prayer is the only song I really like on here 😋🐺/ 5

"Save a Prayer" and "The Chauffeur" are absolute BANGERS. Now that I'm thinking about it, the ending is so strong that it makes me unable to rate this any higher than a 4. Idk what they put in those songs or what exactly they're making me feel, but the rest of the album just doesn't come close to them, IN MY OPINION. If the whole album were like that, this would have been a clear 5. The other songs are a bit too upbeat. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but something about the last two songs intrigues me. It's making me so mad that the rest of the album doesn't sound the same that I end up enjoying those other songs less. It doesn't mean they're bad songs by any means. They just pale in comparison.

Not bad 7/10

My first impressions are from cultural osmosis and hearing Rio on the radio or in shops but I've never given it a deeper look. The guitar is very melodic, I like the effects, the bass is hopping around everywhere, very lively and cool, the synths are cool and atmospheric when they're not being bright and stabby, vocals and harmonies are good. Very proficient, interesting, melodic pop. The album does suffer a bit from "same exact sound for every song" syndrome, which does make most of it sound like generic filler where the only standouts are the singles. Quite a few skips near the end.

This is about as good as '80s music gets.

Rio, hungry like the wolf classics, rest are whatever, sound the same nothing stood out

Besides the three popular songs on here nothing really stood out. Pretty boring album but I'd give it middle of the road 2.5. A bit cheesy 80's but not bad.

Wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Still bland and boring, but it’s not bad

Luid, irritant en lachwekkende lyrics (Cherry ice cream smile, I suppose it's very nice). Enkel Save a Prayer is degelijk.

Blessed album met peak liedjes ertussen die iets meer blessed zijn als de andere

Bijna alleen maar herkenbare nummers op dit album. Ik zal dit misschien ooit nog eens opzetten op de achtergrond, maar zeer interessante muziek vind ik het ook niet.

I remember when they seemed to be the most popular band in the world and Simon Le Bon was on the cover of every teen magazine for what felt like years ... but I never understood their superstarmdom; at least the music doesn't warrant it.

Hard 80s sound but I really like it. A few of their hits. Good tunes.

No me encantó on my way y the chaffeur. Todas las demás HIT AFTER HIT 3.5

I never realised how good this album is cover to cover

Interesante pero no me atrapó

Duran Duran – Rio (1982) Ein erstes Meisterwerk der New-Romantic-Ära: Rio verbindet Glamour, Funk, Pop und Abenteuerlust zu einem zeitlosen Klassiker. Die großen Hits wie „Rio“, „Hungry Like the Wolf“ und „Save a Prayer“ prägen das Album, doch gerade die weniger beachteten Stücke zeigen seine wahre Stärke. Mit „The Chauffeur“ findet sich hier eine düstere, atmosphärische Perle, während „New Religion“ mit seinem treibenden Groove und den markanten Synthesizern längst Geheimtippstatus verdient hat. Eine Platte ohne echte Schwäche, voller Eleganz, Energie und Ideenreichtum – und bis heute eine der besten Veröffentlichungen der Achtziger.

So 80s it actually pains me. Rio isn't even a good single and I hate the singer's voice overall.

Unlistenable outside of an 80s movie soundtrack

80’er synth-pop med fed energi. Oppe i tempo og godt til dans. Kunne de mig selv lytte til dette album i specifikke situationer, men det var ikke helt mig

3.5

Have never listened to this whole album. A couple of huge hits but there’s also a few gems like the last track.

I didn't really listen Duran Duran on purpose in the past, but there are some track which I like. I don't know these songs. They are the typical 80's music which I don't really like, however I like to listen it with a certain group of friends, but alone probably I would never listen it. Anyway, the New Religion is pretty good, so I saved it to my list.

Not a fan of the vocals, but some really good instrumentation. Favourite track: Save a Prayer 3.5 rounding up

Should win an award for album that looks most like how it sounds. I've been in a slow burn infatuation with Duran Duran for a while. I had always thought of them as kind of a corny 80s band but then I had this week where all I wanted to do was listen to "Come Undone" over and over again. "Rio" I could still take or leave; "Hungry Like the Wolf" is essential. In the other tracks, I heard all the things I want from New Wave and many elements of other music I like today, so it's a solid 4 for me.

I really enjoyed this album, I'm kind of a sucker for the retro pop genre.

One step above generic New Wave, Duran Duran's second record borrows some of the stylistic polish of predecessors like Roxy Music or Japan but lacks the vision or the willingness to take risks that made those bands truly exceptional.

What a good example of 80s pop and rio and hungry are such fun songs that you can’t help but sing along too.

This is definitely a legendary album given the success of “Rio” and “Hungry Like the Wolf” and Duran Duran really honing a defining sound. I love both of those songs and I think I enjoyed this album because most of the other songs sound very similar (except for the final track). Simon LeBon has a cool voice and this new wave sound really stood out at the time of its release. It was fun and upbeat to listen to this record, but I think I will only go back to the two classics from this one in terms of any additional listening.

7.3/10. A fun rock album, it didn't have the same power or emotional depth of others, but it was just enjoyable, a nice sound to listen to at any time. The experimentation they used was cool, and I definitely want to listen to it again.

soooo good

I think everything about this album is great. The bass in particular is awesome and complements the synth and guitar so well. The vocals are so addicting. Best song: Rio Worst song: Hungry Like the Wolf 8/10

Its fine

bello, non il mio genere. Ascoltato volentieri.

Has a few of their big hits, but I've never been a big fan of Duran Duran so I found it to be just fine. Mid 3.

Very listenable all the way through, I liked the singer’s voice & the instrumentals. Felt 80’s without feeling too dated. Favorite songs were “Rio”, “Hungry Like the Wolf”, and “Lonely in Your Nightmare”

Hell yeah

Super Album mein Favorite Song: Rio :D

Was boring

Fav song: Save a Prayer

Good album. Has some amazing hits. Really nice bass-hooks. But overall, it has a couple of songs that fall short.

I'm expecting this one to have exactly 1 track i recognize. That was a lite, there were 2. Rio and Hungry like the wolf. I feel like Duran Duran had recently been a big thing when I was a kid in the 90s, and then I have not heard of or thought of them in 20-ish years. As far as I am concerned it does not get much more 80s than this. I enjoyed it far more than I had expected actually. feeling maybe even a 4?

Really listenable music with a huge hit on it. Never really dug too deep before on Duran Duran but i think it’s one that everybody should give a shot.

tits

Есть что то загадочное

Really enjoyed this. Every song is a bit of a banger. Totally of it's time and it feels a bit dated but a good album overall.

Kinda samey but probably a fresh sound when it came out

Quintessential 80s soundtrack, had a few hits i didnt expect

This was what I thought but kinda didn't realize how good it would be. A true classic of the 80s

Very danceable.

Pop/ disco des années 80. Ça ressemble un peu à du thé doors vraiment moins énergétique. Très répétitif. On entend le faux drum dans certaines chansons.

Surprisingly good guitar riffs and bass lines.

Such an excellent well-crafted record, just hit after hit

Pop perfection.

rare occasion i actually really enjoy happy music

funky asf. love me some good 80s synth pop

Guilty pleasure

A classic pop album

It's SUCH an interesting sound. Like painfully 80s but in a good way. Surprisingly enough I love the lead singer's energy and voice. And the chords behind him are so interesting and hard to place. You can see how they were trying to bend the traditional pop sound back in the day. Highlight: Hold Back The Rain

Excellent!!

They packed a lot into 42 minutes. Great album front to back.

Did not mind it but songs sound somewhat similar to each other. 3.5

some great songs and nostalgic for me but overall a "3"

The song was good but the album was the same song over and over again unless I missed something?

A pretty near perfect representation of that time.

Some classics here but also some skips. 3.5 stars.

This one feels surprisingly modern and 80s at the same times, really enjoyed it. Of course it also has Hungry Like the Wolf which is a plus

✅️ STILL BANGS HARD but my favorite tracks are pretty much the ones that hit big for everyone: Rio Hungry Like A Wolf Save A Prayer

This album was fantastic! I added this back on my personal album waiting list back in August 2025 (now October 2026) leaving it there to rot, but I was really missing out on not listening to this. It has real infectious grooves provided by John Taylor, only ever heard great things heard about his bass playing and it fully lived up to the hype. The vocals and the reverb that is used, so haunting yet so majestic at the same time. The keyboards bring out a great brightness to the album not letting it fall deep into the darkness that new wave's cousin of post-punk tends to have. Overall I think how the band plays together is phenomenal, they all have their right place on the album. I don't feel anyone was left behind at all. "The Chauffeur" is absolutely amazing song, it's such a nice palette cleanser and is among my favourite songs (I knew of this song before the album listening) of all time, it suits the album so well and is a superb closer. So beautiful and haunting! I wholeheartedly believe this should be on here, with some other recent 80s albums I've gotten that I feel fit the time period (Too-Ry-Ay and Tom Tom Club), I believe fits well alongside those albums of nailing the early 80s feel very well. Highlight Song/s: "Rio", "My Own Way" and "The Chauffeur"

Essential British glamour post-disco new wave.

Very 80’s. Solid music, but not something I’d return to often.

A prime example of 80’s overproduction working well for a change. This album it just so 80’s it’s come back around to being cool

So many great tracks. Probably their best album. Although there are several of my favorite songs of theirs missing from here, the album itself is just marvelous.

I have a very complicated relationship with 80s electronic. Hate it sometimes and other times it's the best stuff I've ever heard. Very curious for this one. try as I might I think I gotta accept that most 80s synth pop is simply not for me, I lost interest after the first few songs. I do have an appreciate for art that seems to be a product of potentially lethal amounts of cocaine use, so props to them for that ig

perfectly pleasant pop album from 1982. i feel like the title track and "hungry like the wolf" are enough for me tho as the rest didn't necessarily jump out to me. interesting to learn andy taylor, john taylor, and roger taylor (all members of duran duran) are not related.

Yeah, it's an 80s synth-pop album, but it sounds great. It's THE 80s synth-pop album. The bass is incredible.

Hungry Like the Wolf is extremely overplayed, but I understand why. Quintessential new wave. This album feels futuristic and exotic, even after 44 years. It's shocking that this wasn't highly regarded when it came out. It's catchy as hell, and the instrumentals are exceptional. Sure, the lyrical content is not Shakespeare, but that's never been something that's meant a lot to me. I prefer the faster tempos over the synth ballads, but all in all, exceptional album.

Maybe there is a reason this album and its hits have been inescapable for 44 years and counting! It still sounds great nearly 50 years later.

[07.10.2026 08:18]: все що я написалась стерлось, ладна Мія говорила про Дюран вплив мав на Скрябіна 1982, поп-рок Rio - 4/5, мене звати Ріо, прикол називати альбом першою піснею My own way - ооо чудова гітара, синтезатор таке собі, ох це соло - прекрасно Lonely in your nightmare - знов гітара і вона мені пронизає душу, ось поки також 4/5, ох приспів let me in, тааак в машині я б таку пісню слухала аж ох 5/5 [07.10.2026 08:21]: Hungry like the wolf - одразу відчуваю що не дуже, 3/5, як я зрозуміла ми будем стрибати з шедевра в таке собі, як фільм про 80-ті [07.10.2026 08:24]: Hold back the rain - під цю пісню я заходила в екзаменаційний клас (15/20) New religion - не була зосереджено Last chance on the stairway - також Save a prayer - подобається я і чекала послухати цю пісню мейнстрім але подобається лайтмотив, кіно теж таке щось мало то русняве але чому я це згадаю крч 4/5 The chauffeur - початок подобається, але мені не подобається стиль співу цей взагалі можливо через те мінус ну не подобається мені 80ті що робити улюбленці Rio, Lonely in your nightmare, Save a prayer

they sang this on glee

This was omnipresent when I was in high school. It was a badge of honor to hate and despise it, because the people who loved it were hated and despised. Now I listen to it for its own sake and find that it is not half bad. Unfortunately, my copy of the album seemed to have some sort of manufacturing defect. The same song was repeated nine times. Some day, it would be nice to hear one of their other songs. In any case, there is no way I would ever put this on, but I would no longer rush out of the room if it was playing, so it gets two stars.

I tried really hard to listen in full but it's just not doing it for me. Proper pop musicianship and can't know the hooks but it just doesn't do it for me.

c'est vraiment une continuité de l'album scary monsters de Bowie (j'aime un peu moins je pense)

This was the blueprint for a certain type of '80's music that I didn't love then and don't love now. It was ubiquitous at the time which I didn't love either. That being said it's well done if not a little dated

toller sound aus der jugendzeit.

Seichter Pop

An album I loved throughout my teen years but have cooled slightly on in the years following. Still an iconic timely piece that screams 80s more than most other albums of the era, and in an accomplished manner. Lesser than the sum of its parts though, the big hitters really carry this album by some margin.

Not really for me but still good

A band really hitting their stride. It's good to hear the non singles and hear they are not just filler. Great 80s pop sound but there was always something a little deeper with Duran Duran.tje lyrics, arrangement and composition has a lot mot to offer than Girls Just Want To Have Fun if you want it, but is just as easy to listen to.