Reviews (page 10 of 15)
Not as bad as I thought it'd be
Geht so
I didn't like this in the 80's and I still don't. 2 stars or D for me.
The two mega-hits are incredible and even though the rest isn't (couldn't be) at that level, it's a solid 40 minutes of pure synth pop magic full of catcy melodies, awesomely cheesy tones, tense moody post-punk guitar parts, a bass that won't stop popping, and coked out energy.
Not my jam. Less dated than expected.
Press play!
Nope!
Did not like
average 80s rock album
Not bad pretty decent Few recognisable songs
Rio is a 5/5 song and Hungry Like the Wolf is a classic, but the rest of the songs just bloat the album. The vocals are too washed out, the songs are samey and uninteresting. 2.4/5 -> 2/5
Very solid album. Hear a lot of interesting stuff that reminds me of modern stuff that I can't exactly place. I enjoyed this a lot.
It wasn't really my style 3/5
La dernière chanson est la seule qui est bien. Sinon c’est plat, la voix du chanteur est fatigante.
Hungry Like The Wolf - Going to try this one at karaoke one day
Really solid 80s synth pop-rock album. My favourites are 'New Religion', 'Save a prayer', 'Hungry like the wolf' and 'Rio'. 4 stars
Onpahan JUHLAT! Parempi esimerkki yhden sormen synamelodioista. Kunnon tulkinta mukana aika laulussa. Kaikki hyvin. Ehkä b-puolelle olis kaivannut yhden bilenostatuksen.
Kun bändin konseptuaalinen epämääräisyys ja musiikillinen ailahtelevaisuus ruokkivat toisiaan. Pari hyvää raitaa siitäkin huolimatta (esim. Last Chance on the Stairway).
Class
Holy Bass Guitar, Batman
Some good stuff here where I might have missed it in the past.
If I can’t remember it ehhh
How 80s could this album be? None. The answer is none more 80s. This is where Duran Duran changed from fay Sci Fi nerd New Romantics into archetypal shoulder padded yuppie icons, with an era defining series of music videos backed up with some great music. Admittedly, Simon LeBon wasn’t the world’s greatest vocalist, but the rest of the band held it together with the standout being John Taylor’s phenomenal bass lines punching through the mix. Yacht-tastic!
Very enjoyable synth pop from the 80s. The bass slaps!
Nem conhecia a "música tema", Rio. Importância óbvia por moldar o pop a partir dos anos 80 e garantir músicas para versões mais interessantes ao acrescentar peso de guitarras.
pre listening: 5 during: 5 after: 5
I’ve already heard this one in full too!!! LOVE Duran Duran. Great album, can get a little repetitive in terms of sound but a superb listen nonetheless. Straight bangers 9.5/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: this is a fantastic intro to New Wave so yeah! PS everyone should also hear their other fav album of mine Seven and the Ragged Tiger 💪 Fav tracks: every song slams. Least fav tracks: none!
I was a teenage for most of the 80's and always found Duran Duran to be utter wank. This album didn't really change my mind significantly. It was better than I expected, but still not something I would actively seek out to listen to. Le Bon's voice just grates on me, and musically it's fairly basic.
Отличный продукт своего времени и жанра.
Well, this is a great album. ...which I've completely overplayed over the years. Fantastic songs, many of which are a work of art - albeit Hungry Like the Wolf is a bit of a bag of cheese. But more than made up for by Save a Prayer, Losing my Religion and Chauffeur as well as some of the lesser known songs - Last Chance on the Stairway, Hold Back the Rain.
Her name is Rio and she dances in the sand! Her name is Rio and she’s the epitome of 80’s pop cheese! Her name is Rio and she’s getting 3 gold stars from me!
Found it a bit samey
Pretty decent 80 rock vibes. Some classics. Unlikely to really revisit in any depth.
Short and sweet. Not so sweet.
Fantastic album through and through, easy to listen to. Favourites were HLTW (obvious choice), New Religion, and The Chauffeur because ya girl loves some dissonance. The bass in New Religion had me wondering if the Chili Peppers drew inspiration from Duran Duran but I guess it's all much for muchness.
Good bops, deep thoughts, makes me overall think but also feel good.
This was super 80s and super fun.
Classic 80s
It only took three decades, but I finally like Duran Duran.
Rio
The only Duran Duran album you need.
Incredible Bass Playing. Amazing pop rock. And whether it’s the greatness of the singles or the mediocrity of the rest it really makes you realize that Rio and HLTW are some of the greatest songs ever recorded. This is a 3.5 but I’m gonna round down.
Really surprised by how consistent this album was outside of the singles. I listened to this one on repeat.
Trash
Cool electronic pop rock sound, I can see how this would be someone’s vibe but it’s not my favorite thing. I did really enjoy a few songs on here though, with my favorite being “Lonely in Your Nightmare” because
It's Rio... By Duran Duran... An album that almost *defines* the early 80's. The album artwork, the music videos, the music itself - all helped define the decade. Great and memorable tunes that have and will stand the tests of time.
moiais 3.5/5 ?
# Playlist track - Rio # Notes - When I saw the cover on the recommendation page, I knew this would be great! - The opening track, Rio, started playing and it even blew my expectations! - I love the punchy bass, the synths, the mood. Awesome album all around, no bad tracks! - One of the best 80's albums.
Incredible singles but no love for the album tracks.
Non-skippable.
this feels like your prototypical 80s album--the synths, catchy choruses, shouty vocals, variety of instruments/percussion, high emotion music that generally makes you want to move. best song: New Religion worst song: my own way? marginal, it's all pretty good rating 4/5
Genuinely every song sounds very similar to each other. A real funky annd fun album, but I had trouble having any song stand out to me. 3/5
Damn, I miss the days of good sax solos. The production has aged better than much of the stuff from this era but the remasters were worth doing. Not every song is super exciting, but the melodies have range and sometimes the harmony surprises.
Classic 80s pop, didn't actually expect to see them on this list! Some of it blends together a bit, but a fun listen.
Great album with some classic songs! Most of the songs on this album really hit, but there are a few that are a little too out there for progressions and instrument.
Pretty much a banger. I bet when this hit the streets it was chaos.
Didn’t hate it but not really for me. Hasn’t aged that well other than hungry like the wolf.
Fun listen! Glad I made it back here to catch up. The sounds that they got out of anything percussion and bass were so distinctly Duran Duran. Some songs feel like cousins to previous ones based on how they organized the harmonies and general progressions (Hold Back The Rain and Hungry Like The Wolf sound the same)
Hungry like the wolf FUCKS. The rest of the album is kinda annoying
Was never huge on 80s synth stuff, but am starting to like it a lot more, branching out from the earlier Go Gos album. Thought Last Chance on the Stairway was the biggest surprise on this one and am also surprised it wasn’t a single. Found the third single, Save a Prayer, a little boring.
Aguante Duran Druan
First listen. Decent.
linda musica, más expresiva
They all sound the same, but at least it's not an awful sound.
A fun classic. The title track and especially Hungry Like The Wolf are the highlights, but it’s a good listen and more musically interesting than you expect. I’m a kid of the 90’s and wasn’t around when this album was massive, but while it’s unmistakably 80’s it holds up quite well and is never overly cheesy.
Duran Duran, their hits were those melancholic feels as a kid that were almost too much. Fun to hear their earlier material besides the singles. I liked having this on, it kept the day interesting, but I also didn’t really enjoy it all that much.
Pretty fun. Some nice bass lines. Solid mid. 2.5
Doesn't get any more classic 80s than this.
3/5
Some songs are super catchy, and some are super corny, but it catches the 80s vibe perfectly! A few songs even sound like something current (I’m thinking TwentyOne pilots or similar). Good album overall. Listen again: yes Purchase for my collection: nah Favourite Song: My Own Way
I love Duran Duran - I really do. But so much of their deeper cuts sounds so similar. Rio and Hungry Like the Wolf, great singles. New religion and Hold Back the Rain very enjoyable but the rest kind of blend into a mishmash of similarity - the good news is that the similarity is GOOD. But it does suffer from a homogenized sound that does little to hold up the other tracks.
A bunch of pretty fun pop songs. Probably the most 80s album I've ever heard, too. The very danceable track 2 stands out, but I also enjoyed track 1 for the sax solo, and tracks 4 and 6 for catchiness. Don't think I'll be listening to this record again, though - pretty one-dimensional, and definitely not a fan of the aesthetics.
After listening to that one Japan album in this list, all I can say is that this is just a more successful rip off. At least the bass is nice
I had a lot of fun with this one, and sometimes that's just what music is all about
Most of my knowledge of Duran Duran is their singles, which I pretty much universally enjoy, so I was a little let down by this album. I liked it well enough, but nothing was spectacular about it. “Rio,” “Hungry Like The Wolf,” and “New Religion” were my favorite songs, and while none of the other songs were bad, they were just kind of middling. This is definitely a 3.5 to me, but I have to ultimately give it a 3. It wasn’t bad but wasn’t great either.
Kaks kovaa hittii ja loput meh
GOAT cover, drab synthy 80s BS, not listening to this or any of the songs on this again.
Listened to when driving home from CO 8/12/24
Good album! 4/5
Il y a chez Duran Duran un foisonnement et une innovation qui transcendent les synthétiseurs new wave. Pop efficace
They brought interesting back to pop. Frenetic drum beats under modal shifts in harmony. Every chorus feels like a bridge, stark and edgy. This album holds up, cool as ever.
The 80's produced a lot of great music and it was also a time when exposure to bands and their music increased with the rise of MTV and music videos. This was good and bad, of course the extra medium allowed artists to give face to their fans that otherwise couldn't see them live, with music videos as another creative outlet. A band that truly benefited from this "new" art form was, Duran Duran. Their music videos, not doubt, gained an audience and throw in some controversy with racy content (girls on film...with bikinis? goodness gracious!) and pretty boy teen idol looks and you have a band selling millions of records, sell out shows and teenage girls hysteria to line the pockets of the band and their management. Was the music good? I've never liked the band, their music or their videos and beyond the "hits", I hadn't heard the complete album, Rio, until now. Beyond the hits, the music was boring, average early 80's pop, with no real substance or soul. Can a band be relevant by performing shitty music as a soundtrack to their videos?
Not for me though it’s so linked with that time period you can instantly see in your head the people dancing in the club to it as you listen… or Le Bon getting drowned on a boat in the Rio video….
I never liked Duran Duran at the time, and while the passage of time has made these songs better in my memory I'm still not fond of them. For me this is a rather dull album.
Some surprisingly fun bops
The 80's is proof that drugs do not always improve music. These lyrics barely make sense and I don't get why every song is played slow with double time drums.
Rio is Duran Duran's second album, and their most famous work. The band benefited from the early explosion of music videos in the very early days of MTV, with a string of noteworthy, successful videos. The band's glam-rock version of synth-pop translated well to video. Rio includes a few of the band's biggest singles: "Rio" and "Hungry Like the Wolf." These are fun, danceable tracks that helped define 80s pop and establish music videos as a significant part of popular culture.
Duran Duran is a fine band with some enjoyable songs. But I have no understanding what warrants them to be on this list.
a certified fun one within the realm of synthpop
That was alright I liked hungry like the wolf and the chauffeur the rest was background
I’ve always loved Duran but have put off listening to their stuff. Every track here was great. Iconic sound of the decade Rating: 4.9
Great album, loved the energy throughout. The album cover reminds me of Desire from Sandman.
Het is, zeker achteraf gezien, aardig cheesy, maar dat hoort denk ik ook een beetje bij dit soort jaren '80 synthpop. Ik blijf moeite hebben om me daar helemaal bij neer te leggen. Ik zet dit niet snel uit mezelf op, maar in z'n genre vind ik dit wel een van de betere albums die ik tot nu toe heb gehoord. Ik heb geen idee van de precieze chronologie maar ik heb wel het idee dat veel bands deze band een beetje hebben proberen na te doen. Of deze band heeft geperfectioneerd wat al die andere bands liepen te doen, dat kan dus ook. De funky baslijntjes redden dit album voor mij. Ik sta nog steeds verre van juichend op de banken, maar een drie vind ik dit wel waard.
I liked this much more now, than when I heard it as a child. Hungry like the wolf and The Chauffeur are great tracks.
New Wave und Synthpop. Nee.
Бас в нью вейве играет не последнюю роль, но здесь такой прям сочный фанки-бас. Да и в целом я дико кайфанул
I know, many of you are saying "Ok, it's a fun album but a great album?" Yes, it's a great album Rio is one of the hallmarks of the MTV era but also full of great 80s club hits. Driving but dancable rhythms abound in club hits like My Own Way, Hold Back The Rain, the title track Rio, and of course Hungry Like The Wolf. In between are more downbeat songs such as Lonely in Your Nightmare and Save a Prayer that keep the album from devolving into a frenetic mess, but also highlights Duran Duran's reach beyond danceable New Wave. So, yes, it's a great album.
Referencia al MGSV
Favourite Song: My Own Way
Would be 4.5 if I could do half stars
I added 3 tracks to my favourites playlist. I would certainly listen to those again, but I wouldn’t do a full album replay which precludes this from attaining a 5 star review.
really enjoied
Great album from beginning to end.
Good album, very fun
oh yeah yeah oh yeah yeah this was awesome
Great album love it
Chill, maar niet speciaal
I don’t see any reason to listen to this besides “Hungry Like The Wolf” which is still pretty mediocre.
Classic 80’s, synthesizers cute guys with pretty hair playing music targeted at teen and preteen girls. 2.5
expected to enjoy but wasnt expecting to be this floored...just genuinely immaculate , every song coaxes a different color palate out of both the big stimmy synths and the lyrical hedonism. makes constructing this kind of pop seem effortless...all u need is A Sound and a few good ideas for what to do with it. basically entirely the kind of experience im hoping for with this project thing: something ive been meaning to sample for a while but just needed my ass kicked. lots of raindrops on windows on this album imo
2024-07-26...
Essential 80s. Cheesy synth and slappy bass in tact.
Awesome.
3.5
Hungry like the wolf 10/10
Classic 80s New Wave. 3.75
Pretty good listen. Familiar with \"Hungry Like the Wolf\", but the rest was a pleasant surprise. Kind of what I expected Depeche Mode to sound like but without the disappointment. 3.5/5
Rio: Rio's synth goes hard as fuck. I can't stop moving, this shit slaps. I'd play racing games to this. Every time I hear the chorus I like this song more. Oh jeez, here comes the sax, rip me up woodwind boy, man's shredding. Sounding like Mario Kart Rainbow Road now. Id play this at my funeral. My Own Way: Bass slappin off the bat. Gives me AFI vibes a bit. Okay, this chorus slaps. The crazy sounds going are are sick. I feel like Id hear this song while watching a Lazer Quest montage. I can't believe this innovation came from 1982, bonkers, this slaps. Fade out outro is lame though, end the song with meaning. Lonely In Your Nightmare: Boring intro. This song is boring and lazy compared to the first two. I can't believe they thought this was good enough for the album, skip. Hungry Like The Wolf: Clear banger, 10/10, 'nuff said. Hold Back The Rain: Start is epic, love the guitar. The chorus is tough to distinguish until its repeated four times. Maybe all blends too much. What the hell does hold back the rain mean? Your mom couldnt hold back her rain. Some of the drums are cool in this though. Some bands need to realize they don't need to make their songs longer than 3 minutes. End is kinda going hard though, feel like I'm trapped in a pinball machine in a 90s mall arcade. New Religion: Okay we're in space at the start. Space organ. Sporgan. They sure know how to slap the bass. Not much else standing out, but again, bass slaps. Ok kinda jammin' the longer it goes on, maybe I'm just greening out. It's a newwwwwwwwwww religion, kinda slaps. Bass solo, I'm into it. Last Chance On The Stairway: The start reminds me of a RUSH song. Pretty sure this is a RUSH song. Ok what is this instrument, xylophone?, this song is getting better... sounded like it was turning back into Rio for a second there. Save A Prayer: Is this a Zelda game or an underwater Mario 64 game? Cool instrumentals to start, but the voice is lame as hell, should have been an instrumental track, listen to all that shit going on in the background. I can't listen to the rest of this stupid Christian bullshit. Worst song on the album. The Chauffeur: This is weird, not too hype but very interesting. Liking the flute or recorder or whatever that is, reminds me of Little Big Planet, the Playstation game.
I did not have high expectations but HONESTLY a fucking banger of a pop album holy shit.
I like it, I think. With fresh ears, this era and genre can feel a bit corny, but under that is a pretty solid album. Still, not a huge fan.
Good songs are good but the rest sound the same
I wish I would have paid more attention to this album. These are some great bass lines. Ok. I never gave that album the credit I should have. It’s better than the “hits”.
I struggle to say a whole lot here besides just that it is an admirable, easy to listen to 80s pop album. A few earworms, a few duds too. Very typical.
Basically defined the sound of the early 80s new wave-pop scene. Still sounds good 40 years on.
Xylophone bit in “Last Chance on the stairway” is neat, but “The Chaffeur” is a stand out. Sounds modern, but like it couldn’t exist if this song didn’t exist. I guess that means it’s timeless?
Hits are bangers, other songs are good but forgettable. Didn't not like any of the songs on the album. Classic 80s pop. Also never heard of Save a Prayer but surprised it has more listens than Rio.
Didn’t really care for it. Wouldn’t listen to it again , I can see why Hungry Like The Wolf was the most popular single for the album as it was the best song
Better than I expected. I lived some of the other tracks after hungry like the wolf
Despite nostalgia blast from 8 year old me, and the 3 strong singles. This is not much cop is it? The musicianship sounds great but again we have the super plastic mega polished 80s production which removes a lot of feeling and interest, Le Bon's voice is frankly crap and the other tracks are filler. Important band and singles, but as an album barely registers.
New romantic era of the 80's. As I get older this type of music sounds better and better
oh my. I hated this as a teen, but as I aged, I do appreciate this album quite a bit. It boggles me that this came out in 1982. I always thought it was in the heart of the 80's, but it was actually the beginning! This is a very good album and I will listen to it more. They are way more "artistic" than I think people give them credit for - yes, great pop songs, all the songs are well-done with thoughtful and purposeful creation beyond simply "selling singles".
Definitely heard of this artist and album. Never actually listened to it fully. So kind of excited to check this out for the first time. this is a good album, this is why this is a legendary album.
The albums more bass forward and musical than I expected. I liked it but didn’t love it. It seemed like the production and vocal delivery were holding it back a bit. Rio and hungry like the wolf were obvious standouts. Everything else was a bit of a blur. The Chauffeur being the exception. I found that song very interesting
Fun but not earth shattering. Nostalgic, reminds me of the early MTV era.
Decent pop album. I never listened to a whole album of theirs because the hits were enough for me to only be mildly interested.
Dancing in the sand.
This is pure youth sentiment. Lot's a great Duran Duran songs on this album. I haven't heard this album in a while and am happy that this album appeared in this list. Difficult to believe this album is more than 40 years old.
gud
Rio is and was a mega-hit album. In fact Duran Duran was one of those bands I loved to hate until my Dad and I started watching a late night show called "Night-Flight" that showed more adult oriented music videos and Duran Duran was a staple. It wasn't that I didn't like their music, which speaks for itself (just listen), but they became super famous and I was rebelling against "the man" and it seemed they had gone corporate. Nevertheless, I "secretly" always liked Duran Duran and this album remains a pretty good example of why. Also, I notice that unlike a pretty good chunk of 80's music, this has aged well and does not automatically conjure up the "nastalgia" dreamers.
As a student I had this uber-80s LP sleeve framed on my wall, but somewhat fraudulently was never been a big fan of the music. The basslines are great and I liked New Religion and The Chauffeur. The vocals however are too thin and forgettable, so I don't think Duran Duran compare that well to peers like Spandau Ballet.
Hvad var det nu hun hed? Nå ja, Rio… og tak for det.
Save a prayer... En af mine ynglings sange, men med Eagles of death metal.... Anede faktisk ikke at det var et cover. Orginalen er også fed! Albummet er sådan set fint nok. Men fik ikke lyst til at høre den forfra.
Ahmen bare føj!
My Wife says 5 stars, but I just can’t do it. I will recognize their 80’s era greatness, and appreciate they’re still alive and mostly intact. But I just don’t swing their way. Ain’t my flavor. Still, I’ll probably go see them if they come to town. Happy Wife, Happy Life.
Just about everything that was good about the 80s — catchy choruses, exciting arrangements, eclectic writing and beautiful musicians with great chops.
#49 is a new wave classic. Hungry Like The Wolf, Save A Prayer and Rio are classic new wave songs. The whole album feels right and is quite fun to listen to.
Great 80s album. Normally I’m not a “80’s” fan, but this one surely is a banger. 3.7*
Solid album that is definitely propped up by the two most known songs. Rio is a top opening song and really sets the mood for the album. A lot of the songs sounds fairly similar and the middle sort of melds together. I would say this album is better than a 3 but not quite a 4.
Got a couple good songs on there but the 80's sound just blended together after a while. I think the hits on this album show you don't need to do all of that to write good songs. I'll give this another go since I did enjoy a lot of the songs individually, just not as a complete run time.
This album was fun, shit, annoying and great all at the same time. I remember listening to this album on high rotation (on tape!) when it came out. I still love the track 'Save a prayer', its my favorite on the album. 80s Sax, combined with jangly keys, synth drums, sexy Simon Le Bon vocals and a massive serving of cheese!
This was such a fun album! The bass guitar was awesome - loved it! I've only listened to Hungry like the wolf from this album so most of this was new to me - I'll be back for more listens in the future
another college throwback, classic 80s New Romantic synth/guitar album, great singles
The 80’s were a vibe
It did grow on me but it sounds kinda cheesy 80s. Hungry like the wolf is a banger
Duran Duran will always have a sense of nostalgia for me for a couple reasons. 1. My mom had their Decade compilation album that introduced me to the band and 2. Hungry Like a Wolf will forever be tied to the movie Big Fat Liar, where Paul Giamatti character is strutting about his house going for a swim and a shower where unbeknownst to him he has dyed himself blue and his hair orange. Fantastic album though, crisp production, fantastic playing(John Taylor had exquisite bass playing), singing. Save a Prayer is my favorite song on the album, though there are no weak links, top to bottom a great listen.
It’s great! It’s good. It’s OK
At first going in I thought, I've heard this a 1000 times, easy 3. Then mebbe it's a 4? Hell is it a 5? Can't think of a more perfect example of 80's UK pop. I know every one of these songs backwards (Hi, Kylie), even though I was a Howard Jones / Spandau fan at the time. Not to mention the videos. (Small trivia - they recently found the girl from the cover. Great story - I always figured she was just a made up pic) Yeah - it's a damn 5.
Started stronger than it ended, loved the bass. 3/5
Meh...
Why Why Why?
I’m not a big Duran Duran fan, but this is definitely peak if you do. I see why the big hits are so big. Also Save A Prayer is low key one of the best tracks on the album
Solid album, I knew a few already (Rio, Hungry Like The Wolf) so it was nice to hear the others. Favourite track: Save A Prayer
Nice bassline
Раньше кроме Come Undone ничего у них не слышал. Неплохая попса, приятно послушать на один раз.
Not a bad album. Not the sort of music I’d choose to listen to, but not in any rush to switch it off either. Good for a little bop!
Pretty gutted for the most part, pretty forgettable in some.
From the album cover to the beats, a perfect time machine to a platonic ideal of the eighties
Cracking album, enjoyable back to front with some iconic songs among them.
Great songs!!!
Aaaaaaagh! Make it stop!
It was the Eighties. The fuckin' 80s. These guys were MTV darlings, and this was the sound of the times. It's not my cup of tea, but it does have some fun basswork, and a few of the tracks get credit for what they were for that generation. Always loved their use of Nagel, graphically clean and what the 80s wanted to be.
Love it. Great for doing chores or hyping yourself for running errands in your local cyberpunk dystopia. Each song holds up independently, but a few stand out to me, like Rio, New Religion, and The Chauffeur.
It makes a ton of sense that this album was produced by the same guy (Colin Thompson) that helped produce Bowie’s “Heroes”. None of the songs absolutely caught me as a whole but I loved a number of the synth opening. As much as this album is called Synth-pop for its time, it far less resembles pop music today both in quality of production as well as character in the lyrics. I will always enjoy Rio and Hungry Like the Wolf for their place in music history but aside from that, I mostly would get caught up in great opening synth tracks and then the rest of the song would kinda lose me (New Religion, Save a Prayer, The Chauffeur).
I didn't know "Save a Prayer" was on this album. Love the Eagles of Death Metal cover. A lot of catchy ones here. Chauffer sounded pretty familiar to me too
This album makes me feel like I'm going on a neon soaked fantasy adventure on rollerblades. I really can't believe how many songs I knew from just this album considering I had only heard them as radio singles
Not my thing. El disco no ha de ser malo al estar en esta lista. Pero no me gustó para nada. Si le dí like a una canción fue mucho. Solo fue tolerable.
Wow! A lot of fun, and some real bangers.
80s in a glance
Peak 80s pop
A fine album with some good songs on it. Not my favorite kind of music, but it's pretty decent and I like it well enough.
brilliant
Wow. I thought they we a one or two hit wonder totally irrelevant now. I was surprised. This needs to be added to my collection.
I like how bass forward this album is. I knew two songs going into it. The title track I never minded, I won’t put it on, but if it comes on I’m not upset. I’ve never cared for hungry like the wolf. The rest of the songs were fine, nothing too crazy, but solid pop songs with some cool bass lines.
Best Duran Duran. Moaning in the background! Helps Me sing blue silver! Love me the Duran. Creative expansion of ideas explored on their debut. 9 tight tracks.
Classics
Some great tracks on here, its a shame the production isn't consistent throughout, they really pulled out all the stops for the big hits and it sounds great.
The inspiration for naming my cat :). Let’s see if the title track deserves to be my cats name. Rio slapped lovely the sound, it’s like Depesche mode and other bands like that but British (🤢🤢). Favourite so far is Hungary like the Wolf. Loving me so new wave music, they’re all bops. They’re all bops that are catching but different especially The Chauffeur. The Chauffeur has got to be my favourite, after all those poppy bops this mysterious synth beat songs add so much to the album. Great singer, great lyrics, great instruments overall solid album 8/10.
Litt typisk 80-tall. Ellers ganske kul rock 😊
I want to hate this album. I hated Duran Duran from 1983 until whatever year it was that they covered "Ball of Confusion," and then only begrudgingly gave them cred because "Ball of Confusion" would be a banger even if Judy Collins and Gordon Lightfoot had turned it into a slow duet. What I'm saying is that the cool kids at my high school didn't like Duran Duran, only the posers and jocks and cheerleaders liked them. But now that I'm older and wiser and know it's all about the funk, punk, I have to give credit. This is an excellent pop album. John Taylor obviously worships at the altar of Bernard Edwards (Chic), and if you don't believe me, go look up the isolated bass track from "Rio" on YouTube. So tease up whatever hair you have left and dance around the room singing into your hairbrush and have fun with this album.
A slapper of an 80s synth pop album.
Easy 5 stars. Every song is unique, fresh and most are catchy. No artsy bull crap. Straight for the point, enjoyable.
Overall incredible album, very well put together and entertaining throughout.
Great album. Always loved 'the Chauffer'. Put on a helluva show at Bourbon & Beyond last year.
Liked most of them, they’re a classic
A few good grooves, but mostly kinda middling otherwise
Álbum de conforto praticamente. Todas as músicas boas, mais ou menos do mesmo estilo sem ser repetitivo. Muito bom.
Quintessential ‘80’s. I loved this time period. John Taylor is very underrated as a bassist. He has some signature bass lines driving the hits in this album. Say a Prayer is my favorite DD song. Just a great album.
I remember the songs Rio and Hungry like the Wolf. I was not really impressed then, and still now. There really isn't much interesting on this album for me. I remember in the 1980s a video was equal to or even more important than the music. Videos were so new and MTV really had everyone entranced. This band had videos. As I listen, I'm not viewing videos. Musically this just isn't really interesting. Maybe hearing it with old ears makes it that way. I don't know, but I really don't feel anything from this. 2 stars.
Amazing. 80s perfection.
80thies
I remember them being 'more', I guess time and new music has raised my standards. Heard sooooo many 'Japan' baselines.
This album exudes 80s, right down to the artwork. I didn’t give Duran Duran a chance for a while, mostly based on seeing their Live Aid set. For some reason, I decided to pick up this album on a whim and I sorta fell in love immediately. I hadn’t ever heard the title track before but loved it, and “Hungry Like the Wolf” is the ultimate new romantic 80s anthem. I don’t think I’ve ever changed my opinion of an artist so quickly.
4 stars. a fun album.
June 14, 2024 HL: title track, “Hungry Like the Wolf”, "Hold Back the Rain", “Save a Prayer”, "The Chauffeur" All 3 Duran Duran songs I knew before today are on this album (nvm I know “Girls on Film”) Like sophisti-pop, emphasis on the pop It sure keeps its energy throughout the album, the closing track is unexpectedly beautiful, and the title track is timeless 4/5
Interesting Synth instrumentals, Lively Upbeat
A real piece of 80s pop history, this album starts with the single of the albums title a fantastic introduction. Followed by two less than stellar tracks and then the fantastic “hungry like the wolf” we then have two more tracks of filler and then a simply fantastic back end “last chance on the stairway”, “save a prayer” which is simple but very catchy and the highlight of the album the brooding synth pop masterpiece that is “the chauffeur”. Overall for a pop album to have over half of its tracks be so good this album stands the test of time.
Sometimes I sit down on the toilet and better music comes out
The Chauffeur is one of my favourite songs ever so I'm biased
Not my cup of tea. Liked a couple of songs, hard to downrate cause I can see it's influence but just didn't really do it for me outside of Rio, HLTW and Chaffeur
On the back of the recent Human League album I do find this much more enjoyable. Rio is great and Hungy Life The Wolf is awesome.
Liked this a lot more than The Human League, which came up recently - this is the rockier end of synthpop, I guess. Gave it three spins and it doesn't quite crack 5 stars for me, but it's close! And that album cover is absolutely *chef's kiss*. "Rio" and "Hungry Like The Wolf" still stand up, despite being somewhat played to death. Great tracks! Fave tunes - As well as those two singles, "Save A Prayer" was great - was also a single apparently, but I don't think it's received as much play in the following decades. Really liked "The Chauffeur", too - if there had been more moody, more experimental tracks like that on the album, woulda been a 5 for sure!
Banger album! 5/5
Being a real metal head in the 80s I dismissed most new wave because it lacked guitar and was getting jammed down my throat constantly on the radio and MTV. Now giving this a fair listen I find it’s a pretty good recording. Great bass player.
I am not ashamed by my love of 80s music, and because of that, I am ashamed I've never listened to Rio until now. I only knew Hungry Like the Wolf, but now I can't wait to listen to this album again and skip that song as I've heard it a million times (still a great one though). I'll join in the chorus of praise for the bass. What a good album.
It's okay just not really my style.
A lot of good songs on this album. Very good representation of the band. With pretty much every song on the album having been covered by another band over the years.
I own this album. It transports me back to high school. Love it!
Honestly, I could have listened to “Rio” over and over and been satisfied. But the album proceeds to bring banger after banger. What an icon band and album that defined the 80s. 10/10
Great New Wave/Pop album. Somehow I never actually knew Hungry Like the Wolf and Rio were on the same album.
Easy enough to listen to but I always find depeche mode a bit flat.
how could you not love duran duran tho bangers 24/7
Wow, this rocked way more than I remembered!
Puro suco dos anos 80.
Aside from Hungry Like A Wolf - pretty forgettable album. And I think the radio airplay that the aforementioned song gets is the only reason why I know the song. Never was a fan of Duran Duran. Not my style. Vocals are the downfall. The music is pretty cool and pretty layered. But I just don't care for this type of music.
"Rio" is an exciting synth-pop, new wave album by English pop rock band Duran Duran. Incorporating a broad assortment of musical elements, this is a legendary album with iconic cover art.
6/4/24 listened to at work (very shitty workday) wasn’t too crazy about it. upbeat and synthy, not terrible but not my cup of tea. standout songs ‘hungry like the wolf’ and ‘new religion’ 4/10
Certainly a time capsule, nothing hooking me in though, hungry like a wolf really stand outs, can see this growing on me though
Lonely in Your Nightmare and Last Chance on the Stairway were new standouts for me.
A definitively 80s album, but sometimes too repetitive.
Haha! Hur börjar första låten. Den här synthpoppen från 80-talet är ganska svår. Omslaget är en 5a. Hungry Like a Wolf och Save A Prayer är okej. The Chauffeur är albumets bästa låt. En svag 3a eller stark 2a? Man kan ju lyssna på Depeche Mode istället.
Vet sen tidigare att detta inte är min kopp te. Och första låten bekräftsr det. För mycket 80-tal. Syntsoundet är så tunt. Det är något som saknas. Inget oumph. Den sista låten är bäst, the chauffeur. Inte bara för att skivan sen tog slut.
Tycker det här var bra. Mycket synth och 80-tal förstås, men ändå inte så plastigt och tunt sound som ofta annars (kanske pga basen som sticker ut). Gillar även sången. Tycker åtminstone hälften av låtarna är riktigt bra och resten bra eller helt okej.
Forgetable
I forgot just how great they were at the time and how much fun this album is. I never owned the album and I knew the popular songs, but I didn’t know how good the rest of the album was. Should have paid closer attention at the time. I will listen to this again.
Started out pretty good, but did not end well.
This is Duran Duran at their best. If you like this kind of music, this is the best you get. It’s not bad, but it doesn’t inspire me to do anything- not dance, not sing, not run through a brick wall. “Hungry Like a Wolf” is the strongest song on the album.
Awesome and essential new wave. There's so much more to this album than the two radio hits Rio and Hungry Like the Wolf which is nice. Especially loved Save a Prayer and New Religion.
Love the bass in this album. Really funky and gets my foot tapping. Lots of good songs from this album, though I feel like it kind of slows down towards the later-middle. (Save a Prayer is great though.)
The best Duran Duran album !!!
Good example of MTV driven synth pop, with a bit more depth than a lot of other acts at the time.
Such a good album omg first album done
Iconic album by a band I don't really like. Having said that, there are a lot of decent singles. It wasn't really my thing then, and it certainly isn't now. Interesting story...I once won the Duran Duran catalogue - at that time five albums - from a local radio station, by identifying that the lyrics "In touch with the ground/I'm on the hunt I'm after you." came from Hungry Like The Wolf and being the 4th caller or something. It turns out that Rio was the best of the bunch, and it's still only worth 3 stars!
WOOOO
Guay
Buah, those eighties! And there are eighties and eighties...
synth pop is really not for me. 2 stars
You've heard of backpack rap? I present to you fannypack pop!
Pretty good; few toe-tappers. Overall, not my cup of tea.
Very much enjoyed this album, especially the hits! 4/5
Bit of fun 80s nonsense, singles are the highlights.
It's a bit one-note, but I still found myself singing along at times. It's obviously very dated now, but there's a lot of charm here, even now.
"I smell like I sound:" One of the funniest 80s pop lyrics courtesy of Hungry Like the Wolf, one of the couple of huge hits from Rio the album. While this album is not higher than a 3 for me, it stands on its own as a fun 80s pop record and help to pave the way for the MTV music video era (may it Rest in Peace). 3 stars: I see why this is on the list, something worth revisiting. Interesting Factoids from Wikipedia: *Duran Duran shot music videos for many of the album's tracks, all of which helped spearhead the 1980s MTV revolution. *The success of Rio electrified the already-rising Second British Invasion. With their contemporaries the Human League, A Flock of Seagulls, Culture Club and Thomas Dolby, Duran Duran dominated the American pop charts throughout 1983 and led to the rise of other would-be successful British acts, including Tears for Fears, Eurythmics, Naked Eyes and the Rhodes-discovered Kajagoogoo. Standout Tracks: Rio, Hungry Like the Wolf, Save a Prayer
Terrific very 80s 7/10
This was ok, Rio and Hungry Like the Wolf annoyed me (but only because they’re overplayed to death) but the rest was amiable enough. Nothing that made me want to buy a frilly shirt, hairspray and eyeliner though.
Really strong and fun opener, this sense continues with the perhaps flatter and repetitive My Own Way, but love the synths and especially guitar sounds on that track too. The vocals really do their job. Starts and has moments that are sonically interesting but gets a bit repetitive, and that ultimately is the downfall. I'd love to listen to a couple tracks on here over and over, but am I putting the album on for that same vibe?
I’m a sucker for this stuff. It’s campy but a lot of fun.
This album was a huge breakout. The videos for Rio and Hungry Like the Wolf literally made MTV. The songs are poppy, upbeat and just plain fun. They have aged surprisingly well.
Lots of bangers on here. It’s a fun fusion of pop, rock, and new wave with lots of catchy choruses. I could see myself moving this up to a 5 if I spent more time with it.
Quintessential 80s. This is a great album and nostalgic for me growing up with parents who listened to 80s and classic rock. A few of the tracks are skips for me but love the radio hits.
I already knew and loved Hungry Like the Wolf and Rio before listening to the album, and it's clear that those are stand-out songs from the album for a reason. I enjoyed the album a lot, but there were no hidden gems I hadn't heard as a kid that I absolutely loved. That being said, it was classic 80s pop and I have no strong complaints.
I really like how high energy this is, nothing in it is static. The bass, the synth, the singers and background singers are going crazy for 42 minutes. It did start to blend together after a while, and the best song on the album was Rio, so it was a bummer to go downhill from there, but overall it's pretty consistent.
hungry like the wolf save a prayer the chauffeur
Duran Duran are fucking awesome I could dance to this any day for any amount of time. This is to synth-based rock what Boston is to blues-based rock. The best possible version of the stereotypical sound
I love this album!!
3.5
While Duran Duran isn't my first choice to listen to, this album is full of absolute classics.
I love me some Duran Duran. Bunch of bangers on this album, but a few that drag it down. Good listen.
So many catchy songs! “Rio,” “Hungry Like a Wolf” are still awesome.
Loveeee Duran Duran, 80s perfection.
Great, fun stuff. Surely one of the best party albums of the 80's. Never really gave it much of a chance, as it lacks depth for me (I'm more of a Tears for Fears guy) but I can definitely see the attraction at that time.
Pleasing to ear
The Chauffeur is one of the best album closers of all time.
A beautiful polished pop album - new wave/new romantic call it what you will - they put together a great album here. As great a bunch of songs that came from that era, a great sound with Andy Taylor bringing in rock sensibility, John Taylor is an astonishing bass player who should be mentioned in lists but is always overlooked. (First time for me hearing the US remixes - they sound terrible.)
Love love love. I couldn't give them 5 because I didn't give Elvis 5.
I used to always make fun of Duran Duran, probably because I was listening to Iron Maiden and Judas Priest when this came out. I still don't like them nearly as much as their new wave peers that I later came to love (INXS, Talk Talk, Simple Minds), but I shan't make fun of them anymore.
My first Duran Duran album I've listened to. Love it! Fast paced- synth driven songs with killer guitar. This is such an 80's album. Favourite songs: Rio, Hungry Like a Wolf, My Own Way, Hold Back the Rain
I really liked most of this. The second half of the album was a bit weaker, but still overall enjoyable. I'd listen to this again. 4/5
I was surprised by how much I likes this album. I had only heard a couple songs, but liked the complexity of the ones I hadn't
Surprised by this album. Had not listened to it in its whole since 1980s when I played GIJoe and put tapes while I played for hours on hours. This was a new sound back when it came out and including lots funk and disco influences speciallynin that instrumental one which I cant remember the name but its amazing. Its a really good album and I fell in love with it over again. It has 2 songs that are mid thats the reason im giving it a 4
If my kids ever wanna know what 80s pop music sounded like, I would play them this as a fairly representative example. And then I would quickly explain to them that there was much, much better music that came out of the decade than what this presents.
Disco pop is not my thing, but this is what you get when people have talent and they know how to produce quality sound: a solid album. “Rio” is the standout hit.
Low 3 for me
Solid 80's pop rock. Rio and Hungry were definitely the right singles to pick from the album.
3.9/5. 2h28m collectors edition, listened 1x, catchup on 5/9/24. would likely rate higher with original release at 43 min version. worth checking out later
Very good
Proper 80s sound and good songs as well
One of my favorites
Some classics and some better left unsung.
OK album. This is just 80s synth-pop. Its kind of fun and catchy and nostalgic for a time I never experienced. It's got energy, pop, and pizzaz, but, at the end of the day, it's just bad lyrically and offers no depth. Fun to dance to in a car as a teenager in the 80s I guess. I checked out the original review for fun--all mixed or negative pretty much. The contemporary re-appraisals say it's actually a great album apparently. I think there's much more interesting 80s synth-pop, and a lot of these retrospectives are a bit disingenuous with the rave for albums that were commercially popular or may have been mentioned as "inspiring" for future artists. This album is what it is: fun, silly 80s pop. ***
2.5 stars. Lots of the elements to the songs are cool, with the distorted guitars and bass lines and synths. It definitely sounds like the 80s, but hardly any songs stand out. Even "Rio" and "Hungry Like the Wolf" kind of blend into the rest of the album. "Last Chance on a Stairway" sounded nice. It's all fine.
Didn't realise I had bauhaus in the que when I played this album. I was thinking wow I don't normally like duran duran but rn this is going hard!!!! And then I realised Bass is impressive
I like Duran Duran :) so thoroughly enjoyed
Felt vapid? Was excited to listen to Duran Duran because I love Japan but it's not for me
I ended up liking this a bit more than I was expecting. The bass in particular is great. But ultimately the songs aren't that great and I'm not a fan of the vocals.
It's easy to discount Duran Duran as another 80s band, but the fearlessness they showed was something else. Excellent 👍
80s pop, wave-like album. While not my favorite style. This features banger after banger. I almost knew all of the songs from back of my childhood. Great!
I've become less eloquent in my reviews, but here I think it's fitting that I just say how I love Duran Duran.
Iconic tracks, iconic sleeve art. So many great tracks, and I sit here listening again to some of the most intricate and compelling basslines that almost just seem hidden. Remarkable.
this is the best Duran Duran album, has most of the hits on it. The Chauffeur is their most underrated song, it's a banger.
I don't consider myself a lover of most popular culture 80's music, for me hair metal owned it. So I never delved into Duran Duran, for example. But I must say this quite surpassed my minimal expectations - there's some rock guitars and bass and funk blended in there and it's good.