Reviews (page 15 of 15)
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
First word to describe this album, it’s ecstatic. It’s like a new wave wall of synthesized sound. With the first track your thrust into the frenetic tempos and layers of sound. The singing and chorus work to bring it back to earth. Like Dusty Springfield abd the Smith’s before it though, this album feels like a package of good songs surrounding that banger hit in the middle, Hungry Like the Wolves, which shows more balance, a better hook and chorus and harmonies holding it together. I liked this album but felt that it was missing what I love about new wave, the post punk and pre rock minimalism and exploration of ennui. Track 3 starts with the post punk I’m looking for then builds to return to the ecstatic synth wall. I found the digital drums effects and dominating bass annoying, showing the albums age. There is really only two songs not super up tempo. Last song is dope, it goes where I want this album to go and scratches my new wave/post punk itch. Shows where new wave can go. Shows what elements were retained andwhich were cast aside. The annoying and thrumming pervasive baseline is nowhere to be found. I prefer the minimalism here to the maximalism that takes center stage on the rest of the album. It’s proto modern electric indy and I wish there was more. Though I will say, I had a great time listening through it and wished I had leg warmers, hair spray and a brightly colored Walkman to accompany it. PS, big fan of the album art.
Didn't have a chance to write up a full review. Enjoyed listening to this, great energy, might return at some pint.
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.
3.3
Meh.
THE definitive Duran Duran album!
Hyvä levyhän tämä oli, olin aina kuvitellut että Duran Duran olisi jonkinlainen lälly poikabändi, jota tuon ajan tytöt fanittivat, mutta ihan asiallista kasaripoppiahan tämä oli. Paljon soittimia ja taidokkaan kuuloista toteutusta. Erityisesti levyn nimibiisi on menevä, myös Hungry like the wolf jäi mieleen.
nostalgic. I remember hearing Duran Duran blaring out of my sisters room for many years! Good stufff
Favorite track:Hungry Like the Wolf, favorite musician: Drummer. I felt at times they could have gone higher or lower to gain more depth. But lots of Duran Duran follows after this album, so who am I to critique an oldie but goodie.
Funkier than I expected: lots of slap bass and sixteenths on the hi hat.
it was ok, not my style
What a load of shit
Started listening thinking Id hate it but a great album- even the ubiquitous songs that you've heard 1000s times of before sound better as part of an album. Glad to be proved wrong.
A few songs really stood out to me as being enjoyable and meaningful (esp. You're Own Way and Lonely in Your Nightmare), but the rest didn't stick with me.
Solid 80s Vibes throughout, very classic
This "Rock" album is one of a kind. I love Duran Duran and finally listening through this album has made me appreciate them more as just a band that made Hungry Like the Wolf. Even though I wasn't born until 1999, I feel like I can say that this album is very unique for its time. Every song seems to sound similar but also sounds funky and fresh. I'm not good at writing reviews so here's the jist of what I think about this album, "This is the 80s man!" -Joseph Klein
Now this is an album I grew up with. Not the entire album but there are some gems in this one and we are jumping into the 80’s Rock/Pop genre which I love. Duran Duran has such a unique sound that few have been able to replicate over the years. There is some kind of synth that feels like Manheim Steamroller but also brass that reminds me of Chicago. It’s a wild mixture of music that works well. Already on Hungry Like the Wolf, my favorite of the album. This was something my brothers and I danced to when we were young, maybe even on camera. This was also a fantastic music video. Hold Back the Rain was alright, a weaker track but it’s hard, if not impossible, to actually hold back the rain so I give them credit for trying. In New Religion, the vocals seem interlaced over one another but the beat is interesting. I also really like the synths in Save a Prayer. Overall, this is a fun 80’s album perfect for driving or at an 80’s themed party.
Um álbum com Rio e Save a Prayer não pode ter menos de 4 estrelas <3
9
Guay
Couldn't lower myself to listen the crap that this band haemorrhaged.
A ton of respect for this album, the rock and blues sound was impressive and the moving bass line sounded great.
this is the kind of new wave that I am not crazy about
A lively 80s pop album with two great hits: Rio and Hungry Like the Wolf. Perfect for catching some energy.
3.5
Too much noise
It’s fine
La Duranmania al poder. Quizá no sea un disco pudo de los nuevos románticos pero se puede decir que representa la música pop de la época donde fue editado. Río es una gran canción, con giros en la melodía muy interesantes. Hungry like a Wolf, una canción muy representativa del grupo. Y por supuesto Save a prayer es una de las mejores baladas pop de los 80. Un disco qu sin duda hay que oír 1 y más veces en la vida.
Tras escuchar el disco esperaba mucho más, quitando Rio y Save a Prayer, las demas canciones muy flojitas, un poco sinchistes como dirían en Villaseca. Puntuación 3/5.
Muy experimental
Got some classics and all around a pretty good album
Fun album. It sounds like summer to me.
I didn’t listen to much of it wasn’t in that mood 😅
already have, a good album but not as good as I-IV
Very good. Very 80s. Lots of hits, sometimes sounds similar but overall lots of bops.
Very good. Very 80s. Lots of hits, sometimes sounds similar but overall lots of bops.
Not great. Rio has this weird mixture of sultry somewhat aggressively creepy verses followed by the up-beat chorus, made me feel just... uncomfortable. After that, Hungry Like a Wolf is good but nothing else stood out. Most songs sounded extremely similar bar the last 2-3
Classic Synth-Pop/New Romantic, truly enjoyable!
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
Good
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.
La canción más famosa (aunque no la mejor) del disco es “Rio”, mezcla sofisticada de sintetizadores, bajo funk y riffs de guitarra mientras Simon LeBon canta sobre la atractiva modelo que titula el tema. Otras canciones del LP son la atmosférica y oscura “The Chauffeur”, uno de los mejores momentos del álbum, la disco-funk “My Own Way”, con John Taylor luciéndose al bajo, la cacería amorosa techno-pop de “Hungry Like The Wolf”, o la balada sobre un encuentro sexual pasajero “Save A Prayer”, destacada por su melodía y un original trabajo en los sintetizadores.
No le pude poner mucha atención 2.5
3 - nette 80er klänge
1.5 | No todo el pop de los 80s era así de malo, en esta lista ya hemos tenido a Pet Shop Boys que sin ser maravillosos eran mejor que esto; sin contar que más en el estilo que usa DD están bandas con música mucho mucho mejor como Japan o Roxy Music. Quizá se oye exagerado el primer enunciado, si hay un par de cosas rescatables, los dos sencillos que sonaron tanto y siguen sonando como clásicos ahora en la radio son buenos, canciones pegajosas, con música bien hecha y cumplen muy bien su función. El problema es que son las dos canciones rescatables de todo el disco. El resto de las canciones son totalmente indistintas (al grado que no se da uno cuenta si cambió la canción o incluso si ya acabó el disco) e iguales a cientos y cientos de canciones de bandas de la época. Musicalmente no es malo pero simplemente se siente como la versión para las masas de otras bandas que hacían música mucho más interesante con sintetizadores. Lástima de verdad que no escribieran buenas canciones. La razón # 1 para escuchar este álbum fuera de que a alguien le gusten los sencillos sería el sonido del bajo, y no hay razón 2... eso sería todo. Incluso "Rio", hoy ya como un clásico del pop, contiene la frase realmente idiota "it means so much to me, like a birthday or a pretty view". Es un disco que rara vez se eleva por encima del promedio, a pesar del atisbo instrumental desaprovechado que se muestran. 0.5 Extra por el potencial musical y dos canciones decentes.
miesi bangers si uf jede druff
Really love this album!
AND IM HUNGRY LIKE THE WOOOLLFFF
Hungry like the wolf was trash as expected. Other songs were a pleasant surprise. The coordination between many of the instruments was excellent. Save a prayer, new religion and my own way were particular highlights.
Most of these songs sound the same. Hungy Like the Wolf is still good though
Seminole 80s New Romantic pop. Love the driving, funky bass throughout. Hated these guys in the 80s and for good reason - they had it all.
Fun 80s bops
Overall impressive. I liked the theatricality in some of the tracks. Got a bit predictable and samey sounding after a while but still quite pleasant.
Creo que decir que este disco es ochenterísimo es entender las cosas al revés. Los 80s son Durandurancísimos y este disco lo prueba. Save A Prayer fue mi favorita, Hungry Like the Wolf y Rio destacan, lo demás no resaltó mucho más, sin embargo, el sonido de la banda es excelente y el disco se siente completo, bien balanceado y definitivamente quiero escuchar más de ellos.
This one was solidly 80s and good background music. I give it a solid 4.
Distinctly listenable. 8.5/10. Classics like Rio and Hungry Like the Wolf were awesome. New favs include Lonely in Your Nightmare, Hold Back the Rain, and New Religion. The Chauffeur was interesting too. Peak movie scene soundtrack options.
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
Oh the sounds of the 80s.
It's impressive when I already know most of the songs on an album. Odd that there are so many repeats made of different versions of songs on two discs, but also lots of other odd choices that made it stand out.
I listen to this album a couple times a year. Great album to start with! Upbeat and classic.
Favorite song: Rio
Really not a fan. This is my least favorite album so far.
Wow, starts off strong with some cop car chase vibes (very 80s of course)
Si vamos a calificar los discos que tienen más de tres buenas rolas con buenas calificaciones pues se dice y no pasa nada.
Great
Was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this album. Still holds up today and I’d say their non-singles are much better than their singles.
Very 80s. A little more on the experimental side. Not as safe as other 80s dance I’ve heard. I respect it.
Great. Love a bit of Duran Duran
No estoy seguro de cómo clasificar este estilo musical... ¿80’s electropop? Bueno, este disco me parece un buen exponente del género: agradable, positivo, fácil de escuchar. No quisiera opinar mucho más porque sólo conocía otra canción, Come Undone (en mi lista de favoritas, por cierto), pero me parece notable la diferencia en la tecnología utilizada para grabar este disco con la utilizada en aquella canción. Si bien el disco tiene canciones buenas, hay algunas que me parecieron algo monótonas, y por eso no le doy las 4 estrellas.
Great stage/spacing and drum work, especially on the cymbals
Rio was my favourite song as a kid and heavily influenced my taste in music for the rest of my life: synths, catchy melodies, incredible choruses, harmonies, a little cheesy yet pop perfection... Never listened to the entirety of this album until now and while it does sound dated as hell, it's in a beautifully nostalgic way. The bass parts are AMAZING? And the singles were perfection. Really enjoyed this.
pues están buenos los singles no? pensé que iba a estar un poco mejor por que conozco gente de 45-48 que le gusta muy cabrón y sigue siendo su banda preferida. Le doy el 2 cerrado solo por que Elin estuvo bailando y haciendo los instrumentos del sinte.
Qué aburrido es el New Wave ochentero. Mucha exageración en su instrumentación y efectos, letras aburridas, etc. Este no es la excepción, de hecho es quizá el epítome. Me llama también la atención lo feo de la portada y cómo esa estética se hizo lo más común.
Fun little album. Nothing special, and pretty short, but aight.
Good, but not memorable outside the big hits. Some great new wave sounds, though
I mean it’s 80s synth pop
Pure 80s, some great punchy bass lines.
It is Duran Duran. It was good. 4/5
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.
I confess that if I hear a Duran Duran song in a well constructed 80's nostalgia movie scene, than I'm all up for it. I could not enjoy it this way.
Fav Song: Hungry Like a Wolf
Funky, good to listen in the backyard, but nothing extraordinary. The Chauffer, and New Religion highlights for me.
Killer 80s music.
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!
Fantastic. Classic. So Good.
This album is ultra gay, but slaps like a mofo
2.7
Enjoyed it more than I expected to
Nah. Don't like it. 80s soft rock sucks.
Never knew how much Duran Duran slaps, especially how the bass locks in with the kick drum. Quite enjoyable, would revisit.
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.
Banger after banger after banger with a couple duds mixed in. Still a great record.
As our buddy said this album “kinda slaps.” I couldn’t agree more. The album is 80s AF and I loved every minute of it.
The back half of the album was solid - first half was uneven aside from the two well-known hits. I was surprised by how much I liked "Hold Back the Rain" and "New Religion."
Funkier than expected
Full of his, but rather hollow outside of the singles
Last song was a little underwhelming, but the rest of the album is fantastic. Banger after banger.
poppy
Lots of songs i love on that album, but it does sound repetitive
Very 80s I'll hear the hits everyonce and a while.
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
Was fine, but thats all - I feel indifferent to it.
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
Nooo
Hold back the rain was brilliant. New religion bass line is incredible. Overall enjoyed
Was a bit boring..
Love the hits
Pretty solid. You can see the influence on Radiohead they had.
One of my favorites. 5/5
Overproduced synthpop with no discernable difference among tracks. Rubbish
Great album
not behd
Nah. Best track: The Chauffeur
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"
1982. Key Songs: Rio, Hungry Like the Wolf, The Chauffeur
albums pretty gfood btw. i dunno why everyone seems to love duran duran specificalley so much tho. some of these tracks r great but not all the hooks rly catch me . the production and synth tones n guitars r charming n all but like half the shit here isnt rly catchy at all. its a fun enough time i guess but i dont see it sticking with me that much. kinda saved by the grooves though. was just expecting more. shrug
Any album with Hungry Like the Wolf on it deserves at least 4 stars. But besides that, I found this album pretty enjoyable. The length was perfect and it was full of new wave bops. I'd like to listen to it again and absorb it better.
Excellent New Wave album
Rubbish.