This album is the epitome of 80s pop rock. I was a teenager while Duran Duran were big, and this never really appealed. I liked things that were a little more... edgy. I feel you can live a long and happy life without this. Listening to it, I need to give some props. The band is tight and the rhythm section knows how to find the pocket. It doesn't rely too much on studio sheen (although it was remixed a bunch of times to try and make it more appealing to the US market). The tunes are memorable, and you can dance to it. The cover design is perfectly matched to the highly polished, aspirational, cocaine-and-champagne, greed is good, 80s vibe. I always wonder, though, is there something wrong with the way they recorded Simon Le Bon's vocals? It feels like they used the wrong mike, or he stood too far away, or something. The vocals just sound a bit off, you know? A good example of what they did, and their success was very influential on music videos and the rise of danceable pop rock in the 80s (Bowie's Let Dance and anything by INXS spring immediately to mind). But I can live without it. It's OK if I hear it on the radio, but I have never felt the need to own a Duran Duran record. I get the occasional request when DJing, but I never felt the need to actually give in and buy their records. But it's not hateful. 2.5 stars