Duran Duran - Rio
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Free Music Notes for Rio
Free Music Review: The perfect album...
Hit: 5 Stars
01. Rio
I've heard people whine and complain about how much they want the real, extended "Rio" song with the bizzarre introduction and the saxophone solo. This is where you get that song. No Duran Duran collection is complete without the full version of Rio. This is a great pop song and every time I hear this song I start to think about the overplayed video on MTV. Who can forget Duran Duran on a boat? This, shockingly, gets the silver medal on my scale.
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02. My Own Way
This gets the bronze medal on my scale. I'm not sure what version of this song you have, but I have the slower version. I'd actually prefer the faster single version of the song, but the slower version is just okay. It doesn't have the energy of the faster version, which is why I'm only giving it the bronze medal.
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03.Lonely in Your Nightmare
I don't really find this one much of a heart-ripping ballad as Ms. Bessmer describes it, but it's kind of sad, I guess. The lyrics are beautiful, and the bass and guitar fit in beautifully. I think of this as one of the two songs on this album that are horribly underrated, and are one of those "Duran2 Hidden Gems".
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04.Hungry Like The Wolf
This one ties "My Own Way" for the bronze medal. You're probably shocked at this. You're saying, "But why? This was Duran's most popular song?" My answer:Exactly. It was awfully overplayed. There's nothing wrong with the song itself;fits in with the rest of 'em beautifully. It's just the popularity of the song is overwhelming. You hear it everywhere nowadays. The popcorn-like arp is pretty darn neat in this song.
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05. Hold Back The Rain
Wow. I forgot how good this song was! The saw arpeggiator is neat as always, and the bass and guitar play in unison without flaw. The lyrics, perhaps, are the weak point on this song. They rhyme perfectly, but...they're kind of simple. Nonetheless, it's still a classic DD song and I was happy to hear them play it recently on their tour. It's good to know they don't abandon the classics!
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06. New Religion
Great, great song. This is where Simon's lyrical skills are put at a test. The grade they recieved was a solid A+ in my gradebook! The "New Religion" bassline is Number 1, I believe. Unlike what Ms. Bessmer states, I feel that John Taylor's basslines fit in perfectly. And, with all due respect, maybe someone else should write Duran's editorial reviews. The unison right before the chorus is spotless as always. Great job on this one.
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07. Last Chance on the Stairway
This one recieves the tie for the gold medal. There's absolutely nothing wrong with this song. The guitars, bass, keyboard, and drums all fit in perfectly with Simon's amazing vocals.
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08. Save a Prayer
Also tied for the gold. This song is the most beautiful on the album, and I would reccomend you get the single. I'm running out of space...so I'll make it short. Nice, beautiful, nice.
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09. The Chauffeur
Okay song. The bass and keyboards are great on this song... I really can't say much of this song, other than the vocals are beautiful.
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I have to compare Duran Duran to Star Wars. The first three albums were flawless. Then came Notorious, which was as good as Episode 1. Then, Big Thing, Liberty, Thank You, Medezzaland & Pop Trash were like Episode 2. Hopefully Episode 3:Revenge of the Sith will be as good as Astronaut and Wedding Album.
Free Music Review: Duran Duran Their Own Way
Hit: 5 Stars
1982 was a very interesting year for pop music development in that decade as well as it was for Duran Duran. Their self titled debut album was already out and that was just mildly tenative looking back. And one of the reasons that first album seems that way is because of this. Many times a bands second release is a huge step up for them but,as if their first album wasn't that strong (it was very good in many ways) this album was so potent it almost seemed like the work of another band entirely. One of the main differences here is that the bands rhythmic priorities had completely changed. Whereas the album tracks on the first album favored an ambient electronica flavor this album went right for heavy funk polyrhythms,percussion effects and some of the most harmonically complex synthesizer riffs courtesy of Nick Rhodes. This is not only their breakthrough album but was great for the band as a whole because on every song on this album you get to see how incredible these guys are as musicians. John Taylor is one of the funkiest bass players in the new romantic movement after Mark King and every single one of these songs are percolating with his emotionally charged and varried style of bass line: from high to fretless tone,onto slapping and walking lines: they guy puts it all into the music and it clicks appropriately with whatever song it's accompanying. The first four songs on the album,including the mega hit title track and of course "Hungry Like The Wolf" are an example of the heavily Chic/ABC style funkiness this band appropriated for it's own uniquely flavored sound not to mention the potentcy of "My Own Way" and "Lonely In Your Nightmare" where John's basslines get free reign to leap up and down where they want. Personally these guys may have been young and full of it but lyrically (as well as musically) they certainly had a smart minded wit and imagination that would make Nile Rodgers proud. On "Hold Back The Rain" and "Last Chance On The Stairway" there is something of a poppy variation of the rock/funk sound,even if lighter on the jazz influence of Stanley Clarke's School Days era that Level 42 dealt with too and Duran Duran put their complex pop style melodies with these songs. Every song here is brimming with melodic and harmony ideas you would'nt believe and that's probably why it's so popular. It's an excellent example of intelligently thought out and funky 80's pop and yes: intelligence and funk usually HAVE to go together to make it all work out in that genre of music. The hit "Save A Prayer" is a pop song that does have a mildly more pronounced jazz influence with these unusually chorded synthesizers and harmonics as the same goes for "New Religion" and the pocket symphony of the closing "The Chauffeur". Unfairly dismissed as being too easy an 80's pop throwback for years this album has continually reasserted it's strong musical values,as well as it's sense of flair and invention that goes into the very best of pop music of any subgenre in any era.Free Music Review: A shining example of 80s pop music at its best.
Hit: 5 Stars
Duran Duran was perhaps the quintessential 80s pop band, and 1982's "Rio" was the quintessential Duran Duran album. Birmingham, England's "Fab Five" were primarily known for their hit singles and the lavishly produced videos that accompanied them. "Rio" includes some of their very best hits: "Hungry Like the Wolf," "Rio," and "Save a Prayer." But this is more than just a singles album. With "Rio," Duran maintained their New Romantic pop excellence over the course of an entire album. They would produce many more hits throughout the 1980s, but they wouldn't release another full album as strong as "Rio" until 1993's "The Wedding Album."
On "Rio," Duran perfected a formula that they devised on their first album, 1981's "Duran Duran," and would repeat throughout the 1980s: a "side one" of catchy, up-tempo songs and a "side two" of moodier, atmospheric numbers. For those who remember the days of vinyl, "Rio" is truly an album of two perfect sides.
"Side One:" The opening chords of "Rio" explode like crashing ocean waves, with Nick Rhodes' ingenious use of synthesizer arpeggios setting the stylistic tone for the record. The title track's euphoric, eternally memorable chorus is equaled a few songs later by that of "Hungry Like the Wolf," "Rio's" other smash single. "My Own Way," a bigger hit in the UK than in the US, doesn't quite match the catchiness of those two songs, but nowhere else is Simon LeBon's braggadocio so gloriously evident ("I'm on 45!"). "Lonely in your Nightmare" is a lovely, piano-driven midtempo song, while "Hold Back the Rain" is an aggressive, pulsating dance track that spawned endless 12" mixes.
"Side Two:" The ominous intro of "New Religion" segues to a bass-driven groove that exemplifies Duran's moodier side. "Last Chance on the Stairway" is a giddy paean to youthful romance, a teenybopper's guilty pleasure. "Save a Prayer," a lush, calypso-flavored ballad, evokes romantic nights in tropical paradises, while the final track, "The Chauffeur," builds dramatically from a sparse keyboard ostinato to a dense instrumental coda that became the highlight of many a Duran Duran concert.
There's no doubt that Duran Duran relied on visuals as much as music to achieve their fame. Indeed, "Rio's" exotic, exuberant Nagel cover girl succeeds as well as the music itself in establishing Duran's jet-setting zeitgeist. But with "Rio," Duran Duran proved they're more than just well-coiffed video stars. As emblematic of the 1980s as they are, these songs have nevertheless stood the test of time. Like a glittering, multifaceted diamond, "Rio" endures as a shining example of 80s pop music at its best.
Free Music Review: Classic new wave music...what everyone today is imitating
Hit: 5 Stars
For those that only recall "Hungry Like the Wolf" and all the countless songs Duran Duran had on the radio, one can easily forget how different, unique and innovative a band like Duran really was in the early 1980s. Duran Duran were no doubt the first "new romantic" or "new wave" outfit that bands today like The Killers, Franz Ferdinand, The Strokes, The Bravery, Interpol and the like are influenced by/imitating with a great degree of success. (Who said the '80s were never cool? The joke is on them now!)
This second album by Duran Duran showcases both elements of early Duran Duran: the dark, brooding and eerie "new romantic" sound they mastered on their first album and seen here on "The Chauffeur", "New Religion" and "Lonely In Your Nightmare", as well as the masterful pop music found in the tremendous rush of radio hits: "Hungry Like the Wolf", "Rio" and "Save a Prayer". The relevance of the Duran sound has been vindicated by the current rush of today's top acts to say Duran Duran was an influence. The songs on RIO sound as fresh today as they were then on the first days of MTV.
Some often forget Duran Duran was indeed a talented and instrumentally gifted outfit. The rhythm section of Roger Taylor (drums) and John Taylor (bass) are at long last getting their dues for the true talent they possess. Andy Taylor is an underrated guitarist who shines with both his delicate, atmospheric tones and what quickly became more urgent and rocking sounds displayed on this album and beyond, and Nick Rhodes does just the same thing, only with keyboards. Finally, Simon LeBon is perhaps the most brash and over the top front man since Mick Jagger, and that fit perfectly into the Duran style here and with what was to come, as it was the RIO period that Duran became the kings of MTV.
Many of the songs on the RIO album remain highlights in a live Duran Duran concert setting in 2005. You like The Killers? You like the rush of "new wave" influenced music currently underway? This is a great place to start to see where it all began.
Highly recommended.
Also recommended by Duran Duran for modern day "new wave" fans: albums like "Duran Duran" (their debut album), "Astronaut" (their excellent 2004 comeback), "The Singles 81-85" and "Seven and the Ragged Tiger".
Free Music Review: Why RIO Remastered sounds better, technical info for you.
Hit: 5 Stars
There was a comment made in one of the reviews that RIO has been remastered "Too brightly". This has prompted me to make a few comments. First, If you live in the U.S. then you will notice that the new CD doesn't have the same mixes as the U.S. release of the record. The rest of the world is happy though. 2nd, RIO Remastered does sound different from the original release CD. It actually sounds like the Vinyl record that I bought in 1982 !! This is thanks to 24 bit mastering. As you know, CD's are 16 bit. They give a full frequency response, 20-20KHz, but Audiophiles often accuse CD's of sounding inferior to Vinyl. Why? Becuase 16 Bit's sampled 44 thousand times a second is not enough to hold audio information. Vinyl or analogue studio tape is equivalent to 24 Bit's in the digital domain. Now with 24 Bit mastering you can hear more in the music! This is why Audiophiles are anxiously waiting to see which 24BIT standard will be accepted (SACD or DVD Audio). Rather than waiting until the cows come home, recording artists/labels have been on a remastering binge. They then convert their new 24Bit master to 16 Bit and issue a remaster on CD. The new CD sounds superior because the coversion to 16Bit's is done using transposiition. To try and explain transposition in detail is beyond the scope of this review. I'd simply explain it by saying that a lot of the sound characteristics of the 24BIT master (that is the detail) is preserved when transposing down to 16 Bit. Its technical trickery. You do end up with a 16 Bit CD, but you CAN hear most of the depth of the master (Just as you can hear the depth in CD's compared to MP3). Of course when the new 24 Bit medium has been standardised and accepted we won't be buying CD's. Until then I will be buying remasted CD's !! Listening to RIO remastered you can hear sounds clearer and some sounds that wern't audible on the original cd release. It's not brightness, it's clarity. Surprise yourself, The clarity shows some little imperfections in, dare I say it, Simon's vocals (Forgive me Simon). Amazing for me was to realise that some of the sounds I thought came from keyboard are actually guitar (with a Chorus Effect). And I can hear South American windpipes in New Religion!The best album from the best 80's group on Planet Earth.