Rio (Duran Duran album)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rio
DuranRio.jpg
Studio album by
Duran Duran
Released10 May 1982 (1982-05-10)
RecordedJanuary–February 1982
StudioAIR, London
Genre
Length42:38
LabelEMI
ProducerColin Thurston
Duran Duran chronology
Duran Duran
(1981) 		Rio
(1982) 		Seven and the Ragged Tiger
(1983)
Alternative cover
2001 European limited edition booklet cover
2001 European limited edition booklet cover
Singles from Rio
  1. "My Own Way"
    Released: 16 November 1981
  2. "Hungry Like the Wolf"
    Released: 4 May 1982
  3. "Save a Prayer"
    Released: 9 August 1982
  4. "Rio"
    Released: 1 November 1982

Rio is the second studio album by English band Duran Duran, originally released worldwide on 10 May 1982.[1] It reached number two in the United Kingdom and number one in Australia and Canada.

The album was remixed and re-released in the United States in November 1982. It peaked at number six on the Billboard 200 album chart in the US on 12 March 1983, and remained on the chart for 129 weeks. It earned a gold disc on 1 March 1983, and was certified platinum on 26 April 1983, eventually reaching double platinum status.

Recording[]

The first songs recorded for Rio were demo recordings of "Last Chance on the Stairway", "My Own Way", "New Religion", "Hungry Like the Wolf", and "Like an Angel", all recorded at EMI's Manchester Square studio in August 1981,[2] along with demos of "The Chauffeur", "Save a Prayer", and "Lonely in Your Nightmare" recorded by engineer Bob Lamb at his home studio. "My Own Way" was originally released as a single in November 1981, with "Like an Angel" as the B-side. The single version had a production influenced by disco and American R&B. It was re-recorded for the album with a significantly different arrangement and production.[2] The rest of the album was recorded in the early months of 1982 at Air Studios in London with producer and engineer Colin Thurston.

The band experimented with different sounds to record the album. On the song "Lonely in Your Nightmare" John Taylor plays fretless bass to give the bass a more melodic sound. The ballad "Save a Prayer" was built around a delicate and complex sequencer track. "New Religion" has been described as containing "a rapping, schizophrenic Le Bon in conversation with a funky rhythm section". The intense "Hold Back the Rain" was edited down from the original almost ten-minute recording. "The Chauffeur" is an all-electronic piece, aside from ocarina, created by Nick Rhodes with lyrics and vocals by Simon Le Bon.[2]

The recording of the album also included the use of various sound effects such as tapes played in reverse (the opening of "Rio"), the sound of ice cubes dropped into a glass and excerpts from a BBC recording of nature sounds ("The Chauffeur").[3]

Promotion and release dates[]

The Rio album was first released worldwide on 10 May 1982, peaking at #2 in the UK in its second week of release. The image on the album's distinctive purple cover was painted by artist Patrick Nagel. The cover itself was designed by Malcolm Garrett.

John Taylor takes credit for the title single. "[It] was something I had thrown into the mix," he recalled in 2012. He was particularly fascinated with the idea of Brazil, and "Rio, to me, was shorthand for the truly foreign, the exotic, a cornucopia of earthly delights, a party that would never stop."[4]

The second single, "Hungry Like the Wolf", was released in the UK on 4 May 1982. It peaked at #5 in the charts on 26 June 1982.[5]

The band had their own plans and ambitions for promotion. They reunited with director Russell Mulcahy (who had directed the music video for their first single, "Planet Earth"), and planned the release of a full-length video album—eleven videos for the best songs off of the Duran Duran and Rio albums. The band travelled to Sri Lanka and Antigua between tour dates to film the memorable videos for the singles "Rio", "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "Save a Prayer", as well as the lesser-known "Lonely in Your Nightmare" and "Night Boat" — the latter video being a creepy zombiefest set on a deserted island.

While filming the videos, guitarist Andy Taylor contracted a tropical virus and was hospitalised on his return to England.[6] This forced the delay of the band's European tour, and the record company decided to hold the release of the third single until the band was ready to promote it again.

"Save a Prayer" was finally released on 9 August 1982, and peaked at #2 on the UK charts in mid September 1982, becoming the album's biggest hit. On 1 November 1982, the single "Rio" was released worldwide. It peaked at #9 in the UK in December 1982.[5]

US and Canada release[]

Duran Duran on stage

The United States and Canada version was first released on Capitol's Harvest Records label and had the same songs and mixes as the UK version, but did not perform well on the US Billboard chart.

Meanwhile, the band had worked with producer David Kershenbaum to create some new dance mixes for their twelve-inch club singles. In September, EMI collected the remixes and released them on an EP called Carnival. It included the songs "Rio", "Hold Back the Rain", "My Own Way", "Hungry Like the Wolf", and "New Religion", and was released in the United States, Canada, Spain, the Netherlands, Japan and Taiwan.

Following the success of the Kershenbaum remixes, Capitol changed its marketing strategy, selling Duran Duran in the US no longer as a New Romantic band (a British phenomenon) but instead as a dance band. Frustrated with their lack of success in the US, the band capitalised on the moment and pressed Capitol to allow them to issue a remixed and remastered version of the Rio album in the United States and Canada. The company agreed, and brought Kershenbaum back to remix more songs from the album.[7]

On 3 December 1982, the "Hungry Like the Wolf" 7-inch single was reissued in the US. It contained the US Album Remix of the song, and peaked at #3 in the US on 26 March 1983.

Part of the continued success of the album was due to the very popular videos, in heavy rotation on MTV. The video album Duran Duran was released (on VHS, Betamax, and LaserDisc) to coincide with the US re-issue of the 7-inch "Rio" single on 11 March 1983, four months after its original release. This single included the US Single Remix of the song done by Kershenbaum, and peaked at #14 in the US on 14 May 1983.

The Night Versions of "My Own Way", "Hungry Like the Wolf", and "New Religion" (made by Colin Thurston), along with the Carnival remix of "Hold Back the Rain", were later released on the Night Versions: The Essential Duran Duran CD compilation in 1998, and the Carnival remix of "My Own Way" was released in the 2003 Singles Box Set 1981–1985.

Versions on CD[]

What it boils down to is that there are a number of masters relating to their album, and there was no way of actually finding out which was the original master, because they all seem to have been cut and used at the same time for different territories. It really was an absolute maze, listening to the tapes to try to work out what may or may not have been the original master. In the end, we came to what we believed to be the closest decision. The band were happy with the version we mastered, and that's what came out.

—EMI project coordinator Nigel Reeve on the 2001 Enhanced CD reissue of Rio[8]

Until 2009, all official CD versions of the Rio album were nearly identical to the original LP version, but with different versions of "Lonely in Your Nightmare", "Hold Back the Rain", and "Save a Prayer" from what was on the original LP.

The 2001 reissue contains Enhanced CD material featuring the music videos for "Rio", "Hungry Like the Wolf", and "Save a Prayer", plus memorabilia and a link to the band's official website. The European limited edition booklet cover used an alternate version of the Nagel cover painting, submitted by the artist along with the first when he completed the commission (this image was initially used for the Japanese 7-inch single of "My Own Way"). Despite initial speculation that either the original LP version or the US LP reissue version would be used, the CD album version was used instead. EMI claimed that this was due to master tape research issues as a result of the vaults containing multiple different versions of the album.[8]

On 7 April 2009, Duran Duran's official website announced that Rio would be reissued as a 2 CD Collectors Edition on 7 September 2009 (2009-09-07) in the UK, and 6 October 2009 (2009-10-06) in the US. This edition includes the album's original LP release tracks, but adds substantially more to make this a definitive edition (including the US Kershenbaum remixes, along with several other tracks that have either never been released in CD form, or were only available on Singles Box Set 1981–1985). This reissue reached #185 on the UK Albums Chart. In 2015, Parlophone rereleased this edition in digipak packaging, along with a single-disc jewel case version that contains only the contents of disc one.

Critical reception[]

Professional ratings
Contemporary reviews
Review scores
SourceRating
The Village VoiceC−[9]

Rio initially received mixed reviews from critics. In a negative review, Robert Christgau of The Village Voice deemed the album "Anglodisco at its most solemnly expedient," feeling that "it lacks even the forced cheerfulness" of Haircut 100, and that "if it had as many hooks as A Flock of Seagulls (not bloody likely) it still wouldn't be silly enough to be any fun."[9]

Legacy[]

Professional ratings
Retrospective reviews
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic4.5/5 stars[10]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music4/5 stars[11]
Pitchfork7.3/10[12]
PopMatters8/10[13]
Q4/5 stars[14]
Record Collector5/5 stars[15]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide4.5/5 stars[16]
Spin Alternative Record Guide9/10[17]
Uncut8/10[18]

Three decades later, John Taylor still held the album in high regard. "The writing on Rio is fantastic, all out. Essential Duran Duran," he recalled in his 2012 memoir, In the Pleasure Groove. He also had high praise for the band's musicianship. "Every one of us is performing ... at the absolute peak of our talents," he wrote. "There is no showboating. Every part is thoughtful, considered, part of a greater whole."[19]

Accolades[]

Accolades for Rio
Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
Q UK "100 Greatest British Albums"[citation needed] 2000 98
NME UK "100 Greatest Albums of All Time"[citation needed] 2003 65
CMJ US "Top 20 Most-Played Albums of 1982"[citation needed] 2004 1
The Word UK "Top 50 British Albums"[20] 2008 24
Pitchfork US "Top 100 Albums of the 1980s"[21] 2002 95
Robert Dimery UK 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die[22] 2008 *
BBC Radio 2 UK "Top 100 Favourite Albums of All Time"[23] 2013 3

(*) designates unordered lists.

Track listing[]

All songs written and arranged by Duran Duran.

Original LP[]

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Rio"5:33
2."My Own Way"4:51
3."Lonely in Your Nightmare"3:50
4."Hungry Like the Wolf"3:41
5."Hold Back the Rain"3:59
Total length:21:14
Side two
No.TitleLength
6."New Religion"5:31
7."Last Chance on the Stairway"4:21
8."Save a Prayer"5:33
9."The Chauffeur"5:10[note 1]
Total length:20:35

US LP reissue[]

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Rio" (US Album Remix)5:24
2."My Own Way" (Carnival Remix)4:31
3."Lonely in Your Nightmare" (US Album Remix)4:52
4."Hungry Like the Wolf" (US Album Remix)4:11
5."Hold Back the Rain" (US Album Remix)6:32
Total length:24:50
Side two
No.TitleLength
6."New Religion"5:31
7."Last Chance on the Stairway"4:21
8."Save a Prayer"5:33
9."The Chauffeur"5:12
Total length:20:37
  • Later pressings of this reissue use the Night Version of "Hungry Like the Wolf", thus giving it a length of 5:14.

CD album version[]

No.TitleLength
1."Rio"5:33
2."My Own Way"4:51
3."Lonely in Your Nightmare" (CD Album Version)3:50
4."Hungry Like the Wolf"3:41
5."Hold Back the Rain" (CD Album Version)3:47
6."New Religion"5:31
7."Last Chance on the Stairway"4:21
8."Save a Prayer" (Single Version)5:25
9."The Chauffeur"5:10
Total length:41:29

2 CD Collectors Edition[]

Disc one
No.TitleLength
1."Rio"5:33
2."My Own Way"4:51
3."Lonely in Your Nightmare"3:51
4."Hungry Like the Wolf"3:41
5."Hold Back the Rain"3:59
6."New Religion"5:32
7."Last Chance on the Stairway"4:21
8."Save a Prayer"5:33
9."The Chauffeur"5:22
10."Rio" (US album remix)5:24
11."My Own Way" (Carnival remix)4:31
12."Lonely in Your Nightmare" (US album remix)4:52
13."Hungry Like the Wolf" (US album remix)4:11
14."Hold Back the Rain" (US album remix)6:32
Total length:66:53
Disc two
No.TitleLength
1."Last Chance on the Stairway" (the Manchester Square Demo)5:04
2."My Own Way" (the Manchester Square Demo)4:39
3."New Religion" (the Manchester Square Demo)5:33
4."Like An Angel" (the Manchester Square Demo)5:03
5."My Own Way" (original 7-inch version)3:39
6."Like An Angel"4:43
7."Careless Memories" (Live at the Hammersmith Odeon)4:15
8."The Chauffeur" (Blue Silver) (Early version)3:54
9."My Own Way" (Night version)6:34
10."Hungry Like the Wolf" (Night version)5:14
11."Rio" (Night version)6:40
12."New Religion" (Carnival remix)5:15
13."Hold Back the Rain" (Carnival remix)7:01
Total length:66:54
Digital download/streaming bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
14."My Own Way" (Instrumental version)6:35
15."Hold Back the Rain" (Alternate remix)6:41
Total length:79:10

Personnel[]

Duran Duran

Additional musicians

Production

  • Colin Thurston – production and engineering
  • Renate – technician
  • David Kershenbaum – remixing (tracks 1–5 on US LP reissue)[note 2]
  • Nick Webb – mastering (UK LP)
  • Wally Traugott – mastering (original US LP)
  • Stephen Marcussen – mastering (US LP reissue)
  • Tony Cousins – remastering (2001 Enhanced CD reissue)
  • Steve Rooke – remastering (2009 2 CD Collectors Edition)
  • Malcolm Garrett – sleeve design
  • Patrick Nagel – illustration
  • Andy Earl – photography

Charts[]

Certifications[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[37] 2× Platinum 200,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[38] Gold 30,316[38]
New Zealand (RMNZ)[39] Platinum 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[40] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[41] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes[]

  1. ^ The song fades out slightly later on the US release, giving it a length of 5:12.
  2. ^ Initial pressings of this reissue do not credit Kershenbaum in the liner notes.

References[]

  1. ^ "Rio". NME. London, England. 1 May 1982. p. 42.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c John Taylor In the Pleasure Groove: Love, Death and Duran Duran" 2012, chapter 33
  3. ^ Classic Albums: Duran Duran Rio, Eagle Records 2008 DVD
  4. ^ Taylor, John (2012). In the Pleasure Groove: Love, Death & Duran Duran. London: Sphere. p. 177. ISBN 978-0-7515-4904-1.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Duran Duran Official Charts
  6. ^ Taylor, Andy (2008). Wild Boy: My Life in Duran Duran. New York: Grand Central Publishing. pp. 120–121. ISBN 978-0-446-50930-5.
  7. ^ Puterbaugh, Parke (12 May 1983), "Duran Duran: The little girls understand", Rolling Stone magazine, no. 395, pp. 62–65
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b "Duran Duran - Rio". durancompilations.com. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b Christgau, Robert (28 June 1983). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  10. ^ Raggett, Ned. "Rio – Duran Duran". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  11. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  12. ^ Ewing, Tom (14 October 2009). "Duran Duran: Rio [Collector's Edition] / Live at Hammersmith '82!". Pitchfork. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  13. ^ Bergstrom, John (24 November 2009). "Duran Duran: Rio Special Limited Edition / Live at Hammersmith '82!". PopMatters. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  14. ^ Moody, Paul (2009). "Duran Duran: Rio". Q: 125. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  15. ^ "Duran Duran: Rio". Record Collector: 85. 1982's Rio was and remains one of the 80s' finest pop statements...
  16. ^ Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Duran Duran". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 261–62. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  17. ^ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  18. ^ Wallace, Wyndham (August 2015). "Duran Duran: Rio". Uncut. No. 219. p. 90.
  19. ^ Taylor, John (2012). In the Pleasure Groove: Love, Death & Duran Duran. London: Sphere. p. 178. ISBN 978-0-7515-4904-1.
  20. ^ "Top 50 British albums poll". Word Magazine. Archived from the original on 21 February 2008. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  21. ^ "Staff Lists: Top 100 Albums of the 1980s". Pitchfork. 20 November 2002. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
  22. ^ "1001 Albums You Must Hear - 2008 Edition". Rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
  23. ^ "Top 100 Favourite Album Countdown - Live Updates". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 16 September 2013.[dead link]
  24. ^ Jump up to: a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  25. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6254a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  26. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Duran Duran – Rio" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  27. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  28. ^ "Charts.nz – Duran Duran – Rio". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  29. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Duran Duran – Rio". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  30. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Duran Duran – Rio". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  31. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  32. ^ "Duran Duran Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  33. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1982". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  34. ^ "Top Albums of 1982". everyHit.com. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  35. ^ "The Top Albums of 1983". RPM. Vol. 39 no. 17. 24 December 1983. ISSN 0315-5994. Retrieved 19 January 2019 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  36. ^ "Top Pop Albums" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 95 no. 52. 24 December 1983. p. TA-16. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 19 January 2019 – via American Radio History.
  37. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Duran Duran – Rio". Music Canada. 1 October 1983. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  38. ^ Jump up to: a b "Duran Duran" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  39. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Duran Duran – Rio". Recorded Music NZ. 13 November 1983. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  40. ^ "British album certifications – Duran Duran – Rio". British Phonographic Industry. 11 November 1982. Retrieved 19 January 2019.Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Rio in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  41. ^ "American album certifications – Duran Duran – Rio". Recording Industry Association of America. 14 October 1991. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
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