Song of the Moment

J. Cole - Lost Ones

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Duran Duran - Rio



We go all 80's today with a little Duran Duran. Not a band I'm overly familiar with, but willing to give a shot to this morning. These guys formed in 1978 in Birmingham, England. They got their start by working at the Rum Runner nightclub - at first just working the door and then deejaying for side cash. The caveat was if the club wasn't booked, they'd perform and hone in on their craft. There was also a prominent club just down the road called Barbarella's where larger acts performed, such as the Sex Pistols and The Clash. They in fact named the band based on the French film Barbarella, in which the main villain is named Mr. Durand Durand. This album was their second effort, and it dropped in 1982. It is their highest selling album in the US, at a nice 2x platinum. The lead single off the album was the ever-so-popular 'Hungry Like The Wolf'. While this contains the signature eighties snythed out style sound, somehow they've also managed to make that sound feel romantic in a way. I'm not really sure how to describe that, but maybe it's the way the ballads form over the album and the overall tone, it sounds like this was intended to be a love album. Part of the other reason this album might have done well, is it's a record you could dance to, in a very 80's way. Not that I'd call this a dance record by any means, but it's beaty enough in spots that you could easily get your toes tapping and hips swaying. Now, I'll fully admit this isn't my cup of tea. From time to time I enjoy the synth music from back in the day, but this tends to all blend together for me. It lacks any great substance lyrically and even musically to make me believe it's a classic of any sorts. When you think of older records that have similar music properties, the great ones have a 'Come Sail Away' or power track of that nature, and personally, I don't think 'Hungry' fits that same bill. 80's nuts will probably enjoy it, but it's just not for me.

TRACK LISTING:
1. Rio
2. My Own Way
3. Lonely In Your Nightmare
4. Hungry Like the Wolf
5. Hold Back the Rain
6. New Religion
7. Last Chance on the Stairway
8. Save a Prayer
9. The Chauffeur

Listen To Samples

Top 3 Tracks:
1. Hungry Like The Wolf
2. My Own Way
3. Rio

FINAL RATING:
2.25 out of 5 stars

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