Published on May 22, 1997
Reviewing Duran Duran proves to be an interesting challenge. The
band mostly appealed to teenage girls during their heyday in the
early ’80s, and were not noted for musicianship as much as their
photogenic personalities. While the girls in my grade school class
were pasting pictures of Simon LeBon in their Chandlers, all of the
boys like myself were wearing AC/DC t-shirts under our uniform
shirts.
Now that I’m older and have achieved Buddha nature, I am able to
go back to the music I scoffed at and give it an abjective listen.
The band’s second album
Rio turns out to be a halfway decent album, albeit quite
dated today.
Three hits are encased on this slab o’ vinyl. The title track is
light but refreshing, and does tend to show how well LeBon and the
rest of the group could harmonize. The only negative of the track
is the same harmonizing sounds a little uncertain at times. The
other major hit, “Hungry Like The Wolf,” is evidence of the toll 15
years can take on an album. If what they’re using on this track
(and for a good portion of the album) aren’t drum machines, my name
isn’t… well, let’s not delve into that.
(Editor’s note: The joke here was this review was first listed
as being written by “Bob Pierce,” a pseudonym I used for the first
two years of the site.) The guitars are used way too sparingly,
leaving the track sounding very hollow.
The third hit, albeit a minor one, shows how good Duran Duran
could be when they moved out of the world of dance music. “Save A
Prayer” is an ambitious effort at a ballad that broke the mold of a
successful Duran Duran single. But the fact is it works – and
leaves me wondering what would have happened to the band had they
continued in this vein. Note that when the band experienced their
resurgence in popularity, it was with the ballad “Ordinary
World.”
The remainder of
Rio is filler, but here is where the difference between a
decent album and a bad album is made. If you listen to many of
these tracks closely, you’ll find yourself somewhat intrigued by
them – “My Own Way,” “New Religion” and “Lonely In Your Nightmare”
all are songs that require a little bit of effort on the part of
the listener. Other tracks, like “The Chauffeur,” are
forgettable.
So what sets the bulk of
Rio apart from other “filler” albums? Simple: the fact that
you may be intrigued enough to take the time to listen to some of
these tracks more intensely. When I first tried to listen to this
album for review, I had it playing in the background, and I found
the album to be unbearable. But when I tried it again and slapped
on a set of headphones, the album’s quality improved.
I’m still up in the air as to whether
Rio is a good album or not – it’s okay for an occasional
listen, but it’s not something I’d want on the turntable
constantly. Whether you will like it or not will depend on both
your view of ’80s music and how open-minded you are. If you can
keep an open mind and are willing to really concentrate on this
album, you’ve won half the battle. After that, you’re on your
own.