Rio (album)

Rio
Missing image Rio_cover.jpg "Rio" album cover by Patrick Nagel
Album by Duran Duran
Released	May 10, 1982
Recorded	spring, 1982 at AIR Studios in London
Genre	Dance-New Wave
Length	42 min 38 ss (1st) 45 min 47 ss (2nd)
Record label	Capitol/EMI
Producer	Colin Thurston
Professional reviews
Rolling Stone	3/5	link (http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/cd/review.asp?aid=46765&cf=334)
AMG	4.5/5	link (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=UIDMISS70311122357170492&sql=Aaq6atr79kl2x#REV)
Q	2/5	link (http://www.q4music.com/nav?page=q4music.artist.review&fixture_review=138511&fixture_artist=146254)
Duran Duran Chronology
Duran Duran (1981)	Rio (1982)	Seven and the Ragged Tiger (1983)

Rio is a dance music album by Duran Duran, originally released worldwide on May 10, 1982 (see 1982 in music), but re-released in November in the United States.

Contents

1 Background 2 Track listing - UK LP version/ US LP Version 1 3 Track listing - US Kershenbaum version 1 4 Track listing - US Kershenbaum version 2 5 Track listing - CD album version 6 Singles 7 Personnel 8 External links

Background

The Rio album peaked at number 5 in US (on June 5, 1983), and remained on the charts there for 129 weeks -- almost two and a half years. In 2003, Rio was listed at number 65 in the NME "100 Greatest Albums Of All Time", and ranked #98 in Q magazine's "100 Greatest British Albums". In 2004, CMJ ranked it as #1 in their "Top 20 Most-Played Albums of 1982". The album went gold on March 1, 1983, and platinum on April 26.

Rio was recorded in spring of 1982 at Air Studios in London, with producer and engineer Colin Thurston, on the Capitol/EMI label. The album's distinctive purple cover was painted by artist Patrick Nagel.

The first single, "Hungry Like the Wolf" was released in the UK on May 4 (backed with "Careless Memories (Live)"). It peaked at #5 in the charts on May 15.

The Rio album was first released worldwide on May 10, and quickly shot to #2 in the UK on May 22.

The North American version was released on Capitol's Harvest label, with rather poor sound quality, and didn't do well at first. EMI in England had promoted Duran Duran as a New Romantic band, but that genre was barely known in the US, and Capitol was at a loss about how to sell the band.

The band, however, had their own plans and ambitions for promotion. They reunited with director Russell Mulcahy (who had directed their first video for "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 "Waiting for the Nightboat" -- the latter a creepy zombiefest set on a deserted island.

While filming the tropical videos, guitarist Andy Taylor contracted malaria and was hospitalized on his return to England. This forced the delay of Duran Duran's European tour, and the record company decided to hold the release of the second single until the band was ready to promote it again.

"Save a Prayer" (b/w "Hold Back the Rain") was finally released on August 9, and peaked at #2 in the UK charts on August 22.

Meanwhile, the band had worked with producer David Kershenbaum to create some new dance mixes for their twelve-inch club singles. In September, Capitol collected the remixes and released them on an EP called Carnival. It included "Rio", "Hold Back The Rain", "My Own Way", "Hungry Like The Wolf", and "New Religion", and was released in North America, Spain, the Netherlands, Japan and Taiwan. Deejays who heard the new mixes could not get enough, and started to put the dance mixes on the air. On October 2, Carnival became the first EP ever to make an appearance on the US charts, although it only sat at #98 for one week.

Following the success of the Kershenbaum remixes, Capitol changed its marketing strategy on Duran Duran from New Romantic to dance band. Unhappy with some of the original mixes, the band capitalized on the moment and pressed Capitol to allow them to issue a remixed and remastered version of the Rio album in North America. The company agreed, and brought Kershenbaum back to remix the rest of the album.

On November 1, the "Rio" single was released worldwide, backed with "The Chauffeur (Sing Blue Silver)" in the UK, and with "Hold Back The Rain" in the US and the rest of Europe. The single peaked at #9 in UK on November 13.

Also in November, Capitol re-released the Rio album in the US, with Kershenbaum's new remixes. All tracks benefited from some minor reworking, but the significant structural differences in the songs on this second pressing (matrix #ST-1-12211-Z13-REI #1) include:

• Kershenbaum "album version" of "Hungry Like The Wolf" (later used on the American 7" single re-release)
• Kershenbaum "nite version" of 'Hold Back The Rain'
• Kershenbaum "My Own Way" - drastically different from the original
• Kershenbaum "Lonely In Your Nightmare"

The Kershenbaum version of "Lonely In Your Nightmare" is only available on the second and third pressings of this vinyl album; it has not yet been officially issued on CD.

As the album began to take off, Capitol rushed a third pressing of the Rio album into stores, identical to the second, except that the "album version" of "Hungry Like The Wolf" was replaced with longer Kershenbaum "nite version". The third pressing is vastly more common than the second, and has a matrix #ST-1-12211-Z16 #2.

On December 3, the Kershenbaum remix of the "Hungry" single was released in US, some six months after its initial UK release. The single included both the album version and the Carnival remix. It peaked at #3 in the US on Christmas Day.

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, Beta, and laserdisc) to coincide with the North American re-issue of the "Rio" single on March 11, four months after its original release. This single included the Kershenbaum 7" remix of "Rio", backed with "Hold Back The Rain (remix)", and peaked at #14 in US on April 2.

It should be noted that all official versions of the Rio album released on CD have been made from the original UK master tapes, and do not include any of the Kershenbaum remixes. This includes the release, in 2001, of a 20-year anniversary reissue, completely remastered from the original. The packaging on this release includes an alternate version of the famous Nagel cover painting, submitted by the artist along with the first when he completed the commission. (It was first used for the Japanese 7" single of "My Own Way".)

Track listing - UK LP version/ US LP Version 1

All songs written and arranged by Duran Duran.

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" (3:57)

1. "New Religion" (5:33)
2. "Last Chance on the Stairway" (4:21)
3. "Save a Prayer" (5:33)
4. "The Chauffeur" (5:13)

Track listing - US Kershenbaum version 1

All songs written and arranged by Duran Duran.

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]" (4:02)
5. "Hold Back the Rain [US Album Remix]" (6:24)

1. "New Religion" (5:31)
2. "Last Chance on the Stairway" (4:18)
3. "Save a Prayer" (5:33)
4. "The Chauffeur" (5:12)

Tracks 1-5 remixed by David Kershenbaum, mixes not listed as such on album.

Track listing - US Kershenbaum version 2

All songs written and arranged by Duran Duran.

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 [Night Version]" (5:14)
5. "Hold Back the Rain [US Album Remix]" (6:24)

1. "New Religion" (5:31)
2. "Last Chance on the Stairway" (4:18)
3. "Save a Prayer" (5:33)
4. "The Chauffeur" (5:12)

Same as the first Kershenbaum remix album, except "Hungry Like The Wolf" has been replaced with the Night Version. Mixes not listed as such on album.

Track listing - CD album version

All songs written and arranged by Duran Duran.

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 [CD Album Version]" (3:47)

1. "New Religion" (5:31)
2. "Last Chance on the Stairway" (4:18)
3. "Save a Prayer [Single Version]" (5:25)
4. "The Chauffeur" (5:12)

Same as the UK/US initial vinyl release, except for the "new" mix of Hold Back The Rain and the shortened mix of "Save A Prayer". Again, mixes not labelled as such on disc.

Singles

1. "My Own Way" (1981)
2. "Hungry Like The Wolf" (1982)
3. "Save A Prayer" (1982)
4. "Rio" (1982)

Personnel

Duran Duran are:

• Simon Le Bon - vocals
• Nick Rhodes - keyboards
• John Taylor - bass guitar
• Roger Taylor - drums
• Andy Taylor - guitar

Also credited:

• Colin Thurston - producer and engineer
• Renate - Technician
• Andy Hamilton - saxophone on "Rio"
• Malcolm Garrett, Assorted iMaGes, London - sleeve design
• Patrick Nagel - illustration
• Andy Earl - photography

External links

• Versions of Rio (http://www.ionpool.net/duran/rio.html)da:Rio