Duran Duran ? Rio ? Rare Near Mint 1982 Capital Records US Original LP

$

30

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• EMI 
• Capitol

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 new wave/synthpop band Duran Duran, originally released worldwide on 10 May 1982. It reached #2 in the UK and #1 in Australia.

The album was re-released in the United States in November 1982. It earned a Gold disc on 1 March 1983, and went Platinum on 26 April 1983, eventually reaching Double Platinum status. 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.

Recording and release dates

The first song to be recorded for Rio was "My Own Way," written and recorded in October 1981, and released as a single in November 1981. The rest of the album was recorded in the early months of 1982 at Air Studios in London, with producer and engineer Colin Thurston. "My Own Way" was re-recorded for the album and the newer version is significantly different from the 1981 single version.

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.

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. "[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."

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 traveled 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 "Nightboat" — 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 hospitalized on his return to England. 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. On 1 November 1982, the "Rio" single was released worldwide. It peaked at #9 in the UK in December 1982.

North American release

The North American 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 North America, 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 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 more songs from the album.

Remixed "Night Versions" of "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "Hold Back the Rain" were later released on CD on the Night Versions: The Essential Duran Duran compilation in 1998, and "My Own Way" was released in the 2003 Singles Box Set 1981-1985. On 3 December 1982, the Kershenbaum album remix was used for the "Hungry Like the Wolf" single. This was released in the 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 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 North American re-issue of the "Rio" single on 11 March 1983, four months after its original release. This single included the Kershenbaum 7-inch remix of "Rio" and peaked at #14 in US on 14 May 1983.

Legacy

In 2000, Rio was ranked #98 in Q magazine's "100 Greatest British Albums". In 2003, it was listed at #65 in the NME "100 Greatest Albums of All Time". In 2004, CMJ ranked it as #1 in their "Top 20 Most-Played Albums of 1982". In 2008 it was ranked 24th best British album of all time in a joint HMV Q poll.[14] It ranked #95 in Pitchfork Media's Top 100 Albums of the 1980s, and is included in the list 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die In April 2013 Rio was voted number 3 in BBC Radio 2's Top 100 Favourite Albums of all time.

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."

Track listing

All songs written and arranged by Duran Duran.

UK/US Original LP

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
6. "New Religion" – 5:31
7. "Last Chance on the Stairway" – 4:21
8. "Save a Prayer" – 5:33
9. "The Chauffeur" – 5:13