The new wave band's second album, featuring "Hungry like the Wolf."

2.5/4 (Okay).

The band has a cool sound, the songs are catchy... and the singer is awful. He cannot sing. Is this a classic album, or did I get a recording of someone doing karaoke? ( )

Product Details

* Audio CD (July 3, 2001)
* Original Release Date: 1982
* Number of Discs: 1
* Format: Enhanced, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
* Label: Capitol
* Catalog Number: 29924
* ASIN: B00005BJ9W
* Average Customer Review: based on 65 reviews. (Write a review.)
* Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,748 in Music (See Top Sellers in Music)
Yesterday: #2,634 in Music

Track Listings
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
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
In the decade of decadence, Duran Duran knew how to live the life. It was reflected in their videos (sailboats, silly white hats, tropical surroundings, grease-painted feral women) and garishly displayed in their public lifestyles. But if you can remove these connotations from the album that started it all, you'll be left with music that is anything but gaudy. For the most part, Rio is an eerie and sumptuous record. With their raspy, arpeggio synth sounds and Simon Le Bon's uninflected vocals, the misty ballads "Lonely in Your Nightmare" and "Save a Prayer" can still tear your heart right out of your chest and abandon it bleeding on a rain-soaked cobblestone street. With the dance-oriented singles "Rio" and "Hungry Like the Wolf," you dry out a bit, but the songs are far from airy or whimsical. One anomaly in this release, though, is the inappropriate prominence of John Taylor's bass lines. In every song, it sounds as if he is mixed more in expectation of a solo than as an integral part of the rhythm section. Ignore this technical distraction, however, and you'll enjoy rediscovering this gorgeous body of water-colored synthpop. --Beth Bessmer
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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
"You Make Me Feel Alive, Alive, Alive!", November 11, 2002
Reviewer: Addicted to the Groove (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)
It was originally released in May 1982, but Duran Duran's second album, "Rio," didn't catch fire on these American shores until a year later, thanks to the breakthrough single and video "Hungry Like the Wolf." It was perfect timing for the British group: the year was 1983, during which MTV culture was taking shape and revolutionized the way we listen to music. That, coupled with the group's stylishly produced videos and new romantic-inspired pop, helped make Duran Duran such an important staple in 1980s music. Here, virtually none of the 80s cheese you find from trendier groups appears on this CD. There's the dynamic title track (replete with a sax solo from Andy Hamilton), the seductive "The Chauffer," the uptempo rocker "Hold Back the Rain," and the funkified "My Own Way" (which differs from the original mix on the 1981 single). "Rio" is one of the first LPs I ever purchased (I still have the original vinyl), and it gives me great teenage memories. On its own merits, the record really deserves 4 stars, but it gets an extra one for its sentimental value. (By the way, this remastered version is the original pressing of "Rio" that was released overseas, and not the remixed version that was once available in America.)

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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
the definitve RIO, April 8, 2004
Reviewer: J. Brady (PAWLEYS ISLAND, SC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
Here's the short story on why so many of you are griping about the "re-editing" of Rio in this newest remastered form. Rio was released internationally in 1982 EXACTLY as it appears here. It was a huge hit in Britain and Europe, but not in America. David Kershenbaum was brought in to remix some of the tracks, three of which ( Hungry Like the Wolf, Hold Back the Rain, and My Own Way ) made it a mini lp ( or EP, as they were then called ) called Carnival ( I still have my copy ). After the extended version of Hungry Like the Wolf became a club and radio hit, Rio was re-released in the US with the extended versions of these three songs, and a very slightly altered Kershenbaum mix of Lonely in Your Nightmare, added to the album. ( Again, I actually have both versions of this LP ) So, to make a long story short, this IS the original, definitive version of the Rio album, in its full glory. If you like the extended versions, I suggest you look for "night Versions" ( now out of print, sadly ), or buy the singles box set, which will contain the remixes. I can also recommend the British cd called Strange Behaviour, which contains an excellent extended ( but not remixed ) version of Planet Earth, as well as a remixed and extended version of Hold Back the Rain, both of which are unavailable elsewhere, as far as I know. Rio, in and of itself, it a delightful slice of early Eighties dance-pop, with a slightly arty influence. Very highly recommended. ( )