Rio by Duran Duran
Style: Synth Pop, New Wave, New Romantic
Release: 1982
Length 42 min.
Perhaps I need to be more knowledgeable in the new romantic scene, but I'm fairly educated in both new wave and synth pop. And I can honestly say to myself that catchiness and production (somehow managing not to be over-produced with all that's going on) is really all that Duran Duran's Rio has going for it.
The songs all have the same vibe going on. At least I can tell the differences between the songs. Still, I'm a little surprised Duran Duran got so far. I guess it's because they are more of a singles band. They're style seems to get a little tiring early on in the album, even though it's still easy to listen to. I mean, hey. When it comes to similarities, it's no Ramones. But what really gets me is the lack of creativity in most of the main rhythms. This is especially apparent in the opening track of all tracks: Rio.
Still, I will not say the album is “bad.” The album, it's got good features. The vocals are perfectly tolerable and very well sung, the production is almost perfect, and the songs have the romantic vibe Duran Duran was going for. And despite being forty minutes, it is very quick to get through. When I got halfway through, it felt like fifteen minutes, even though I wasn't having much fun. The Chauffeur was a bit different, which was cool. Still, it needs work.
So since every song has the same vibe, I'll just judge them all at once. Decent songs, brilliant production, successful in being romantic, if not a little cheesy. One could easily say it succeeds more than it fails. Definitely one of the best produced albums I've ever heard, maybe second. But they're still going for the same basic sound.
78/100. Voting it off as this, tied with Fear of Music, make the two worst new wave albums I've heard. Not to say it's bad. 78 is four stars.