TODAY’S TOP TEN ALBUMS OF THE ‘80s (by Paul Darrah) 1. Rio - Duran Duran 2. Hatful Of Hollow - The Smiths 3. Gentlemen Take Polaroids - Japan 4. The Queen Is Dead - The Smiths 5. Black Celebration - Depeche Mode 6. Head On The Door - The Cure 7. Ocean Rain - Echo & The Bunnymen 8. A Walk Across The Rooftops - The Blue Nile 9. The Unforgettable Fire - U2 10. 1999 - Prince ‘For a 12 year-old in 1982, Rio felt like the first glimpse of a world beyond my boring and backward hometown,’ says Paul Darrah who now lives in New York. ‘Rio was fun, colourful, pretentious (in a good way) and thoroughly exciting. It rocked but it never rocked out. It was a testament to unabashedly fun pop and it was also the catalyst. After Rio, I became obsessed with British pop. If it weren’t for Duran Duran, I don’t know if I would have gotten into The Cure, Japan, Depeche Mode and all the others when I did. And neither would an entire generation of American new wave kids (says me).’ Message us your Top Ten Albums of the 80s, in order, and if, like Paul, you could mention why you chose your No. 1, that would be great. We guarantee to post every one we receive. Also, if you’d like to nominate a friend or friends to do the Top Ten challenge, please be our guests. The aim is to produce the Ultimate Flexipop! Top 40 Albums Of The 80s Chart. Ten points are awarded for your No. 1 choice down to one point for your No. 10. Rio was the second studio album by Duran Duran and released on 10 May 1982. It reached No. 2 in the UK and No. 1 in Australia. When the album was re-released in the US in November ’82, it went Platinum, fuelled by the popular videos that were played continuously on MTV. It peaked at No. 6 in the US, remaining on the chart for 129 weeks. The image on the albums distinctive purple cover was painted by artist Patrick Nagel. The cover itself was designed by Malcolm Garrett. John Taylor takes credit for the album’s title – ‘The city of Rio, to me, was shorthand for the truly foreign, the exotic, a cornucopia of earthly delights, a party that would never stop.’ The album was recorded in the early months of 1982 at Air Studios in London, 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 that included the songs Rio, Hold Back The Rain, My Own Way, Hungry Like The Wolf, and New Religion. Following the success of these remixes, Duran Duran were sold, successfully, in the US as a dance band and never looked back. Rio was reissued as a 2 CD Special Edition in 2009. The album was ranked No. 98 in Q magazines 100 Greatest British Albums and No. 65 in NME 100 Greatest Albums of All Time chart. In 2008 it was ranked 24th best British album of all time in a joint HMV/Q poll. It’s also included in the list 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die and last year Rio was voted No. 33 in BBC Radio 2s Top 100 Favourite Albums Of All Time. ‘The writing on Rio is fantastic, all out. Essential Duran Duran,’ says John Taylor. ‘Every one of us is performing at the absolute peak of our talents. There is no showboating. Every part is thoughtful, considered, part of a greater whole.’ Trivia corner: In the 2013 movie Oblivion, a copy of Rio can be seen briefly when Tom Cruise’s character browses his old vinyl records collection, as part of the remnants of some better times for human civilization. Track listing: 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 Four singles were released from the album, including Hungry Like The Wolf that reached No. 5 in the UK in 1982 and No. 3 in the US the following year. The Russell Mulcahy-directed music video was filmed in the jungles of Sri Lanka and it won the first Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video in 1984. Check out Simon Le Bon’s Testament Of Youth on the Flexipop! website flexipop/testofyouth03.html
Posted on: Fri, 31 Oct 2014 15:52:07 +0000
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