What do you think?
Rate this book
In the '80s, the Birmingham, England, band Duran Duran became closely associated with new wave, an idiosyncratic genre that dominated the decade's music and culture. No album represented this rip-it-up-and-start-again movement better than the act's breakthrough 1982 LP, Rio. A cohesive album with a retro-futuristic sound-influences include danceable disco, tangy funk, swaggering glam, and Roxy Music's art-rock-the full-length sold millions and spawned smashes such as "Hungry Like the Wolf" and the title track.
However, Rio wasn't a success everywhere at first; in fact, the LP had to be buffed-up with remixes and reissued before it found an audience in America. The album was further buoyed by colorful music videos, which established Duran Duran as leaders of an MTV-driven second British Invasion, and the group's cutting-edge visual aesthetic. Via extensive new interviews with band members and other figures who helped Rio succeed, this book explores how and why Rio became a landmark pop-rock album, and examines how the LP was both a musical inspiration-and a reflection of a musical, cultural, and technology zeitgeist.
However, Rio wasn't a success everywhere at first; in fact, the LP had to be buffed-up with remixes and reissued before it found an audience in America. The album was further buoyed by colorful music videos, which established Duran Duran as leaders of an MTV-driven second British Invasion, and the group's cutting-edge visual aesthetic. Via extensive new interviews with band members and other figures who helped Rio succeed, this book explores how and why Rio became a landmark pop-rock album, and examines how the LP was both a musical inspiration-and a reflection of a musical, cultural, and technology zeitgeist.
- GenresMusicNonfictionHistory
185 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 6, 2021
22 people are currently reading
239 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
May 29, 2023
I tell you what more than 40 years later and the album still holds up really well!
Hmmm if we’re being honest here, the majority of this seems to be a cut and paste job lifted from various documentaries and other printed media, being really heavy on the trivial and tedious details. The padding is hard to ignore.
There were some interesting titbits here and there, it was amusing to look back and see how many in the media and music industry were unconvinced about MTV and the role of the music video, and there was some nice creative bursts here and there too.
I’m not really sure what I was expecting from this, but I am pretty sure I never found it. This was a decent read, but by no means does justice to one of the best pop albums of the 80s, and the best of Duran Duran’s career.
Hmmm if we’re being honest here, the majority of this seems to be a cut and paste job lifted from various documentaries and other printed media, being really heavy on the trivial and tedious details. The padding is hard to ignore.
There were some interesting titbits here and there, it was amusing to look back and see how many in the media and music industry were unconvinced about MTV and the role of the music video, and there was some nice creative bursts here and there too.
I’m not really sure what I was expecting from this, but I am pretty sure I never found it. This was a decent read, but by no means does justice to one of the best pop albums of the 80s, and the best of Duran Duran’s career.
July 11, 2021
If you idol worship a band for say, 40 years, you know a lot about them. But do you? This was a good lithmus test for that. It only took me a hour to read because a book can be knocked out quickly if one is filled with infectious joy while reading it. This was the case! I felt like I was 10 again. Pure joy.
June 15, 2021
Okay, here's the thing...I wouldn't call myself a Duran Duran fan. I'm not even sure I actively liked them during the Eighties, when they were every-damn-where. But as I've gotten older and started to shed some of my rockist leanings (because I always loved clever pop music, and being a rockist leads you down the rabbit hole of endless debates about Led Zeppelin versus Aerosmith and no one with any sentience can survive said debates along those lines), and learned to re-embrace the pop music of my youth as well as look back on what I didn't actually care for at the time with some traces of nostalgia for simpler times. Of course, "nostalgia" is rooted in a fake rendering of the past, but alas, it's the best we've got. And so in the spirit of warmly leaving myself open to things that might once have frightened me, I have read this amazing book about an album I don't own by a band that...okay, fine, they're pretty freaking good. It's 2021, and if you can't admit to liking "Hungry Like the Wolf" or "Rio" the song, you're dead inside.
Annie Zaleski makes a really good argument for the relevance not just of the album "Rio" but also of Duran Duran, who were lumped into the "New Romantic" movement of the early Eighties with some justification (they were Bowie acolytes, they wore make-up as part of their stage presentation, teenager girls the world loved them), but who may have been much more than just image and flash. Like I said, I don't own the album, I know the singles from my childhood and oldies radio today, but the best critical writing about any art form will make a reader appreciate that which they do not know or look at in quite the same way as the critic before reading said work. And this book, dare I say, made me want to re-think my take on D-D for good.
Zaleski uses interviews with the band members and those around them to show how the record, their second, was a pretty smoothly conceived and recorded endeavor (no sophomore jinx for Duran Duran), and how the band's pioneering use of the new music-video format helped them eventually go from an also-ran to one of the biggest groups in Eighties music. You don't have to be a fan to appreciate how revolutionary they were in this approach, and in recognizing early on how important MTV (then in its first few years of existence) was for any aspiring act. Duran Duran were never just pop idols, as Zaleski points out; they experimented with new sounds and lyrically challenged themselves rather than settle for what had worked before. Some bands could've based their entire career around "Girls On Film," for instance, but Duran strove to do more. The album they recorded has themes of escapism on it (which, if you know anything about the early Eighties economic woes of Thatcher's England, makes sense). In a country where class was (and still is) all-important, Duran Duran came from "the provinces" (Birmingham), not London, and were thus looked down upon in the music press there. In America they didn't get much help from radio initially, which was still stuck in the Seventies (and still sucking because of being stuck in the Seventies). But gradually, the boys of Duran Duran achieved their goals and conquered the Eighties world around them.
I've only ever read one other 33 1/3 book about an album I didn't own (Carl Wilson's masterful take on Celine Dion), but I decided to give this a try because, deep down, I would think that maybe it's okay to admit to jamming out to Duran Duran these days. And it really is; good art, even pop art, is lasting to some extent, and worthy of serious consideration. I may not be a huge Duran Duran fan, but I'm not going to turn off the radio when one of their brilliant pop confections comes on over the airwaves. And you shouldn't either. Duran Duran were much more than "pretty boys sending the girls' hearts a-flutter." They were great songwriters, and damn good performers.
Annie Zaleski makes a really good argument for the relevance not just of the album "Rio" but also of Duran Duran, who were lumped into the "New Romantic" movement of the early Eighties with some justification (they were Bowie acolytes, they wore make-up as part of their stage presentation, teenager girls the world loved them), but who may have been much more than just image and flash. Like I said, I don't own the album, I know the singles from my childhood and oldies radio today, but the best critical writing about any art form will make a reader appreciate that which they do not know or look at in quite the same way as the critic before reading said work. And this book, dare I say, made me want to re-think my take on D-D for good.
Zaleski uses interviews with the band members and those around them to show how the record, their second, was a pretty smoothly conceived and recorded endeavor (no sophomore jinx for Duran Duran), and how the band's pioneering use of the new music-video format helped them eventually go from an also-ran to one of the biggest groups in Eighties music. You don't have to be a fan to appreciate how revolutionary they were in this approach, and in recognizing early on how important MTV (then in its first few years of existence) was for any aspiring act. Duran Duran were never just pop idols, as Zaleski points out; they experimented with new sounds and lyrically challenged themselves rather than settle for what had worked before. Some bands could've based their entire career around "Girls On Film," for instance, but Duran strove to do more. The album they recorded has themes of escapism on it (which, if you know anything about the early Eighties economic woes of Thatcher's England, makes sense). In a country where class was (and still is) all-important, Duran Duran came from "the provinces" (Birmingham), not London, and were thus looked down upon in the music press there. In America they didn't get much help from radio initially, which was still stuck in the Seventies (and still sucking because of being stuck in the Seventies). But gradually, the boys of Duran Duran achieved their goals and conquered the Eighties world around them.
I've only ever read one other 33 1/3 book about an album I didn't own (Carl Wilson's masterful take on Celine Dion), but I decided to give this a try because, deep down, I would think that maybe it's okay to admit to jamming out to Duran Duran these days. And it really is; good art, even pop art, is lasting to some extent, and worthy of serious consideration. I may not be a huge Duran Duran fan, but I'm not going to turn off the radio when one of their brilliant pop confections comes on over the airwaves. And you shouldn't either. Duran Duran were much more than "pretty boys sending the girls' hearts a-flutter." They were great songwriters, and damn good performers.
July 6, 2021
Best book ever written about a single band.
August 14, 2022
I wish I had this book growing up so I could justify to everyone who ridiculed me for loving Duran Duran how truly great and influential they are.
April 28, 2024
I've always avoided Duran Duran because, I considered them uncool. Obviously this is silly thinking but because of this, I never bothered to listen to one of their albums.
Now I've heard Rio and it's very good!
Annie Zaleski's volume on this mega 80's is a thorough one. Detailed passages about the band's early days, their rise to fame, some trivia about the album, lots of trivia behind the videos, as their promos coincided with the birth of MTV. The book concludes on Rio's cultural impact and it's a big on.
Lots of love here.
Now I've heard Rio and it's very good!
Annie Zaleski's volume on this mega 80's is a thorough one. Detailed passages about the band's early days, their rise to fame, some trivia about the album, lots of trivia behind the videos, as their promos coincided with the birth of MTV. The book concludes on Rio's cultural impact and it's a big on.
Lots of love here.
May 27, 2021
Might be the best in the series (and I've read a good 60-70 of them), especially if you want to learn about the making of an album while also getting clear perspective on the meaning/importance/ideas within the music. Now I need to go figure out which of the several versions of the LP was the one I bought when I was 9 (my first album)...
May 15, 2021
A great overview of this iconic album. Nothing really new here if you're already a diehard fan, but plenty of insight for someone who appreciates the band but isn't familiar with their background.
September 13, 2021
Having been a dyed in the wool Duranie since they burst on the UK scene in 1981I purchased this book mainly from a memorabilia angle with no intention of reading it. Saying that I'm glad I have.
The book offers no real new insights to the band or indeed the album but does have snippets from folk you never heard from back in the day which is nice.
It's a short read and really well put together. A very enjoyable and nostalgic look at what had to be the album of the eighties.
The book offers no real new insights to the band or indeed the album but does have snippets from folk you never heard from back in the day which is nice.
It's a short read and really well put together. A very enjoyable and nostalgic look at what had to be the album of the eighties.
October 9, 2021
Annie has written a masterpiece about a masterpiece. I savored every single word. It’s been especially fun to read while rewatching Sing Blue Silver and Classic Albums. :)
May 28, 2022
Definitive book about the definitive album by the definitive band.
June 21, 2021
Duran Duran has a magical way of playing directly to you, like the lyrics and musical sequences exist because of what you are feeling in your life, of what you are going through at that exact moment. I believe every Duranie I know, which is plentiful, would concur. This tiny little magnificent book by Annie Zaleski is a perfect glimpse into the phenomenon of Rio by Duran Duran filled to the brim with incredible insights and juicy tidbits of the video innovators transition from traditional radio airplay & dance club rotation. The band member’s quotes and the stories of the industry players of the time as well as my very own 13 year old memories of realizing that my favorite band was definitely on their way to Beatle like pandemonium! I am (we are) so lucky to have this amazing band performing the soundtrack of my life (our lives) just for me (for us)!
Read
January 29, 2023This one I read in the limited edition, because extra interview with Simon le Bon, and also I thought there was meant to be an extra Nick Rhodes foreword but I apparently made that up. Now, a hardback 33 1/3 roughly twice the physical dimensions of the rest of the range, and as such unsuitable for any normal pocket, could be deemed to have fallen victim to the same gigantism which ultimately left sabre-toothed tigers barely able to hunt, or peacocks to fly; if the 33 1/3 range isn't portable, then what is it? In terms of content, though, this is classic 33 1/3 material. No high concept, wacky authorial voice, or tortuous attempt to make the album an allegory about Jebus; just a deep dive into what it is, how it came to be, and why that matters. It helps that it came out when it did, so Zaleski* doesn't have to waste too much time establishing Duran Duran as a worthy topic of investigation, their canonical status having been firmly established these past couple of decades**, though she does double back to look at the snobbery which has always attended good-looking acts with young female fans. The specific manifestation of that in Duran Duran's case, of course, also taking in their status as one of the first great pop video acts. It's a truism that their rise and MTV's coincided, but Zaleski digs up chapter and verse, showing the extent of the symbiosis, such that Duran Duran's records would be flying off the shelves in the half of a city where MTV was available, while even across town they wouldn't be getting anything like the same traction – something which in turn meant MTV could show sceptical labels why they should be supplied with videos for free.
This does lead into a section which, for this British reader at least, maybe gets a little too caught up in the minutiae of Duran Duran breaking America. I could happily have lived without quite so much detail on who was playlisting what when, never mind the associated references to Duran Duran as 'new wave', though I suppose we must be grateful that despite the occasional intrusions of that distinctly American variety of music writing which always feels a bit close to PR (one performance of My Own Way is apparently "a no-brakes punk-funk jam"), Duran Duran at least remain plural rather than singular, mostly. Although I was amused by the image from Boston's WBCN which refers to them as 'Duran, Duran', as if they were a duo. The reference to "pop Svengali Kate Bush", on the other hand, is the author's, and puzzling.
Still, overall the thorough research definitely digs up more gems than chaff. Obviously I knew that Russell Mulcahy went on from Duran Duran videos to feature films, but I had no idea that Eric Fellner, his producer on those videos, would go on to even bigger things, serving as executive producer on The Big Lebowski and Four Weddings. That The Chauffeur is just le Bon and Rhodes I knew, but not that the acoustic version is the only Duran Duran record with no Nick – which of course leaves me picturing the latter recording session opening with Simon telling the assorted Taylors "Where we're going, we don't need Rhodes." Beyond the accumulation of facts, though, Zaleski has an understanding of why Duran Duran in general and Rio in particular worked so well. Things like being in the right place at the right time, of course, which is a factor in any success story – but also specifics like having enough material to go pretty much straight through, rather than getting caught in 'difficult second album' second-guessing. Above all, unlike many of their peers***, simply not being the types to pine after someone and then lose interest when the feeling is reciprocated; they wanted fame, they got fame, and fame was awesome, thanks very much.
*I like to think that she wrote this in the ruined abbey she inherited from her lovelorn detective ancestor, occasionally pausing to cover Rio tracks on the organ, but I accept that this is unlikely.
**Weirdly, since Astronaut, so they stopped making decent records at exactly the same point they were belatedly ushered into the canon.
***Compare and contrast Japan – though it does sound like Steve Jansen got the best of his Asteroids rivalry with Rhodes.
This does lead into a section which, for this British reader at least, maybe gets a little too caught up in the minutiae of Duran Duran breaking America. I could happily have lived without quite so much detail on who was playlisting what when, never mind the associated references to Duran Duran as 'new wave', though I suppose we must be grateful that despite the occasional intrusions of that distinctly American variety of music writing which always feels a bit close to PR (one performance of My Own Way is apparently "a no-brakes punk-funk jam"), Duran Duran at least remain plural rather than singular, mostly. Although I was amused by the image from Boston's WBCN which refers to them as 'Duran, Duran', as if they were a duo. The reference to "pop Svengali Kate Bush", on the other hand, is the author's, and puzzling.
Still, overall the thorough research definitely digs up more gems than chaff. Obviously I knew that Russell Mulcahy went on from Duran Duran videos to feature films, but I had no idea that Eric Fellner, his producer on those videos, would go on to even bigger things, serving as executive producer on The Big Lebowski and Four Weddings. That The Chauffeur is just le Bon and Rhodes I knew, but not that the acoustic version is the only Duran Duran record with no Nick – which of course leaves me picturing the latter recording session opening with Simon telling the assorted Taylors "Where we're going, we don't need Rhodes." Beyond the accumulation of facts, though, Zaleski has an understanding of why Duran Duran in general and Rio in particular worked so well. Things like being in the right place at the right time, of course, which is a factor in any success story – but also specifics like having enough material to go pretty much straight through, rather than getting caught in 'difficult second album' second-guessing. Above all, unlike many of their peers***, simply not being the types to pine after someone and then lose interest when the feeling is reciprocated; they wanted fame, they got fame, and fame was awesome, thanks very much.
*I like to think that she wrote this in the ruined abbey she inherited from her lovelorn detective ancestor, occasionally pausing to cover Rio tracks on the organ, but I accept that this is unlikely.
**Weirdly, since Astronaut, so they stopped making decent records at exactly the same point they were belatedly ushered into the canon.
***Compare and contrast Japan – though it does sound like Steve Jansen got the best of his Asteroids rivalry with Rhodes.
August 2, 2021
Rio is probably one of my favorite Duran Duran albums. I've been a huge fan since my teens so I was just bursting with excitement to read this and relive the time I first heard Rio. The author did a great job breaking down the parts and the quotes and facts came smoothly. There were a few facts that I was just learning and it just added to my listening experience when I played the album after reading this book.
Highly recommend to all my Duran Duran friends.
Highly recommend to all my Duran Duran friends.
July 14, 2021
This is a fantastic dive into one of the early '80s most iconic albums.
The album was made fairly early in the band's career and coincided with their rise to fame. Their breakthrough in the States took a while but when they hit, they hit it big. It chronicles their influences, work ethic, and boundless self-confidence that they would make it.
I have always maintained that the band was unfairly maligned as some sort of manufactured, talentless band. That couldn't be further from the truth, and rock critic and fan Lyndsey Porter writes that misogyny played a big part in that myth, that "an artist that has a largely female fan base gets criticized for that." This is true.
Near the end of the book, the author observes that "while associated with a very specific era, 'Rio' captures a timeless experience—figuring out who you are and who you want to be." These were middle-class kids from Birmingham making fun music and filming videos in exotic locales. They dreamed big and they made this small-town teenager dream big, too. I wanted to travel and meet handsome boys like them and maybe have an adventure!
A must for any fan of the band.
The album was made fairly early in the band's career and coincided with their rise to fame. Their breakthrough in the States took a while but when they hit, they hit it big. It chronicles their influences, work ethic, and boundless self-confidence that they would make it.
I have always maintained that the band was unfairly maligned as some sort of manufactured, talentless band. That couldn't be further from the truth, and rock critic and fan Lyndsey Porter writes that misogyny played a big part in that myth, that "an artist that has a largely female fan base gets criticized for that." This is true.
Near the end of the book, the author observes that "while associated with a very specific era, 'Rio' captures a timeless experience—figuring out who you are and who you want to be." These were middle-class kids from Birmingham making fun music and filming videos in exotic locales. They dreamed big and they made this small-town teenager dream big, too. I wanted to travel and meet handsome boys like them and maybe have an adventure!
A must for any fan of the band.
July 6, 2021
I loved everything about this deep look into one of my favorite albums from my favorite band of all time. I've been a fan since I was 12 years old, and reading this brought back so many great memories while also giving me at least a few tidbits about the recording of Rio that I hadn't read before.
May 9, 2021
That was an absolute delight.
October 30, 2025
Another nostalgia trip down memory lane, written by someone who clearly loves Duran Duran and who recognises how their later life choices were shaped by encountering the band. I can’t say mine were (apart from donning a silver jumpsuit and a blue glitzy neck scarf to the winter school disco when I was twelve).
The mini-book is well-researched and solidly written, including offering an interesting insight into MTV’s influence in the US and how the channel’s launch coincided with Duran Duran’s rise. This feels particularly relevant now, given that earlier this month it was announced MTV is shutting down five of its European channels after nearly thirty years, thanks to changing viewing habits.
The middle section, cataloguing in painstaking detail which American radio station played which version of which song and how that affected the charts, came across as a bit too zealous for my taste, and a little dull as a consequence. (Give me a simpler Thursday night waiting for TOTP to air followed by the Top 40 on a Sunday afternoon any day!)
Overall, though, it’s probably a mini-must-read for any Duran Duran fan.
The mini-book is well-researched and solidly written, including offering an interesting insight into MTV’s influence in the US and how the channel’s launch coincided with Duran Duran’s rise. This feels particularly relevant now, given that earlier this month it was announced MTV is shutting down five of its European channels after nearly thirty years, thanks to changing viewing habits.
The middle section, cataloguing in painstaking detail which American radio station played which version of which song and how that affected the charts, came across as a bit too zealous for my taste, and a little dull as a consequence. (Give me a simpler Thursday night waiting for TOTP to air followed by the Top 40 on a Sunday afternoon any day!)
Overall, though, it’s probably a mini-must-read for any Duran Duran fan.
July 15, 2021
In her new 33⅓ title, respected music writer Annie Zaleski plants a firm stake: "Rio feels like a complete, cohesive statement — a cultural-shifting sonic universe akin to 1980s blockbusters such as Prince's Purple Rain, Madonna's Like a Virgin, Michael Jackson's Thriller, and Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. Back then, I would've been roundly shamed and ridiculed for saying that."
She's not wrong. No band may have been more purely emblematic of MTV in its explosively influential early years than Duran Duran, who looked so damn good, it was easy for musicheads to peg them as the station's creation. In fact, as Zaleski details, the opposite statement would be much closer to the truth: "When 'Hungry Like the Wolf' appears on early MTV," she writes, "it's akin to when television turned from black-and-white to color."
I reviewed this book for The Current.
She's not wrong. No band may have been more purely emblematic of MTV in its explosively influential early years than Duran Duran, who looked so damn good, it was easy for musicheads to peg them as the station's creation. In fact, as Zaleski details, the opposite statement would be much closer to the truth: "When 'Hungry Like the Wolf' appears on early MTV," she writes, "it's akin to when television turned from black-and-white to color."
I reviewed this book for The Current.
August 11, 2021
It’s both a pro and a con that each 33 1/3 author has the freedom to approach the album of focus in their own fashion. You know you’re buying a book about an album; you don’t really know any more than that.
This installment is primarily the narrative of the creation, promotion and reception of “Rio.” While this particular take practically breezes past explorations of the songs themselves, the depth of the reporting more than makes up for any perceived shortcomings in the topical focus. You feel like you’re there with these ambitious 20-year-olds on this journey, and the band members are your primary narrators. You already know how it turns out, but the story is presented so well that you’re rooting for them as if it’s in doubt.
This installment is primarily the narrative of the creation, promotion and reception of “Rio.” While this particular take practically breezes past explorations of the songs themselves, the depth of the reporting more than makes up for any perceived shortcomings in the topical focus. You feel like you’re there with these ambitious 20-year-olds on this journey, and the band members are your primary narrators. You already know how it turns out, but the story is presented so well that you’re rooting for them as if it’s in doubt.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2023
I was not a fan of Duan Duran at the start. Perhaps it was due to the misogyny of dismissing band favored by teenage girls as articulated by the author. Oddly enough it was the offshoot bands, particularly Powerstation, that revealed their sheer talent. I have since gone back to their catalogue and grown to appreciate them.
This was also great to read because I lived it. My grandparents had MTV in Houston while I did not in my small town. The music heard reflected that. Once I had my MTV, my musical palette expanded tremendously. Odd that Duran Duran remains relevant while MTV does not.
Lovely addition to this great series.
This was also great to read because I lived it. My grandparents had MTV in Houston while I did not in my small town. The music heard reflected that. Once I had my MTV, my musical palette expanded tremendously. Odd that Duran Duran remains relevant while MTV does not.
Lovely addition to this great series.
June 3, 2021
This book was everything I wanted. The stories behind the songs, a snapshot of where the band came from and how its popularity grew, and the historical context of changes in the music world at the time. The author also explained how radio formatting worked and how MTV and video upended traditional sources of new music. The author also has an approachable writing style that made this book a pleasant, and nostalgic, page turner.
August 17, 2023
I was underwhelmed by this book. It might be more interesting and helpful for someone who was not already familiar with the band and read music magazines so knew the buzz and news about them. As it was I do not think I learned anything new about them.
This was the fifth 33 1/3 book I read and the only one I liked less was the Meat Is Murder one but that was particularly irksome since it was just a short story with tangential connection to the great Smiths album.
This was the fifth 33 1/3 book I read and the only one I liked less was the Meat Is Murder one but that was particularly irksome since it was just a short story with tangential connection to the great Smiths album.
June 19, 2021
I breezed through this book in a flash. The author presents a well-researched, thorough and yet concise analysis of Duran Duran's timeless second album, Rio, and the role it played in Duran Duran's success not only as hitmakers but as a band that has thrived for four decades and influenced countless other musicians. I absolutely loved this book.
January 22, 2022
I was never a big Duran Duran fan, but i certainly remember them being huge and the influence that MTV had on my perception of their music. And every now and then i still say “Juurahn Juurahn” to myself just for fun.
This book made me appreciate the glam and swagger of it all. And i never saw the connection to Adam Ant before but it’s there…
This book made me appreciate the glam and swagger of it all. And i never saw the connection to Adam Ant before but it’s there…
May 15, 2022
I discovered Duran Duran for myself my sophomore year in high school, and the way their music told stories has inspired me ever since. The way critics talked about them always made it seem like a bad thing to appreciate their music. Finally someone put into words exactly what was so inspiring and influential and yes, well done, about their music.
August 3, 2022
The best bit is to unpack how video killed the radio stars. Literally half of Dallas had MTV and the stores there had very different best-sellers.
The very worst bit is to wave away any discussion of colonialism or exoticism with the hacky “the dictionary defines” paragraph before the tour moves on.
Also Neil Gaiman’s biography of Duran Duran is cited once.
The very worst bit is to wave away any discussion of colonialism or exoticism with the hacky “the dictionary defines” paragraph before the tour moves on.
Also Neil Gaiman’s biography of Duran Duran is cited once.
September 21, 2022
Interesting if you are a fan
This book was ok. Most of the info was taken from previously published interviews, and it did not go as in depth with the recording process as I was expecting. There was a good overview though, of how the album singles and the album itself, performed in the media and the influence that Rio had on future album charts and artists and on music videos.
This book was ok. Most of the info was taken from previously published interviews, and it did not go as in depth with the recording process as I was expecting. There was a good overview though, of how the album singles and the album itself, performed in the media and the influence that Rio had on future album charts and artists and on music videos.
April 3, 2023
The book has a solid linear foundation which made it easy to read in just a few days, once I actually sat down to get there. I think the storytelling, the added research/interviews gave a little more personality to the book than most, and ultimately, while it didn't unearth anything shocking or new, it did provide a really solid look into the life of this album and those involved.
December 24, 2024
This book makes a lot of bold claims that I don't feel it backs up too well. Comparing Duran Duran fandom to Beatlemania? Calling 1983 was the year of Duran Duran? Calling Duran Duran a timeless sound? Saying nothing else sounds like Duran Duran? Apologies to the author, but I'm not sure I buy any of these.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews