Duran Duran's Rio

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 ri ...

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 bu