Duran Duran – Rio (1982)

Rio is the sophomore album by English quintet Duran Duran. Released in 1982 as the band were breaking on a global scale, the album augments their modernist sound with foreign flavors and an overall cosmopolitanism vibe — an aesthetic rendered by the album’s era-defining Nagel cover art.

Maintaining the first LP’s balance of chic singalongs and epic melodrama, highlights of Rio include the poignant balladry of “Save a Prayer,” the topically heady, e-bow-laden “New Religion,” and the anthemic, jet-setting title track. The glacial electro-sparseness of “The Chauffeur” pays ode to the band’s coldwave roots.

Tracklist:
A1. Rio
A2. My Own Way
A3. Lonely in Your Nightmare
A4. Hungry Like the Wolf
A5. Hold Back the Rain
B1. New Religion
B2. Last Chance on the Stairway
B3. Save a Prayer
B4. The Chauffeur

Credits:
Simon Le Bon – vocals, vibraphone (B1), acoustic guitar (B3), ocarina (B4)
Nick Rhodes – keyboards, marimba, harmonies
John Taylor – bass, harmonies
Andy Taylor – guitars, harmonies
Roger Taylor – drums, percussion