kleph
06-03-2006, 11:02 AM
This is not a guilty pleasure. This is actually a record I greatly enjoy and have regularly listened to since pretty much the time it came out. The album's distinctive purple cover painted by artist Patrick Nagel has become iconic and immediately identifiable world wide in ways never dreamed at the time.
What is unusual about the record is that it has taken on the disposable trappings of the worst of 80s new wave by association. Most likely because of the impact the videos had to push the popularity of the then-fledgling MTV. But this record has a long and convoluted history and the band certainly is not responsible for the pandora's box they opened with their videos (although they didn't hesitate to pursue that fame relentlessly in their hopelessly mediocre follow-ups.)
Rio was released on the world in May of 1982 and there was already a bit of expectation due to the sucess of "Girls on Film." But, to that point, the band was a weird haircut one-hit-wonder. A poor man's Flock of Seagulls when that actually wasn't considered a put down by any means. It had been recorded under the helm of producer and engineer Colin Thurston in London's Air Studios.
The first single "Hungry Like the Wolf" did well in England but floundered in the states where a version with subpar sound quality was released with little to no marketing. The band was a bit more savvy and began work on full length video album to be released later in the year. They travelled to Sri Lanka and Antigua between tour dates to film the videos for "Rio", "Hungry Like The Wolf" and "Save A Prayer" that were soon to rocket them to superstadom.
It was then that producer David Kershenbaum came onboard and revolutionized things. He whipped together some 12-inch dance mixes that were released on the EP, Carnival. These became UK hits and by the end of the year, Carnival started making headway in the US charts the album itself had been unable to achieve. The record company wised up and issued a new version of Rio in the states remixed and remastered by Kershenbaum.
This is the record I came to know and love. It has a smooth pop sound, a slick attitude and a romantic heart beating beneath the veneer. The hits were always strong songs but it was Kershenbaum's haunting efforts that made previously lesser cuts such as "Hold Back the Rain," "My Own Way" - and my personal favorite track on the album - "Lonely In Your Nightmare" something sublime.
This is kind of a tragedy today because all official versions of the Rio album released on CD have been made from the original UK master tapes, and do not include any of the Kershenbaum remixes. And this sucks. There is something about these songs that peel back the marketing sheen that later enveloped the band and reveals a really great group of musicians at the height of their powers.
And, damn it all, this was a fun little album. There is just something gloriously hedonistic and enjoyable about songs like "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "Rio" that make them something a little more special than filler on a crap ass "Best of the 80s" CD. There was something alive about them that they still have today.
What is unusual about the record is that it has taken on the disposable trappings of the worst of 80s new wave by association. Most likely because of the impact the videos had to push the popularity of the then-fledgling MTV. But this record has a long and convoluted history and the band certainly is not responsible for the pandora's box they opened with their videos (although they didn't hesitate to pursue that fame relentlessly in their hopelessly mediocre follow-ups.)
Rio was released on the world in May of 1982 and there was already a bit of expectation due to the sucess of "Girls on Film." But, to that point, the band was a weird haircut one-hit-wonder. A poor man's Flock of Seagulls when that actually wasn't considered a put down by any means. It had been recorded under the helm of producer and engineer Colin Thurston in London's Air Studios.
The first single "Hungry Like the Wolf" did well in England but floundered in the states where a version with subpar sound quality was released with little to no marketing. The band was a bit more savvy and began work on full length video album to be released later in the year. They travelled to Sri Lanka and Antigua between tour dates to film the videos for "Rio", "Hungry Like The Wolf" and "Save A Prayer" that were soon to rocket them to superstadom.
It was then that producer David Kershenbaum came onboard and revolutionized things. He whipped together some 12-inch dance mixes that were released on the EP, Carnival. These became UK hits and by the end of the year, Carnival started making headway in the US charts the album itself had been unable to achieve. The record company wised up and issued a new version of Rio in the states remixed and remastered by Kershenbaum.
This is the record I came to know and love. It has a smooth pop sound, a slick attitude and a romantic heart beating beneath the veneer. The hits were always strong songs but it was Kershenbaum's haunting efforts that made previously lesser cuts such as "Hold Back the Rain," "My Own Way" - and my personal favorite track on the album - "Lonely In Your Nightmare" something sublime.
This is kind of a tragedy today because all official versions of the Rio album released on CD have been made from the original UK master tapes, and do not include any of the Kershenbaum remixes. And this sucks. There is something about these songs that peel back the marketing sheen that later enveloped the band and reveals a really great group of musicians at the height of their powers.
And, damn it all, this was a fun little album. There is just something gloriously hedonistic and enjoyable about songs like "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "Rio" that make them something a little more special than filler on a crap ass "Best of the 80s" CD. There was something alive about them that they still have today.