Hello everyone It recently struck me how many different versions of Hold Back The Rain there are: it seems to have changes made to it each time it is released! The ones I know of are: 1. Rio (vinyl - let's say this is the original) 2. B-side of Save A Prayer (vinyl - remix) 3. Rio (CD start is different and I think the guitar bit in the middle is missing)4. Strange Behaviour (double CD - starts different and has bizarre noises in it) 5. Essential Night Versions (Cd plus Enhanced CD - another different start) I'm surprised the re-master of Rio didn't have yet another version. Who does these things, and why is this the only song to have this happen so much? (I'm not counting Greatest as remixes, as cutting songs down so they could fit more on doesn't qualify as a remix) Curious Ron...

THE REASON THERE ARE SO MANY VERSIONS OF "HOLD BACK THE RAIN" IS TWO FOLD. FIRST OFF, WHEN IT WAS MIXED IN LONDON FOR THE ALBUM, THE BAND MADE SEVERAL DIFFERENT EDITS. SOMEHOW, WHEN THE ALBUM WAS RE-PRESSED, A DIFFERENT VERSION WAS USED.BY ACCIDENT. SOME MONTHS LATER AFTER TOURING AMERICA FOR THE FIRST TIME DURING THE RIO ALBUM CYCLE, IT WAS DECIDED THAT THE GUYS WOULD SOME RE-MIXES WITH DAVID KIRSHENBAUM IN LOS ANGELES. TO THEIR MEMORY, THE BAND DID ABOUT 5 TRACKS FROMTHE RIO ALBUM, THE BULK OF WHICH BECAME THE CAARNICAL EP. THE BAND ALSO RE-SERVICED RADIO IN AMERICA WITH THE NEW MIX OF "HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF." WHEN DURAN DURAN RE-MIXED "HOLD BACK THE RAIN," ONCE MORE, THERE WAS SEVERAL DIFFERENT EDITS MADE. IT IS THE VERSION WHICH ENDED UP ON THE LATER ISSUES OF THE US VINYL RELEASE OF THE ALBUM WHICH PROBABLY CAUSED MOST CONFUSION BECAUSE THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WHO OWN THE RIO ALBUM ALL BELIEVE THIS TO BE THE ORIGINAL VERSION - BUT IT IS NOT. FURTHER CONFUSION AROSE WHEN THE BAND RECENTLY DID A LIMITED EDITION DIGIPACK CD OF RIO. WHEN SEARCHING THRU THE MASTER TAPES AND TRYING TO IDENTIFY WHAT WAS TRULY THE ORIGINAL MIX USED WHEN THE ALBUM WAS FIRST RELEASED, MANY AMERICANS THOUGHT EMI UK ENDED UP USING THE WRONG VERSION. BUT AS FAR AS THE BAND MEMBERS REMEMBER, IT WAS IN FACT THE CORRECT MIX. FINALLY, WHEN THE VINYL ALBUM WAS FIRST PUT OUT ON CD, YET AGAIN A LATER VERSION WAS USED. IF YOU FOLLOWED ALL OF THAT, AND AREN'T EVEN MORE CONFUSED, WELL DONE!