Rio Redux

Remember Duran,Duran? It was arguably one of the best rock bands ever. Their album two years back Astronaut (which featured the terrific tracks "Want You More" and "Finest Hour") was simply stunning, proving once and for all their enduring impact on the music scene.

In 1982, they released their classic album Rio. It catapulted Simon LeBon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, Roger Taylor and Andy Taylor to international celebrity. (None of the Taylors are related.) Eagle Rock Entertainment this month releases the DVD of Rio as part of its continuing classic albums series. It captures perfectly the writing, recording, production and reaction of the group's classic album.

The release includes new interviews, vintage clips from the original release, new and archival performance footage and musical discussions that capture the evolution of the record. This is a must-have for fans of the band. Included are the album's hits "Save A Prayer," "New Religion," "Hungry Like The Wolf," and the title track. For this writer, who has closely followed the evolution of this band, both musically, culturally, and certainly admiring their much heralded comeback with Astronaut, this DVD is simply fascinating. Just for the record, I thought Astronaunt was one of the best of 2004.

Courtesy of The Improper