DURAN DURAN
Rio
EMI CD/DOWNLOAD
**** (4 stars)
Without them, there’d be no La Roux...

Until recently a guilty pleasure for those thrilled by their shiny pop sensibilities but appalled by their habit of dicking about on yachts, Duran Duran’s rehabilatation as a national pop treasure is no complete. Originally released in 1982, today both the Chic-inspired basslines and aspirational lyrics of Rio seem utterly contemporary singles such as MY OWN WAY were shameless adverts for good times, a fact noted by a nascent MTV, who plugged them to death. SAVE A PRAYER meanwhile – Le Bon’s celebration of the one night stand – ensured that America would fall at their espadrilled feet. - Paul Moody/Q Magazine