Rio (W/Book) (Coll) [Collector's Edition, Original recording remastered]

Duran Duran | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 6, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 1982
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Collector's Edition, Original recording remastered
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B0027REDK2
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  Health and Beauty
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #89,304 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Rio

2. My Own Way

3. Lonely In Your Nightmare (U.S. 12" Carnival EP)

4. Hungry Like The Wolf

5. Hold Back The Rain (U.S. album remix)

6. New Religion

7. Last Chance On The Stairway

8. Save A Prayer

9. The Chauffeur (U.S. Album & EP Remixes)

10. Rio (U.S. album remix)

See all 14 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Last Chance On The Stairway (Manchester Square Demos, Recorded August 28, 1981)

2. My Own Way (Manchester Square Demos, Recorded August 28, 1981)

3. New Religion (Manchester Square Demos, Recorded August 28, 1981)

4. Like An Angel (Manchester Square Demos, Recorded August 28, 1981)

5. My Own Way (original 7" version - U.K. single A-side, released Nov. 1981)

6. Like An Angel (U.K. single B-side, released Nov. 1981)

7. Careless Memories (live - U.K. single B-side, released May 1982)

8. The Chauffeur (Sing Blue Silver) (U.K. single B-side, released Nov. 1982)

9. My Own Way (Night Version) (U.K. 12" single A-side, released Nov. 1981)

10. Hungry Like The Wolf (Night Version) (U.K. 12" single A-side, released May 1982)

See all 13 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Introduced in 2000. Fragrance notes: a scent of the ocean combined with fragrant woods and musk, and low notes of citrus. Recommended use: casual. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Exhaustive Look at Duran Duran's Finest Album, October 11, 2009

By 

Giacomo Holdini (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rio (W/Book) (Coll) (Audio CD)

This is the third CD release of the Rio album, and it compiles the original UK LP release of the album, the US Kershenbaum remixes, some original demos, as well as b-sides, non-album singles and Night Versions. Because there are literally dozens of versions of certain songs from the album, no one release will ever encompass all of them, but this one comes as close as any one release ever has, and most likely ever will.

Unlike the previous CD releases, the version on this disc is the original UK LP release of the album. Essentially, the UK album is identical to the previous CD issues, with three exceptions: The version of "Lonely In Your Nightmare" appearing on this disc is a different mix than that featured on the earlier CDs. This mix features a longer synth note at the beginning, a three-bar lead-in to the vocal (as opposed to four bars on the earlier CD versions), acoustic guitar that doesn't come in until halfway through the first verse (as opposed to starting at the beginning on the earlier CDs), different vocal and instrument levels, and a generally more ambient and diffuse sound. The version of "Hold Back the Rain" is virtually the same as the "remix" version on the "Save a Prayer" disc in the Singles Box, but with a slightly different mix and much better sound. This version is dramatically different from the ones featured on the previous Rio CDs. It has the synth intro, is more texturally jagged and more musicially propulsive, but omits two of the verses and thus feels somewhat structurally disjointed. Finally, "Save a Prayer" is nearly the same as the version appearing on the earlier CDs, but with a slightly different edit at the end, on Simon's "Save a prayer til the morning after" refrain. This is not the same as the mix used for the video (which has never appeared on any album or single, unfortunately), but is closer to it than any version previously available on disc. Whether or not this is the "best" version of the Rio album is subjective, but insofar as it was the version first issued on LP in the UK, which was the version Nick Rhodes and producer Colin Thurston mixed together, it is the most historically correct, and likely the most definitive.

Soundwise, this is arguably the best this album has ever sounded. This newest mastering is actually closer to the original CD mastering from the '80s than to the 2001 remaster. Compared to the '80s CD, the 2001 remaster greatly enhanced the higher frequencies present on the master tape, and as such sounded much brighter - arguably too bright. It also had much more tape hiss, and lost a certain degree of focus and tightness. Compared to the '01 remaster, the sound on this latest mastering is considerably tighter and more focused, and with much less hiss, but without sounding artificially processed by noise reduction techniques; it sounds natural and balanced. The new mastering also has more thrust, presence and sonic impact than the earlier '80s mastering, while still being brighter sounding. In effect, it combines the best of both worlds.

The Kershenbaum mixes are their own thing. Some are outstanding - his mix of "Lonely In Your Nightmare" is definitive - whereas some are just OK. To a greater or lesser extent, all of them capitalize on details not present in the original album mixes, and cause the listener to hear the music differently. Unfortunately, none of them sound very good compared to the polish of the original album mixes. Textures are thick and muddled, obscuring the wonderful engineering Colin Thurston used in recording the multitrack tapes, which was preserved in the original mixes. Nevertheless, these are the versions many fans have been hungering for for years, and this is the best these versions are ever likely to sound. Note: the Kershenbaum remix of "Hungry Like the Wolf" on disc one is the rare U.S.#2 album remix, which was quickly replaced by the Night Version of the song on subsequent pressings. It makes its CD debut here, as does the Kershenbaum mix of "Lonely in Your Nightmare."

The best packaging a Rio CD ever got was the limited edition mini-LP gatefold for the 2001 remastered CD. That version featured an outstanding reproduction of the album cover, and also included the second Nagel painting the band had commissioned - on the cover of the lyrics booklet - along with a separate inner sleeve for the CD, and a gorgeous reproduction of the gatefold photo. This latest version doesn't quite approach the grace of the earlier issue, even though it is more comprehensive in terms of content. For one, the cover is not as rich in its color palette; colors are more muted than on the more highly saturated and warmer-hued 2001 sleeve. This release has a more comprehensive booklet with thorough liner notes and many, many photos - some of which are anachronistic, clearly coming from different periods of the band's development. Unfortunately, the fixed sleeves for the CDs are quite tight, and will likely make disc scratching an issue if one is not careful. Generally, it is a nice package, but doesn't do quite the same justice to the original, innovative design of Malcom Garret as the earlier mini-LP gatefold design did. However, I would say this package is superior to any previous versions of the CD available in jewel boxes - although at least jewel boxes won't scratch the discs in them.

Beyond the Kershenbaum mixes of "Lonely In Your Nightmare" and "Hungry Like the Wolf," as well as two of the cuts on the album itself, there is scant little in this package that has not been made available on CD before, either on the Night Versions disc, or the Singles box. The four demos on the second disc are newly available, and are worth a listen once or twice through, but grow tedious pretty quickly. The rest of the songs - which include the 7-inch and Night Versions of "My Own Way," the b-sides "Like an Angel" and "The Chauffeur (Blue Silver)," and various other Night Versions and remixes - have all been available before on CD. However, by compiling them here, this collection provides an exhaustive look at the various incarnations of Duran Duran's music from this period. Add in a unique, superior mastering for the album tracks, and a handful of key mixes unavailable on any other CD release, and the result is a collection that will prove invaluable for fans of this band's finest hour.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is has all of the original US album, October 7, 2009

By 

D.H. (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rio (W/Book) (Coll) (Audio CD)

At long last, the Rio album is released in a format that allows you to program your CD player (or download your Ipod) with the complete version of the album that we in the US and Canada listened to in 82/83. Personally, I could never listen to the UK version issued on CD a few years ago. It just wasn't the same album.

And while you could cobble together most of the US version from various albums/compilations released over the years, as far as I know, up until now, the 5:33 version of Save a Prayer, and the US Remix of Lonely in Your Nightmare, were not available on CD. They're both here, along with both US versions of Hungry Like the Wolf (the original US album version and the much better Night Version).

Sound quality is tremendous. It does seem like the US Remixes may have been taken from a vinyl copy, however; you can clearly hear noise at the beginning of Lonely in Your Nightmare and Rio; compare this to the absence of such noise in the UK versions. But even if that is the case, the sound quality is still pretty good, and well beyond that of the vinyl copies from the 80's.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At long last, the version of 'Rio' we Americans (yeah, us yanks!) grew up on!, October 7, 2009

By 

The Sulphur Man (Alabama) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rio (Collector's Edition) (MP3 Download)

This version of 'Rio' is worth every penny due to the release, for the first time ever on CD or in preservable digital format, of the U.S. album mixes (including both the U.S. "album mix" and subsequent "Night Version" of "Hungry Like the Wolf") as presented to in 1983. The U.K. mixes are present and accounted for as well, making this truly the definitive 'Rio'. I could not be happier with the sound quality of this release. Even the MP3's are balanced, clear and actually quite punchy: a step up even from the 2001 remaster, which was a tad bass-heavy.

To see how to burn your own copy of the U.S. version of 'Rio' using the files here, go check the 'Rio' album Wikipedia page [...] (album). It lists the track lists for the first American pressing and the revised version.

Thanks, EMI and Duran, for this wonderful and thorough collection!