Duran Duran

The fact that Duran Duran frontloaded Rio with "Rio," the best day-glo roller skating jam of all time, is further proof that restraint wasn't one of the Brit pretty boy band's fortes. With faux-funk bass, a bitchin' sax solo, and a chorus as big as the Rio Grande, the first track leaves the rest of the album much to live up to. Thankfully, "Hungry Like the Wolf" saves it halfway, and fan faves "Save a Prayer" and "The Chauffeur" close with some schmaltzy LeBon balladry.

With music drily electronic enough to pass for new wave and pop moistly textural enough to go over as pop, lyrics that rearrange received language from several levels of discourse into a noncommital private doggerel, and a limitless supply of Bowie clones to handle the vocal chores, this is Anglodisco at its most solemnly expedient. It lacks even the forced cheerfulness of (whatever happened to?) Haircut 100 (wait, I don't really want to know), as if it had as many hooks as A Flock of Seagulls (not bloody likely) it still wouldn't be silly enough to be any fun. (Grade - C-)