Friday Fave - Rio Documentary

In this first edition of Friday Fave, I am highlighting a popular post based on my stats.

Today's popular post is Duran Duran Documentary - Rio.

In short, the post covered the Rio album success and iconic songs.  The ultimate feature was the Classic Albums Rio DVD as brought to you by Amazon.

And so the Duran Duran Documentary - Rio will say the rest of it.  Follow the link above.

Duran Duran Pop Quiz

The story of Duran Duran began with two lifelong friends - Nick Rhodes and John Taylor.  Both had a strong interest in music and in fact had favorite musicians as inspiration.  And then came Roger Taylor - from "playing" on pots and pans as a child to sitting at a drum kit.  And then Andy Taylor - who may not have been because there were already two Taylors...until he auditioned.  And finally Simon Le Bon - can he sing was the ultimate hope.  He of course could and even brought along lyrics he was testing for songs now iconic to Duran Duran.

The guys, if you will, know each other pretty well by now.  Fans know them well by now too.

Question, though - As of 1981, does Duran Duran still know each other?

Enter the video below.  The topic - How well do John Taylor and Simon Le Bon know about each. 

This should be interesting.

Couture Instrumental by Nick Rhodes

In the Music Lesson by Roger Taylor post, Roger experimented with electronic drums by Roland.  He was impressed and eager to work with the different settings.

Roger, however, is not the only one fascinated by the Roland maker.  Nick Rhodes utilizes Roland for his synthesizers.

In this post, Roland is not the topic of conversation.  A couture instrumental as revealed by Nick Rhodes is the feature.

Nick's namesake instrumental is not couture...although his forever evolving synth could be.

The couture instrumental is a guitar custom designed by Nick Rhodes.  The video below showcases Nick's intriguing project as well as other couture designs.

Music Lesson by Roger Taylor

I always imagine the drums being the most simple instrument to play.  Sit at the kit and tap away. 

Now, I do know there are differences in drum kits - one for rock music, one for jazz music, and electronic drums.  I am guessing the electronic drums are for rock music, but again just a guess.

In regards to rock music, I tend to wonder if drummers use one type of kit when recording and another type of kit in live performances.

Since there is so much to learn, I thought the best resource would be Roger Taylor of Duran Duran.

 

When Nick Rhodes introduced the concept of electronics to Duran Duran music, a unique style was formed and allowed the band to offer a distinct sound.  If you watch the Live from London DVD, you will see closeup shots of Nick not only playing his keyboards but also his synthesizers.  Ironically, Nick is quite partial to Roland as well.  In this post, I was surprised to learn that Roger has taken to electronics in music.

 

I  think Duran Duran evolves with every new generation.  Roger Taylor is an example.

 

An intriguing music lesson!  





Set List Sunday Favorite

In this edition of Set List Sunday Favorite, All American is the top favorite this week.

In short, All American highlights Journey - born and raised American musicians forming Journey in San Francisco, California in 1973.

My noted favorite is "Lights" as discovered on Journey's Greatest Hits album.

All American will say the rest of it.  Follow the link above.

Duran Duran Documentary - Rio

Duran Duran was the band's debut album released in 1981. 

"Girls on Film"

"Planet Earth"

"Careless Memories"

"Night Boat"

Rio, on the other hand, set the stage for profound success on a global level.  Consider the reception -

No. 2 in the UK
No. 1 in Australia and Canada
Gold disc in 1983
Certified Platinum on April 26, 1983 (Roger Taylor's birthday)
Double Platinum status
No. 6 on Billboard 200 in the U.S.
Remained on Billboard 200 for 129 weeks

Iconic songs on Rio -

"Rio"

"Hungry Like the Wolf"

"New Religion"

"Save a Prayer"

"The Chauffer"

Astronaut brought the original lineup back together.  With this being a huge deal for the band and fans, there was a follow up documentary.

Rio launched permanent success for the band and massively growing fan base.  With Rio being a huge deal for the band, there was a documentary filmed in 2008 as a look back at the recording process as well as select studio performances.  The Duran Duran - Classic Albums: RIO DVD truly is fascinating and a must addition to any lifelong Duran Duran fan's collection.

Duran Duran Documentary - Astronaut

Astronaut in CD format is first in my Duran Duran collection.

"Reach Up For the Sunrise"

"What Happens Tomorrow"

The Live from London DVD has a bonus documentary option following the concert.  The theme is the original lineup coming together after so many years apart and bringing on the intense excitement fueled by the audience.  The theme also includes the revival of recording and the frustrating process.  Nonetheless, all were hopeful that the original lineup would be back permanently.

I was greatly intrigued by the documentary and even more so when I discovered the Astronaut documentary.  The tone behind the Astronaut documentary was lighthearted and truly hopeful that the original lineup would be back permanently.

The Astronaut documentary can also be found on YouTube -