John Taylor, bass
I used to be obsessive about writing songs to start a gig with. I’d say: “We’ve obtained to have an opener!” I’d been engaged on this groove with Roger Taylor, our drummer. It simply wouldn’t go away. We performed it at each soundcheck, each rehearsal, making an attempt to make it work. After which we landed on this vibe and I knew we’d cracked it. That was Rio.
It was the early 80s and we had been all enjoying nice, with absolute confidence. Doing 60 reveals in six months does that to you. The track’s very flash. I prefer to say it’s a younger man’s bassline. As I obtained older I assumed far more economically. I might get the identical impact with out enjoying so many notes.
I beloved Stylish. Whereas I used to be below no phantasm I might play like their Bernard Edwards, I used to be making an attempt to nod in that route. However what I performed on Rio had energy, I feel. Brian Eno mentioned in his diaries that it was at all times thrilling to listen to a band enjoying on the fringe of their abilities, even when these abilities are low, and he’s proper. The track is principally every little thing we had discovered as much as that time. However there was no crowding on it, regardless of everybody enjoying one thing that’s saying: “Me, me, me!”
My spouse and I had been driving dwelling from a restaurant just lately and I placed on KLOS, a rock station primarily based in Los Angeles the place we reside. The very first thing I heard was my bassline from Rio, with two blokes speaking over it, analysing it. They couldn’t imagine I performed like that for seven minutes. And it made me realise that, sure, that track is a motherfucker and nobody will ever be capable of take that away from us. You may strive. Duran Duran have taken a number of punishment over time – a few of it deserved – however that observe is right here to remain.
It’s what occurs when you've 5 guys raised on glam, punk and beat, with the audacity to suppose they've one thing to say, pushing into one another and inflicting a unprecedented chemistry. I discover it exceptional.
Nick Rhodes, keyboards
I used to be 19 and really bold, as was each different member of the band. We had been shifting forward at full pace each day. We barely slept, did each interview we might, each TV look we had been provided. We stayed up until the nighttime tweaking songs and recordings and sounds. We gave our lives to Duran Duran.
Rio is a weird combine. For the intro, I recorded the sound of steel rods touchdown on the strings of a grand piano, the form of experimentalism I obtained from being into Karlheinz Stockhausen and John Cage. Though the video captured a second in popular culture like nothing else, I nonetheless have very combined emotions about it. I wouldn’t have admitted this again then however on the time, all I used to be apprehensive about was getting salt water on my Antony Worth go well with. Simon Le Bon, our Motion Man singer, loves all that, however I used to be not completely happy. I don’t like boats. Nonetheless, being on a yacht within the Caribbean and carrying an costly go well with was not the worst factor on the earth. And it was solely a few days of my life. Did any of us ever imagine the video would final, previous two weeks on High of the Pops? Completely not.
It did make it look as if we had been solely about consuming martinis on yachts, although. That was troublesome to deal with. It made it troublesome to be taken severely when it appeared like we had been all “existence of the wealthy and well-known”. However the thought was simply to make one thing humorous and shiny that labored with the track. And what’s incorrect with a little bit of aspiration?
There have been a number of bands round on the time who determined to remain within the UK and complain and make a number of moaning songs. That’s positive. I like a number of moaning songs. However we absolutely understood what was occurring within the UK – we’d been by way of the late 70s, which was a fairly darkish interval, and we needed to get out. We needed some gentle. We grew up in pretty previous Birmingham, a spot I like dearly, together with the folks, however if you happen to appeared on the 1978 skyline in Birmingham, let me inform you, you wouldn’t have needed to remain there.
As for the lyrics, I nonetheless don’t know what Simon writes about half the time. And I like that – just a little little bit of surrealism or abstraction. Lyrics ought to go away issues obscure. When issues are black and white, they’re hardly ever as fascinating. Individuals are nonetheless making an attempt to work Rio out. I feel Simon is, too.
Duran Duran carry out reside at headline dates throughout the UK this summer time, together with London’s Hyde Park on 10 July.
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