My 33 1/3 Book on Duran Duran’s ‘Rio’: Coming May 6, 2021

I’m thrilled to announce that May 6, 2021, brings my debut book: a 33 1/3 book on Duran Duran’s Rio. Pre-order the book here.

What’s the book about? From the Amazon listing:

In the ’80s, the Birmingham, England, band Duran Duran became closely associated with new wave, an idiosyncratic genre that dominated the decade’s music and culture. No album represented this rip-it-up-and-start-again movement better than the act’s breakthrough 1982 LP, Rio.

A cohesive album with a retro-futuristic sound-influences include danceable disco, tangy funk, swaggering glam, and Roxy Music’s art-rock-the full-length sold millions and spawned smashes such as “Hungry Like the Wolf,” “Save a Prayer” and the title track.

However, Rio wasn’t a success everywhere at first. Via extensive new interviews with band members and other figures who helped Rio succeed, this book explores how and why Rio became a landmark pop-rock album. The book examines the LP’s winding road to success, demonstrates how it became a musical inspiration, and explores why it represented a cultural and technology zeitgeist.

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