Duran Duran – ‘Rio’

The eighties were an exciting and varied time musically and were notable for the rise of synthesisers and drum machines in popular music. Although the decade is often associated with flamboyant haircuts, New Romantic attire and lots of makeup, many great bassists were also able to make an impression during this time. Among them were session legends Pino Palladino and Deon Estus, Level 42 frontman Mark King, and Duran Duran’s John Taylor.

‘Rio’ is an up-tempo pop song with an insistent, driving bassline that is one of bassist John Taylor’s finest recorded lines. The song was the fourth and final single taken from the band’s 1982 album of the same name. It was originally released in the UK in November 1982 and was a Top 10 hit in the singles charts, reaching number 9. It was released worldwide in March 1983 and became a global hit after American audiences had picked up on another single release, ‘Hungry Like the Wolf’.

When learning this piece, you might find the following courses (all included in the monthly subscription cost) useful:

A transcription (with TAB and without) is available for this course. To download it, please visit the Free Stuff page. Please note that a backing track is NOT included with this course. The track used in the play-along can be purchased from www.karaoke-version.co.uk.

This course is 30 MINUTES long and contains the following videos, each of which can be selected from the video player above: