Day 0514 - Rio

Duran Duran "Rio" (1982)

Perhaps the band that most typified the vibe of the 80s pop scene: synth-heavy new-romanticism with a touch of white-boy funk; glossy, high-production music videos in high rotation on MTV, depicting the band as sophisticated, jet-setting young men with the world at their feet.

I have a Duran Duran greatest hits album and half of these tracks are on it, which to my mind suggests that this is a solid album.  I would say that something like "Save a prayer" even though it's steeped in 80s-ness still sounds quite contemporary.  Likewise, the last track "The Chauffeur" is a nice gradual piece that wouldn't sound out of place on the radio today.

Day 0383 - Rumours

Fleetwood Mac "Rumours" (1977)

A powerhouse release! FM had been a London-based blues band started in the 1960s, but after recruiting musical (and romantic) partners Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, they re-crafted their sound to produce a much more Americanised adult contemporary rock sound with a rich summery West Coast pop flavour. The new line-up released an eponymous album which did fairly well, then came Rumours.

Possibly proving the idea that internal tension and tumult can often lead to good music, during the making of the album Nicks and Buckingham were breaking up and the other 3 band members were in the middle of divorces... yet out of this angsty musical hotbed came 'Rumours' an album that topped the charts for 31 weeks and included 3 US top 20 singles "don't stop" "go your own way" and "dreams" and on top of all of that... it's good. Great mix of male and female vocals and upbeat and laidback tracks with stellar musicianship.