title: Mass Effect 2

text: Upon release, "Mass Effect 2" received critical acclaim from video game publications. Substantial praise was given to the game's diverse characters, interactive storytelling, voice acting and art design. IGN reviewer Erik Brudvig called "Mass Effect 2" a personal game with much emotion. He praised the option of importing a character, stating that the overall experience changes as different saved games from the previous game are used. Tom Bramwell of "Eurogamer" positively highlighted the weight of social interaction on the outcome of events and that players feel actual pressure for their decisions. Further praise was given to the game's characters. "Edge" credited them for their complex personalities and great characterization, while "GameRevolution" pointed out that the loyalty missions "reach deep enough into their characters to make you empathize with all of them".


title: Mass Effect 2

text: The game's visuals and atmosphere received similar praise. "GameSpot" reviewer Kevin VanOrd remarked that "Mass Effect 2" is more detailed and darker than its predecessor. He wrote that "deep reds and glowing indigos saturate certain scenes, making them richer and more sinister; eerie fog limits your vision in one side mission, while rain pours down upon you in another. Subtle, moody lighting gives certain interactions great impact." Reviewer Adriaan den Ouden of RPGamer credited the conversations and cutscenes for featuring better cinematography than the first game, stating that "it's hard to imagine them becoming much better in "Mass Effect 3"". Critics also gave high marks to the game's extensive cast of voices; in particular, Martin Sheen's performance of the Illusive Man, which was singled out for "steal[ing] the show". Andrew Reiner, writing for "Game Informer", opined that the music "flows beautifully" in both the story and action sequences. The game's presentation and direction were considered "miles ahead of the competition".


title: Mass Effect 2

text: Numerous publications declared that the gameplay was an improvement over the original. John Davison of "GamePro" wrote, "BioWare has done a spectacular job moving the role playing genre forward, and blending disparate gameplay styles into genuinely exciting sci-fi epic." VanOrd praised "Mass Effect 2" for possessing an identity, which was something that its predecessor lacked. He noted that the shooting is "more immediate and satisfying, which keeps the pace moving and intensifies the violence of each encounter". Similarly, GameSpys Gerald Villoria observed that the original "Mass Effect" "walked the line between RPG and shooter [...] "Mass Effect 2" has become a much more focused shooter experience". Jeremy Parish of 1UP.com credited the combat for being more balanced, stating that the game encourages players to use different weapon classes and squad abilities when the situation requires it. Some publications, however, expressed concerns about the game's simplified RPG elements, calling it "stripped-down" and with a "dumbed-down feeling". The game's slow planet scanning was also criticized. "GameRevolution" felt it was a "chore, mandatory if you want upgrades and boring because there is no tension or challenge", but ultimately concluded that the game as a whole "does more than enough to live up to its predecessor".


title: Mass Effect 2

text: The reception for the PlayStation 3 version was similar. Colin Moriarty of IGN described it as "the best, most complete version of the game available" due to the upgraded game engine and the extra downloadable content packs. In contrast, VanOrd criticized the inclusion of the character Kasumi Goto from the "Kasumi – Stolen Memory" pack, stating that "she never fits in with her more fully developed cohorts." He also remarked that the PlayStation 3 version suffers from technical issues such as frame rate inconsistencies, graphical glitches, and other minor bugs, mostly present in the downloadable content sections of the game. "Game Informer" reviewer Joe Juba reacted negatively to the lack of save importation from the original "Mass Effect", which was initially not released on PlayStation 3, and pointed out that the decisions made in the "Genesis" comic "have practically no context". Despite the criticism, he stated that the game is equally as good on PlayStation 3 as on Xbox 360.


title: Mass Effect 2

text: "Mass Effect 2" received numerous Game of the Year awards for its writing, characters, and soundtrack. At the 2010 Spike Video Game Awards, the game won the Best Xbox 360 Game and Best RPG awards. BioWare was also recognized for its work on the game and was awarded Studio of the Year. At the 14th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, "Mass Effect 2" won awards for Game of the Year, Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year, and Outstanding Achievement in Story. Other notable awards that the game received include Best Game at the 7th British Academy Games Awards, Best Writing at the 2011 Game Developers Choice Awards, and two Golden Joystick Awards: Best RPG of the Year and Ultimate Game of the Year. At the 2011 Canadian Videogame Awards, "Mass Effect 2" was awarded Game of the Year, Best Console Game, Best Game Design, and Best Writing.


title: Mass Effect 2

text: "Mass Effect 2" continued to receive attention years after its release. "GamesRadar" editor Hollander Cooper explained that the game improved the technical issues of its predecessor significantly while at the same time "expanding the already-impressive universe without sacrificing what made the series special." He went so far as to call the game "The Empire Strikes Back" of video games, stating that "few sequels have trumped the original as handily as "Mass Effect 2"." The game's focus on characters and their deeper stresses and internal conflicts was highly praised. The way the game lets non-player characters carry the weight of the narrative progression has also attracted scholarly interest. "Eurogamer" editor Rick Lane described "Mass Effect 2" as a darker, warmer, and overall more human game than its predecessor, noting that it is the player's responsibility to make sure these characters are prepared for the final mission, or they will die. He explained that "Mass Effect 2" is a long quest that "works towards an epic climax", and when it arrives there, "it doesn't disappoint." A decade after the game was released, "Eurogamer" considered the game's finale "some of BioWare's best ever work" due to its choice complexity.


title: Mass Effect 2

text: "Mass Effect 2" has been cited as one of the greatest video games of all time by multiple publications, including "Slant Magazine" in 2014, IGN in 2015, "Polygon" in 2017, and "Game Informer" in 2018. In 2011, the game was selected as one of 80 titles from the past 40 years to be placed in the Art of Video Games exhibit in the Smithsonian American Art Museum. According to the museum, the exhibit explored "the 40-year evolution of video games as an artistic medium, with a focus on striking visual effects and the creative use of new technologies."


title: Mass Effect 2

text: The game's sequel, "Mass Effect 3", was released in 2012. The sequel begins on Earth with Commander Shepard having been detained following the events in the "Arrival" downloadable content pack. The story of the game is influenced by decisions the player made in the original "Mass Effect" and "Mass Effect 2". However, if Shepard dies at the end of "Mass Effect 2", the character cannot be imported into "Mass Effect 3". BioWare stated that "Mass Effect 3" ends Shepard's story arc and that future games in the series would feature a different context. Unlike its predecessors, "Mass Effect 3" features a multiplayer cooperative mode in addition to the single-player campaign. Although the game received critical acclaim from video game publications, its ending was poorly received by fans and drew significant controversy.


title: Rashism

text: Rashism (, ; a portmanteau of "Russia" and "fascism"; ), also known as Ruscism, Russism (), or Russian fascism (), is a term used by a number of scholars, politicians and publicists to describe the political ideology and social practices of the Russian authorities during the rule of Vladimir Putin. It is also used to refer to the ideology of Russian military expansionism, and has been used as a label to describe an undemocratic system and nationality cult mixed with ultranationalism and a cult of personality. That transformation was described as based on the ideas of the "special civilizational mission" of the Russians, such as Moscow as the third Rome and expansionism, which manifests itself in anti-Westernism and supports regaining Imperial lands by conquest. The term "Rashist" is also widely used by Ukrainian officials and media to more generally identify members of the Russian Armed Forces and supporters of Russian military aggression against Ukraine.


title: Rashism

text: The term can be traced back to 1995, when it was used in the context of the First Chechen War, but it became more internationally known and more widely described after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.


title: Rashism

text: "Rashism" and "Ruscism" are both attempts to transliterate the Ukrainian and Russian term "рашизм" ("rashizm", ), a multilingual portmanteau of "Russia" and "fascism". According to Timothy D. Snyder, the word is complex, reflecting and referencing pronunciations of words in both English, Ukrainian and Russian. The "Washington Post" asserts that the English word “racist” contributes to the understood meaning of “rashist.”


title: Rashism

text: popularized, described and extensively used in 1995 by President of the unrecognised Chechen state Ichkeria Dzhokhar Dudayev, who saw the military action by Russia in Chechnya as a manifestation of the rising far-right ideology. According to Dudayev, Ruscism is "a variety of hatred ideology which is based on Great Russian chauvinism, spiritlessness and immorality. It differs from other forms of fascism, racism, and nationalism by a more extreme cruelty, both to man and to nature. It is based on the destruction of everything and everyone, the tactics of scorched earth. Ruscism is a schizophrenic variety of the world domination complex. This is a distinct version of slave psychology, it grows like a parasite on the fabricated history, occupied territories and oppressed peoples."


title: Rashism

text: The term "" (Ruscism/Rashism) became increasingly common in informal circles in 2008, during the Russo-Georgian War. Its popularity in Ukrainian mass media grew after the annexation of the Ukrainian Crimean peninsula by the Russian Federation, the downing of a Boeing 777 near Donetsk on 17 July 2014, and the start of the Russo-Ukrainian War in 2014 largely due to the Russian-language song "That's, Baby, Ruscism! Orthodox Fascism!]" by Ukrainian composer and singer-songwriter .


title: Rashism

text: The Committee of the Verkhovna Rada on Humanitarian and Information Policy supports the initiative of Ukrainian scientists, journalists, political scientists and all civil society to promote and recognize the term "Ruscism" at the national and international levels.


title: Rashism

text: By 2022 and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the terms "Rashism" and "Rashist" had come into common usage among military and political elites of Ukraine, as well as by journalists, influencers, bloggers, et al. For example, Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, actively advocates the use of the word in the meaning of Vladimir Putin's fascism to describe Russia's aggression against Ukraine. He also stated that Rashism is much worse than fascism.


title: Rashism

text: On 23 April 2022, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that a new concept called "Ruscism" will be in history books:


title: Rashism

text: Timothy D. Snyder of Yale University believes that the ideology of Putin and his regime was influenced by Russian nationalist philosopher Ivan Ilyin (1883–1954). A number of Ilyin's works advocated fascism. Ilyin has been quoted by President of Russia Vladimir Putin, and is considered by some observers to be a major ideological inspiration for Putin. Putin was personally involved in moving Ilyin's remains back to Russia, and in 2009 consecrated his grave.


title: Rashism

text: According to Snyder, Ilyin "provided a metaphysical and moral justification for political totalitarianism" in the form of a fascist state, and that today "his ideas have been revived and celebrated by Vladimir Putin".


title: Rashism

text: Ilyin's book, "Our Tasks" was in 2013 recommended as essential reading for state officials by the Russian government, while "What Dismemberment of Russia Would Mean for the World" is said to have been "read and reread" by Putin according to "The Economist".


title: Rashism

text: In 1997, Russian thinker Aleksandr Dugin, widely known for fascistic views, published "The Foundations of Geopolitics: The Geopolitical Future of Russia", a book believed to have garnered significant impact among Russia's military, police and foreign policy elites. In it, he argued that Ukraine should be annexed by Russia because "Ukraine as a state has no geopolitical meaning", "no particular cultural import or universal significance, no geographic uniqueness, no ethnic exclusiveness", that "[its] certain territorial ambitions represen[t] an enormous danger for all of Eurasia and, without resolving the Ukrainian problem, it is in general senseless to speak about continental politics". He argued that Ukraine should not be allowed to remain independent, unless it is "sanitary cordon", which would be "inadmissible". The book may have been influential in Vladimir Putin's foreign policy, which eventually led to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Also in 1997, Dugin hailed what he saw as the arrival of a "genuine, true, radically revolutionary and consistent, fascist fascism" in Russia, in an article titled "Fascism – Borderless and Red"; previously in 1992, he had in another article defended "fascism" as not having anything to do with "the racist and chauvinist aspects of National Socialism", stating in contrast that "Russian fascism is a combination of natural national conservatism with a passionate desire for true changes." Another of Dugin's books, "The Fourth Political Theory", published in 2009, has been cited as an inspiration for Russian policy in events such as the war in Donbas, and for the contemporary European far-right in general.


title: Rashism

text: Although there is a dispute on the extent of the personal relationship between Dugin and Putin, Dugin's influence exists broadly in Russian military and security circles. He became a lecturer at the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia in the 1990s, and his "Foundations of Geopolitics" has become part of the curriculum there, as well as in several other military/police academies and institutions of higher learning. According to John B. Dunlop of the Hoover Institution, "[t]here has perhaps not been another book published in Russia during the post-communist period that has exerted an influence on Russian military, police, and foreign policy elites comparable to that of [...] "Foundations of Geopolitics"."


title: Rashism

text: According to Euractiv, Russian political operative Timofey Sergeitsev is "one of the ideologists of modern Russian fascism".


title: Rashism

text: During the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, when the victims of the massacres in Kyiv Oblast became known, the website of the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti published an article by Sergeitsev titled "What Russia Should Do with Ukraine", which was perceived to justify a Ukrainian genocide. It calls for repression, de-Ukrainization, de-Europeanization, and ethnocide of the Ukrainians. According to Oxford expert on Russian affairs Samuel Ramani, the article "represents mainstream Kremlin thinking". The head of the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Edgars Rinkēvičs called the article "ordinary fascism". Timothy D. Snyder described it as a "genocide handbook", and as "one of the most openly genocidal documents I have ever seen".


title: Rashism

text: Similar rhetoric appeared in 26 February op-ed by Peter Akopov in RIA Novosti titled "The Coming of Russia and of the New World", which praised Putin for a timely "solution of the Ukrainian question". It was un-published after three hours.


title: Rashism

text: According to the Economist, Vladimir Putin began to draw on post-Soviet fascist thinking in response to waning popularity. In 2007, the first post-Soviet Prime Minister of Russia, Yegor Gaidar, warned about the rise of post-imperial nostalgia, stating that "Russia is going through a dangerous phase", and making a reference to history by stating "[w]e should not succumb to the magic of numbers but the fact that there was a 15-year gap between the collapse of the German Empire and Adolf Hitler's rise to power and 15 years between the collapse of the USSR and Russia in 2006–07 makes one think". In 2014 Boris Nemtsov criticized what he perceived as a turn towards "cultivating and rewarding the lowest instincts in people, provoking hatred and fighting" by the Russian regime, stating in his final interview – hours before his murder – that "Russia is rapidly turning into a fascist state. We already have propaganda modelled after Nazi Germany. We also have a nucleus of assault brigades ... That’s just the beginning." Alexander Yakovlev, architect of democratic reforms under Mikhail Gorbachev, made statements about the connection between the security services and fascism, stating "[t]he danger of fascism in Russia is real because since 1917 we have become used to living in a criminal world with a criminal state in charge. Banditry, sanctified by ideology—this wording suits both communists and fascists."


title: Rashism

text: Several scholars have posited that Russia has transformed into a fascist state, or that fascism best describes the Russian political system, especially following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. In 2017, Russian academician Vladislav Inozemtsev considered that Russia is an early-stage fascist state, thus claiming the current Russian political regime as fascist. Tomasz Kamusella, a Polish scholar on nationalism and ethnicity, and Allister Heath, a journalist at "The Daily Telegraph", describe the current authoritarian Russian political regime as Putin's fascism. Maria Snegovaya believes that Russia as led by Putin is a fascist regime.


title: Rashism

text: In March 2022, Yale historian Odd Arne Westad said that Putin's words about Ukraine resembled, which Harvard journalist James F. Smith summarized, "some of the colonial racial arguments of imperial powers of the past, ideas from the late 19th and early 20th century".


title: Rashism

text: In April 2022, Larysa Yakubova from the Institute of History of Ukraine in her article "The Anatomy of Ruscism" stated that Russia has never reflected on the tragedies of totalitarianism and did not decommunize its Soviet totalitarian heritage unlike Ukraine. According to her, that was the major reason for the formation and rapid development of Ruscism in modern Russia both among political and intellectual/cultural elites. She also noted that Ruscism, in the form of a threat to the world order and peace, will remain until there is a global condemnation of Soviet communist ideology and its heir Ruscism.


title: Rashism

text: On 24 April 2022, Timothy D. Snyder published an article in "The New York Times Magazine" where he described the history, premises and linguistic peculiarities of the term "Ruscism". According to Snyder, the term "is a useful conceptualization of Putin's worldview", writing that "we have tended to overlook the central example of fascism's revival, which is the Putin regime in the Russian Federation". On the wider regime, Snyder writes that "[p]rominent Russian fascists are given access to mass media during wars, including this one. Members of the Russian elite, above all Putin himself, rely increasingly on fascist concepts", and states that "Putin's very justification of the war in Ukraine [...] represents a Christian form of fascism."


title: Rashism

text: Snyder followed this article in May with an essay titled "We Should Say It. Russia Is Fascist". According to Snyder, "[m]any hesitate to see today's Russia as fascist because Stalin's Soviet Union defined itself as antifascist", stating that the key to understanding Russia today is "Stalin's flexibility about fascism": "Because Soviet anti-fascism just meant defining an enemy, it offered fascism a backdoor through which to return to Russia [...] Fascists calling other people 'fascists' is fascism taken to its illogical extreme as a cult of unreason. [...] [It is] the essential Putinist practice". Based on this, Snyder refers Putin's regime as "schizo-fascism".


title: Rashism

text: In July 2022, Japanese-American political scientist Francis Fukuyama stated that Putin's regime in Russia more than anything resembles to that of Nazi Germany whose only ideology is extreme nationalism, but it is at the same time "less institutionalised and revolves only around one man Vladimir Putin".


title: Rashism

text: In 2017, Yuliia Strebkova of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute indicated that Rashism in combination with Ukrainophobia constitutes the ethno-national vector of the more broad Russian neo-imperial ideological doctrine of "Russian world".


title: Rashism

text: In 2018, Borys Demyanenko (Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi State Pedagogical University) in his paper Ruscism' as a quasi-ideology of the post-Soviet imperial revenge" defined Ruscism as a misanthropic ideology and an eclectic mixture of imperial neocolonialism, great-power chauvinism, nostalgia for the Soviet past, and religious traditionalism. Demyanenko considers that in internal domestic policy, Ruscism manifests itself in a violation of human rights along with a freedom of thought, persecution of dissidents, propaganda, ignoring of democratic procedures. While in foreign policy, Ruscism demonstrates itself in a violation of international law, imposing its own version of historical truth, the justification of occupation and annexation of the territories of other states.


title: Rashism

text: Political scientist Stanislav Belkovsky argues that Rashism is disguised as anti-fascism, but has a fascist face and essence. Political scientist Ruslan Kliuchnyk notes that the Russian elite considers itself entitled to build its own "sovereign democracy" without reference to Western standards, but taking into account Russia's traditions of state-building. Administrative resources in Russia are one of the means of preserving the democratic facade, which hides the mechanism of absolute manipulation of the will of citizens. Russian political scientist Andrey Piontkovsky argues that the ideology of Rashism is in many ways similar to Nazism, with the speeches of President Vladimir Putin reflecting similar ideas to those of Adolf Hitler.


title: Rashism

text: According to Alexander J. Motyl, an American historian and political scientist, Russian fascism has the following characteristics:


title: Rashism

text: According to Professor Oleksandr Kostenko, Rashism is an ideology that is "based on illusions and justifies the admissibility of any arbitrariness for the sake of misinterpreted interests of Russian society. In foreign policy, Rashism manifests itself, in particular, in violation of the principles of international law, imposing its version of historical truth on the world solely in favor of Russia, abusing the right of veto in the UN Security Council, and so on. In domestic politics, Rashism is a violation of human rights to freedom of thought, persecution of members of the 'dissent movement', the use of the media to misinform their people, and so on." Oleksandr Kostenko also considers Rashism a manifestation of sociopathy.


title: Rashism

text: Timothy D. Snyder argued in an essay that a "time traveler from the 1930s" would "have no difficulty" identifying the Russian regime in 2022 as fascist, writing:


title: Rashism

text: Boris Kagarlitsky notes that unlike "the classical fascism", Putin's regime is "Fascism in the era of Postmodernism", "when a coherent worldview is replaced by a haphazard pasting together of ideas, scraps of concepts and randomly assembled images", "the product of the... degradation of late Soviet society combined with the degradation of late capitalism": "using totalitarian ideology and rhetoric, the system is unable to build a workable totalitarian machine that corresponds to these principles".


title: Rashism

text: According to Ilya Budraitskis, Russia has evolved from a “managed democracy” with limited personal freedoms to a new form of a society that requires unequivocal acceptance of the Ukraine invasion and treats any sign of deviation as treason. "Russian society, after thirty years of post-Soviet authoritarianism and neoliberal market reforms, has consistently been reduced to a state of silent victimhood, a malleable material from which a full-fledged fascist regime can be built. External aggression, based on the complete dehumanisation of the enemy [...], was the decisive moment in the "move" made from above."


title: Rashism

text: Russian sociologist Grigory Yudin states that the social atomization of Soviet society during the "Era of Stagnation" and later neoliberal reforms and economic globalization (which helped Putin to establish an authoritarian regime and turned Russia into "a radical version of modern neoliberal capitalism") have lead to Russian society becoming extremely depolitized and atomized, on February 24 it was mobilized. According to him, it is accurate to the historical Fascist regimes, which also used to demobilize and atomize the societies, and then used the atomization to mobilize them. He also says that the image of general popular support for Putin is false and that it's being used by Putin to threat the elites and the people: the elites fear that 'the people' will support repressions against them, while individuals of the atomized society fear that if they express their disagreement, they will alone confront the non-existent "people masses".


title: Rashism

text: Tomasz Kamusella highlights the role of Russian language in Rashism, which, unlike other widely used postcolonial languages, such as English, French or Spanish, hasn't undergone de-ethnicization, allowing the government of Russia to exclusively claim all Russian speakers as members of the Russian nation and vow to “protect“ them by expanding Russia's territorial borders until they fully overlap with this perceived “Russian world“ or Greater Russia. In practice, Russian world is more broadly equated with the use of the “Russian alphabet“ of cyrillic, which since 2002 has been imposed as the writing system on all Russia's non-Russian languages to secure an “all-Russian“ unity and bridge the "ideological discrepancy" of around one fifth of Russia's inhabitants ethnically being non-Russian. Simulteneously, the existence of Russian speaking communities in countries such as Belarus and Ukraine has been used by Russian ideologues to claim that Belarus or Ukraine are “pseudo-states“, because Belarusian and Ukrainian are not “real languages“. According to Kamusella, ethnolinguistic nationalism officially became part of the Russian government's ideology in 2007 with the creation of the Russkiy Mir Foundation, while the weaponization of Russian language and culture and transition of it from an element of soft power to hard power took place after the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea.


title: Rashism

text: In 2014, Russian actor Ivan Okhlobystin, who holds pro-Putin views, publicly called himself a "Rashist" and made a tattoo "as a sign that I'm a Rashist, I'll live as a Rashist and I'll die as a Rashist". In 2015, he released a series of wristwatches with Chi Rho and the text "I am Rashist" ("") on the clock face, written with a Gothic font, and with "Not only Crimea's ours - everything's ours!" on the back.


title: Rashism

text: Russian economist Yakov Mirkin said that the term "Rashism" is incorrect because it equates the entire Russian nation with "the ideology that brings trouble". He noted that as Nazism has never been called "Germanism" and Italian fascism has never been called "Italism", Putin's ideology should be called "as you wish", with "the most cruel nicknames", but not "Rashism".


title: Rashism

text: Artyom Yefimov wrote in "Signal" (email-based media created by "Meduza") that although the word "Rashism" was created in Ukraine as an emotional "cliché", it may become a real term, as history knows examples of pejoratives being turned into real terms (e.g. "Tory" and "Slavophilia"); in Ukraine, he writes, it is being used in scientific works since 2014 (although rarely in scientific publications of other countries).


title: Rashism

text: Leonid Srochnikov from Socialist Alternative argued the term "post-fascism" and instead suggested the Marxist term "Bonapartism" and compared Putin's regime with Marx's description of the regime of Napoleon III and its relationship with the French bourgeoisie. In his opinion, "Post-fascism" in this case was needed to sidestep the issue of the political history of Putin regime" and its connection with Yeltsin's regime and privatization of 1990s, viewing only the economic of its development.


title: Rashism

text: Russian television presenter Tina Kandelaki, who supported Russia's war against Ukraine, criticized Wikipedia's use of the term "Rashism" on her Telegram channel, accusing Wikipedia of "digital fascism" targeting Russian people and calling Russians to stop using it.


title: Rashism

text: Russia's federal censor Roskomnadzor reportedly ordered the English Wikipedia on 18 May 2022 to take down the articles "Rashism" and "2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine", asserting that they contain false information about the war the Russian government calls a "special military operation".


title: Rashism

text: On 20 May 2022, during the show "Evening with Vladimir Solovyov", the host Vladimir Solovyov and his panelists responded with outrage at Timothy D. Snyder's article "We Should Say It. Russia Is Fascist", an article which according to Russian media watchdog Julia Davis has "spread through Russian state media like wildfire". Solovyov attacked Snyder by calling him a "pseudo-professor of a pseudo-university" and "simply a liar", and, addressing Americans, stating: "Let me tell you a secret: first of all, your signs are idiotic in their nature. Secondly, looking at your listed indications, how are they any different from the election campaign of Donald Trump?"


title: Rashism

text: Latvian journalist Bens Latkovskis of "Neatkarīgā Rīta Avīze" has criticized the equation of Russism to fascism as terminologically inaccurate, stating that the main difference between the two ideologies is one that actually places them on almost opposite sides of the political spectrum. He argues that, unlike fascism that sought to create a new anthropological order and required mass social involvement, Russism is counter-revolutionary, strictly opposed to any social reforms and social mobilization and aims at the depoliticization of society, which it sees as a threat to its existence.


title: Shōgun (novel)

text: Shōgun is a 1975 novel by James Clavell. It is the first novel (by internal chronology) of the author's Asian Saga. A major best-seller, by 1990 the book had sold 15 million copies worldwide.


title: Shōgun (novel)

text: Beginning in feudal Japan some months before the critical Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, "Shōgun" gives an account of the rise of the "daimyō" "Toranaga" (based upon the actual Tokugawa Ieyasu). Toranaga's rise to the shogunate is seen through the eyes of the English sailor John Blackthorne, called "Anjin" ("Pilot") by the Japanese, whose fictional heroics are loosely based on the historical exploits of William Adams. The book is divided into six sections, preceded by a prologue in which Blackthorne is shipwrecked near Izu, then alternating between locations in Anjiro, Mishima, Osaka, Yedo, and Yokohama.


title: Shōgun (novel)

text: John Blackthorne, an English pilot serving on the Dutch warship "Erasmus", is the first Englishman to reach Japan. England (and Holland) seek to disrupt Portuguese-Catholic relations with Japan and establish ties of their own through trade and military alliances.


title: Shōgun (novel)

text: After "Erasmus" is blown ashore on the Japanese coast, Blackthorne and ten other survivors are taken captive by local samurai, Kasigi Omi, until his "daimyō" and uncle, Kasigi Yabu, arrives. Yabu puts Blackthorne and his crew on trial as pirates, using a Jesuit priest to interpret for Blackthorne. Having lost the trial, Blackthorne attacks the Jesuit. His breaking of the priest's


title: Shōgun (novel)

text: crucifix shows that the priest is his enemy. The Japanese, who know only the Catholic version of Christianity, are shocked. Yabu sentences them all to death.


title: Shōgun (novel)

text: Omi, a clever adviser, convinces Yabu to spare them to learn more about European ways. After a failed rebellion by the Europeans, Blackthorne agrees to submit to Japanese authority. He is placed in a household, while his crew remain hostages. On Omi's advice, Yabu plans to confiscate the rutters, muskets, cannons, and silver coins recovered from "Erasmus". Word reaches Toranaga, Lord of the Kwanto and president of the Council of Regents. Toranaga sends his commander in chief, General Toda "Iron Fist" Hiro-matsu, to take the spoils and crew in order to gain an advantage against Toranaga's main rival on the council, Ishido.


title: Shōgun (novel)

text: Blackthorne is now called "Anjin" (navigator or pilot) as the Japanese can't pronounce his real name. Hiro-matsu takes Blackthorne and Yabu back to Osaka. A meeting of the council is taking place at Ishido's castle stronghold. They travel by one of Toranaga's galleys, captained by the Portuguese pilot Rodrigues. Blackthorne and Rodrigues find themselves in a grudging friendship. Rodrigues tries to kill Blackthorne during a storm, but is himself swept overboard. Blackthorne not only saves Rodrigues but safely navigates the ship.


title: Shōgun (novel)

text: At Osaka, Blackthorne is interviewed by Toranaga, via senior Jesuit priest Martin Alvito, who realizes the threat that Blackthorne presents. A Protestant, Blackthorne tries to turn Toranaga against the Jesuits. Toranaga learns that the Christian faith is divided. Alvito is honor-bound to translate as Blackthorne tells Toranaga his story. The interview ends when Ishido enters, curious about the barbarian Blackthorne.


title: Shōgun (novel)

text: Toranaga has Blackthorne thrown into prison to keep him from Ishido. Blackthorne is befriended by a Franciscan friar, who reveals further details about the Jesuit conquests and the Portuguese Black Ship, which take the vast profits from the silk trade between China and Japan back to Europe. He is taught some basic Japanese and a little of their culture. Blackthorne is then taken from prison by Ishido's men. Toranaga intervenes and captures Blackthorne from his rival. Ishido loses face.


title: Shōgun (novel)

text: At their next interview, Toranaga has the Lady Toda Mariko translate. She is a Catholic, torn between her new faith and her loyalty, as a samurai, to Toranaga. Toranaga learns from Blackthorne that Portugal has been granted the right to claim Japan as territory by the Pope, and of the exploitation of both South America and Asia in the name of spreading Catholicism.


title: Shōgun (novel)

text: At Osaka Castle, Blackthorne is attacked by an assassin from the secretive Amida Tong, a group of operatives who train all their lives to be the perfect weapon for one kill. Toranaga summons Yabu the next day for questioning, since Hiro-matsu says Yabu would be one who would know how to hire them. Yabu's evasive answers adds to Toranaga's distrust of him. The Jesuits may have hired the assassin to kill Blackthorne, to prevent him from revealing any more of what he knows.


title: Shōgun (novel)

text: The Council of Regents' negotiations go badly and Toranaga is threatened with forced seppuku. To escape the verdict, and to paralyze the council (for procedural reasons), Toranaga resigns. He departs in the guise of his consort, leaving with a train of travelers. Blackthorne spots the exchange and, when Ishido shows up at the gate of the castle and nearly discovers Toranaga, Blackthorne saves him by creating a diversion. In this way, he gradually gains the trust of Toranaga and enters into his service. Toranaga's party reaches the coast but their ship is blockaded by Ishido's boats. At Blackthorne's suggestion, a Portuguese ship is asked to lend cannon to blast the boats clear. In return, the Jesuits will offer aid in exchange for Blackthorne. Toranaga agrees and the ship clears the coast. The Portuguese pilot, Rodrigues, repays his debt to Blackthorne by having him thrown overboard to swim back to Toranaga's ship. Toranaga's ship escapes by staying alongside the Portuguese ship as both pass through the gap left between the opposing boats. Toranaga and his party return to his ship, which then goes back to Anjiro.


title: Shōgun (novel)

text: Blackthorne slowly builds up his Japanese-language skills and gains an understanding of the Japanese and their culture, eventually learning to respect it. The Japanese, in turn, are torn over Blackthorne's presence (as he is an outsider and a leader of a disgracefully filthy and uncouth rabble), but also a formidable sailor and navigator with extensive knowledge of the world. As such, he is both beneath contempt and incalculably valuable. A turning point is Blackthorne's attempt at seppuku. The Japanese prevent this attempt (as Blackthorne is worth more alive), but they also come to respect him for his knowledge and attempts to assimilate to their culture. When he also rescues Toranaga in an earthquake, he is granted the status of samurai and "hatamoto" – a high-status vassal similar to a retainer, with the right of direct audience. As they spend more time together, Blackthorne comes to deeply admire both Toranaga and (specifically) Mariko, and they secretly become lovers.


title: Shōgun (novel)

text: Eventually, he visits the survivors of his original crew in Yedo, and is astonished at how far he has ventured from the standard 'European' way of life (which he now sees to be filthy, vulgar, and ignorant), and he is actually disgusted by them. Blackthorne's plans to attack the 'Black Ship' are also complicated by his respect and friendship for his Portuguese colleague, Rodrigues, who is now to pilot the vessel. He returns to Osaka by sea with his crew and with 200 samurai (granted to him by Toranaga). Parallel with this plot, the novel also details the intense power struggle between the various war-lords, Toranaga and Ishido, and also – as a subtext – the political manoeuvring of the Protestant and Catholic powers in the Far East. There is also an internal conflict between Christian "daimyōs" (who are motivated in part by a desire to preserve and expand their (new) religion) and the "daimyōs" who oppose the Christians, as followers of foreign beliefs and representatives of the 'barbarian' cultural and fiscal influence on their society.


title: Shōgun (novel)

text: In the novel, Ishido is holding many family members of the other "daimyōs" as hostages in Osaka, referring to them as "guests". As long as he has these hostages, the other "daimyōs", including Toranaga, do not dare attack him. Unforeseen by Toranaga, a replacement regent has also been chosen. Ishido hopes to lure or force Toranaga into the castle and, when all the regents are present, obtain from them an order for Toranaga to commit seppuku. To extricate Toranaga from this situation, Mariko goes to what will be her likely death at Osaka Castle – to face down Ishido and to obtain the hostages' release.


title: Shōgun (novel)

text: At the castle, Mariko defies Ishido and forces him to either dishonor himself (by admitting to holding the Samurai families as hostages) or to back down and let them leave. When Mariko tries to fulfill Toranaga's orders and to leave the castle, a battle ensues between Ishido's samurai and her escort, until she is forced to return. However, she states that she is disgraced and will commit suicide. As she is about to do so, Ishido gives her the papers to leave the castle on the next day. But that night, a group of ninja that Ishido has hired, aided by Yabu, slips into Toranaga's section of the castle to kidnap Mariko. However, she and Blackthorne and the other ladies of Toranaga's "court", escape into a locked room. As the ninja prepare to blow the door open Mariko stands against the door and is killed by the explosion.


title: Shōgun (novel)

text: After her cremation, Ishido lets the hostages leave the castle, seriously reducing his control over them. Blackthorne then discovers that his ship has been burned, ruining his chances of attacking the Black Ship and gaining riches and also sailing home to England. However, Mariko has left him some money and Toranaga provides him with men to start building a new ship. Toranaga orders Yabu – who he learns had helped the attack in Osaka with the aim of being on the winning side – to commit seppuku for his treachery. Yabu complies, giving his prized "katana" to Blackthorne.


title: Shōgun (novel)

text: The last chapter involves Toranaga as he reveals his inner monologue: that he himself had ordered Blackthorne's ship to be burned, as a way to placate the Christian "daimyōs", and to save Blackthorne's life from them, as well as to bring them to his side against Ishido. He then encourages Blackthorne to build another ship. It is Blackthorne's karma to never leave Japan; and Mariko's karma to die for her lord, and for Toranaga to become eventually shogun, with absolute power. In a brief epilogue after the final Battle of Sekigahara, Ishido is captured alive and Toranaga has him buried up to his neck. The novel states that "Ishido lingered three days and died very old".


title: Shōgun (novel)

text: Clavell stated that reading a sentence in his daughter's textbook that stated that "in 1600, an Englishman went to Japan and became a samurai" inspired the novel. "Shogun" was therefore based on an actual series of events involving Adams, who reached Japan in 1600 and became involved with the future shogun Tokugawa. He achieved high status managing commercial activities for Tokugawa's shogunate, though much of the interaction between the various characters in the novel was invented. The first draft was 2,300 pages and Clavell cut it down to 1,700 with the help of his editor, German Gollob.


title: Shōgun (novel)

text: The main theme of the novel is the precarious peace of Japan in 1600, a nation consumed by endless civil war and political machinations. The heir to the Taiko, the deceased supreme leader of Japan, is too young to rule, and five "daimyōs" specifically chosen by the late Taiko for their inability to work together hold power as a Council of Regents until the boy comes of age. The novel details the intense power struggle between the two most powerful "daimyōs," Toranaga and Ishido, as they both seek to usurp power from the Taiko's heir. As a subtext, there is also the political manoeuvring of the Protestant and Catholic powers in the Far East. This translates an internal conflict in Japan between Christian "daimyōs" (who are motivated in part by a desire to preserve and expand their religion) and the "daimyōs" who oppose the Japanese Christians as followers of foreign beliefs and potential traitors whose loyalty is questionable.


title: Shōgun (novel)

text: Portugal, which holds the sole right to trade with Japan, and the Catholic Church, mainly through the Order of the Jesuits, have gained a religious, economic, and political foothold and seek to extend their power in Japan (as they have done in nearby places such as Goa, Macao, and the Philippines). Guns and other modern military capabilities brought to Japan by the Portuguese, and indirectly by Blackthorne, are still a novelty and coveted by powerful lords looking to gain an advantage over their rivals, but are despised by many samurai as a threat to their traditional methods of fighting. In contrast, however, the silk trade is viewed as essential, and the Portuguese traders regularly amass huge profits via their annual "Black Ship" fleets from Macao.


title: Shōgun (novel)

text: Japanese society is shown to be very insular and xenophobic, with foreigners referred to as "barbarians" and shunned for their arrogance, eating habits, lack of fluency in the Japanese language, and inability to respect Japanese social customs. As a result, there are many internal conflicts between the "Eastern" and "Western" cultures – especially to do with duty, honor, sexuality, cleanliness, diet, obligations, hierarchies, loyalties, and – more particularly – the essence of 'self'. Blackthorne is also torn between his growing affection for Mariko (who is married to a powerful, abusive, and dangerous samurai, Buntaro), his increasing loyalty to Toranaga, his household and consort, a "Willow world" courtesan named Kiku, and his desire to return to the open seas aboard "Erasmus" so he can intercept the Black Ship fleet before it reaches Japan.


title: Shōgun (novel)

text: A recurring motif in the book is Toranaga engaging in falconry. He compares his various birds to his vassals and mulls over his handling of them, flinging them at targets, giving them morsels, and bringing them back to his fist for re-hooding. There are other recurring themes of Eastern values, as opposed to Western values, masculine (patriarchal) values as opposed to human values, etc. Another is the granting of honours and favours to those who display loyalty - including the trading of secrets by a "mama-san" called Gyoko, which allows Toranaga to gain an upperhand in his power play for the shogunate.


title: Shōgun (novel)

text: "I can't remember when a novel has seized my mind like this one", "The New York Times"s Webster Schott wrote. He added, "It's almost impossible not to continue to read "Shōgun" once having opened it".


title: Shōgun (novel)

text: In addition to becoming a best-seller, with more than six million copies of the novel in 14 hardcover and 38 paperback printings by 1980, "Shōgun" had great impact on westerners' knowledge of, and interest in, Japanese history and culture. The editor of "Learning from Shōgun: Japanese History and Western Fantasy" (1980) estimated that 20 to 50% of all students in American college-level courses about Japan had read the novel. He described the book as "a virtual encyclopedia of Japanese history and culture; somewhere among those half-million words, one can find a brief description of virtually everything one wanted to know about Japan", and stated that "In sheer quantity, "Shōgun" has probably conveyed more information about Japan to more people than all the combined writings of scholars, journalists, and novelists since the Pacific War". The author of "James Clavell: A Critical Companion" calls the novel "one of the most effective depictions of cross-cultural encounters ever written", and "Clavell's finest effort".


title: Shōgun (novel)

text: Clavell said that "Shōgun" "is B.C. and A.D. It made me. I became a brand name, like Heinz Baked Beans". He reported that the ruler of a Middle Eastern petrostate offered him a full oil tanker for a novel that would do for his country what "Shōgun" did for Japan.


title: Shōgun (novel)

text: In 1976 Clavell employed Robert Bolt to write a screenplay. The novel was adapted as a nine-hour television miniseries in 1980. It starred Richard Chamberlain, Toshiro Mifune, Yoko Shimada, and John Rhys-Davies. This was edited into a two-hour theatrical release. A 5-disc DVD release appeared in 2003 and a 3-disc Blu-ray release in 2014.


title: Shōgun (novel)

text: On August 3, 2018, it was announced that FX would be adapting the novel into a miniseries. Hiroyuki Sanada, Cosmo Jarvis, and Anna Sawai are set to star in the miniseries.


title: Shōgun (novel)

text: There have been three computer games based on the Shōgun novel. Two text-based adventure games with sparse graphics were produced for the Amiga and PC, marketed as "James Clavell's Shōgun" by Infocom and "Shōgun" by Mastertronic. A unique graphical adventure game, "Shōgun", was also produced for systems including the Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC and IBM PC by Lee & Mathias and released by Virgin Entertainment in 1986.


title: Shōgun (novel)

text: The tabletop game publisher FASA published "James Clavell's Shogun" in 1983. This was the third of four boardgame titles based on Clavell novels.


title: Shōgun (novel)

text: Clavell was not the first author to novelise the story of Will Adams; several earlier and less successful attempts exist. The first, by William Dalton, was called "Will Adams, The First Englishman in Japan: A Romantic Biography" (London, 1861). Dalton had never been to Japan and his book reflects romanticised Victorian British notions of the exotic Asian. Richard Blaker's "The Needlewatcher" (London, 1932) is the least romantic of the novels; Blaker attempted to de-mythologize Adams and to write a careful historical work of fiction. James Scherer's "Pilot and Shōgun" is less a novel than a series of incidents in Adams' life. American Robert Lund wrote "Daishi-san" (New York, 1960) also tackles the subject. In Christopher Nicole's "Lord of the Golden Fan", published just two years before "Shōgun", in 1973, Adams is portrayed as sexually frustrated by the morals of his time and seeks freedom in the East, where he has numerous sexual encounters. The work is considered light pornography.


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: Rio is the second studio album by English new wave band Duran Duran, released on 10May 1982 through EMI Records. The band wrote and demoed most of the material before recording the album at AIR Studios in London from January to March 1982. Colin Thurston returned from their 1981 self-titled debut studio album as producer. The band utilised more experimentation compared to the debut, from vibraphone and marimba to the sound of a cigarette being lit and cracking ice cubes. Andy Hamilton played a saxophone solo on "Rio".


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: A new wave album with musical elements ranging from dance to synth-pop, "Rio" is mostly composed of fast, upbeat numbers, along with a couple slower synthesiser-based ballads. Lead vocalist Simon Le Bon's obtuse lyrics cover topics from chasing one's dreams to pursuing a love interest. Bassist John Taylor conceived the album title, which the band felt represented the optimistic and exotic tone of the album. The cover artwork, painted by Patrick Nagel and designed by Malcolm Garrett to resemble 1950s cigar packaging, is considered one of the greatest of all time.


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: Duran Duran shot music videos for many of the album's tracks, all of which helped spearhead the 1980s MTV revolution. Accompanied by three worldwide hit singles, "Rio" peaked at number two in the United Kingdom and remained in the chart for 110 weeks. Initially unsuccessful in the United States, the album was remixed, as commissioned by Capitol Records, to better match American radio at the time; the remixed album spent 129 weeks on the "Billboard" chart and peaked at number six. The band toured the US and Europe throughout the latter half of 1982.


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: Despite its commercial success, "Rio" initially received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics, who commended the melodies but were mostly distasteful towards the lyrics. Nevertheless, retrospective reviewers consider "Rio" Duran Duran's best work and praise its timelessness, instrumentation and band performances. With the album, Duran Duran were forerunners in the Second British Invasion of the 1980s, helping ensure the success of other English artists throughout the decade. It has since made appearances on best-of lists and has been reissued several times.


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: Duran Duran released their self-titled debut studio album in June 1981. Aided by the album's highly successful third single "Girls on Film", the album peaked at number three in the UK and remained in the charts for over two years. With the album, Duran Duran had established themselves as one of the biggest new pop groups of 1981. Around July, their management instructed them to start writing songs for their second studio album. Like their debut studio album, the band spent time writing at the Rum Runner in Birmingham—their resident nightclub—as according to Rhodes, "We didn't have very big budgets, we were on time constraints, and we felt that that was the best way to develop our songwriting." Nevertheless, the band's label, EMI Records, doubled their budget for the second studio album. Feeling pressure in England, the band briefly withdrew to a secluded château in France to continue writing. Keyboardist Nick Rhodes later stated:


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: On 28August 1981, Duran Duran recorded demos of several songs that would appear on their next studio album, including "Last Chance on the Stairway", "My Own Way", "New Religion" and "Like an Angel", at the basement studio of EMI's Manchester Square building. According to bassist John Taylor, the demo of "Last Chance on the Stairway" was identical to the final studio album version, while "My Own Way" and "New Religion" both had different arrangements. This version of "My Own Way" was dance-inspired and featured bursts of electric guitar, a different bassline and pattering percussion. Dissatisfied with this version, the band rerecorded the song during the official sessions. An early version of "The Chauffeur" was also taped with German sound engineer Renate Blauel.


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: Both "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "Save a Prayer" were the result of collaborations between Rhodes and guitarist Andy Taylor; Rhodes began on synthesiser, which Andy used to fashion into guitar riffs. The latter later commented, "When we wrote 'Hungry', I knew we had the album right." The band taped demos of "Save a Prayer" and "Lonely in Your Nightmare" at engineer Bob Lamb's home studio in Birmingham. Having taped demos with Lamb before recording their debut studio album, Duran Duran cherished their work with Lamb, with Roger describing him as "like a father figure in those early days". The band would use the material recorded with Lamb for reference during the proper sessions, particularly for the sequenced-based tracks "Save a Prayer" and "The Chauffeur".


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: Duran Duran continued promotional appearances and live performances throughout September and October 1981, including their first American tour. With EMI wanting a new single, the band returned to England and taped a new version of "My Own Way", boasting a disco and American R&B-influenced production, with "Like an Angel" as the B-side. Released on 16November 1981 in England only, the single peaked at number 14 and spent 11 weeks on the chart. However, Rhodes disliked the single-only release: "It was the only time we actually sat down and said, 'Ok, we've got to write a hit single now'." The band underwent the Careless Memories tour in December, which featured 17 sold-out dates, including three shows at the Birmingham Odeon with Talk Talk, before taking a holiday break.


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: The recording sessions for "Rio" commenced in January 1982 at London's AIR Studios and lasted six to eight weeks. The members rented apartments in close vicinity to AIR during the duration of the sessions. Colin Thurston returned from their debut studio album as producer and engineer. The band were excited to record at AIR, having previously demoed "Girls on Film" there in July 1980. Founded by former Beatles producer George Martin, the studio boasted high-tech equipment that Rhodes, in particular, was thrilled to experiment with. Spending large amounts of time learning production techniques with Thurston, the keyboardist was purportedly the first to arrive and last to leave.


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: According to John, all of the songs, except for "The Chauffeur", were fully arranged before recording began; "Rio" had been played during multiple sound checks. Recording followed the same template as the debut studio album, with the bass, drums and synthesiser parts recorded first, followed by guitar, keyboard overdubs and vocals. The band recalled recording going by relatively easily. Drummer Roger Taylor recorded his parts quickly and returned to Birmingham with his girlfriend, while John and Andy spent time at the Embassy Club on Old Bond Street during the sessions. While at AIR, Paul and Linda McCartney, who were recording the former's album "Tug of War" (1982) in the adjacent studio, would stop by on occasion to say good night, a gesture Rhodes described as "very surreal"; John also listened back to a mix of the finished album with Paul.


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: Having defined the majority of the arrangements before recording began, the band spent time sharpening their individual performances and also experimented with different sounds. John played fretless bass on "Lonely in Your Nightmare", while lead vocalist Simon Le Bon added vibraphone to "New Religion" and a marimba interlude to "Last Chance on the Stairway". In addition, the latter features the sound of a cigarette being lit and clinking glasses, both of which were done by Rhodes, while "Hungry Like the Wolf" opens with a giggle from Rhodes's then-girlfriend Cheryl. With Thurston, Roger melded accents from his Simmons' electronic drum kit to multiple tracks, hooking up the electronic tom-toms to his acoustic set. He explained in 2021: "I'd play an acoustic drum kit and just lay the Simmons over the top. [...] And I'm glad that we did that...it was great to have something modern coming through as part of the kit, but it didn't completely dominate the sound."


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: Saxophonist Andy Hamilton plays the solo on "Rio". Hamilton had previously contributed to the "night version" of "Duran Duran" "Planet Earth" and played with Duran Duran on their 1981 European tour dates. He mostly improvised his part: "Luckily with 'Rio', there were only really two chords for most of the solo; it was only at the end where it changed. It wasn't that I had to negotiate overloads of chords. With 'Rio', I just played the first thing that came into my head and hoped that it worked." Rhodes oversaw Hamilton's part, which he later described as "more of an integral melody within the song rather than a solo", leading it to be played the same way during concert performances. The track's opening was created when Rhodes dropped metal rods onto the strings of the studio's grand piano and flipped the tape over, reversing the sound.


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: "The Chauffeur" was created on the spot in the studio. During downtime, Rhodes retreated to an auxiliary studio room with Blauel, their tape operator, and crafted a track using keyboards and synthesisers. He also used the sound of an ice cube cracking and a conversation about nature for extra effects. Le Bon accompanied him and brought lyrics inspired by a 1979 visit to a kibbutz in Israel, further adding a melody on an ocarina. The final track features no contributions from the three Taylors. The band also recorded an acoustic version without Rhodes, which appeared as a B-side to "Rio". The keyboardist later quipped, "I guess that was my punishment for have created an entirely electronic track."


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: The band were contracted to finish mixing the album by the end of March 1982 and were due to fly to Sri Lanka to film music videos before their tour of Australia commenced on 15April. However, with the record still unfinished, Le Bon, John and Roger flew to Sri Lanka while Rhodes and Andy stayed in London with Thurston to make some last-minute tweaks; according to biographer Steve Malins, the trio worked for 48 hours straight. Once completed, Rhodes and Andy flew to Sri Lanka, the former listening to and analysing "Rio" the entire ride.


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: Musically, "Rio" is a new wave album that contains elements of dance, post-punk, rock, disco, synth-pop and gothic rock. According to author Stephen Davis, EMI wanted the band to change direction from their debut studio album, desiring more of a rock-edged dance groove, telling Thurston: "Think Led Zeppelin and Talking Heads having a baby and calling it Duran Duran." The band's influences at the time included Roxy Music, David Bowie, Japan, pre-"Dare" Human League and 1970s UK guitar rock. AllMusic's Donald A. Guarisco, in particular, retrospectively compared the title track's instrumental to the Roxy Music releases "Flesh and Blood" (1980) and "Avalon" (1982), even associating Hamilton's saxophone solo to Andy Mackay's contributions to Roxy Music. Rhodes later described the album's sound as "elegant punk".


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: Of the album's nine tracks, its first seven ("Rio" to "Last Chance on the Stairway") are faster and more upbeat numbers, while the last two ("Save a Prayer" and "The Chauffeur") are slower and atmospheric synthesiser-based ballads. Discussing the band members' playing on "Rio" in "Ultimate Classic Rock", author Annie Zaleski described the rhythm section of John and Roger as "formidable" and "locked into grooves with nimble precision", with Rhodes' synthesisers adding "artsy textures" and Andy's "blazing guitar acrobatics" bringing "ferocity and heft" to the tracks; Malins highlights "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "New Religion" as showcasing Andy's guitar. The album's production is sparser than that of the debut studio album, although Rhodes felt its bouts of studio experimentation made the album definitively theirs: "It sounds like us – I don't think it sounds like anybody else."


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: Le Bon turned to his experiences on their first American tour for inspiration in writing the album's lyrics. In a nod to artists such as Joy Division and the Doors' Jim Morrison, the lyrics of "Rio" touch on topics from chasing one's dreams and finding one's place in the world, to pursuing a love interest and providing solace to a friend—mainly using dark and poetic words. While the title track paints a picture of a girl named Rio with a "cherry ice cream smile" that is "too lovely to resist"; "Save a Prayer" concerns a couple's love affair that ends too soon and "The Chauffeur" conveys images of restive driving and attractive women. Malins writes that Le Bon's lyrics are sometimes full of the "most obtuse tongue-twisters", with "New Religion" being presented as "a dialogue between the ego and the alter ego", but he does find the line "No time to worry cause we're on the roam again" in "Hold Back the Rain" perfectly encapsulates the album's "high spirits". However, Guarisco argued that Le Bon's "stream-of-consciousness" lyrics on tracks like "Rio" and "The Chauffeur" primarily add to the tracks' personalities rather than mean anything "in the literal sense".


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: John Taylor came up with the album's title in 1981 during the band's non-stop worldwide tour in support of their debut studio album. Taylor, who had never left England before, was taken by the glamour and excitement of the road which included stops in Los Angeles, New York City, Paris and Berlin. While visiting Brazil, he particularly became fascinated with the idea of exotica, stating in his memoir: "Rio, to me, was shorthand for the truly foreign, the exotic, a cornucopia of earthly delights, a party that would never stop." The other band members liked the title, feeling it encapsulated the "more optimistic" tone of the entire album. Le Bon later said: "The word looks great, sounds great and makes people think of parties, rivers – it's Spanish for river! – foreign places and sunshine."


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: Duran Duran themselves do not appear on the front cover of "Rio", which was a stylistic departure from their debut studio album and most albums at the time; the band felt that photographs and the music videos would suffice. Instead, the cover artwork for "Rio" is a portrait of a woman with striking make-up, a large smile and black hair. It was painted by artist Patrick Nagel, who was commissioned by the band after Paul Berrow discovered his work while browsing a "Playboy" magazine; Nagel was a regular contributor to the magazine at the time. Creating what would become known as the artist's trademark style, Nagel presented two options: a woman with a flower in her hair sitting sideways and the chosen shot of a woman smiling. Rhodes later recalled, "We all said instantly: 'Yes, that's it. That's the cover." Author Elena G. Millie described her as the "quintessential" 1980s woman: "elegant and sophisticated, alluring but cool, stark but sensual, mysterious, contradictory and utterly contemporary".


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: Malcolm Garrett, who had designed the cover artworks for the band's singles and debut studio album, had "no more than a week" to complete the final sleeve design. Garrett, who had yet to hear the title track at that point, stated: "In the same way that 'Planet Earth' made me think of airlines, "Rio" made me think of cigars and cigar packaging. The whole idea of something Latin and something Cuban and South American." Disliking album sleeves at the time having a plain image on the front and nothing on the back, Garrett wrapped the painting around the front and back of the sleeve, later clarifying it was a conceptual choice: "You've got to go through the picture to get to the album." Like cigar packaging, initial pressings had a physical sticker sealing the LP shut, a design choice that was pasted directly onto the sleeve for later reissues. For the title's typeface, Garrett used a retro style that was also evocative of 1950s cigar packaging. He received credit on the sleeve itself with "Assorted Images" integrated into the design. Duran Duran loved the finished design, with Rhodes later stating that "it just seemed to represent everything we wanted at that point." Duran Duran would become closely associated with the sleeve's image over the course of their career. The original drawing hung at Paul Berrow's office at the Rum Runner before the band stole it on their way to appear on "Top of the Pops", after which the members each took turns hanging it in their respective houses or apartments.


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: Garrett subsequently used the sleeve to establish a distinctive system of visual elements that provided "conceptual continuity" across "Rio" advertising, tour materials, merchandise and singles, which he also supervised. He later stated in 2000: "What we were doing with music then was always about creating and defining a visual world in which the fans operated and could come to understand." Nagel's second rejected image later debuted on the Japanese single release of "My Own Way", released months ahead of "Rio", in a mix-up between the band and the Japanese label. Rhodes later said: "No one had told the Japanese label that we hadn't actually bought that one."


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: A lyric sheet and a band portrait appears in the LP liner. Deliberately incongruous to the album title, the band chose to be photographed on the top of the British Petroleum Building, the tallest building in London at the time, against a modern nighttime skyline. The band used the same wardrobe from the photo shoot—Antony Price suits—for the subsequent music videos. Photographer Andy Earl recalled: "Because their music was so electronic, I wanted to try and create that energy in the picture. Just before the end of the exposure, I kicked the tripod, and that's what gives it this fizzy, electronic and glamorous look. Which, to me, captured the music and what they were all about."


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: Music videos were shot for six of "Rio" nine tracks. Russell Mulcahy, who had directed "Planet Earth", worked with the band on videos for "Hungry Like the Wolf", "Save a Prayer" and "Lonely in Your Nightmare" in Sri Lanka, a video for "Rio" in Antigua a few weeks later and one for "The Chauffer" in London without the band's involvement; another video had been made for the single version of "My Own Way". Former film student Marcello Anciano acted as storyboard artist and art director for all the videos. The Sri Lanka videos emphasised the exotic location; "Hungry Like the Wolf" saw Le Bon cast as an Indiana Jones-type character, while "Save a Prayer" utilised elephants and found the band atop a mountain inspecting stone temples. While there, Rhodes and John Taylor felt homesick, while Andy contracted a fever from the water, requiring his hospitalisation on his return to England. Andy was "very run-down" for the subsequent Australian and Japanese tours throughout the second half of April 1982 and had an oxygen mask at the side of the stage for the shows. He fully recovered for the "Rio" shoot, which found the band sailing aboard yachts.


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: Duran Duran earned a massive advance from EMI to film the videos, particularly the Sri Lanka ones, said to range between £30,000 and £55,000. The label had strong faith in the band and wanted videos prepared in advance before "Rio" release. Both the band and EMI had ambitious plans for promotion and devised the release of a full-length video album consisting of the best songs from both "Duran Duran" (1981) and "Rio". Le Bon had declared the medium's importance in an interview with "Smash Hits" earlier in the year, stating, "I take video very seriously. I see it as an artform. Most people see it as a promotional device. [...] Videos are the 'talking pictures' of today's music industry." Rhodes and Roger Taylor also spoke about it to the Associated Press in late-summer 1982. Nevertheless, other band members were more reserved, particularly John.


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: Although video albums originated as early as 1979, EMI's parent corporation, Thorn, intended for the proposed Duran Duran album to sell exquisitely in the VHS and home video markets. At the time, Britain saw the significance of music videos and, with programmes such as "Top of the Pops" in their native Britain, audiences were accustomed to watching bands perform on television. In America however, music videos still played a lesser role in promotion, as American labels felt they were insignificant compared to radio. MTV, which launched in August 1981, would soon provide a shift in this perspective, primarily due to the videos of British bands they would play on the channel. One of MTV's original VJs, Alan Hunter, later stated that while American artists, such as Rod Stewart, took more literal approaches when producing videos, "the music of the young New Wave romantics [such as Duran Duran] lent itself better to a more ephemeral interpretation, or a little looser interpretation." Commenting on the more stylised videos of England at the time, MTV director of promotion and artist relations John Sykes said:


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: As the band were shooting the "Rio" video, EMI issued "Hungry Like the Wolf" as the lead single from the album on 4May 1982. Duran Duran mimed to the song on "Top of the Pops" nine days later. Entering the UK Singles Chart at number 35, it reached the top ten by the end of May, and peaked at number five in late June. Its accompanying video received frequent rotation on MTV by early July.


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: Shortly after the lead single, EMI issued "Rio" on 10May 1982. It debuted at number four and peaked at number two by 22May, behind the Madness greatest hits compilation album "Complete Madness" (1982). "Rio" remained in the UK chart for 110 weeks, including 96 consecutive weeks until March 1984. Additionally, a tour EP generated publicity in Australia, with "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "Rio" both reaching the top ten. In interviews, Duran Duran disassociated themselves with New Romanticism, with John Taylor insisting the band wanted to set themselves apart from "any broader movement", drawing comparisons to Spandau Ballet and Ultravox.


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: Initial European tour dates were delayed to September 1982 due to Andy falling ill. Instead, the band toured the US throughout July, attracting their largest audiences to date, later opening for Blondie for several dates throughout August. "Save a Prayer" was released in England as the second single on 9August 1982, backed by a remix of "Hold Back the Rain", which peaked at number two in the UK a couple of weeks later. Before commencing the European tour, EMI issued "An interview with Simon Le Bon" as a 7" picture single, composed of interviews the singer made with "Smash Hits" and "The Face". During the tour, John injured his hand while in Munich, forcing the cancellation of several dates. He fully recovered before a month-long UK tour that commenced on 30October. Two days later, "Rio" was released as a single in England and America, backed by "The Chauffeur" in the former and "Hold Back the Rain" in the latter, reaching number nine in the former by mid-November; It failed to chart in the US as a single until 1985 as part of the live album "Arena".


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: "Rio" received mixed-to-negative reviews on release. Critics commended the melodies but were mostly distasteful towards the lyrics. Robin Denselow, in particular, mused in "The Guardian": "Why do bands with no lyrical skill insist on printing their ghastly efforts on inside record sleeves?" He meanwhile deemed the music "melodic, disposable pop to a best-selling formula". A writer for "Record Mirror" bluntly described "Rio" as "thoroughly competent and yet bereft of the soul, passion and wit that makes a great record." Allentown, Pennsylvania newspaper "The Morning Call" was also negative, finding the album "a pain in the butt to sit through". "NME" Paul Du Noyer found a lack of artistic differentiation from their debut studio album, stating, "What they've done is spin out the formula, quite efficiently." Deeming "Rio" "a sweet, lumpy pudding of a noise", he concluded: "In its own blandly unambitious way, I guess, it's a perfect record. In other ways, it's boring as hell." Meanwhile, Robert Christgau of "The Village Voice" deemed the LP "Anglodisco at its most solemnly expedient," feeling that "it lacks even the forced cheerfulness" of Haircut 100, and that "if it had as many hooks as "A Flock of Seagulls" (not bloody likely) it still wouldn't be silly enough to be any fun." By late 1983, "The New York Times" had dismissed Duran Duran as soulless, musically derivative and typical of the "frivolous dance-oriented synthesizer pop made by [British] fashion-conscious groups" that MTV had helped to popularise.


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: Other reviewers were warmer to the record. Writing for "Smash Hits", Fred Dellar gave praise to the first three tracks, commenting that they "had me jotting down theories about the new golden age of pop", but by the LP's end, it turned into "yet another well-dressed but not totally satisfying album". In "The Philadelphia Inquirer", Jack Lloyd wrote that "Rio" "indicates a strong feel for the pop market" and gave positive mentions to the instrumentation and accessible music. A writer for "Billboard" agreed, describing the album as "catchy, melodic and accessible", with tunes hewing toward "bright and sassy pop". A particularly positive review came from "Melody Maker", wherein Steve Sutherland proclaimed "Rio" "the true culmination of the much-misunderstood New Romanticism – energetic, proud, enthusiastic, joyous; something to escape FULLY into." He expressed excitement in seeing where the band would go next. Ira Robbins was also positive in "Trouser Press", finding the music showcased the young band as an emerging and creative talent: "Even when Duran Duran aims for the b.p.m. crowd, they display enough musical perspicacity to avoid tedium."


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: "Rio" success in the UK, Australia and Japan initially went unmatched in the US. Duran Duran's American label, Capitol Records, issued "Rio" through its Harvest subsidiary. This release debuted at number 164 on "Billboard" Top LPs & Tape chart for the issue dated 5June 1982, eventually stalling out at number 122 in July before dropping out entirely by August. Executives at Capitol, who primarily targeted straightforward rock artists such as Bob Seger, attributed geography, size and what they viewed as zero hit singles to Duran Duran's initial struggle to break in the States. One executive even stated: "The only way you could break an album or a band was through radio—no other way."


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: Discussing the band's lack of initial American success, Zaleski states that the radio landscape in 1982 was "competitive, but bland". At the time, "Billboard" magazine wrote that advertisers primarily wanted to appeal to the 25- to 54-year-old demographic, resulting in music that was "softer, more conservative or just plain older". Furthermore, radio stations were skeptical of new and different sounds. Radio consultant Lee Abrams argued that the new wave movement was initially aligned to punk rock, which lacked appeal to Americans, who wanted more uplifting beats and lyrics and polished sounds. Abrams observed that bands such as the Police and U2, who would go on to have massive US success, both had slow starts there: "The fact that those bands, among others, were perceived by American radio as new wave, thus punk, hurt their initial impact." Nevertheless, various English bands began enjoying chart success in America that year; in July, Soft Cell reached the top ten with "Tainted Love", while the Human League were at their second week at number one with "Don't You Want Me" (both 1981). Zaleski says that Duran Duran stood out in terms of fashion and overall look.


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: With dwindling fortunes, Capitol ordered the band remix the album to better align with American radio, under the promise of more promotion. With staff producer David Kershenbaum, the band remixed four songs: "Rio" "Hold Back the Rain", "My Own Way", "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "Duran Duran" "Girls on Film". According to Davis, Kershenbaum's goal was to "make Duran Duran sound like Van Halen on an American pickup truck radio." Andy Taylor states in his memoir that the new mix "gave the album a smoother, cleaner sound that went down better with US audiences", who were used to "slightly more precise sound" than what was developed in the UK. John was unhappy with the remix, believing it represented the death of the band's original vision: "That was the end of Duran Duran, our original idea—an underground club band." Additionally, due to a lack of notice and a financial falling out with Paul Berrow, Thurston parted ways with the band, making "Rio" his final work with the group.


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: Capitol collected the remixes and released them as an EP in late September 1982 called "Carnival". Packaged with several photos of the band and liner notes, "Carnival" earned Duran Duran radio play throughout the US, reaching at number 98 on "Billboard" Hot 100 chart in early October. Following the success of the Kershenbaum remixes, Capitol changed their marketing strategy, selling Duran Duran no longer as a New Romantic band but instead as a dance band. Additionally, Capitol commissioned Kershenbaum to remix the entire first side of the "Rio" album, while the band toured the UK. In November, Capitol issued the remixed "Rio" and "Hungry Like the Wolf" single in the US, the latter peaking at number three by Christmas. With all three music videos garnering heavy airplay on MTV and nationwide chart success, marketing executives pushed radio DJs to refer to Duran Duran as "the Fab Five". The remixed "Rio" charted at number six on the "Billboard" Top LPs & Tape chart in March 1983 and went on to spend 129 weeks on the chart.


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: The success of "Rio" electrified the already-rising Second British Invasion. Alongside their contemporaries the Human League, A Flock of Seagulls, Culture Club and Thomas Dolby, Duran Duran reigned the American pop charts throughout 1983 and led to the rise of other would-be successful British acts, including Tears for Fears, Eurythmics, Naked Eyes and the Rhodes-discovered Kajagoogoo. With Culture Club and Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran created a teen "hysteria" similar to Beatlemania during the first British Invasion. Additional UK acts, including Wham!, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Pet Shop Boys and Dead or Alive, would find American success in the ensuing years, alongside other bands who originated in small clubs like Duran Duran—the Cure, Depeche Mode, the Psychedelic Furs and Echo & the Bunnymen. Bowie, Duran Duran's idol, also found massive commercial success in 1983 with "Let's Dance".


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: According to Zaleski, "Rio" "sonic approach—blasing electric guitars blended with moody synthesisers—became the dominant template for mainstream 1980s rock"; bands such as INXS used Duran Duran and "Rio" as a basis for their edgier and funkier sound. Discussing the album's impact, Yahoo! Music's Lyndsey Parker pondered: "Was there ever any album that embodied all things grand and glamorous about the escapist, excessive, exotic, erotic, aspirational '80s more than Duran Duran's "Rio"?" Beyond the 1980s, artists who have replicated "Rio" include the Killers, Mark Ronson and the AFI/No Doubt supergroup Dreamcar.


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: Three decades after its release, John Taylor still held the album in high regard, stating in his 2012 memoir: "The writing on "Rio" is fantastic, all out. Essential Duran Duran." He also had high praise for the band's musicianship: "Every one of us is performing ... at the absolute peak of our talents. There is no showboating. Every part is thoughtful, considered, part of a greater whole." Rhodes later admitted in 2022 that "Rio" was tough to top: "It's something that's been a double-edged sword for us, because it was such a powerful record, and perhaps the images from the videos stuck in people's minds. Then it came to the end of the 1980s, and people wanted to close the door on us." Nevertheless, John felt "Rio" helped the band establish longevity beyond the 1980s, leading to a career spanning 15 albums and more than 100 million record sales. Speaking to Yahoo! Music, John stated: "It's been such an amazing journey, and I think "Rio" is probably the reason why we're still getting to do what we do today, basically. This is the album that put us on the map — and has kept us there."


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: Retrospective reviews have been far more positive, with several critics declaring "Rio" Duran Duran's finest work. Beyond the 2000s, commentators agreed the album has aged well, with AllMusic's Ned Raggett declaring that "its fusion of style and substance ensures that even two decades after its release it remains as listenable and danceable as ever." Zaleski argued that the band's use of basic instrumentation—guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and vocals—ensured "Rio" sounded more timeless than other albums of the time. She summarised: ""Rio" was a testament to the band's chemistry and ambition, and how quickly they evolved as musicians." In "The Quietus", John Freeman concluded that over 30 years after its release, "Rio" "encompasses all anyone needs to know about Duran Duran". In 2015, "Record Collector" Mark Elliot deemed it a "seminal 80s classic" and a record that displays a band figuring out their sound, growing in confidence and "setting to conquer the world".


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: Other reviewers have given praise to the band. Writing for "Q" magazine, Paul Moody viewed "Rio" as reinitiating Duran Duran's status as "a national pop treasure". "Pitchfork" Tom Ewing, who found the band simply copied their influences on their debut and their follow-up studio album "Seven and the Ragged Tiger" (1983) a disappointment, stated that "Rio" "is where the band's hunger for success really catalyzed its mix of rock, disco, and heartthrob pop". "Uncut" magazine's Wyndham Wallace found the album "confirms [the band] packed a significant punch", while Robbins wrote in "Trouser Press":


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: The band members' performances and instrumentation have been highlighted, with Raggett stating that "the quintet integrates [their] sound near-perfectly throughout". "PopMatters" John Bergstrom observed that "not even nearly 30 years of cultural change have been able to budge the careful juxtaposition between Andy Taylor's power riffing and Simon Le Bon's willfully artful lyrics and vocals, or the brilliant interplay between the awesome, seriously funky rhythm section of John Taylor and Roger Taylor, and Nick Rhodes' atmospheric, arpeggiated synthesizer framework. Together, it all created all kinds of energy and just the right amount of camp." Despite its praise, several commentators have taken issue with Le Bon's lyrics, arguing they lack literal meaning and range from "absurd" and "sublime", but agree that the singer's confident vocal performances offer bouts of connotation.


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: "Rio" cover artwork has been deemed iconic and one of the greatest of all time by VH1 and "Billboard". In 2006, Ernest Simpson of "Treblezine" wrote: "Rarely does an album cover truly fit the style and attitude within, with maybe only the Clash's "London Calling" [1979] as the most obvious example. But "Rio"s Patrick Nagel-painted cover not only encapsulated the slick new wave of the stylish band, but also the early '80s in general." Reflecting on the artwork in his 2021 book "Please Please Tell Me Now", Davis states that the decline of the "classic album art" era began following the release of "Rio".


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: "Rio" has made appearances on several best-of lists. In 2000, "Q" magazine placed "Rio" at number 98 in their list of the 100 Greatest British Albums ever, while "The Word" ranked it number 24 is a similar list of the 50 best British albums in 2008. Meanwhile, "Pitchfork" named it the 95th best album of the 1980s in 2002. A year later, "NME" ranked "Rio" the 65th greatest album of all time. A decade later in 2013, BBC Radio 2 placed it at number three in a list compiling their "Top 100 Favourite Albums of All Time". In lists compiling the best new wave albums, "Ultimate Classic Rock" and "Paste" placed it at numbers 4 and 24, respectively. Despite its acclaim, Malins finds that "Rio" is often not as highly revered as other records of the time, such as ABC's "The Lexicon of Love", the Human League's "Dare" and Simple Minds' "New Gold Dream (81–82–83–84)".


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: The album was included in the 2018 edition of Robert Dimery's book "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". Based on its appearances in professional rankings and listings, the aggregate website Acclaimed Music lists "Rio" as the 13th most acclaimed album of 1982, the 125th most acclaimed album of the 1980s and the 798th most acclaimed album in history.


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: "Rio" was first released on CD in early 1984 and was one of the first CDs issued by EMI in the UK and the US. The album's first major reissue by EMI was released on 3July 2001. This release contained Enhanced CD material featuring the music videos for "Rio", "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "Save a Prayer", plus memorabilia and a link to the band's official website. The European limited-edition booklet cover used an alternate version of the Nagel cover painting. The original CD version was used rather than the original LP version. EMI stated that this was due to master tape research issues as a result of there being multiple different versions of the album.


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: "Rio" was again reissued as a two-disc Collectors Edition on 7September 2009 in the UK, and 6October 2009 in the US. This edition includes the original LP release tracks and the US Kershenbaum remixes, along with several other tracks that were either previously unavailable officially on CD, or were only available on "Singles Box Set 1981–1985" (2003). This reissue received mixed reviews. Commentators felt the bonus tracks were mostly disposable and not worth the price tag, although some welcome the presence of several "night versions" and the US mixes. Ewing concluded: "The 2xCD package is probably best used as a way of recreating whichever version of "Rio" floats your nostalgia yacht." The release was packaged with the "Live at Hammersmith '82" DVD, which "Record Collector" Joel McIver felt was superior to "Rio". On 23June 2015, Parlophone repackaged this edition as a two-disc set, featuring the US album mixes, demos, assorted B-sides and five remixes.


title: Rio (Duran Duran album)

text: All songs written and arranged by Simon Le Bon, Andy Taylor, John Taylor, Roger Taylor and Nick Rhodes.


title: Mystery Road (TV series)

text: Mystery Road is an Australian television crime mystery series whose first series screened on ABC TV from 3 June 2018. The series is a spin-off from Ivan Sen's feature films "Mystery Road" and "Goldstone", taking place in-between the two. Aboriginal Australian detective Jay Swan, played by Aaron Pedersen, is the main character and actor in both the films and in the first two TV series, each of six episodes.


title: Mystery Road (TV series)

text: Series 1 was directed by Rachel Perkins. Swan is brought in to solve a murder, with the local police officer played by Judy Davis. In Series 2, directed by Warwick Thornton and Wayne Blair, which began airing on ABC on 19 April 2020, Swan is brought in to solve a murder in a different location, with the "local copper" this time played by Jada Alberts. Both series were shot in northern Western Australia.


title: Mystery Road (TV series)

text: Series 3, directed by Dylan River, is a prequel set in 1999, titled Mystery Road: Origin. Mark Coles Smith plays a younger version of Swan.


title: Mystery Road (TV series)

text: Taking place between the events of the films "Mystery Road" and "Goldstone", "Mystery Road" Series 1 tells the story of Detective Jay Swan (Aaron Pedersen), assigned to investigate the mysterious disappearance of two young farmhands on an outback cattle station, one a local Indigenous football hero and the other a white backpacker. Working together with local police sergeant Emma James (Judy Davis), the investigation uncovers drug trafficking in the town, and a past injustice that threatens the fabric of the whole community.


title: Mystery Road (TV series)

text: Jay Swan has to unravel the mystery of a decapitated body which turns up in the mangroves, outside the town of Broome. The plot involves drug trafficking and an archaeological dig which discovered the dead body. Swan's ex Mary is involved with an undercover drug runner, placing her in extreme danger.


title: Mystery Road (TV series)

text: The year is 1999, and a young Jay Swan moves back to his home town of Jardine to join the local police force. He must cope with his estranged father Jack and his feelings for local girl Mary Allen, as well as contending with a mysterious gang of robbers.


title: Mystery Road (TV series)

text: Series 2 began screening on ABC in April 2020. It had its world premiere at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival in late February, in the new Series section devoted to longform television series, along with another ABC series, "Stateless".


title: Mystery Road (TV series)

text: "Mystery Road: Origin" went to air on Sunday 3 July 2022 and runs until 7 August. All six episodes were made available on iview. The writers include Blake Ayshford, Steven McGregor, Kodie Bedford, Timothy Lee and Dylan River.


title: Mystery Road (TV series)

text: The first series was made on location in and around Wyndham, a town in northern Western Australia. Other scenes were shot at Kununurra and on Aboriginal lands belonging to the Miriuwung, Gajerrong and Balanggarra in the Kimberley. Location shooting took approximately 10 weeks.


title: Mystery Road (TV series)

text: The second series was filmed in Broome, and in the Kimberley in northern Western Australia, taking 10 weeks. It was Thornton's first time directing for television, and he said that Blair's experience in this medium was vital. He also said that Sen and Perkins had done the hard work creating "this unique world", which gave the directors of Series 2 a strong foundation, so they could focus on the performances.


title: Mystery Road (TV series)

text: "The Guardian" reviewer Luke Buckmaster praised the "extraordinary breadth" of the show, in the way it portrays the country "only just beginning to come to terms with its past". He praised Pedersen’s performance, which "simultaneously [projects] great strength and great sorrow", as a man "caught between traditions, between worldviews, between "laws" and "lores"".


title: Mystery Road (TV series)

text: In "The Sydney Morning Herald", Kylie Northover gave "Mystery Road: Origin" a rating of five stars, while "The Guardian" gave it four (out of five).


title: Crossroads (1986 film)

text: Crossroads is a 1986 America musical drama film inspired by the legend of blues musician Robert Johnson. Starring Ralph Macchio, Joe Seneca and Jami Gertz, the film was written by John Fusco and directed by Walter Hill and features an original score by Ry Cooder featuring classical guitar by William Kanengiser and harmonica by Sonny Terry. Steve Vai appears in the film as the devil's virtuosic guitar player in the climactic guitar duel.


title: Crossroads (1986 film)

text: Fusco was a traveling blues musician prior to attending New York University Tisch School of the Arts, where he wrote "Crossroads" as an assignment in a master class led by the screenwriting giants Waldo Salt and Ring Lardner Jr. The student screenplay won first place in the national FOCUS Awards (Films of College and University Students) and was sold to Columbia Pictures while Fusco was still a student.


title: Crossroads (1986 film)

text: 17-year-old Eugene Martone has a fascination for blues music while studying classical guitar at the Juilliard School for Performing Arts in New York City. Researching blues and guitar music brings famed Robert Johnson's mythically creative acclaim to his attention; especially intriguing are the legends surrounding exactly how Johnson became so talented – most notably the one claiming he "sold his soul to the Devil at the crossroads", as well as a famed "missing song" that was lost, supposedly evermore, to the world.


title: Crossroads (1986 film)

text: In his quest to find this song, he researches old archived newspaper clippings, learning that Johnson's longtime friend, musician Willie Brown, is alive and incarcerated for murder or attempted murder in a nearby minimum security hospital. Eugene goes to see the elderly man, who denies several times that he is "that" Willie Brown. He finally admits his identity after hearing Eugene play some blues (but notes that Eugene "plays with no soul"). Willie then says he knows the missing Robert Johnson tune in question but refuses to give it to Eugene unless the boy breaks him out of the facility and gets him to Mississippi, where he has unfinished business to settle. Eugene agrees and they head south. The boy soon realizes, however, that Willie is constantly running minor scams such as claiming that he has more money than he actually has to cover their bus tickets. With only $40 on them, they end up "hoboing" from Memphis to rural Mississippi.


title: Crossroads (1986 film)

text: During their quest, Eugene and Willie experience the blues legacy of Robert Johnson first-hand, taking part in an impromptu jam session at a "jook joint" (as Willie calls it), where Eugene is given the nickname "Lightning Boy" by Willie because of his musical skill. Eugene jokingly suggests to Willie that he himself ought to "sell his soul to the Devil at the crossroads", Willie angrily slaps him and demands he not joke about that.


title: Crossroads (1986 film)

text: The pair meet 17-year-old Frances, who is fleeing her abusive stepfather. She hitchhikes with them, and she and Eugene start a relationship. When she abandons them, to continue her own journey, Eugene is left heartbroken but with a deeper feeling for the blues.


title: Crossroads (1986 film)

text: Willie helps Eugene buy a portable Pignose amplifier, through which Eugene plays his old Fender Telecaster. Willie tells Eugene that the secret of playing the blues is using a slide. Willie confesses that there is no missing Johnson song, but tells the boy that he has proven himself far beyond what learning any blues song could ever teach him.


title: Crossroads (1986 film)

text: They reach a deserted crossroads in rural Mississippi, where Willie reveals his secret: his ability on the harmonica came about because of a deal with the Devil, which he made at this very location. Willie now hopes to end the deal. The Devil, who calls himself Scratch and Legba, shows up and insists that the contract for Willie's soul is still valid, even if Willie is dissatisfied with how his life turned out.


title: Crossroads (1986 film)

text: Eugene, believing the other two are joking around, steps into the conversation. The Devil offers a challenge: if Eugene can come to a special concert and win a guitar battle against his ringer guitarist, then Willie gets his soul back. If Eugene loses, then Eugene too forfeits his soul. Despite Willie's protests, Eugene agrees to the deal. Willie and Eugene are transported to a music hall, where metal-blues guitar master Jack Butler, who also sold his soul for musical ability, is wowing the crowd with his prowess. Eugene, now understanding the situation, receives a mojo bag from Willie to hold in his pocket. He also slips his slide on, giving him a perceived advantage over his opponent.


title: Crossroads (1986 film)

text: Eugene and Butler trade flamboyant guitar parts, with each able to top the other. Eventually, Eugene falls back on his classical training, playing a fast and difficult piece that Butler cannot match. Dejected, Butler drops his guitar and strides off, and the Devil tears up Willie's contract, freeing the bluesman's soul.


title: Crossroads (1986 film)

text: Willie and Eugene are transported back to Mississippi, where they start walking again, talking of cities they plan to visit.