RIO – Borderland (MelodicRock Classics Expanded & Remastered +4) *HQ*
“Borderland“, the 1985’s album from British duo RIO is considered cult AOR album by fans of the genre. Formed by Steve Rodford (son of Jim Rodford of the band The Zombies) and Jon Neill (Jon Willoughby) the band started their early material in a group called Bombay. Steve took on Drums, Bass and backup vocals, while Jon focused on lead vocals and guitar.
The sound of RIO is on the poppier side of AOR – melodic guitars, big choruses and lots of keyboards – and both chaps clearly know what they are doing with their instruments. That pumping mid-80s midtempo magic is all over the album: “I Don’t Wanna Be The Fool”, “State Of Emergency”, “Straight To The Heart”, title track “Borderland”, and “Shy Girl”.
Long time out of print, MelodicRock Classics has reissued the album remastered from the master tapes and including additional 4 bonus tracks. The sound quality is excellent.
The band’s Steve Rodford had this to say about the long-awaited release: “We recorded this album in 1984 as part of our first major record deal, self-produced and recorded at home, then finished off and mixed in London. We’ve been amazed at how it has become a bit of a cult classic over the years and are delighted to be able to present Borderland, in partnership with MelodicRock Classics, featuring exclusive bonus material. It’s so good to be able to present original ‘band’ mixes of “I Don’t Wanna Be The Fool” and “State Of Emergency” as they are closer to the original sound and vision we had for the record. It was a real labour of love recording this album, and it’s so great there’s still interest in it all these years later and would be wonderful to think some new people might discover it.”
“Borderland” is a fantastic mid-80s AOR records that deserves a spot in your AOR music collection. While their sound really unique, the band fits within groups such as Strangeways, Bystander, Cliff Magness, What If, etc.
A Must
01. I Don’t Wanna Be The Fool (Original Mix)
02. Straight To The Heart
03. Tommy Can’t Help It
04. Better This Time
05. State Of Emergency
06. Shy Girl
07. She’s A Virgin
08. Close To You
09. Borderland
BONUS TRACKS:
10. I Don’t Wanna Be The Fool (Single Mix)
11. Casualty (Previously Unreleased)
12. State Of Emergency (Band Mix)
13. I Don’t Wanna Be The Fool (Band Mix)
Jon Neill – Vocals, Guitars
Steve Rodford – Drums, Bass, Keyboards
BUY
fye.com/products/rio-borderland_aec-mrok8421952-2
