So Red the Rose

Arcadia, Arcadia | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 2, 1991)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B000007O5J
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (130 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #55,192 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Just after Duran Duran's popularity peaked in late 1984 and early 1985 Arcadia formed, comprising of three Duran Duran members: Simon LeBon, Nick Rhodes & Roger Taylor. Arcadia released one album, platinum-selling So Red The Rose. It peaked at no.30 in the UK and no.23 in the US, and featured: UK & US Top 10 single 'Election Day'.All Music guide describe So Red The Rose as 'the best album Duran never made'. A plethora of acclaimed artists contributed to the album including: David Gilmour (Pink Floyd), Sting (backing vocalist on The Promise), Herbie Hancock & Grace Jones (whose spoken word can be heard on 'The Flame' & 'Election Day'). This remastered deluxe edition features: CD 1 Original album released December 1985 plus 7 bonus tracks; CD 2: Bonus disc with rare tracks; DVD:The programme follows the filming of five clips from the album 'So Red The Rose' and the interesting combination of directors, locations, behind the scene footage & photographic montages come together to give a fascinating insight into the world of video production, plus a collection of videos including Arcadia's first single 'Election Day' which are shown in full, including Dean Chamberlain's rarely seen interpretation of the song 'Missing'. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An underrated classic, February 27, 2001

By 

Michael Erisman (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: So Red the Rose (Audio CD)

Arcadia was a Duran Duran spin-off (Roger Taylor, Nick Rhodes, and Simon Le Bon), while the other members (John Taylor and Andy Taylor) were doing Power Station, but don't let that fool you. This is by far the best music they ever produced. Guest vocals by Sting and Grace Jones, and the music of Herbie Hancock lend some artistic credibility which is not needed after a listen. While a couple of the songs are typical, although very well done, 80's type songs (Election Day and Goodbye is Forever), they are the exception rather than the rule on this very underrated CD. Several of the songs could play well on Jazz stations, and are musically beautifully written and recorded. Overall, this CD is well worth the price if you can find it. It was not released on CD for a number of years after it was produced, and then only overseas. If you are not a fan of Duran Duran, then not to worry, only a couple of songs have their trademark sound, the rest of the music is a combination of moods, styles and sounds which play well anywhere. Easy five stars!

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Album Duran (Did Make), April 22, 2010

By 

Agent Seven (Phoenix, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: So Red the Rose (2 CD/DVD) (Audio CD)

By the time the members of Duran Duran took a break from the band 1985, it was clear that the direction of the its music up to this point had been defined in no small part by Nick Rhodes. Nick's influence peaked in Duran Duran as the band teamed up with Alex Sadkin to release Seven and the Ragged Tiger, a body of work which yielded their biggest hits but was almost universally panned by the music press as the worst sort of juvenile digital fluff. In retrospect, Seven was arguably extremely clever and prescient for its time. When the break came, and the other two Taylors left to pursue the "more mature" raw rock sensation known as Power Station - Arcadia seemed almost an afterthought, in the shadow, as it was, of Power Station's undeniable success. So Red the Rose yielded four hits, each less chart-impressive than the one before it, but did not have to shoulder the burden of negative music press because despite the undeniable fact that it sounded very much like Duran Duran, well, hey - it wasn't actually Duran Duran! Except it was. Looking back with perfect hindsight, So Red the Rose is without question the mature, thoughtful successor to Seven and the Ragged Tiger, their only other work produced also by the late, great Alex Sadkin. It features an impressive array of guest talent far beyond the big names (for every Sting, there was a Mark Egan, for every David Gilmour, there was a Rafael DeJesus). This album is one of the most impressive and beautiful works of musical art ever to come out of the late-eighties post-New-wave musical scene and even to this day manages to maintain a fresh, original sound, unencumbered by 80's cliche. It transcends the decade and it transcends almost everything Duran Duran ever did as the ultimate expression of what Duran Duran was about. Esoteric, thoughtful and arty - to the highest degree possible.

Everything I have said applies to the album as a work of art. The remaster, like the other remastered albums you can get from the Duran Duran catalog, is unparalleled in its beauty and impressive technical mastery (and I say this as a musician and audiophile myself). Add to that the fact that with this reissue you get all the important remixes, some rare items and the videos that went along with the album, and you have a real treat. In particular, the video for The Flame, which is a Rocky-Horror-esque comedy of errors that almost nobody got to see - is worth the price of the whole package. I cannot be happier owning this, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

43 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A step toward the avant-guarde..., January 18, 2002

By 

Mars Velvet (Green Tree, Blue Earth...Deep Space) - See all my reviews

This review is from: So Red the Rose (Audio CD)

In the mid 1980s, Duran splintered off into two side projects...Power Station and Arcadia. What did it prove? Well we finally knew which members were fans of Chic and who were fans of Bryan Ferry/David Sylvian...but enough on that...

This album was an amazing accomplishment. Three members from what some called a bubblegum-pop group came together and forged an album of beauty with the helping hands of jazz musician Mark Isham, avant-guarde percussionist David Van Tiegam, David Gilmor and Sting...all added credibility to the project.

Here the music is textured...layered and beautiful. The funky grind of "Election Day", the bittersweet chugging melody of "Goodbye is Forever", the simple sweetness of "Missing", the sadness of Simon's voice and just pure poetry in "The Promise" and the crystalline beauty of the epic "Lady Ice".

This album was a great "teething-toy" for those would later listen to David Sylvian, Bryan Ferry, amd delve into jazz and
avant-guarde music.

I encourage anyone interested in something better than pop music to buy this CD! You won't regret it!