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Track List
01) Election Day
02) Keep Me in the Dark
03) Goodbye is Forever
04) The Flame
05) Missing
06) Rose Arcana
07) The Promise
08) El Diablo
09) Lady Ice
10) Say the Word (Theme from Playing For Keeps)
11) Election Day (single version)
12) Goodbye Is Forever (single mix)
13) The Promise (7" mix)
14) The Flame (7" mix)
15) Say the Word (Theme from Playing For Keeps)
16) She's Moody and Grey, She's Mean and Restles
Cd 2
01) Election Day (Consensus mix)
02) Goodbye Is Forever (extended mix)
03) The Promise (instrumental)
04) Rose Arcana (extended)
05) The Flame (extended remix)
06) Say the Word (Theme from Playing For Keeps) (exten
07) Election Day (Cryptic Cut)
08) The Promise (12" mix)
09) Goodbye Is Forever (dub mix)
10) Say the Word (Theme from Playing For Keeps) (exten
11) Election Day (early rough mix)
12) Flame Game (Yo Homeboy mix)
01) Election Day
02) Keep Me in the Dark
03) Goodbye is Forever
04) The Flame
05) Missing
06) Rose Arcana
07) The Promise
08) El Diablo
09) Lady Ice
10) Say the Word (Theme from Playing For Keeps)
11) Election Day (single version)
12) Goodbye Is Forever (single mix)
13) The Promise (7" mix)
14) The Flame (7" mix)
15) Say the Word (Theme from Playing For Keeps)
16) She's Moody and Grey, She's Mean and Restles
Cd 2
01) Election Day (Consensus mix)
02) Goodbye Is Forever (extended mix)
03) The Promise (instrumental)
04) Rose Arcana (extended)
05) The Flame (extended remix)
06) Say the Word (Theme from Playing For Keeps) (exten
07) Election Day (Cryptic Cut)
08) The Promise (12" mix)
09) Goodbye Is Forever (dub mix)
10) Say the Word (Theme from Playing For Keeps) (exten
11) Election Day (early rough mix)
12) Flame Game (Yo Homeboy mix)
5:29
4:30
3:48
4:23
3:41
0:51
7:29
5:57
7:40
4:30
4:30
4:17
4:46
4:06
5:08
4:28
8:38
6:44
5:44
5:32
7:17
6:32
9:09
7:05
5:15
5:47
9:04
2:50
Data Complete
70%
Total Rating
70%Total Rating
(1 users)
Back Cover
CD Art
3D Case
3D Thumb
3D Flat
3D Face
3D Spine
First Released
1985
Synthpop
---
Rock/Pop
---
Medium
Album
0 copies
Album Description
Available in:
Arcadia was the arty quarter of Duran Duran's side project. Members Simon Le Bon and Nick Rhodes were left to complete it after Roger Taylor left the group. They still strove to create the "western evocative of east" blueprinted by Japan's Tin Drum. They didn't achieve it with this, but it's certainly the best album Duran never made. Like earlier work Rio, the sleeve perfectly describes the record inside. The opener "Election Day" is darkly romantic irking toward erotic and has brass stabs not dissimilar from their Bond score View to a Kill. The following songs are lighter: "Keep Me in the Dark" and the U.S. single "Goodbye Is Forever." "The Flame" has a sharp beat and sultry bass groove that nods at Nile Rodgers. Two dream works, "Missing" and "Rose Arcana," precede "The Promise," which guests Pink Floyd's Dave Gilmour, Sting, and Herbie Hancock. "El Diablo" has a latin flavor but still sounds like two Englishmen daydreaming of an escapade to El Salvador. Finally, to the dramatic splendor of "Lady Ice," a fantastic conclusion to a very good album. Thankfully, Arcadia chose not to pursue this album like their other Duran offshoot.
User Album Review
Arcadia’s moment in the sun began and ended with Election Day.
Chris Roberts 2010-04-16
Simon Le Bon described this as “the most pretentious album ever made”, which only served to further expose his narrow horizons and hidden shallows. With time to kill in 1985 between Duran Duran obligations, Le Bon, Nick Rhodes and Roger Taylor formed this splinter group. For all the special pleading and manifestos, they sounded exactly like Duran, despite a roll-call of guests including Grace Jones, Sting, Herbie Hancock, David Gilmour, Bowie guitarist Carlos Alomar and virtuoso bassist Mark Egan.
Shorn of its glittering 1980s context, So Red the Rose plods along – like all Duran-related music – without notable wit, soul or brains, and their eager attempts at funk sound hopelessly white and haplessly overweight. When they try to drift gracefully, like Roxy Music’s Avalon, their arrangements are desperately sucking their waistlines in until the pretty girl has walked by. When they venture tentatively towards Japan’s arty, enigmatic terrain, they soon chicken out, probably wisely. Le Bon’s weedy voice drags everything down.
And yet, somewhat unfairly, these pop chancers came up with one irresistibly great single. The moonlighting Brummies conjured up Election Day, a slinky ersatz-funk jewel. It’s sharp with hooks and an actual groove. Even if the album then deflates like a saggy balloon, they’ll always have Election Day, the closest they came, under any guise, to sounding sexy.
Now reissued as a two-CD, one-DVD 25th anniversary package, it may well be, as history has declared, “the best album Duran never made”. (Some might argue for the Power Station project, but it’s a tight, if unimportant, call.) Despite only reaching 30 in the UK and 23 in the US, this album went platinum. Election Day was one of four singles, which puttered out with diminishing returns: Goodbye Is Forever, The Flame and The Promise are negligible.
Your ears prick up when Jones proffers her stentorian tones, and Egan’s bass burbles are so lively that you think, “Well, that’s certainly not one of Duran...” Umpteen remixes, edits and videos are included for those of you who are just weird, but Arcadia’s moment in the sun began and ended with Election Day.
External Album Reviews
None...
User Comments
Available in:
Arcadia was the arty quarter of Duran Duran's side project. Members Simon Le Bon and Nick Rhodes were left to complete it after Roger Taylor left the group. They still strove to create the "western evocative of east" blueprinted by Japan's Tin Drum. They didn't achieve it with this, but it's certainly the best album Duran never made. Like earlier work Rio, the sleeve perfectly describes the record inside. The opener "Election Day" is darkly romantic irking toward erotic and has brass stabs not dissimilar from their Bond score View to a Kill. The following songs are lighter: "Keep Me in the Dark" and the U.S. single "Goodbye Is Forever." "The Flame" has a sharp beat and sultry bass groove that nods at Nile Rodgers. Two dream works, "Missing" and "Rose Arcana," precede "The Promise," which guests Pink Floyd's Dave Gilmour, Sting, and Herbie Hancock. "El Diablo" has a latin flavor but still sounds like two Englishmen daydreaming of an escapade to El Salvador. Finally, to the dramatic splendor of "Lady Ice," a fantastic conclusion to a very good album. Thankfully, Arcadia chose not to pursue this album like their other Duran offshoot.
User Album Review
Arcadia’s moment in the sun began and ended with Election Day.
Chris Roberts 2010-04-16
Simon Le Bon described this as “the most pretentious album ever made”, which only served to further expose his narrow horizons and hidden shallows. With time to kill in 1985 between Duran Duran obligations, Le Bon, Nick Rhodes and Roger Taylor formed this splinter group. For all the special pleading and manifestos, they sounded exactly like Duran, despite a roll-call of guests including Grace Jones, Sting, Herbie Hancock, David Gilmour, Bowie guitarist Carlos Alomar and virtuoso bassist Mark Egan.
Shorn of its glittering 1980s context, So Red the Rose plods along – like all Duran-related music – without notable wit, soul or brains, and their eager attempts at funk sound hopelessly white and haplessly overweight. When they try to drift gracefully, like Roxy Music’s Avalon, their arrangements are desperately sucking their waistlines in until the pretty girl has walked by. When they venture tentatively towards Japan’s arty, enigmatic terrain, they soon chicken out, probably wisely. Le Bon’s weedy voice drags everything down.
And yet, somewhat unfairly, these pop chancers came up with one irresistibly great single. The moonlighting Brummies conjured up Election Day, a slinky ersatz-funk jewel. It’s sharp with hooks and an actual groove. Even if the album then deflates like a saggy balloon, they’ll always have Election Day, the closest they came, under any guise, to sounding sexy.
Now reissued as a two-CD, one-DVD 25th anniversary package, it may well be, as history has declared, “the best album Duran never made”. (Some might argue for the Power Station project, but it’s a tight, if unimportant, call.) Despite only reaching 30 in the UK and 23 in the US, this album went platinum. Election Day was one of four singles, which puttered out with diminishing returns: Goodbye Is Forever, The Flame and The Promise are negligible.
Your ears prick up when Jones proffers her stentorian tones, and Egan’s bass burbles are so lively that you think, “Well, that’s certainly not one of Duran...” Umpteen remixes, edits and videos are included for those of you who are just weird, but Arcadia’s moment in the sun began and ended with Election Day.
External Album Reviews
None...
User Comments
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