Arcadia: album reviews and ratings

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Reviews & Recommendations

How do you dare, step into my flame? -- Arcadia	Arcadia (Simon LeBon, Nick Rhodes, Roger Taylor)

Artist Listing:

S - Z

"This immaculately produced and performed album primarily serves as a showcase for keyboard player Nick Rhodes' talents as a soundsmith. Arcadia, consisting of Rhodes, Simon Le Bon and drummer Roger Taylor, assisted by a host of other musicians including Grace Jones, Sting, David Gilmour, and Herbie Hancock, let Nick realise all his ideas, and Simon wrote some of his best and most touching lyrics for this album. As a whole, it is very atmospheric, and songs like 'El Diablo', 'Missing' and 'Lady Ice' are downright ethereal. The two best-known tracks, 'Election Day' with its humongous beat and the beautiful 'The Promise' with Sting helping out on backing vocals, are my favourites on an album that showed even the most stuck-up and narrow-minded critics that the members of Duran Duran were (are) not just pretty boys devoid of talent. Even today 'So Red The Rose' stands out as a collection of great songs and as one of the best produced albums ever."

Andreas Tjørnehøj, via amazon.com, 3/99

Discography - Album / CD Reviews

½ 1985: So Red the Rose
"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. "

-- Michael Erisman, via amazon.com, 2/01

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Recommended Links:

Arcadia on Wikipedia