Arcadia were a new wave British group formed in 1985 by Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, and Roger Taylor of Duran Duran as a side project during a break in that band's schedule. The project was only active during 1985 and 1986 for just one album, So Red the Rose, which was certified Platinum in the United States and included the singles "Election Day", "Goodbye Is Forever", "The Flame" and "The Promise ". Drummer Roger Taylor appeared in only a few band photographs and in none of the music videos, and stated he was only to be involved in the recording side of the project. The name of the band was reportedly inspired by the Nicolas Poussin painting Et in Arcadia ego.
Music career
''So Red the Rose'' (1985)
The group recorded just one album, the platinum-selling So Red the Rose. It peaked at No. 30 in the UK and No. 23 in the US, and featured the UK/US Top 10 single "Election Day", as well as the top 40 hits "The Promise" and "Goodbye Is Forever". It also contains the single "The Flame" and the promo-singles "Missing", "El Diablo", and "Keep Me in the Dark". Simon Le Bon described So Red the Rose as "the most pretentious album ever made," while AllMusic called it "the best album Duran Duran never made". Musicians who contributed to the album included guitarists David Gilmour and Carlos Alomar, pianist Herbie Hancock, Sting, Grace Jones, bass player Mark Egan of the Pat Metheny Group, Masami Tsuchiya, and David Van Tieghem, a percussionist from New York. A video collection was also released which featured music videos for the singles directed by Roger Christian, Marcelo Anciano, Russell Mulcahy, and Dean Chamberlain. The band also recorded and released the standalone single "Say the Word" for the Playing for Keepsmovie soundtrack, which was not included on So Red the Rose. EMI re-released the album as a three disc box set in April 2010. This remastering collected all permutations and remixes of tracks released by the band. The third disc comprised the video collection on DVD, but it does not include the video for "Say the Word".
Band changes
Arcadia continued the Duran Duran tradition of a slick image. For the Arcadia incarnation of their ever-changing band aesthetic, Le Bon, Rhodes, and Roger Taylor donned an upmarket 'gothic' look of black tuxedos, vintage formal wear, and bow ties. The three also dyed their hair black, as seen when they performed at the 1985Live Aid concert in Philadelphia. By the time the video for their single "The Flame" was made in early 1986, Rhodes had changed his hair colour to golden blond and Le Bon returned to his regular highlighted hairstyle.
Other appearances
The group did a variety of promotional appearances on television, but never toured. When Duran Duran released their Notorious album and toured, "Election Day" was included as part of the set as well as "Some Like it Hot" from The Power Station. Drummer Roger Taylor retired from the music business for 15 years after the release of the Arcadia album, but returned to rejoin the most famous classic Duran Duran lineup in 2001.
