Post by intravenus on Aug 5, 2010 20:29:46 GMT -5
Nice review:
www.musictap.net/Reviews/2010/July/ArcadiaSoRedTheRoseDE.html
It’s difficult to divide a band into parts and imagine what each member would create as a result. When The Beatles eventually went solo, few audiences could have predicted such winners as All Things Must Pass (George Harrison has a great reputation now, but he was perhaps underrated then) or unorthodox efforts like Beaucoups of Blues (the Ringo country record) or anything where John Lennon and Yoko Ono directly collaborated (the resultant product more “sound” than “music”). Same with those KISS solo albums. Gene Simmons singing “When You Wish Upon a Star” without irony? Has to be heard to be believed.
But when Duran Duran went on hiatus in 1985 (save for the chart-topping hit “A View to a Kill,” from the terrible Bond film of the same name, and a gig at Live Aid), the resultant side projects saw the sound of the band pretty split down the middle. Andy Taylor and John Taylor formed the funk-rock The Power Station with CHIC drummer Tony Thompson and Robert Palmer on vocals, while Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes and Roger Taylor created a New Wave project called Arcadia. While The Power Station is perhaps better remembered today, there was a lot to like about Arcadia as well - and now that EMI has finally remastered and expanded their sole LP, So Red the Rose, fans can find out for themselves.
Arcadia represents the artier, atmospheric moments of Duran Duran (“To the Shore,” “The Chauffeur,” most of the album filler on Seven and the Ragged Tiger) given full room to move around. Rhodes’ synthesizers are as lush as ever, and Le Bon’s lyrics are typically indecipherable. (Taylor’s drumming - the only weak link - sounds more synthetic than usual, which is a shame, since he’s a fantastic percussionist. Perhaps it’s no surprise that Taylor, suffering from anxiety on the road, was the least involved in Arcadia, and exited Duran Duran not long afterward.)
There are quite a few swing-for-the-fences singles on this record, perhaps more blatantly than any Duran album. Lead track “Election Day” is a jagged tune, with stabs of keyboard and guitar chords bursting from the background and even a sax solo at the end. “The Flame” has some of the better drumming on the record, as well as a catchy chorus that deals in betrayal. The closest thing Duran ever got to a power ballad was “The Promise,” which featured a keyboard part by Herbie Hancock and backing vocals by Sting. (There are more guests on this album than anything Duran Duran ever did, with Grace Jones and David Gilmour also making appearances!)
The album tracks are pretty good, too - “Missing” and “El Diablo” provide a bit of anticipation as to what the next Duran album, 1986’s Notorious, would sound like. It’s not all perfect - “Keep Me in the Dark” went in one ear and out the other, and “Rose Arcana” is a minute-long snippet of a much longer tune - but overall, it’s a record that’s up for reintroduction.
EMI helps the reassessment process with their new expanded remaster of the record, which features much better sound quality than either of the poor-sounding Duran reissues of late (the 1981 debut album and 1983’s Ragged Tiger - ironic, considering the same mastering engineer tackled all three). The hefty amount of bonus tracks include nearly every edit and remix of all the singles, plus the rare, catchy “Say the Word,” the last Arcadia track ever recorded (for the Playing for Keeps soundtrack). A DVD includes all the videos and behind-the-scenes footage included on a vintage home video release from the mid-1980s.
Taken alongside EMI’s expanded edition of The Power Station LP from 2005, this new issue of Arcadia’s So Red the Rose proved that Duran Duran were still an interesting band even when they were bisected. It’s always better when the band is whole (perhaps a poor choice of words considering their ever-changing lineup), but this record is not to be overlooked, if you get the chance.
www.musictap.net/Reviews/2010/July/ArcadiaSoRedTheRoseDE.html
It’s difficult to divide a band into parts and imagine what each member would create as a result. When The Beatles eventually went solo, few audiences could have predicted such winners as All Things Must Pass (George Harrison has a great reputation now, but he was perhaps underrated then) or unorthodox efforts like Beaucoups of Blues (the Ringo country record) or anything where John Lennon and Yoko Ono directly collaborated (the resultant product more “sound” than “music”). Same with those KISS solo albums. Gene Simmons singing “When You Wish Upon a Star” without irony? Has to be heard to be believed.
But when Duran Duran went on hiatus in 1985 (save for the chart-topping hit “A View to a Kill,” from the terrible Bond film of the same name, and a gig at Live Aid), the resultant side projects saw the sound of the band pretty split down the middle. Andy Taylor and John Taylor formed the funk-rock The Power Station with CHIC drummer Tony Thompson and Robert Palmer on vocals, while Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes and Roger Taylor created a New Wave project called Arcadia. While The Power Station is perhaps better remembered today, there was a lot to like about Arcadia as well - and now that EMI has finally remastered and expanded their sole LP, So Red the Rose, fans can find out for themselves.
Arcadia represents the artier, atmospheric moments of Duran Duran (“To the Shore,” “The Chauffeur,” most of the album filler on Seven and the Ragged Tiger) given full room to move around. Rhodes’ synthesizers are as lush as ever, and Le Bon’s lyrics are typically indecipherable. (Taylor’s drumming - the only weak link - sounds more synthetic than usual, which is a shame, since he’s a fantastic percussionist. Perhaps it’s no surprise that Taylor, suffering from anxiety on the road, was the least involved in Arcadia, and exited Duran Duran not long afterward.)
There are quite a few swing-for-the-fences singles on this record, perhaps more blatantly than any Duran album. Lead track “Election Day” is a jagged tune, with stabs of keyboard and guitar chords bursting from the background and even a sax solo at the end. “The Flame” has some of the better drumming on the record, as well as a catchy chorus that deals in betrayal. The closest thing Duran ever got to a power ballad was “The Promise,” which featured a keyboard part by Herbie Hancock and backing vocals by Sting. (There are more guests on this album than anything Duran Duran ever did, with Grace Jones and David Gilmour also making appearances!)
The album tracks are pretty good, too - “Missing” and “El Diablo” provide a bit of anticipation as to what the next Duran album, 1986’s Notorious, would sound like. It’s not all perfect - “Keep Me in the Dark” went in one ear and out the other, and “Rose Arcana” is a minute-long snippet of a much longer tune - but overall, it’s a record that’s up for reintroduction.
EMI helps the reassessment process with their new expanded remaster of the record, which features much better sound quality than either of the poor-sounding Duran reissues of late (the 1981 debut album and 1983’s Ragged Tiger - ironic, considering the same mastering engineer tackled all three). The hefty amount of bonus tracks include nearly every edit and remix of all the singles, plus the rare, catchy “Say the Word,” the last Arcadia track ever recorded (for the Playing for Keeps soundtrack). A DVD includes all the videos and behind-the-scenes footage included on a vintage home video release from the mid-1980s.
Taken alongside EMI’s expanded edition of The Power Station LP from 2005, this new issue of Arcadia’s So Red the Rose proved that Duran Duran were still an interesting band even when they were bisected. It’s always better when the band is whole (perhaps a poor choice of words considering their ever-changing lineup), but this record is not to be overlooked, if you get the chance.