Any love for Arcadia ?

Yep it is a ripper, one of the best they have ever done. Worth it just for Bob Geldolf gushing !!!

 

Man, you're killing me! Can't wait - and I can't believe I totally forgot about it!!

 

Wow! I kinda forgot about this album and how much I love it. I have the 1992 Japanese CD and never got around to picking up the domestic version. Any improvements in sound on the U.S. CD?

I'll have to dig it out this week.

 

Yeah!! I just got mine and had fun watching it this past weekend. I still haven't watched the extras, so I'll be checking those out in a day or two.

 

Hi all --
Was listening to this tonight ... I'm still new to the boards, and so the last time I listened to this, didn't fully understand the importance of mastering to the overall sound of an LP. Today I realized that the LP was mastered by none other than Bob Ludwig. I always thought this sounded great -- and now I know why.

 

Yeah! B-sides, 12" singles, and a DVD of the group's video program.(which was released only in England and Japan)

 

I just pulled this one out of the pile and listening to it for the first time. Excellent side one so far and beautiful sound quality. Sure sounds like a Bob Ludwig. Got it a Goodwill store for 99 cents somewhere along the way.

 

I have the original (?) "Pastmasters" JP Toshiba CD release from late 80's perhaps (maybe early 90s?) Anyhow, it sounds good but I always wondered if the U.S. remaster was any better (though I doubt it.) Any input on that would be appreciated. My fave tracks are "Missing" and "Lady Ice", and the ocarina on "El Diablo" is sublime...always wondered why LeBon didn't choose to play that instrument more often. On the Duran2 tour this past Summer they played "Election Day" (with John Taylor on a Roland key-tar bass of all things) and it still holds up well...would love to hear a whole set of Arcadia for next year's tour as it will be the 25th anniversary. Hopefully we'll get a remastered deluxe package too, like the current 'Rio' set and the forthcoming S/T, '7&TRT', and 'Notorious' ones next year...Nick has been teasing for it for years and 2010 is as good of a time as any.

Seek out "Heaven's Eyes" boot for most of the dance mixes and b-sides...presumably this will be incorporated into any re-release. And the mind boggles @ Arcadia in hi-rez surround....would love to see that on BD.

 

http://www.duranasty.com/news_home/home_b.htm

 

Thanks for the link, man -- I'm definitely looking forward to this. And, I agree with Lady Ice and El Diablo. Missing is pretty good, but I rather prefer Goodbye is Forever and The Promise...

 

I've go two UK copies now and both have a lot of crackle and ticks. I find these very annoying especially on the tracks of side B, which is my favorite album side.
I guess the UK pressings are noisy? I've cleaned them on my Okki Nokki record cleaner
with the Okki Nokki fluid and the L'Art du Son fluid, however no improvement.
I guess I'll have to look further for a better copy.

 

G'day,

"So Red The Rose" is a corker of an album IMHO ... especially side two. I've got the LP but I see there's a 2CD+DVD version on Amazon with lots o' remixes. Tempting.

--Geoff

 

The re-issue has made me appreciate this album more than I did 25 years ago. Even though I was big into DD when it came out, it never did a lot for me, maybe because it felt like another DD album - Power Station showed branching out from those band members, while Arcadia was just DD from 3/5ths of DD. (Which would ironically become the situation for "legit DD" the following year!)

I now find a lot to like about Arcadia - I probably listened to the re-issue more than I ever listened to the original LP!

 

I've got a copy of the U.S. Capitol vinyl and it sounds good. Great album and David Gilmour's guitar on"Missing" is sublime. Apparently Le Bon wrote the lyrics before he joined Duran.

 

Haven't heard Election Day in years. I should correct that asap.

 

Like Power Station better, need to revisit Arcadia's SRTR.

Darryl

 

Love the album and would have liked a sequel!

 

Agree with Allmusic: The best Duran Duran album they never made.

 

I LOVE this record as it represents DD at their most arty Euro vibe and directly plunging into their Japan influences. Each track is a song and production joy and perfectly captures the feel of some wild 80's French party you crashed. "El Diablo" is an epic that you can use to show the musical stretch of the band.

So does anybody have the scoop on the definitive master? LP or CD?

 

Love this album ... love Sting backing vocals!!!

 

It's essentially the missing 1985 Duran Duran album. A fan of "Arcadia" and will be checking out the reissue

 

Completely agree. I bought SRTR in '85 as a die-hard Duran fan, but didn't listen much beyond Election Day and The Flame. I rediscovered it around 2000, and when I stopped thinking of it as a partial-Duran side project, and more like the 1985 Duran album that should have been, I appreciated it more. Any word on the re-issue? Worth picking up?

 

I'll revive this old thread - I just bought this on Japanese vinyl with the OBI strip. Amazing sounding. And it really does stand up with the other DD albums. Are the 12" singles worth tracking down? Any different mixes or songs that didn't make the album?

Side note - first time I ever made out was listening to this album.

 

At the time this was the most expensive album ever made. Or so I've read. The band rented several floors of a hotel in Paris and partied more than they recorded.

 

I like the single mix of "The Flame"