Arcadia were a British pop group formed in 1985 by Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, and Roger Taylor of Duran Duran as a side project during a break in the band's schedule. The project was active only during 1985 and 1986 and 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" (featuring David Gilmour and Sting). Drummer Roger Taylor appeared in only a few band photographs and one music video ("Election Day"), and stated he was to be involved only in the recording side of the project (he also had minor involvement in the Power Station, the other Duran Duran splinter group, formed by Duran Duran's Andy and John Taylor alongside Robert Palmer and Tony Thompson of Chic).
The name of the band reportedly was inspired by the Nicolas Poussin painting Et in Arcadia ego (also known as "The Arcadian Shepherds").
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", while AllMusic called it "the best album Duran Duran never made". Musicians who contributed to the album included guitarists David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) and Carlos Alomar, pianist Herbie Hancock, Sting (who provided backing vocals on "The Promise"), Grace Jones (who provided the spoken-word intro/interlude on "The Flame" and "Election Day"),
! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;"| SWE<br />
! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;"| NZ<br />
! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;"| CAN<br />
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! scope="row"| So Red the Rose
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- Released: 18 November 1985
- Label: Parlophone, Capitol/EMI
- Formats: LP, CS, CD
| 30 || 23 || 35 || 48 || 22 || 14
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- RIAA: Platinum
- CRIA: 2× Platinum
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Video albums
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+List of video albums, with selected details
! scope="col" style="width:12em;"| Title
! scope="col"| Details
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! scope="row"| Arcadia
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- Released: 1987
- Distributor: Picture Music International
- Formats: VHS, LD
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Singles
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+List of singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:12em;"| Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year
! scope="col" colspan="9"| Peak chart positions
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album
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! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;"| UK<br />
! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;"| US<br />
! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;"| US Dance<br />
! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;"| AUS<br />