Arcadia: So Red The Rose - cd versions

Between things here I had been comparing  a couple of copies of an album that didn't sell that well in 1985 that I do like for its artsy lush feel, a deluxe version that came out in March of 2010 that might of been mentioned on the older of the blogs back then that had twelve inch and seven inch mixes and a dvd and its first cd issue in 1990.

This is the Japanese first pressing which has full lyrics, a potted history of Duran Duran and Arcadia in Japanese very well printed as you  might expect.

The Deluxe edition was part of a series EMI put out across 2009 and 2010 to meet the demands of hardcore fans who typically want every major mix variant that some titles of such as Duran Duran, the self titled first album in its UK form and Seven and the Ragged Tiger were heavily criticized for for their very loud. screechy sound with poor dynamics although other titles such as 2009's Rio that used the UK lp mixes for once were decent.

So Red The Rose in that series housed in clam shell which again was at odds with the remainder of the discs for packaging was not bad but comparing them that 1990 cd has noticeably better dynamics on what was a extremely well recorded album and a a bit more natural sound that just breathes. 

While the 2010 wins on completeness and is worth owning for those 12" mixes and the dvd, cd fans would be better served getting either the this edition, the similar 1990 Capitol US one or the 1993 European for sound.

On vinyl UK, US and Japan first issue issues sound really good if having it on that form matters to you.