This is one Huntington Beach wedding photographer that was up quite a bit last night with the crazy winds that were going through Orange County.
The cool thing about being up quite a bit in the middle of the night before a West Coast Wednesday is that I start thinking of all my favourite videos and songs. One of the songs that I kept thinking of was Arcardia – one of the two side projects that the members of Duran Duran did. The other one was Power Station with the late Robert Palmer.
I started thinking about Arcadia because of the slick wardrobes, amazing cinematography and dark and mysterious hair & makeup. And if you’re like me, I tend to do a lot of word familiarization going from one word/topic – tying it to another & another. So last night I was thinking about various things with Arcadia & remembered that I nearly dyed my hair black this past trip to Dean Anthony in Belmont Shore. But I totally chickened out & kept the bleach blond look. Funny how the brain works in the middle of the night!
If you’re not too familiar with Arcadia, check out this snippet about them. The musical path was short with them, but the art Arcadia created both in music & video is ground breaking even in today’s over-saturated, homogenized, and watered down music industry.
Arcadia was a pop group formed in 1985 by Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes and Roger Taylor of Duran Duran, during a break in that band’s schedule. However, 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 (he also had minor involvement in Power Station, the other Duran Duran splinter group). The name of the band was reportedly inspired by the Nicolas Poussin painting Et in Arcadia ego (also known as “The Arcadian Shepherds”).
Musicians who contributed to the album included guitarists David Gilmour and Carlos Alomar, pianist Herbie Hancock, Sting (who provided backing vocals on “The Promise“), Grace Jones (who provided brief but dramatic spoken-word interludes on “The Flame” and “Election Day“), bass player Mark Egan of The Pat Metheny Group (“El Diablo” and “Lady Ice“) and percussionist David Van Tieghem.
The group recorded just one album, the platinum-selling So Red the Rose and featured the Top 40 singles “Election Day,” “The Flame,” “The Promise,” and “Goodbye Is Forever“. One famous review described So Red the Rose as “the most pretentious album ever made”, while All Music Guide called it “the best album Duran Duran never made”
But before you check out this week’s West Coast Wednesday Video Of The Week and you’re thinking… Hey – I’d really like to get to know this Huntington Beach Wedding Photographer that loves 80′s music, fashion, photography and art, feel free to contact me anytime.
I’m available just about 24/7 via Twitter, Facebook, the form on my contact page, or the old fashioned phone as well at 888.ESQ.PHTO (888.377.7486) or 562.225.5915.
So without further ado, I give you Arcadia with “Election Day.” So feel free to sit back with your favourite morning beverage, enjoy the video of incredible music, vocals and awesome message.
Have an awesome first West Coast Wednesday and also remember to make it a totally positive one for someone else too – cheers!
PS, ALSO!!! Be sure to check out Shelby & Matt’s Wedding that was on WeTV on David Tutera’s My Fair Wedding this past Sunday. Their wedding is airing more this week, so totally set your DVRs and check it out. It was completely out of this world!
PSS, If you missed the latest episode of my online “TV” program; “How To Make The Most Out Of Your Wedding Day that dropped on Monday, it was with Gina Ludwig from Hair Comes The Bride – who not only was amazing to work with at Shelby & Matt’s wedding, but an all around top-shelf/red-carpet/white glove service minded professional. Totally check it out – she’s got some great insight on how to save some time, some money & your sanity while planning your wedding.
PPSS, I just couldn’t resist & added a bonus to today’s West Coast Wednesday. Check out the remix of Arcadia by Gabriel & Dresden after the video. It doesn’t have anything to do with Arcadia the band, but it’s got the same name and it’s a totally great accompaniment to coffee – kicking the day off properly.