Erasure
Encyclopedia
Erasure are an English synthpop
duo, consisting of songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke
and singer Andy Bell
. Erasure entered the music scene in 1985 with their debut single "Who Needs Love Like That
". Following the release of their fourth single "Sometimes
", the duo established itself on the UK Singles Chart
and became one of the most successful artists of the mid-to-late-1980s and early-1990s.
From 1986 to 1997, Erasure achieved 24 consecutive Top 20 hits in the UK
, while they only had 3 Top 20 hits in the USA (on the Billboard Hot 100
) : "A Little Respect
", "Chains of Love
" and "Always
". By 2009, 34 of their 45 singles & EPs (of which 8 out of the 45 were not chart eligible in the UK) had made the UK Top 40, with 17 climbing into the Top 10.
Labelled "the definitive synthpop superstars", the duo are most popular in their native UK and Mainland Europe (especially Germany
, Denmark
and Sweden
) and also in South America
(especially in Argentina
, Brazil
, Chile
and Peru
). To date, Erasure have sold over 25 million albums worldwide.
The band is also popular within the LGBT
community for which the openly gay singer Andy Bell has become a gay icon
.
and sole writer of their first three singles (including the breakthrough Top 10 hit "Just Can't Get Enough"). After leaving the band in late-1981, Clarke forged an equally successful career with the duo Yazoo
(known as Yaz in the U.S.).
After two hit albums in as many years (1982–1983), he split with Yazoo partner Alison Moyet
and briefly formed The Assembly
with producer Eric Radcliffe
. The project spawned a UK number four hit single, "Never Never," featuring Feargal Sharkey
on vocals. Clarke then released another single with vocalist Paul Quinn, "One Day." It flopped, leading Clarke to place an advertisement in Melody Maker
looking for a vocalist for a new musical project. He selected Peterborough
-born Andy Bell.
The origins of the band's name are unclear. One possible explanation is that in 1985, a Mute technician is believed to have accidentally written "erasure" on a demo tape for "Who Needs Love Like That
" submitted by Clarke and Bell. At the time, the duo still hadn't chosen a name for themselves, and when they rescued the tape, they decided upon Erasure.
", charted well in Australia
and a few European countries (especially in France
, where it still remains Erasure's only hit to date). Their debut album, Wonderland, was mostly recorded in 1985 and released in June 1986. Although it only made the UK Top 75, it made a sizable impact in Germany, making the Top 20.
It was with the release of their fourth single, "Sometimes
", that Erasure finally received recognition in the UK in late 1986. The song peaked at number two and spent many weeks in the UK Top 40, marking the beginning of a long string of major hits for the duo.
The single's parent album, The Circus, was released in March 1987 and reached number six and turned platinum in the UK with three additional hit singles: "It Doesn't Have To Be
", "Victim of Love
" and "The Circus
". The album remained on the charts for over a year.
Erasure's third album, The Innocents
, was released in April 1988. Preceded by the Top 10 single "Ship of Fools
", the album hit number one in the UK on its initial release and returned to the summit a year later, eventually going triple platinum. It also turned platinum in the U.S., generating two Top 20 hits in "Chains of Love
" and "A Little Respect
".
Bell has said being so open about his sexuality meant they only remained an underground dance act in the US telling Spin magazine, "If I'd never said I was gay I think Erasure would've taken off years ago in America." Clarke explained to Kirk of Melody Maker magazine, "It came back to us that people in the record company in New York were saying it was really bad that Andy was making it plain he was gay because they were worried 'it would affect our sales.'"
Bell told Pink News
in October 2011, "Vince said he guessed I was gay because of all the boys I brought into the studio when we were recording. I think I just wanted to show off. Anyway, as a result of me being open we were kind of pigeonholed, especially in America. Would I rather have stayed in the closet and sold twice as many albums though? No, I couldn’t have done that. I wanted to take a stand."
In the UK they remained a mainstream pop act. The Innocents was the first of five consecutive number one albums for Erasure in the UK, including the greatest hits compilation Pop! The First 20 Hits. In November 1988, the Crackers International
EP, led by the song "Stop!", hit number two in the UK singles chart. The albums Wild!
(1989) and Chorus
(1991) both contained four Top 20 singles and were major sellers.
Crackers International
was bettered in 1992 by another EP, Abba-esque
, covering four ABBA
hits, which became Erasure's first (and to date only) number one in the UK Singles Chart
. It featured a memorable video of the duo dressed in ABBA outfits, and was one of the principal drivers of the ABBA revival scene in the 1990s.
Also in 1990, Erasure contributed the song "Too Darn Hot
" to the Cole Porter
tribute album "Red Hot + Blue
" produced by the Red Hot Organization
. Later that year, a singles compilation, Pop! - the First 20 Hits
, also hit number one and went triple platinum, featuring all the band's singles released from 1985 to 1992.
In 1994, Erasure released I Say I Say I Say
, their fifth consecutive number one in the UK Albums Chart
. Its first single, "Always
", became the band's third Top 20 hit in the United States and became their final UK Top 5 hit until 2005.
marked a determined shift away from Erasure's signature three-minute synthpop to a more introspective and experimental sound. Nevertheless, it made the UK Top 15 and spawned two UK Top 20 singles, "Stay With Me" and "Fingers & Thumbs".
In spite of a return to three-minute pop songs, the 1997 album Cowboy
did not restore the success of their 1986-1994 era. Cowboy enjoyed a short-lived success, peaking at number ten in the UK but lasting only two weeks in the UK Top 40.
In October 2000, Erasure released their ninth studio album Loveboat
, co-produced with Flood, though only peaking at a lowly number 45. Only one single was released, "Freedom", which made a brief entry into the UK Top 30.
The 2003 release Other People's Songs
was a collection of cover version
s. Its first single, a cover of Peter Gabriel
's song "Solsbury Hill
", reached the UK Top 10. The second single from the album was a cover of Steve Harley's Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me) - it made No. 14 in the charts and Erasure were invited to perform on Top of the Pops
for the first time since March 1997.
Erasure's 2005 album Nightbirds first single, "Breathe
", reached number four in the UK charts (their first Top 5 hit in more than a decade) and achieved the number one position on the U.S. Dance Chart
, eighteen years after their first chart-topper.
The next single, "Don't Say You Love Me", which made the UK Top 15, enabled purchasers to configure their own remixes of the single through the band's website, with each variant of the song limited to a single download.
Union Street
was a 2006 side-project which featured a collection of previously released album tracks that the band reinterpreted in an acoustic
/country & western style. The album was named after the recording studio
in Brooklyn
where it was recorded.
The duo then released a more 'dance-oriented' album than some of their more recent work. Titled Light at the End of the World
, the album was produced by Gareth Jones
and was released on 21 May 2007 in the UK, and in North America the following day.
The album was preceded by its first single "I Could Fall in Love with You
", which marginally missed the UK Top 20. A second single, "Sunday Girl
", was released in June. and made No. 33 in the charts.
, a collection of Erasure's first 40 hits plus a new remix of "Always" by Jeremy Wheatley, was released on 23 February 2009. The compilation fractionally missed the UK Top 20, reaching number 21.
On 10 August 2009, Erasure released a six-track EP of classic remixes entitled Erasure.Club.
To celebrate 21 years since its release, the album The Innocents was remastered and re-released on 26 October 2009.
In May 2009 came the news that the band are back working on a new Erasure album. Andy Bell released his second studio album, Non-Stop, on 7 June 2010.
In February and March 2010, the song "Always
" enjoyed an unexpected peak of popularity among flash-game
players for its prominent role as the soundtrack of the Adult Swim
game Robot Unicorn Attack
.
Vince Clarke has stated in radio interviews that the band want to complete the concept album of nursery rhymes that they have been working on for some time. However, Erasure for the past two years have been writing and preparing work on their next album of original material, and have finally announced that they will be beginning recording and production in December 2010.
On December 6 and 16, 2010, Erasure's official website announced a brand new studio album planned for release in summer 2011 to be produced by Frankmusik
. Also, a world tour was announced (including the Ultra Music Festival in Miami, Florida in March 2011 and the Total Pop! Forest Tour of the UK in June and July 2011) with current dates including stops in Europe and South America.
On 20 June 2011, it was confirmed via their official website that the new studio album will be called Tomorrow's World. This album was released on 3 October 2011 (11 October 2011 in the USA). The first single from the album is called "When I Start To (Break It All Down)" and debuted on the UK singles chart at number 172 on 2 October 2011. It has also been officially confirmed that the second single from Tomorrow's World will be "Be With You" (late November 2011).
Also confirmed on 20 June 2011, Erasure will play a 27-date USA & Canada tour. Erasure will play at Estadio Monumental in Lima, Peru on August, 18th. The Tomorrow's World Tour will begin on 31 August 2011 in Tampa, continuing through September, and will finish in Seattle on 6 October 2011.
The UK & European leg of the Tomorrow's World tour will begin on 12 October 2011 in Leicester, UK, continuing through to 14 November 2011 in Dresden, Germany. All tour dates and details can be found on the band's website.
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
duo, consisting of songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke
Vince Clarke
Vince Clarke is an English synthpop musician and songwriter. Clarke has been involved with a number of successful groups, including Depeche Mode, Yazoo, The Assembly and Erasure....
and singer Andy Bell
Andy Bell (singer)
Andrew Ivan "Andy" Bell is the lead singer of the English synthpop duo Erasure. He also has a solo career, with the albums Non-Stop and Electric Blue.-Early life:Andy Bell originates from the Dogsthorpe area in Peterborough...
. Erasure entered the music scene in 1985 with their debut single "Who Needs Love Like That
Who Needs Love Like That
"Who Needs Love Like That" is the debut single released by British synth pop duo Erasure. The song was released in the UK on Mute Records in 1985 as a prelude to their debut album Wonderland.-History:...
". Following the release of their fourth single "Sometimes
Sometimes (Erasure song)
"Sometimes" is a song by British synthpop duo Erasure, released in October 1986 as their fourth single overall.After three commercial flops from their debut album Wonderland, "Sometimes" became Erasure's first bonafide hit, peaking at number one in South Africa, number two in their native United...
", the duo established itself on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and became one of the most successful artists of the mid-to-late-1980s and early-1990s.
From 1986 to 1997, Erasure achieved 24 consecutive Top 20 hits in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, while they only had 3 Top 20 hits in the USA (on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
) : "A Little Respect
A Little Respect
American band Wheatus released the song in July 2001 as their second single from their debut album. The single peaked at number three in the United Kingdom, while reaching number 19 in Austria and number 41 in New Zealand.-Critical reception:...
", "Chains of Love
Chains of Love (Erasure song)
"Chains of Love" is a song by British synthpop duo Erasure, released in May 1988 as their ninth single overall.The song was released by Mute Records as the second single from Erasure's third studio album The Innocents. In the United States, Sire Records released it as the first single...
" and "Always
Always (Erasure song)
"Always" is a synthpop ballad by British duo Erasure. It was released in 1994 as the first single from their sixth studio album I Say I Say I Say. Mute Records issued the single in the UK, while Elektra Records released it in the U.S...
". By 2009, 34 of their 45 singles & EPs (of which 8 out of the 45 were not chart eligible in the UK) had made the UK Top 40, with 17 climbing into the Top 10.
Labelled "the definitive synthpop superstars", the duo are most popular in their native UK and Mainland Europe (especially Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
) and also in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
(especially in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
and Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
). To date, Erasure have sold over 25 million albums worldwide.
The band is also popular within the LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
community for which the openly gay singer Andy Bell has become a gay icon
Gay icon
A gay icon is a public figure who is embraced by many within :lesbian, :gay, :bisexual and :transgender communities...
.
History
Vince Clarke was a founding member of Depeche ModeDepeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
and sole writer of their first three singles (including the breakthrough Top 10 hit "Just Can't Get Enough"). After leaving the band in late-1981, Clarke forged an equally successful career with the duo Yazoo
Yazoo (band)
Yazoo are a British synthpop duo from Basildon, Essex. They had a number of Top 10 hits in the UK charts in the early 1980s...
(known as Yaz in the U.S.).
After two hit albums in as many years (1982–1983), he split with Yazoo partner Alison Moyet
Alison Moyet
Alison Moyet , is an English singer, songwriter and performer noted for her bluesy voice.Her UK album sales have reached a certified 2.3 million, with 800,000 singles sold, all in the UK, where all seven of her studio albums and three compilation albums have charted in the Top 40 UK Album Chart,...
and briefly formed The Assembly
The Assembly
The Assembly were a synthpop project formed in 1983 in Basildon, England by:* Vince Clarke * Eric Radcliffe...
with producer Eric Radcliffe
Eric Radcliffe
Eric Radcliffe is a recording engineer and producer who worked with New Wave and synthpop bands in the early 1980s in Basildon, England...
. The project spawned a UK number four hit single, "Never Never," featuring Feargal Sharkey
Feargal Sharkey
Feargal Sharkey is a singer from Northern Ireland who first found fame as the lead vocalist of pop punk band The Undertones...
on vocals. Clarke then released another single with vocalist Paul Quinn, "One Day." It flopped, leading Clarke to place an advertisement in Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
looking for a vocalist for a new musical project. He selected Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
-born Andy Bell.
The origins of the band's name are unclear. One possible explanation is that in 1985, a Mute technician is believed to have accidentally written "erasure" on a demo tape for "Who Needs Love Like That
Who Needs Love Like That
"Who Needs Love Like That" is the debut single released by British synth pop duo Erasure. The song was released in the UK on Mute Records in 1985 as a prelude to their debut album Wonderland.-History:...
" submitted by Clarke and Bell. At the time, the duo still hadn't chosen a name for themselves, and when they rescued the tape, they decided upon Erasure.
Beginnings and international success: 1985-1994
Erasure's first three singles were commercial failures in the UK, although the third, "Oh L'amourOh L'amour
"Oh L'amour" is a song by English synth pop duo Erasure, released in April 1986 as their third single.It was issued by Mute Records in the UK and Sire Records in the U.S. to herald the June release of Erasure's debut album Wonderland, but became the third consecutive commercial failure for the band...
", charted well in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and a few European countries (especially in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where it still remains Erasure's only hit to date). Their debut album, Wonderland, was mostly recorded in 1985 and released in June 1986. Although it only made the UK Top 75, it made a sizable impact in Germany, making the Top 20.
It was with the release of their fourth single, "Sometimes
Sometimes (Erasure song)
"Sometimes" is a song by British synthpop duo Erasure, released in October 1986 as their fourth single overall.After three commercial flops from their debut album Wonderland, "Sometimes" became Erasure's first bonafide hit, peaking at number one in South Africa, number two in their native United...
", that Erasure finally received recognition in the UK in late 1986. The song peaked at number two and spent many weeks in the UK Top 40, marking the beginning of a long string of major hits for the duo.
The single's parent album, The Circus, was released in March 1987 and reached number six and turned platinum in the UK with three additional hit singles: "It Doesn't Have To Be
It Doesn't Have To Be
"It Doesn't Have to Be" is a song by British synthpop duo Erasure, released in February 1987. It was issued as a single six weeks before the release of the duo's second album, The Circus....
", "Victim of Love
Victim of Love (song)
"Victim of Love" is a song by British synthpop duo Erasure, released in May 1987 as their sixth single overall.It was the third single to be lifted from the duo's second album, The Circus, released six weeks earlier, and was remixed for single release....
" and "The Circus
The Circus (song)
"The Circus" is a song by British synthpop duo Erasure, released in September 1987 as the band's seventh single overall. It is also the title track on their second album, The Circus....
". The album remained on the charts for over a year.
Erasure's third album, The Innocents
The Innocents (album)
After releasing The Two Ring Circus, a remix album in 1987, The Innocents was the third proper studio release from Erasure, released in 1988...
, was released in April 1988. Preceded by the Top 10 single "Ship of Fools
Ship of Fools (Erasure song)
"Ship of Fools" is a song by British synthpop duo Erasure, released in February 1988 as the duo's eighth single overall.The song was issued by Mute Records as the lead single from Erasure's third album The Innocents...
", the album hit number one in the UK on its initial release and returned to the summit a year later, eventually going triple platinum. It also turned platinum in the U.S., generating two Top 20 hits in "Chains of Love
Chains of Love (Erasure song)
"Chains of Love" is a song by British synthpop duo Erasure, released in May 1988 as their ninth single overall.The song was released by Mute Records as the second single from Erasure's third studio album The Innocents. In the United States, Sire Records released it as the first single...
" and "A Little Respect
A Little Respect
American band Wheatus released the song in July 2001 as their second single from their debut album. The single peaked at number three in the United Kingdom, while reaching number 19 in Austria and number 41 in New Zealand.-Critical reception:...
".
Bell has said being so open about his sexuality meant they only remained an underground dance act in the US telling Spin magazine, "If I'd never said I was gay I think Erasure would've taken off years ago in America." Clarke explained to Kirk of Melody Maker magazine, "It came back to us that people in the record company in New York were saying it was really bad that Andy was making it plain he was gay because they were worried 'it would affect our sales.'"
Bell told Pink News
Pink News
Pink News is a United Kingdom-based online gay newspaper.The paper version, The Pink News, officially launched at the Law Society on 28 June 2006 by Francis Maude, Chairman of the Conservative Party, Meg Munn, Minister for Equality, Simon Hughes, President of the Liberal Democrats and Meg Hillier,...
in October 2011, "Vince said he guessed I was gay because of all the boys I brought into the studio when we were recording. I think I just wanted to show off. Anyway, as a result of me being open we were kind of pigeonholed, especially in America. Would I rather have stayed in the closet and sold twice as many albums though? No, I couldn’t have done that. I wanted to take a stand."
In the UK they remained a mainstream pop act. The Innocents was the first of five consecutive number one albums for Erasure in the UK, including the greatest hits compilation Pop! The First 20 Hits. In November 1988, the Crackers International
Crackers International
Crackers International is an EP released by Erasure in 1988, in between the albums The Innocents and Wild!.- History :The EP appeared in several different versions. The original UK release by Mute Records consisted of four original, self-produced tracks...
EP, led by the song "Stop!", hit number two in the UK singles chart. The albums Wild!
Wild!
Wild! is the fourth studio album by British band Erasure. Released in 1989, it was the follow-up album to their 1988 breakthrough The Innocents...
(1989) and Chorus
Chorus (Erasure album)
Chorus, Erasure's fifth proper studio album, was released by Mute Records in the UK and Sire Records in the U.S. in 1991 . This album was the last to end Erasure's classic period.- History :...
(1991) both contained four Top 20 singles and were major sellers.
Crackers International
Crackers International
Crackers International is an EP released by Erasure in 1988, in between the albums The Innocents and Wild!.- History :The EP appeared in several different versions. The original UK release by Mute Records consisted of four original, self-produced tracks...
was bettered in 1992 by another EP, Abba-esque
Abba-esque
Abba-esque is an EP by Erasure. It scored their first number one on the UK singles chart with the release in 1992. Always big fans of the Swedish quartet ABBA, performing various songs in concert for years, Erasure released this four-song covers EP, which was originally intended as a full...
, covering four ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
hits, which became Erasure's first (and to date only) number one in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. It featured a memorable video of the duo dressed in ABBA outfits, and was one of the principal drivers of the ABBA revival scene in the 1990s.
Also in 1990, Erasure contributed the song "Too Darn Hot
Too Darn Hot
"Too Darn Hot" is a popular song written by Cole Porter for his musical Kiss Me, Kate . In the stage version, it is sung at the start of Act 2, and in the 1948 original Broadway production, it was sung by Lorenzo Fuller and Eddie Sledge and Fred Davis...
" to the Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
tribute album "Red Hot + Blue
Red Hot + Blue
Red Hot + Blue is the first in the series of compilation albums from the Red Hot Organization. The recording was the first in the Red Hot Benefit Series...
" produced by the Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization is a not-for-profit, 501 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture.Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilation albums, related television programs and media events to raise...
. Later that year, a singles compilation, Pop! - the First 20 Hits
Pop! - the First 20 Hits
Pop! The First 20 Hits is a greatest hits collection from Erasure, released in 1992 by Mute Records in the UK and Elektra Records in the U.S...
, also hit number one and went triple platinum, featuring all the band's singles released from 1985 to 1992.
In 1994, Erasure released I Say I Say I Say
I Say I Say I Say
I Say I Say I Say is the sixth studio album from synth pop duo Erasure, released in 1994 by Mute Records in the UK and Elektra Records in the U.S...
, their fifth consecutive number one in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
. Its first single, "Always
Always (Erasure song)
"Always" is a synthpop ballad by British duo Erasure. It was released in 1994 as the first single from their sixth studio album I Say I Say I Say. Mute Records issued the single in the UK, while Elektra Records released it in the U.S...
", became the band's third Top 20 hit in the United States and became their final UK Top 5 hit until 2005.
Releases 1995-2007
The October 1995 release of the album ErasureErasure (album)
Erasure was the seventh studio album by Erasure, released in 1995. It was produced by Thomas Fehlmann and Gareth Jones.An overtly experimental and introspective album, Erasure contains eleven, mostly mid-tempo tracks that differed from their past output of shiny, three-minute pop songs...
marked a determined shift away from Erasure's signature three-minute synthpop to a more introspective and experimental sound. Nevertheless, it made the UK Top 15 and spawned two UK Top 20 singles, "Stay With Me" and "Fingers & Thumbs".
In spite of a return to three-minute pop songs, the 1997 album Cowboy
Cowboy (album)
Cowboy is an album recorded by Erasure in 1997 and released by Mute Records in the UK. In the U.S., it was released by Madonna's former label Maverick Records...
did not restore the success of their 1986-1994 era. Cowboy enjoyed a short-lived success, peaking at number ten in the UK but lasting only two weeks in the UK Top 40.
In October 2000, Erasure released their ninth studio album Loveboat
Loveboat
Loveboat, Erasure's ninth full-length studio album, proved to be their least successful in terms of sales and charts since their debut Wonderland in 1986. Produced by Erasure and Flood, it was released in the UK by Mute Records in 2000. Erasure's U.S...
, co-produced with Flood, though only peaking at a lowly number 45. Only one single was released, "Freedom", which made a brief entry into the UK Top 30.
The 2003 release Other People's Songs
Other People's Songs
Other People's Songs is a cover album by Erasure.The album was originally conceived as a solo project for singer Andy Bell. Once Vince Clarke, the other member of Erasure, became involved, it was released as Erasure's tenth studio album. The tracks were handpicked by Clarke and Bell as ones that...
was a collection of cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s. Its first single, a cover of Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
's song "Solsbury Hill
Solsbury Hill (song)
"Solsbury Hill" is a song by British musician Peter Gabriel, about a spiritual experience atop Solsbury Hill in Somerset, England. Gabriel wrote the song after his departure from the progressive rock band Genesis, of which he had been the lead singer since its inception, explaining the reasons...
", reached the UK Top 10. The second single from the album was a cover of Steve Harley's Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me) - it made No. 14 in the charts and Erasure were invited to perform on Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
for the first time since March 1997.
Erasure's 2005 album Nightbirds first single, "Breathe
Breathe (Erasure song)
"Breathe" is a song by British synth pop duo Erasure. It was released by Mute Records in the UK and the U.S. as the first single from the band's eleventh studio album Nightbird....
", reached number four in the UK charts (their first Top 5 hit in more than a decade) and achieved the number one position on the U.S. Dance Chart
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
, eighteen years after their first chart-topper.
The next single, "Don't Say You Love Me", which made the UK Top 15, enabled purchasers to configure their own remixes of the single through the band's website, with each variant of the song limited to a single download.
Union Street
Union Street (album)
Union Street is the title of the twelfth album by Erasure. Announced on their in November 2005, Union Street was released on 3 April 2006 in the UK and on 18 April 2006 in the U.S. by Mute Records....
was a 2006 side-project which featured a collection of previously released album tracks that the band reinterpreted in an acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
/country & western style. The album was named after the recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
where it was recorded.
Light at the End of the World
Light at the End of the World is the thirteenth studio album by English synthpop duo Erasure. The album's release was announced on the band's website on 26 January 2007 in a video message from members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell.-Background:...
, the album was produced by Gareth Jones
Gareth Jones (music producer)
Gareth Jones is an English music producer and engineer notable for working with Depeche Mode, Einstürzende Neubauten, Wire and Erasure.-Background:Gareth Jones is married and currently living in North London....
and was released on 21 May 2007 in the UK, and in North America the following day.
The album was preceded by its first single "I Could Fall in Love with You
I Could Fall in Love with You
"I Could Fall in Love with You" is a song recorded by English synthpop duo Erasure. Written by band members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, the track is the first single released from Erasure's thirteenth studio album Light at the End of the World. Remixes are provided by Jeremy Wheatley and Lee...
", which marginally missed the UK Top 20. A second single, "Sunday Girl
Sunday Girl (song)
"Sunday Girl" is a song recorded by British synthpop duo Erasure. Written by Erasure members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, it appears as the opening track on the duo's thirteenth studio album Light at the End of the World. The song was released as the album's second UK single on 11 June 2007...
", was released in June. and made No. 33 in the charts.
Releases 2009-present
Total Pop! - the First 40 HitsTotal Pop! - the First 40 Hits
Total Pop! - the First 40 Hits is a greatest hits collection from Erasure, released on 23 February 2009 by Mute Records. The album utilizes a straightforward format: all of Erasure's singles up to that point, sequenced in chronological order...
, a collection of Erasure's first 40 hits plus a new remix of "Always" by Jeremy Wheatley, was released on 23 February 2009. The compilation fractionally missed the UK Top 20, reaching number 21.
On 10 August 2009, Erasure released a six-track EP of classic remixes entitled Erasure.Club.
To celebrate 21 years since its release, the album The Innocents was remastered and re-released on 26 October 2009.
In May 2009 came the news that the band are back working on a new Erasure album. Andy Bell released his second studio album, Non-Stop, on 7 June 2010.
In February and March 2010, the song "Always
Always (Erasure song)
"Always" is a synthpop ballad by British duo Erasure. It was released in 1994 as the first single from their sixth studio album I Say I Say I Say. Mute Records issued the single in the UK, while Elektra Records released it in the U.S...
" enjoyed an unexpected peak of popularity among flash-game
Browser game
A browser game is a computer game that is played over the Internet using a web browser. Browser games can be created and run using standard web technologies or browser plug-ins. Browser games include all video game genres and can be single-player or multiplayer...
players for its prominent role as the soundtrack of the Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
game Robot Unicorn Attack
Robot Unicorn Attack
Robot Unicorn Attack is an online video game featured on the Adult Swim and Flashline Games website. The game was produced by Spiritonin Media Games and was released in February 4, 2010...
.
Vince Clarke has stated in radio interviews that the band want to complete the concept album of nursery rhymes that they have been working on for some time. However, Erasure for the past two years have been writing and preparing work on their next album of original material, and have finally announced that they will be beginning recording and production in December 2010.
On December 6 and 16, 2010, Erasure's official website announced a brand new studio album planned for release in summer 2011 to be produced by Frankmusik
Frankmusik
Vincent Frank born Vincent James Turner is known professionally as Frankmusik is an English electropop musician. The name "Frank" is derived from the surname of his grandfather, whose name he took in tribute.-Early life:...
. Also, a world tour was announced (including the Ultra Music Festival in Miami, Florida in March 2011 and the Total Pop! Forest Tour of the UK in June and July 2011) with current dates including stops in Europe and South America.
On 20 June 2011, it was confirmed via their official website that the new studio album will be called Tomorrow's World. This album was released on 3 October 2011 (11 October 2011 in the USA). The first single from the album is called "When I Start To (Break It All Down)" and debuted on the UK singles chart at number 172 on 2 October 2011. It has also been officially confirmed that the second single from Tomorrow's World will be "Be With You" (late November 2011).
Also confirmed on 20 June 2011, Erasure will play a 27-date USA & Canada tour. Erasure will play at Estadio Monumental in Lima, Peru on August, 18th. The Tomorrow's World Tour will begin on 31 August 2011 in Tampa, continuing through September, and will finish in Seattle on 6 October 2011.
The UK & European leg of the Tomorrow's World tour will begin on 12 October 2011 in Leicester, UK, continuing through to 14 November 2011 in Dresden, Germany. All tour dates and details can be found on the band's website.
Discography
- Wonderland (1986)
- The Circus (1987)
- The InnocentsThe Innocents (album)After releasing The Two Ring Circus, a remix album in 1987, The Innocents was the third proper studio release from Erasure, released in 1988...
(1988) - Wild!Wild!Wild! is the fourth studio album by British band Erasure. Released in 1989, it was the follow-up album to their 1988 breakthrough The Innocents...
(1989) - ChorusChorus (Erasure album)Chorus, Erasure's fifth proper studio album, was released by Mute Records in the UK and Sire Records in the U.S. in 1991 . This album was the last to end Erasure's classic period.- History :...
(1991) - I Say I Say I SayI Say I Say I SayI Say I Say I Say is the sixth studio album from synth pop duo Erasure, released in 1994 by Mute Records in the UK and Elektra Records in the U.S...
(1994) - ErasureErasure (album)Erasure was the seventh studio album by Erasure, released in 1995. It was produced by Thomas Fehlmann and Gareth Jones.An overtly experimental and introspective album, Erasure contains eleven, mostly mid-tempo tracks that differed from their past output of shiny, three-minute pop songs...
(1995) - CowboyCowboy (album)Cowboy is an album recorded by Erasure in 1997 and released by Mute Records in the UK. In the U.S., it was released by Madonna's former label Maverick Records...
(1997) - Loveboat (2000)
- Other People's SongsOther People's SongsOther People's Songs is a cover album by Erasure.The album was originally conceived as a solo project for singer Andy Bell. Once Vince Clarke, the other member of Erasure, became involved, it was released as Erasure's tenth studio album. The tracks were handpicked by Clarke and Bell as ones that...
(2003) - Nightbird (2005)
- Union StreetUnion Street (album)Union Street is the title of the twelfth album by Erasure. Announced on their in November 2005, Union Street was released on 3 April 2006 in the UK and on 18 April 2006 in the U.S. by Mute Records....
(2006) - Light at the End of the WorldLight at the End of the WorldLight at the End of the World is the thirteenth studio album by English synthpop duo Erasure. The album's release was announced on the band's website on 26 January 2007 in a video message from members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell.-Background:...
(2007) - Tomorrow's WorldTomorrow's World (album)Tomorrow's World is the fourteenth studio album by English synthpop duo Erasure. The album was released through Mute Records on 3 October 2011 in the UK, and 11 October 2011 in North America....
(2011)