One record at a time: 120. Erasure - Cowboy

I bought the lead single from this album, "In My Arms" at the beginning of 1997 and I was very impressed by it. On the back of this, I decided to buy the CD of "Cowboy" when it was released later in the year.

Unfortunately I didn't buy the vinyl when the album was released, so I have to settle for the 2016 repressing here. Not only did this record come with a free art print of the cover image, but I was also lucky enough to win a signed test pressing. Admittedly the cover image is a little weird, but who doesn't like a freebie?

The first track, "Rain" is a good song, but what is more significant is the production. The Korg M1 piano has been resurrected and there is a more club orientated beat driving things along. Vince's previous stance of restricting himself to analogue synthesizers and CV/Gate sequencers seems have been dispensed with and the result is a much more diverse sound. 

There's also something about the basslines on this album which are deeper, funkier and more dance orientated. I suspect this is in part due to the change of equipment but also as a result of the involvement of The Prodigy producer Neil McLellan. Erasure haven't made a record that sounds quite like this before or since; it remains a wonderful anomaly.

Whilst not all of the songs on this album are immediate I find the melodies intricate and beguiling. This is typified by songs like "Worlds on Fire", "Treasure" and "Save Me Darling" which flow seamlessly and are imaginatively produced. The album reaches its peak with the fantastic "Boy". This song has a soaring melancholic vocal which wraps itself around Vince's synthetic guitar arpeggios and analogue synthesizers whilst the backing vocals provide harmony and rhythmic impetus. Perfect.

In truth there isn't a bad song on here and the production is satisfying. Whilst this album didn't turn around Erasure's fading commercial fortunes, it did restore some musical credibility and reminded us of their talent. 4/5

One record at a time: 119. Erasure - Erasure

Erasure's eponymously titled album was supposed to be a grand artistic statement with finely crafted compositions presented in an extended form. Vince Clarke continued to limit himself to analogue synthesizers and Gareth Jones and Thomas Fehlmann were roped in to produce. Francois Kevorkian seemed an odd choice to mix given the tranquil mid-tempo character of the songs, but his pedigree is unquestionable. 

The first I heard of this album was the lead single "Stay With Me". Despite receiving a promotional postcard through the post, I wasn't tempted to buy it. I think I acquired the second single "Fingers & Thumbs" simply because both CD singles were 99p each. I would have felt a little short-changed if I had paid much more. 

The trouble with this album is that its experimental nature means it often becomes self indulgent. This might not be a problem if the music was entertaining but by and large, it just sounds a mess. There's a real lack of direction and the music is almost schizophrenic. Take the introduction "Guess I'm Into Feeling" which starts with a long fade and washes of synth textures before it abruptly explodes into a weird disco pastiche. The second track "Rescue Me" rolls along for four minutes but seems to have a three minute long coda bolted onto the end. Not only does this ending make the song overly long but it sounds forced and uninspiring. "Sono Luminous" is a more promising composition and, of all the tracks here, it is the only one that lends itself to the extended format. 

As I am not a big fan of this album, it is ironic that it contains my favourite song by the band: "Rock Me Gently". Yet, as fantastic as this song is, it's 'experimental' coda with Andy shrieking becomes a bit wearing after ten minutes. I tend to stick to the single mix. 

The rest of the album carries on in a similar vein but with increasingly mediocre songs. This record is definitely a case of the concept getting in the way of the execution. The band can't have been surprised by the poor sales, but its failure as an artistic statement must have been disappointing. 2.5/5

One record at a time: 118. Erasure - I Say I Say I Say

This is without a doubt my favourite Erasure album. Here Vince Clarke and Martyn Ware use analogue synthesizers to create the most beautiful music that perfectly compliments Andy’s soaring vocals. This album restricts its sound palette even more than its predecessor by not using drum machines. In another break from the norm, Andy's vocals were recorded first and the backing tracks sculpted around them. The end result is an album of shimmering beauty that has a unique and beguiling sound.

The mood is set by opening track "Take Me Back" with its wistful falsetto vocals and delicate synth textures. The single "I Love Saturday" injects some urgency but the delightful "Man in the Moon" brings us floating back down. "So the Story Goes" takes a while to get going and the discordant choir can be a bit jarring until you become accustomed to it.

I remember an interview in a magazine describing "Run to the Sun" as, "Eurodisco in a sort of 2 Unlimited style". Today this description is puzzling, but it did make sense to me back in 1994 - the opening riff is undoubtedly influenced by dance music but it remains distinctly an Erasure song. The big hit single "Always" has an amazing melody that anyone faintly antiquated with it can't help but sing along to. There are three more fantastic songs on the b-side of the album but the final cut, "Because You're So Sweet" remains my favourite. 5/5

One record at a time: 117. Erasure - Chorus

Here we have the 2016 re-issue and the original 1991 pressings of "Chorus".

When I heard the debut of the title track on Radio 1, things didn't seem to go well. The feedback from the listeners wasn't very positive and one caller even branded the track, "Their worst single ever!" 

When the album was released Q magazine could only bring themselves to award it 3/5 (a mystifying misjudgment that probably gives us an indication of why they went out of business). 

I think this reaction was, in part, caused by the new direction Vince had taken with the production and sound of the music. Having suddenly declared himself dissatisfied with the timing of MIDI sequencers, Vince decided to use the Roland MC-4 which employed CV/Gate technology. As a result of this decision, the album had to be created using vintage analogue synthesizers and was limited to monophonic sequences. 

Personally I love the resulting sound but it seemed to come as a shock to some. All of the ingredients for success were here: Vince and Andy's songwriting, a myriad of analogue synthesizers, skilled producer Martyn Phillips and the inimitable Dave Bascombe mixing. So despite some early naysayers, this album did prove to be a terrific success both artistically and commercially.

My favourite tracks are "Turns the Love to Anger", "Waiting for the Day" and "Breath of Life" and only "Love to Hate You" falls a bit short to my ears. "Joan" and "Home" are prime examples of songs that require repeated listening to fully appreciate them and the final track "Home" open like a beautiful flower. 5/5

One record at a time: 116. Erasure - Wild!

Here we have a copy of the original UK pressing and the 2016 re-issue of Erasure's fourth album "Wild!". 

Personally I think the title of this album is rubbish. I also think the sleeve is pretty poor. Why go to the expense of commissioning Pierre et Gilles to build sets and take beautiful photographs to just use an out of focus shot of some leaves? It doesn't make sense.

The lead single "Drama!" in 1989 was the first time I remember a remix CD single being released along with the more conventional formats - strangely, this was not something they would repeat with the other singles taken from the album. Erasure had such strong material at this stage of their career that they could casually consign tracks such as "Sweet, Sweet Baby" to b-side status; despite it offering irrefutable proof that Vince Clarke was a genius.

The album itself kicks off with a short instrumental version of "Piano Song". The Korg M1 piano may sound 'plastic' to modern ears, but at least it has character. Today, piano patches are so realistic they are all indistinguishable from each other. Personally I am a big fan of the piano sound they used and I can't imagine this song being any other way

"Blue Savannah" is one of Erasure's finest tracks as it has the perfect pop melody, accessible lyrics and pulsating electronics. Strangely I never really liked the Kraftwerk 'influenced' "Der Deutsche Mix I" included on the remix 12", but the more traditional extended mix by Mark Saunders is well worth seeking out. "How many times?" offers a nice change of pace with its laid back TR-808 beat and washes of Korg M1 presets.

I was never convinced of the merits of "Star" and releasing it as a single felt like a mistake to me. "Brother and Sister" and "2,000 Miles" seemed like much more radio friendly tracks to promote the album and they remain some of my favourites on the album. "La Gloria" is just trying too hard to be 'different' and ends up sounding trite and forced. "You Surround Me" is a good track that finds a perfect balance between electronics and Andy's soaring vocal. "Crown of Thorns" is a nonsensical folk influenced dirge that I cannot recommend, but the vocal version of "Piano Song" that follows is rather brilliant. 4/5

One record at a time: 115. Erasure - The Innocents

As with the previous Erasure album "The Circus", my pursuit of a good quality pressing has led me to own three copies of "The Innocents". I have two original pressings and the 2016 180g reissue. I seem to remember buying a second copy of the original as I thought mine didn't include the poster that was given away with the initial run. However, my memory was faulty and so I now own two copies with a poster (but only one has the promo sticker on the sleeve telling us this).

Discogs users have strong opinions about the fidelity of the repressing. Whilst the experience isn't exactly, "like the neighbours are playing an Erasure record and you're hearing it through the wall", it definitely has less clarity than the original and the EQ is not sympathetic.

The actual music on this album is very good indeed; but there are a couple of party poopers in here. Things kick off with the mega single "A Little Respect" and another chart success "Ship of Fools" follows hot on its heels. The best track on the album, "Phantom Bride" is criminally tucked away as the third track where it falls in the shadow of "Chains of Love" somewhat. Side one ends with "Hallowed Ground" which is another jewel of a song that stands up against the more up tempo chart singles we have heard to this point.

Unfortunately, the second side of the record is not nearly as strong as the first. Instrumental cover version "Sixty Five Thousand" is fun, but it's pointless pretending it is anything other than filler. "Heart of Stone" is a well executed pop song replete with a typical eighties horn section. However, the sequencing of the album sees the track sit incongruously and it suffers as a result. "Witch in the Ditch" is one of those twee, folk influenced melodies that Erasure seem to generate now and again (see "Crown of Thorns" on follow up "Wild!" as another example) and is probably the low point. 

In my youth I never heard much merit in the final track "Weight of the World". It was only in the last 10 years or so that my wife pointed out it actually is a good song with a strong melody. This forces me to reflect that this track is another victim of poor sequencing. I assumed that this was down to some disinterested intern in A&R, but on conducting a little research I found that it was actually Andy Bell that decided.

It is well documented that the gestation of this album was problematic as Vince found it difficult to work with producer Stephen Hague. I think some of that struggle comes through in the music and tracks like "Imagination" and "Yahoo!" sound like they were thrown down quickly in an effort to get he record finished and draw an end to the whole affair. For the first time on an Erasure album it is easy to identify large numbers of presets and the distinctive EMU Drumulator. The combination of a slightly bland sound palette with poor choices in defining the running order means this album isn't able to achieve the pop perfection that was within reach of Erasure in 1988. 4/5

One record at a time: 114. Erasure - The Two Ring Circus

In the mid eighties any electronic pop album that sold moderately well would almost certainly generate a remix counterpart. Remix albums were the perfect cash cow that could generate large sales at minimal expense, whilst simultaneously extending the longevity of the parent album. I love a good remix album.

Here we have two copies of "The Two Ring Circus" where one is literally a pale imitation of the other. I own an original pressing which is in very good condition, and thanks to the fact that this album is presented as two 45rpm 12" discs, it sounds fantastic. The other copy is a "Queuing for records day" Record Store Day cash-in from 2018. The artwork for the newer version was clearly reproduced from scans as it is rather pale, blurred and not colour matched to the original. This newer version is pressed on yellow vinyl, but as my original copy is in such good condition, I haven't had need to open it.

The remixes on this album aren't radical reinterpretations or even funkier dance versions. No, these mixes belong to the 'tinker with it' school of remixing that was predominant in the eighties. Around 80% of the original backing track always seem to be retained and only the occasional new element added. 

The "Erasure and Flood Remix" of "Sometimes" starts of promisingly but reverts to the same structure as the album version with only the occasional new drum sound thrown in. The most radical mix is probably Louie Vega's version of "Hideaway" which features an extend break and some nice TR-808 hit hats. Daniel Miller's mix of "Don't Dance" is suitably Kraftwerk inspired and is probably the highlight. 

The last three tracks on the album are orchestral interpretations of "If I Could", "Spiralling" and a song from their debut album called "My Heart So Blue". As a fan of electronic music I'm not too interested in these versions and the arrangements sound a little ostentatious for my taste. The live tracks found on the CD (and cassette as I remember) aren't on the vinyl so here we end. 3/5