Erasure Albums (15)
'On the Road to Nashville'
Release Date 1/29/2007
Tracks 23
Label Mute
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
If you made it to 2007 with a fat wallet then you probably aren't a true Erasure fan. Since 2003 the group has been responsible for a slew of sideline releases -- remix albums, acoustic albums, and big stack of limited-edition, souvenir live albums -- with only the 2005 effort Nightbird offering something entirely new. On the Road to Nashville is another live album and the hook here is that the usually electronic, club-oriented act is backed by a live band, which makes for some interesting arrangements. Seeing as how they're performing at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium -- once home to the Grand Ole Opry -- "Blue Savannah" becomes a rollicking hoedown while "Victim of Love" sways in a rustic style, lap steel guitar and all. While these are clever, cute, and fun, seriously delivered tracks like Nightbird's "Breathe" and the chestnut "A Little Respect" are more rewarding with performances that breathe new life into these fan favorites. If you haven't checked in on the boys since the millennium turned, you're better off checking the well-built Nightbird and picking some tracks off the acoustic effort Union Street before venturing here. This is for the hardcore fans, the ones who have endured a mountain of stopgap releases and somehow still beg for more. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
'Light at the End of the World'
Release Date 1/1/2007
Tracks 10
Label Mute
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
After giving themselves room to roam with an acoustic album, a cover album, solo albums, and a slew of live albums, Erasure return to their comfort zone of distrust, disgust, and despair set mostly to a disco beat with the occasional ballad. Think fan favorite Wild! but with more maturity and depth and you're pretty close to painting a perfect picture of their 2007 effort, Light at the End of the World. It should be noted that the added depth has a lot to do with singer Andy Bell's love affair with complete disclosure, which began with the late-2004 announcement that he had long been HIV positive. Here Bell's cleaning of his closet continues with the key track "Storm in a Teacup," a vivid tale of leaving the dysfunctional nest and the bittersweet taste of freedom that comes afterwards. Bell has been forthcoming in the press that his mother's alcoholism influenced the song, but he keeps growing as a songwriter and is smart enough to make his words adaptable to any strife the listener may have back home. Like "Teacup," "How My Eyes Adore You" and "When a Lover Leaves You" are moving, soft, and could have fallen off 2005's very midtempo Nightbird, but those who found that album too sullen and glum should have no problem with "Sucker for Love," a hands-in-the-air rump bouncer with wonderful Bell declarations like "Without love/I'm not tremendous." Dancefloor-aimed singles "Sunday Girl" and "I Could Fall in Love with You" round out the highlights, sounding like classic Erasure hits with bubbly synths and those smart "I love you but you sometimes drive me crazy" lyrics. If Vince Clarke's music has evolved since Erasure's debut you won't hear it here, but with so many hooks and tight arrangements the album is one of the best "go with what you know" arguments since AC/DC. While Erasure certainly didn't need the "return to form" album at this point in their career, they nailed it and brought better songwriting along for the ride. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
With live albums, remix albums, and even an all-covers album in their back catalog, Erasure have utilized every stopgap device known to man except the unplugged album, until now. With plenty of dobro, strings, pedal steel, and nylon string guitars, Union Street is a soft, all-acoustic affair. While that may seem an uninspired choice after the excellent and purposeful Nightbird -- or downright ridiculous since they are a dancefloor-filling synth duo at the core -- the oddball song selection and elegant arrangements are surprising enough to believe this is more than a cash-in or by-the-numbers release. Instead of unplugging "Love to Hate You," "Oh l'Amour," or any of the other club hits that have made an impact past their core audience, Erasure have chosen album tracks and B-sides, most dealing with heartbreak, and a handful dealing with hope. It's a limited listen, made worse by the front-loading of the best tracks. "Boy," "Piano Song," and "Stay with Me" all sound renewed and vital, but as the album progresses, the songs get cluttered with strumming and string arrangements that don't serve the tunes as well as they should. As melodies get lost in this pastoral jumble, familiarity with the original tracks helps a lot, suggesting the album would make a better fanclub release than a general one. If approached in that casual manner, a longtime Erasure fan will get twice, maybe three times as much more out of Union Street than the merely curious will. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Starting soft and staying there, Nightbird takes more than a couple listens to pay real dividends, but that Erasure are revitalized is evident first time through. Gone is the trying-too-hard surface-pop of Cowboy and Other People's Songs and back is the intimate, introspective, and great lyrical moments of the ballads scattered among the duo's best albums. Song after song displays that lead singer Andy Bell has grown remarkably as a writer. His vivid tales of isolation and painful regret don't have that Morrissey sting in the tail, but they're just as good for weepy evenings and are just as honest/cathartic as anything the Mozz has written. Bell's prerelease announcement that he's HIV positive explains the malaise that's here and there on Nightbird, but the man's been secretly dealing with the disease since 1998 and his "coming out" relief is reflected in the album's positive energy and extra helping of hope. It's Bell's album, and much like thumbing through his diary, but synth whizz Vince Clarke is up to the task, providing clean and tidy tunes in classic Erasure style. He must have dusted off all his old machinery, since the bleeps and beats of the album are familiar, plus the "woah-oh-oh!" of "No Doubt" brings reminders of the great "Love to Hate You," just at half-tempo. That's something to point out. With only two up-tempo numbers, Nightbird isn't made for the dancefloor. It's a "headphone album" or a "when you're alone" album, and considering the band's campy past, a surprisingly excellent one. Bell's dealings with HIV have obviously influenced Nightbird, but he rarely points right to it, making the album adaptable to any listener's own introspection. Smart, moving, approachable, and well constructed, Nightbird is Erasure's mature masterpiece. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
While there's nothing wrong with doing an album of covers, putting such a project together has its risks. For Erasure, the experiment yields mixed results. More often than not, they connect with the material in unexpected ways, and certainly with greater success than one might expect from other electronic groups. This is due largely to the fact that these guys have been around long enough to develop a sensitivity to music as being more than a beat and a hook. Their sense of humor leads them to revise "Video Killed the Radio Star" in a way that's not only highly amusing -- it actually suits the message of the song. Plus, Andy Bell remains a very convincing singer, particularly on the softer material, where his choir-boy timbre glistens and shimmers. Problems occur when they can't find a convincing way to graft their highly identifiable sound onto the song. On "True Love Ways," for instance, Vince Clarke's textures are sweet to the point of gag inducement, which makes the squirmy synth lick in the bridge section seem weirdly out of place. While they deserve credit for not mimicking the feel of the records they cover, there's something very unnerving about the disco gallop they inflict on "Ebb Tide." And when they do stay faithful to the original arrangement, as on "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling," all the grandiosity achieved by Phil Spector sounds as if it was being squashed down to Tinker Toy sonics. Finally, just because you're able to insert a cricket sound every time the word "sleeping" occurs on "Goodnight" doesn't necessarily mean it's a good idea. ~ Robert L. Doerschuk, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Erasure perfected their synth-pop/dance sound in the mid-'80s, and over the course of the next decade and a half they continued within that structure. By 1997's Cowboy, the band lost some of their melodic sense in exchange for the techno dance trip. It is nice to say that on this release Erasure went back to doing what they do best: strong melodic pop music full of angst and pain. There's no real experimentation, just the old form of songwriting. This will not win new fans, but it might win back those few who were turned off by the group's dive into techno. Since 1997, Vince Clarke has collaborated on two experimental projects: 1999's Clarke & Ware Experiment with Martin Ware of Heaven 17 fame and the Family Fantastic album. Neither were too successful, but they did provide platforms for Clarke to expand his writing and playing beyond the pop song format. His return is very much welcomed. Andy Bell's voice has never sounded better, and as usual it fits the music perfectly. A strong album, with some of the best songs they have ever produced (including the wonderful "Freedom" and "Surreal"), this is a classic sounding Erasure album, and it could not be better. ~ Aaron Badgley, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The calmer inner meditations of Erasure behind them, the duo found themselves on Madonna's label in America and released the notably more upbeat Cowboy in 1997. The zeitgeist that the duo perfectly encapsulated in the late '80s had long been left behind, resulting in an album that sounds like it wants to keep the party going when all the guests had long gone home. While Erasure itself could drag here and there, it was still an honestly intriguing combination of new and old for the band, something the pleasant (but little more than that) Cowboy can't claim. At base, the problem is that while the basic Erasure knack of hummable hooks and fine singing remains unchanged, something seems missing -- what made songs like "A Little Respect," "Stop!," and "Chorus" more than enjoyably catchy pop isn't there. Cowboy is amiable but not memorable. Vince Clarke to his credit doggedly resists flat out following current pop trends in the hopes of greater relevance, so there's something to be said for sticking to one's guns. His usual preferred combination of gentler lead synths and rougher bass tones sounds enjoyably supple as well, with perhaps the only concession to late-'90s pop being a greater use of hip-hop beats. Andy Bell's voice as always hits its fine sweet-sounding heights. But beyond a cut or two, very little honestly connects beyond that, sad to say. "In My Arms," released as a single, has an attractive air to it, with a nicely sweeping chorus, but feels a little too relaxed, not as flat out energetic as it could be. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Having continued course on I Say I Say I Say without adding much to its overall reputation, Erasure took a surprising turn on its self-titled album. With statements at the time indicating Clarke claimed inspiration from the complexity and reach of prog-rock keyboard experiments, the duo entered a less pop-friendly turn for this extensive record. Clarke definitely aims for a more spacy atmosphere throughout Erasure, assisted by sometime Orb compatriot Thomas Fehlmann. While the catchy hooks with which Clarke made his name remain, the arrangements show more grandiose reflections and less full-on dancefloor fun, more Jarre than Moroder. Songs are often much longer than the quick, punchy numbers the duo became known for, sometimes getting a bit lost along the way as a result. Bell, to his credit, matches Clarke's ambitions well, trying different vocal deliveries, especially with his trademark backing vocal overdubs -- "Rescue Me" being a great example of that. While the overall results don't lead to a fully spectacular record, it's certainly Erasure's most experimental, an indulgence that pays off in surprising ways. One of the more interesting features of the album is who helps out on it -- the London Community Gospel Choir takes a wonderful bow on two tracks, the quietly intoxicating lead single "Stay With Me" and the gentle shimmer of "Rock Me Gently." In one of the more unlikely guest appearances of the time, meanwhile, Mute labelmate Diamanda Galas delivers haunting solo turns on "Rock Me Gently" and "Angel." If not as harrowing as much of her own work, it does provide an interesting addition to a duo not known for its particularly dark vision of life. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Released three years after Chorus, I Say I Say I Say found Erasure for the first time fully interested in essentially staying in place. The album as a whole is at base an attractively redressed version of what the duo had already done, the occasional slight surprise notwithstanding. While Clarke in particular shows some virtuosity with his performances, helped by Human League/Heaven 17 veteran Martyn Ware's production, I Say lacks any real novelty (certainly Bell's singing isn't going to change any earlier perceptions, positive or negative). It's not as experimentally indulgent as the self-titled album or unfortunately unmemorable as Cowboy, but it's still not quite the group at its sharp pop finest track for track. When it does succeed, though, it has plenty of the flash and verve of old. "Always," the wonderful ballad that was the album's lead single, with a slightly quirky opening, strong verses both musically and lyrically, and a flat-out brilliant chorus, Bell's impassioned delivery one of his finest moments. I Say's lead-off one/two combination is also a winner; "Take Me Back" also plays the sweeping, slow card effectively, Bell in particular getting in some fine singing. "I Love Saturday," meanwhile, neatly balances pepped up energy on Clarke's part with a lower-key delivery from Bell, a striking combination that makes for a better result than the strident, full-on pep of "Run to the Sun." Other winners include "Man in the Moon," which has a delightful chorus with a sweetly silly pipe/synth melody, "So the Story Goes," and "Miracle," the last two of which feature the singing of a cathedral choir. It's a nice look ahead to the reach of the self-titled record, though, with more pop-friendly song lengths and two of Bell's best, strongest performances on the album. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
