Lopez Blogs

All the quite correct talk around the amazing return of the Pet Shop Boys has quite correctly made me yearn for all things pet shop boysey from the past. However, it has also made me long for all things Erasure-ish. Back when I was a "youngster" it was a world of easy choices - debbie gibson or tiffany, bros or brother beyond, pet shop boys or erasure. I always kinda loved Erasure the most (though adored the Pet Shop Boys too) - they were the pop group it was almost cool for me to like. They were also the first pop group to give me the perfect format of a greatest hits album (pretty much the same time Kylie did that perfect first hits collection) - a format which i stuck to to this day. And as the release of their Pop - 40 hits collection nears (another near perfect format, especially the boxset which would be perfect for Kylie or Madonna now), I've had a fun week or so going through their back catalogue post Pop - The First 20 Hits... (check out Chartriggers take on the new boxset!)

I Say I Say I Say - ISISIS as it is often referred to marked a bit of a departure for Erasure (or Erase Sure as someone has listed them on youtube :P) From the haunting woodland cover, to the poignant melancholy songs, it's a step away from the Hi-NRG, hi-theatrical sound I adored on Innocents, Wild and Chorus. However, as my favourite pre-PopFirst20Hits songs were the downbeat Am I Right and You Surround Me that was more than ok with me and until their next album came out, this was very quickly my fave Erasure set of tunes. Often dreamily romantic, sometimes devastatingly sad, Andy Bell's lyrics are razor sharp and matched perfectly by Vince Clarke's gorgeous melodies. First single Always (now rereleased as a barely perceptible 2009 remix) is and was a graceful demonstration of how electro-ballads can often be so beautiful they are almost painful. A completely gorgeous song and a masterclass in song construction. I Love Saturday and Run To The Sun were both upbeat singles that nevertheless had nostalgic, bitter-sweet lyrics (thanks to Abba, I am enamoured with upbeat tunes with downbeat lyrics). Take Me Back was actually a pretty decent album opener, with distorted synths and almost otherworldly production values - great hint of what was to come on the epic Erasure album. And in crime-not-be-a-single, the excellent So The Story Goes has gothic choirs, a 6/4 time signature and a stunning vocal performance from Mr Bell. Classic, gorgeously produced pop that stands perfectly the test of time...
Singles: Always (#4); Run To The Sun (#6); I Love Saturday (#20); So The Story Goes (NR)

Erasure - the epononymous seventh album is by far the duo's most divisive among fans. I find it to be their most elegant piece of work to date, and the one I go back to most often to lift my spirits. Only Vince Clark could make his Oberheim Xpander synth sound so sad, emotive and beautiful all at the same time. Gone were the three point five minute pop wonders. In their places were ambient, electronic tracks that often ran longer than 6-7 minutes. Not gone however were the insightful lyrics and devastating melodies. The songs are incredibly complex and multiple listens reveal different layers each time you listen to them. Stay With Me is one of the most heartbreaking pleadings I have ever heard, and retained it's beauty when rendered in a more acoustic setting for Union Street a few years ago. Gently rhythmic, the occassionally histrionic voice of Andy Bell is tempered by the power of the melody. Rock Me Gently delivers the listener into a more trance type state of pop, while perhaps the most "traditional" song on the set Fingers and Thumbs layers synth tones and melodies on top of each other for maximum, upbeat pop pleasure (A soundfactory 2009 remix on the Pop-40 collection is by far the best remix of the bunch too!). Highly recommended if you like your Erasure melancholy, or are just a fan of beautiful electronica compositions.
Singles: Stay With Me (#15); Fingers and Thumbs (#20); Rock Me Gently (NR); Sono Luminous (NR)

Cowboy - Though not quite as powerful as ISISIS and Erasure, Cowboy marks yet another strong set of dance tracks. In My Arms was a bold choice of first single that bridged the gap between the melancholic mature erasure of the past two albums and the fun, theatrical erasure that this album hinted they still sometimes wanted to be, notably on the 80s tastic single 2, Don't Say Your Love Is Killing Me. Airplay for the group was slipping, but this album deserved far more than two singles - Save Me Darling was another nod of the hat to the old Erasure, with a peppy production and toe tapping chorus, while their cover of Magic Moments was as decent as anything they produced for Abba-esque. The gorgeous Worlds On Fire should have definitely been another single and is another delightful ballad from the lads. Boy would eventually become an acoustic single as part of the Union Street project...
Singles: In Your Arms (#13); Don't Say Your Love Is Killing Me (#23); Rain (NR); Worlds On Fire (NR)

Loveboat - By the turn of the millenium, it seemed like the world needed a decent disco pop album and along came... Kylie with Light Years. As fantastic as that was, this throwback to the early Erasure sound was somewhat lost on the British public and although I didn't particularly like it when it first came out (it was the first album since The Innocents in 1988 that I didn't buy on the day - or even week - of release), I've come to appreciate it over the years. It's not a bad album, it just pales a bit compared to their previous output. Lead single Freedom stiffed at 27 in the UK charts, and both Andy and Vince have gone on record stating their unhappiness with the vocals and use of guitar loops respectively. There are some standout moments on the opus though - Aliens, Perchance To Dream and Here in My Heart all have great synthy moments in there, with lyrics of love - but a love that brings pain rather than joy. Still the shoddy moments (Freedom, Moon and Sky) make this album more filler than killer :(
Singles: Freedom (#27); Alien (NR); Here In My Heart (NR)

Coming tomorrow - part two (Other People's Songs - Light At The End Of The World, via Electric Blue)