Erasure | |
|---|---|
 Vince Clarke (left) andAndy Bell (right) in 1989 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | |
| Works | Discography |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Labels | |
| Members | |
| Website | erasureinfo |
Erasure (/əˈreɪʒər/ə-RAY-zhər) are an Englishsynth-pop duo formed in London in 1985,[1][2][3] consisting of lead vocalist and songwriterAndy Bell and songwriter, producer and keyboardistVince Clarke, the latter previously a co-founder of the bandDepeche Mode and synth-pop duoYazoo. From their fourth single, "Sometimes" (1986), Erasure established themselves on theUK Singles Chart, becoming one of the most successful acts of the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. From 1986 to 2007, the pair achieved 24 consecutive top 40 entries in the UK singles chart. By 2009, 34 of their 37 chart-eligible singles and EPs had made the UK top 40, including 17 climbing into the top 10. At the1989 Brit Awards, Erasure won theBrit Award forBest British Group.[4][5]
Erasure released their debut albumWonderland in 1986. It did not perform well chart-wise, although one song from the album, "Oh l'amour", later became one of their biggest hits when reissued in 2003 to promote theHits! The Very Best of Erasure compilation album. With their second album, 1987'sThe Circus, came major success, the album reaching UK number 6 and spawning four top 20 singles with "Sometimes", "It Doesn't Have to Be", "Victim of Love", and "The Circus". Their third album, 1988'sThe Innocents, was a number 1, and produced further hit singles with "Ship of Fools", "Chains of Love", and "A Little Respect". It was followed the same year by the Christmas EPCrackers International, which peaked at number 2 and included another of their most popular songs, "Stop!" .The Innocents was the first of five consecutive UK number 1 albums, followed byWild! (1989), the Mercury Prize nominatedChorus (1991), the compilationPop! The First 20 Hits (1992), andI Say I Say I Say (1994). TheirABBA tribute EP,Abba-esque (1992), also reached number 1 in the UK. Hit singles from these albums included "Drama!", "Blue Savannah", and "Star" fromWild!, "Chorus", "Love to Hate You", and "Breath of Life" fromChorus, and "Always" and "Run to the Sun" fromI Say I Say I Say.
From 1995, the commercial success of Erasure began to fade with the atmospheric albumErasure (1995), then with the mixed success ofCowboy (1997), until the albumLoveboat (2000) which almost passed unnoticed. A little later in the 2000s, the duo achieved a commercial rebound in a few European countries thanks to their cover of aPeter Gabriel song, "Solsbury Hill", taken from the covers albumOther People's Songs (2003), as well as the UK Top 5 single "Breathe" on the albumNightbird (2005). Subsequently, Erasure began a new commercial decline accentuated by the record crisis: the group's new albums still ranked briefly in the charts.
Overall in their career, Erasure have written more than 200 songs and have sold more than 28 million albums worldwide.[6][7]
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As a teenager,Vince Clarke was inspired to makeelectronic music after hearingWirral synth bandOrchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD).[8][9] He was a founding member ofDepeche Mode and the sole writer of their first three singles, including the breakthrough top 10 single "Just Can't Get Enough".[10][11] Following their first albumSpeak & Spell, on which Clarke wrote nine of the eleven songs, he left Depeche Mode at the end of 1981, going on to form another successful act, the synth-pop duoYazoo (known asYaz in the United States).
After two successful studio albums in as many years (1982–1983), he split with Yazoo partnerAlison Moyet and formed the short-lived projectthe Assembly with producerEric Radcliffe. The project spawned a UK number-four single, "Never Never", featuringFeargal Sharkey on lead vocals. After more than a year out of the spotlight, Clarke placed an advertisement inMelody Maker looking for a vocalist for a new musical project.Peterborough-bornAndy Bell phoned and got a call back a few days later. Bell practised for the audition listening to Alison Moyet andSiouxsie and the Banshees.[12][13] It went well, and he was chosen. Around the same time Clarke released a single with vocalistPaul Quinn, "One Day". It flopped, leading Clarke to form Erasure. According to Bell, Clarke had been his "hero".[7]
Erasure's influences include OMD,Kraftwerk,Gloria Gaynor andABBA.[14]
Erasure's first three singles were commercial failures in the UK, although the third, "Oh l'amour", charted well in Australia, South Africa and a few European countries (especially in France, where it still remains Erasure's only hit to date, and Germany where it was a Top 16 success). Their debut studio album,Wonderland, was mostly recorded in 1985 and released in June 1986. Although it only made the UK top 75, it made a sizeable mark in Germany, reaching the top 20.
It was the release of their fourth single, "Sometimes", which finally received recognition in the UK in late 1986. The song peaked at number 2 in the UK and Germany 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 6 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 studio 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 double platinum. It also turned platinum in the U.S., generating two top 20 hits in "Chains of Love" and "A Little Respect".
The Innocents was the first of five consecutive number one albums for Erasure in the UK, including the greatest hits compilationPop! The First 20 Hits.In November 1988, theCrackers International EP, hit number 2 in the UK. The albumsWild! (1989) andChorus (1991) both contained four top 20 singles and were major sellers.
Crackers International was bettered in 1992 by another EP,Abba-esque, (covering 4ABBA hits), which became Erasure's first (and to-date only) number one on theUK Singles Chart.[15] It featured a video of the duo dressed in ABBA outfits, and was one of the principal drivers of the ABBA revival scene in the 1990s.[citation needed]
Also in 1990, Erasure contributed the song "Too Darn Hot" to theCole Porter tribute albumRed Hot + Blue produced by theRed Hot Organization. In 1992, 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 releasedI Say I Say I Say, their fifth consecutive number one on theUK Albums Chart. Its first single, "Always", became the band's third top 20 hit in the United States. A second single, "Run to the Sun", was released in July and became their final UK top 10 hit until 2003. "I Love Saturday" was released in November and was the third and final single from the album.
The October 1995 release of the studio albumErasure marked a determined shift away from Erasure's signature three-minute synth-pop 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". A remixed version of "Rock Me Gently" was released only in Germany and the Czech Republic as the third single.
In spite of a return to three-minute pop songs, the 1997 studio albumCowboy did not restore the success of their 1986–1994 era.Cowboy enjoyed a short-lived success, peaking at number 10 in the UK but lasting only two weeks in the UK top 40. In the U.S.Billboard charts though, it was one of their most successful records. The first single "In My Arms" reached number 13 in the UK and entered the top 2 on the U.S. Dance chart. The second single "Don't Say Your Love Is Killing Me" made number 23 in the UK. The third single "Rain" was also only released in Germany and the Czech Republic.
In October 2000, Erasure released their ninth studio albumLoveboat, co-produced withFlood, though only peaking at a lowly number 45. The first single was "Freedom", which made a brief entry into the UK top 30. In 2001, they released a limited EP,Moon & the Sky containing new versions of the title song, a cover ofthe Supremes song "Baby Love" and some acoustic versions ofLoveboat songs.
The 2003 releaseOther People's Songs was a collection ofcover versions. Its first single, a cover ofPeter Gabriel's song "Solsbury Hill", reached the UK top 10, and Erasure were invited to perform onTop of the Pops for the first time since March 1997. The second single from the album was a cover ofSteve Harley's "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)", which made number 14 in the UK. In 2003, a new 'best of' compilation was released, calledHits! The Very Best of Erasure. Included was a new version of the 1986 song "Oh l'amour" — originally a commercial flop in the UK, this new version charted in the top 15.
Erasure's 2005 studio albumNightbird's first single, "Breathe", reached number 4 in the UK charts (their first top 5 hit in more than a decade) and achieved the number one position on theU.S. Dance chart, 18 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.[16] The third single was a double A-side, featuring new versions of "Here I Go Impossible Again"/"All This Time Still Falling Out of Love".
Union Street was a 2006 side-project which featured a collection of previously released album tracks that the band re-interpreted in anacoustic andcountry & western style. The album was named after the recording studio inBrooklyn where it was recorded.[citation needed]
The duo then released a more 'dance-oriented' album than some of their more recent work. TitledLight at the End of the World, the album was produced byGareth 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 peaked at number 21 in the UK. A second single, "Sunday Girl", was released in June[17] and made number 33 in the UK. The album was supported by the Light at the End of the World Live tour. TheStorm Chaser EP included an exclusive B-side, "Early Bird", a duet withCyndi Lauper.
Total Pop! The First 40 Hits, a collection of Erasure's first 40 hits plus a new remix of "Always" by Jeremy Wheatley, was released on 23 February 2009.[18] The compilation fractionally missed the UK top 20, reaching number 21.
On 10 August 2009, Erasure released a six-track EP of classic remixes entitledErasure.Club.[19]
To celebrate 21 years since its release, the albumThe Innocents (1988) was remastered and re-released on 26 October 2009.[20]
Andy Bell released his second solo studio album,Non-Stop, on 7 June 2010.
In February and March 2010, the song "Always" enjoyed an unexpected peak of popularity amongflash-game players for its prominent role as the soundtrack of theAdult Swim gameRobot Unicorn Attack.
Vince Clarke stated in radio interviews that the band wanted to complete the concept album ofnursery rhymes that they had been working on for some time.[21] On 16 December 2010, Erasure's official website announced a new studio album planned for release in summer 2011 to be produced byFrankmusik. Also, a world tour was announced (including theUltra Music Festival in Miami, Florida in March 2011 and the Total Pop! Forest Tour of the UK in June and July 2011) with dates including stops in Europe and South America.
Erasure played a 27-date US and Canada tour, as well as atEstadio Monumental "U" inLima, Peru on 18 August. The Tomorrow's World Tour began on 31 August 2011 in Tampa, continuing through September, and finished in Seattle on 6 October 2011. The UK and European leg of the Tomorrow's World tour began on 12 October 2011 in Leicester, UK, continuing through to 14 November 2011 in Dresden, Germany.
On 20 June 2011, it was confirmed via their official website that their new studio album was to be calledTomorrow's World. This album was released on 3 October 2011 (11 October 2011 in the US). The first single from the album was "When I Start To (Break It All Down)". The album reached number 29 in the UK, number 35 in Germany and number 61 in the US. The second single fromTomorrow's World, "Be with You", peaked in the top 10 on the USHot Dance Club Songs chart, making it their highest peak since "Breathe" in 2005. The third and final single from the album, "Fill Us with Fire" was released on 12 March 2012.
Erasure toured internationally in 2011; it was one of their longest tours and included visits to some places for the first time, including Russia and Ukraine. They also did a whole South American Tour, including two shows in Buenos Aires, where they last performed in 1997 during the Cowboy Tour.
On 11 November 2013, Erasure released their first Christmas album,Snow Globe.[22] The first single from the album was a cover of the 1973Steeleye Span track "Gaudete" which was available as a digital download from 28 October, in advance of the single's full release as a CD and download bundle on 9 December. The track was available in the US on 29 October.
On 27 May 2014, Erasure announced their sixteenth studio album for a September 2014 release, a 10-track record titledThe Violet Flame. Released on 22 September 2014 and produced byRichard X, it entered theUK Albums Chart at number 20, giving the duo their first top 20 album sinceOther People's Songs in 2003.
In October 2015, in order to celebrate their 30 years in the music industry, Erasure released an updated version of "Sometimes" as a single and a new compilation album entitledAlways: The Very Best of Erasure. Release dates were 23 October and 30 October 2015.
On 29 July 2016, Erasure announced that they would be continuing their special series of releases to mark their 30th anniversary with the autumn release of an anthology box-set entitledFrom Moscow to Mars.
On 23 February 2017, Erasure announced that their seventeenth studio album would be titledWorld Be Gone and would be released via Mute on 19 May 2017. To mark the release, the band would headline three UK shows at Glasgow'sO2 Academy Glasgow on 27 May 2017, Manchester'sAlbert Hall on 28 May 2017 and London'sRoundhouse on 29 May 2017 before embarking on a four-month European tour as special guests ofRobbie Williams in June, July, August and September.
In March 2018, the albumWorld Beyond was announced, a re-recording of Erasure's previous year'sWorld Be Gone in a post-classical garb. It was recorded in ten days by Andy Bell and seven musicians from the Brussels-based ensemble Echo Collective. Erasure's albumWorld Beyond then debuted at No. 1 on theBillboard Classical Albums and Classical Crossover Albums charts dated 24 March 2018.
On 21 August 2020, Erasure released their eighteenth studio album,The Neon.[23] The album reached number 4 in the UK and was their highest placed album in the UK charts for 26 years.The Neon was preceded by the single "Hey Now (Think I Got a Feeling)", which was first heard onBBC Radio 2'sThe Zoe Ball Breakfast Show. The band stated that they tried to go back to their original sounds. Clarke used some of his older synthesizers and Bell described the new album as "going back to the beginning".[24]
On 13 May 2021, Erasure announced the release of "Secrets", a new single available as a one-track stream or download ahead of a new album,The Neon Remixed. The album, a two-disc set of remixes from their eighteenth album, was released on 30 July and also included the single "Secrets". It charted on theUK Albums Chart in August 2021[25] at number 33, with a sales total of 2,255 units and became Erasure's 23rd hit on the UK Albums Chart.[26] The band played a twelve venue tour of the UK in October 2021.
In June 2022, Erasure announced the release of their nineteenth studio album,Day-Glo (Based on a True Story), which was stated as being a follow-up to the previous releaseThe Neon (2020). It was released on 12 August 2022.[27]
Erasure's music has been described aselectropop,[2][28][29]synth-pop,[30][31]dance-pop,[32][33]hi-NRG,[34][35]disco,[28][29][31][35][36][37][38][39] andnew wave.[40][41] According toStephen Thomas Erlewine ofAllMusic, the group's style, like Vince Clarke's previous groupsDepeche Mode andYazoo, is "synth-based, but with stronger, morehouse-oriented dance inclinations, as well as a sharp, accessible sense ofpop songcraft".[30]The Washington Post wrote that Erasure's music "combines synth-pop, disco,cabaret,light opera and a bit of English choirboy sound."[31] In a 1991 feature forNME,Stuart Maconie described their music as "exuberantlycamp disco pop".[29]
| Year | Awards | Work | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Billboard Music Awards | Themselves | Top Dance Club Play Artist | Nominated | [42] |
| "Oh l'amour" | Top Dance Club Play Single | Nominated | |||
| 1987 | Themselves | Top Dance Club Play Artist | Nominated | [43] | |
| "Victim of Love" | Top Dance Club Play Single | Nominated | |||
| 1988 | "Chains of Love" | Top Dance Sales Single | Nominated | [44] | |
| 1989 | Ivor Novello Awards | "A Little Respect" | Best Contemporary Song | Nominated | [45] |
| Brit Awards | Themselves | Best British Group | Won | [4] | |
| Smash Hits Poll Winners Party | Best Group | Nominated | [46] | ||
| 1990 | Nominated | [47] | |||
| Wild! | Best LP | Nominated | |||
| Andy Bell | Most Fanciable Male | Nominated | [47] | ||
| Brit Awards | Themselves | Best British Group | Nominated | [48] | |
| 1991 | Ivor Novello Awards | "Blue Savannah" | Most Performed Work | Won | [45] |
| 1992 | Mercury Prize | Chorus | Album of the Year | Nominated | [49] |
| Brit Awards | "Love to Hate You" | British Video of the Year | Nominated | [50] | |
| 1993 | "Take a Chance on Me" | Nominated | [51] | ||
| Themselves | British Group | Nominated | |||
| Hungarian Music Awards | Concert of the Year by a foreign artist | Nominated | [52] | ||
| Pollstar Concert Industry Awards | Tour | Small Hall Tour of the Year | Nominated | [53] | |
| Most Creative Stage Production | Nominated | ||||
| 1994 | Smash Hits Poll Winners Party | "Always" | Best Pop Video | Nominated | [54] |
| Goldene Europa Awards | Themselves | Best International Group | Won | [55] | |
| Cash Box Year-End Awards | Top Alternative Crossover Artist | Nominated | [56] | ||
| 1998 | GLAAD Media Awards | Cowboy | Outstanding Music Artist | Nominated | [57] |
| 2015 | Classic Pop Readers' Awards | The Violet Flame | Album of the Year | Won | [58] |
| AIM Independent Music Awards | Themselves | Best Live Act | Nominated | [59] | |
| 2017 | From Moscow to Mars | Special Catalogue Release of the Year | Nominated | [60] | |
| Attitude Awards | Themselves | Icon Award | Won | [61] | |
| 2018 | AIM Independent Music Awards | Best Live Act | Won | [62] | |
| 2019 | Classic Pop Readers' Awards | Live Act of the Year | Won | [63] | |
| 2020 | Wild! | Reissue of the Year | Nominated | [64] | |
| 2023 | British LGBT Awards | Andy Bell | Lifetime Achievement | Won | [65] |
Many of Erasure's songs exemplify the post-disco style called hi-N.R.G. -fast and openly artificial, with synthesized riffs bouncing and ticking in every register.
