| The Two-Ring Circus | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album (remixes and live recordings) by | ||||
| Released | 7 December 1987 (1987-12-7)[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1985–1987 | |||
| Genre | Synth-pop | |||
| Length | 73:37 | |||
| Label | Mute (UK) –LSTUMM35 Sire (US) –25667 | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Erasure chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
The Two Ring Circus is aremix album by Englishsynth-pop duoErasure that served as a companion piece to their second albumThe Circus. It was released in 1987 onMute Records in the UK andSire Records in the US.
The vinyl version ofThe Two Ring Circus was released as a double 12" album playing at 45rpm, featuring six previously unreleased remixes and three re-recordings. The CD and cassette editions feature an additional seven live bonus tracks billed as "The Touring Circus".
The first six tracks are all new remixes of songs that had already appeared on their second albumThe Circus. The next three tracks are re-recordings of two songs fromThe Circus and one song from the band's debut albumWonderland featuring orchestral arrangements byAndrew Poppy. None of these nine tracks have appeared again on any subsequent Erasure releases or reissues.
The seven "Touring Circus" bonus live tracks on the CD and cassette mainly feature songs from Erasure's first two albums. The last track, a live version of "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" was their first remake of anABBA song, foreshadowing a concept that would later provide them with a number-one in the UK in 1992 with theAbba-esqueEP.
All seven of the CD and cassette live bonus tracks were recorded inHamburg and were previously featured on the triple 12" single release for "The Circus". There was a further live song per 12" not featured on this album. All ten of these live tracks (plus an 11th originally featured on the "Victim of Love"CD single) are featured on disc 2 of theEBX 2 box-set.
The US editions of the CD and cassette also include an additional remix in the form of an edited version of a previously released remix.
UK chart rules at the time madeThe Two Ring Circus ineligible to chart.[citation needed] It became their second release to briefly slip into the USBillboard 200 chart, peaking at number 186.[citation needed]
"The Touring Circus" (Bonus tracks on the cassette (LC STUMM 35) and CD (CDL STUMM 35)
25667-4 / 25667-4
| Country | Date |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 16 November 1987 (1987-11-16) |
| United States | 1 December 1987 (1987-12-1) |
| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Argentine Albums (CAPIF)[3] | 13 |
| U.S.Billboard 200[4] | 186 |
