...
With even my fellow Staffordshire-bred songsmith Robbie Williams trying to sound more like Gary Numan than Gary Barlow these days, Chorus is as relavent as ever.
Its 1991 release coincided with a great time in my life and therefore became a soundtrack to that; living in halls of residence ... Read review
Advantages: Autumnal electropop for rainy afternoons Disadvantages: Only lasts for one pot of tea!
...than Gary Barlow these days, Chorus is as relavent as ever.
Its 1991 release coincided with a great time in my life and therefore became a soundtrack to that; living in halls of residence at university and then moving to Holland for a year.
It was six years into Vince Clarke and Andy Bell’s Erasure, a long time for Vince, who had a history of setting up and then leaving bands at the height of their success (ie Depeche ... ...practice!
Why Chorus stood the test of time compared to icontemporaries is it still sounds so fresh.
Martyn Philips’ low-fi techno production is sparse and economical, with thudding electobeats and strings used to effect rather than engulf.
The subject matter is classic Erasure, love turning to anger and frustration and back again, Amsterdam streets, sirens singing and romantic quasi-religious imagery. more
Autumn is a great time for colour, reflection, soul searching and listening to old albums.
I have been combining all the above while watching the rain trickle down my back window enjoying the heat from the radiator and drinking endless cups of hot sweet tea!
While engaged in said activities I found myself listening to this Erasure album for the first time in a decade, thinking it deserves new appraisal, in these post electroclash times.
With even my fellow Staffordshire-bred songsmith Robbie Williams trying to sound more like Gary Numan than Gary Barlow these days, Chorus is as relavent as ever.
Its 1991 release coincided with a great time in my life and therefore became a soundtrack to that; living in halls of residence at university and then moving to Holland for a year.
It was six years into Vince Clarke and Andy Bell’s Erasure, a long time for Vince, who had a history of setting up and then leaving bands at the height of their success (ie Depeche Mode, Yazoo, The Assembly) and after the missed response to the previous album Wild! really needed something special. It delivered.
It is often a bad sign when an album is named after the first single so when Chorus, an eco-friendly hit, was released I feared it might be the only highlight of an album of fillers.
The second single Love To Hate You, a stomping update of I Will Survive shook up that notion and took the autumn radio playlists and chart-compilers by storm.
The rest of the album is laid back, a sign of more ambient work in later years, as if they needed to get a dance floor filler out, before the downers kicked in, but no less potent.
I think timing was crucial to the success of the album, it is such a great autumnal feast. There are so many songs to listen to while staring out a rainy window drinking tea and being warmed by radiators, its unbelievable.
As a student in baggy Manchester there were a lot of rainy days to put this to practice!
Why Chorus stood the test of time compared to icontemporaries is it still sounds so fresh.
Martyn Philips’ low-fi techno production is sparse and economical, with thudding electobeats and strings used to effect rather than engulf.
The subject matter is classic Erasure, love turning to anger and frustration and back again, Amsterdam streets, sirens singing and romantic quasi-religious imagery.
People seem to reject Erasure as 80s throw-backs, although they had most of their biggest hits in the 90s (including five number one albums) and have since become more of a cult band, although they still manage to dent the upper reaches of the charts, the last of their 31 hits hitting the top 20 only last year.
They continue to note firsts. They covered an E.P of ABBA songs (Abba-esque, which reached number one in the UK in 1992), before Abba were trendy again.
They produced a dodgy album of lazy covers, followed by Paul Weller, Beautiful South and the like.
They also decided to use traditional instruments again on their Loveboat album, followed by fellow electropopsters the Pet Shop Boys….
But for me this was the last Erasure CD in the period you could rely on them to bring home the goods consistently every time.
They seem to have released a couple of good, albums, a bad one, followed by a brilliant one, followed by another iffy one, etc etc since. I suppose they don’t need sales anymore.
With a new album out next year preceded by a single Breathe, in January 2005, the 20th anniversary of the band, it will be very interesting to see the new direction.
Until then there will be a lot of rain, warmth and hot tea between now and the New Year!
Advantages: Andy Bell's vocals, beautiful synth pop Disadvantages: Possibly Erasure's lull
Well, I have to start by saying that I have always been a BIG Erasure fan. I don't agree with those that say that you must be gay to enjoy their music. In my opinion, their sexual preferences should have no influence over the decision to like their easy listening pop treats.
I must admit to believing that this may not be their best effort, but it still contains some very noteworthy songs. It doesn't delve into the realms of trance experimentalism that ventured on the previous album "Erasure".
So, let's get reviewing...
----Rain----
The opener is a classic slice of Erasure pop, with a bopping bass track and various levels of synth surrounding Andy's glorious vocals. Classic chorus, but still not really at the standard we come to expect.
----Worlds on fire----
Aaaah! Here we go. This is more like it. A slower track ...
Advantages: One or Two good tracks Disadvantages: Tracks too Slow, nothing spectacular
of similar tracks to their music on their Chorus album.
3. Sucker For Love ? running time 3.58 minutes
Starts of quite catchy and you think it?s going to be a hit but half way through sounds a bit corny, If I was to compare it to one of their other tracks it would defiantly be ?Gloria? from their Wild Album.
4. Storm In A Teacup ? running time 4.04 minutes
More of a serious track for Erasure, starts off quite ?Sorrowful? as the song is about a mum and a dad and a little white lie but then develops into a more of a jig of a song, this has to be my second favourite on the album and I think this would do quite well in the charts if it was to be released.
5. Fly Away ? running time 3.21 minutes
Not a bad track, even though it?s a short song it does go on a bit and the music is a little annoying and seems to drown Andy singing to me this ...
Advantages: Not one. Disadvantages: Utter b*****s, doesn't fill a cd, costs ten times more than it should
similar to 'Dirtbag'.
Track 2 - Sunshine - 3 min 29 secs
Very guitar based with a very similar style to 'Dirtbag'.
Track 3 - Teenage Dirtbag - 3 min 59 secs
Best song on the album (not difficult really) taken from the film Loser. Cool lyrics with a kicking chorus.
Track 4 - A Little Respect - 3 min 27 secs
Cover version of the Erasure track which actually manages to be worse than the original, which demonstrates the bands talent (or lack of) to perfection.
Track 5 - Hump 'Em N' Dump 'Em - 3 min 35 secs
Second best song. Actually quite easy to listen to, very guitar based. The title doesn't seem to have any relation to the lyrics though.
Track 6 - Leroy - 3 min 20 secs
Strumming guitar style, which reminded me of an eighties song but I'm stuffed if I can remember which song, but the usual shouting chorus.
Track 7 - Hey, Mr ...
Erasure: Andy Bell (vocals); Vince Clark (various instruments). Recorded at Polygone Studios, Toulouse, France and Chateau Du Pape, Hamburg, Germany. 1991's CHORUS was a transitional album, as Erasure built on the musical and lyrical advances of 1989's WILD! and reached towards the more melancholy, mature work of 1994's I SAY I SAY I SAY. Andy Bell exploits his remarkable vocal range throughout, moving effortlessly from a lower-register growl to falsetto wails. Similarly, Vince Clarke's melodies and arrangements integrate the Hi-NRG electronic beats and synthesizers of the band's earliest work with the more reflective, organic sound of their later releases. The title track, a danceclub hit in both England and the United States, is a delight, but the more ruminative "Am I Right?" and "Breath of Life" are sturdier songs. Aside from the delightful tribute EP ABBA-ESQUE and the singles collection POP!, this was Erasure's last release for over three years.
Titles on disc 1
1.
Chorus
2.
Waiting For The Day
3.
Joan
4.
Breath Of Life
5.
Am I Right
6.
How I Love To Hate You
7.
Turns The Love To Anger
8.
Siren Song
9.
Perfect Stranger
10.
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01/12/2003
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