Erasure Total Pop Deluxe Box Review
UK Synthpop Duo Gathers The First 40 Hits from the 80s 90s and Now
May 7, 2009
English synthpop duo Erasure formed in 1985 when songwriter and keyboardist, Vince Clarke, teamed up with flamboyant lead singer, Andy Bell.
After success with two other groups he co-founded, Depeche Mode and Yazoo, Clarke, along with Bell, forged a pop/ dance/ electronic sound that many copied in the 80’s but few could reproduce.
Openly gay Bell quickly garnered the attention of the British youth and spring-boarded Erasure’s music, a blend of sing-along hooks with deep dance inclinations and a boyant pop sound into the top 40 in both the UK and the US. Along the way they personified 80’s dance music, crossed barriers, notched up the beats and made camp cool.
Available in several editions, it’ only on Total Pop Deluxe Box, that Erasure collect every one of their 40 UK hits, including three songs that charted Stateside, a disc of live renditions of their tunes as well as a DVD of rare videos.
Pop! The First 20 Hits
In 1992, Erasure released Pop! The First 20 Hits, a single disc collection of their first 20 chart hits in chronological order. Essentially, the first disc of Total Pop Deluxe Box duplicates that very same disc, remastered with a 2009 version of Erasure’s first chart success “Who Needs Love Like That”.
Played end to end, the first disc catalogues of some of the most fun pop ever to grace the airwaves and the clubs. Hits include “Star”, “Chorus”, “Blue Savannah”, US-hits “Chains of Love” and “A Little Respect” as well as their campy cover of Abba’s “Take A Chance On Me” with a reggae-style rap break that sounds equally as awful today as it did back when it was first released on their Abba-esque EP.
Disc one of Total Pop Deluxe Box is a must for fans of 80’s synthpop songs.
Pop! The Second 20 Hits
While it took the band less than a decade to rack up their first string of hits, the latter 20 tracks took nearly double that time.
Like many acts that had huge success in the 80’s, once the 90’s hit, Erasure were in trouble. Polished bleeps and disco beats were replaced with plaid shirts and grungy guitars. The change in musical climate left Erasure to become a cliché of the aging pop act.
Marred with bad choices such as the experimental prog album (1995’s Erasure), the bad cover’s album (2003’s Other People’s Songs) and even, heaven forbid, an unplugged album of past hits recorded in a country and western style (2006’s Union Street), Erasure fell into every pitfall the industry has ever served up.
Along the way, however, they released several gems worthy of their pop pedigree. “Stay With Me”, “Rock Me Gently” and “Always” turn down the dance beats in favor of slick electronic ballads. The latter even cracked the US top 20 giving the band their third and last top 40 hit in America in 1994.
Highlights include “Freedom”, “Solsbury Hill” (a Peter Gabriel cover), and the fun-tastic tale of betrayal “Sunday Girl” from their last studio album, 2007’s Light at the End of the World.
Collected on one disc, the best tracks from 1993 -2007 on disc two make up for Erasure’s misguidance during this period and makes a great compliment to Pop! The First 20 Hits.
Total Pop Deluxe Box CD
Erasure’s Total Pop Deluxe Box is a fun romp through some of the most sugary dance music ever released. Though it may be hard to devour in one sitting, after nearly 3 hours of music, the collection hits its biggest snag.
The third disc in the collection gathers live renditions of their most popular hits. While no one can argue the quality of Andy Bell’s voice, Erasure are a studio band and their music doesn’t translate well into a live arena.
Besides the live CD, Total Pop Deluxe Boxhas two other major flaws. Firstly none of the discs can be purchased separately, unless each track is purchased as a single download. Discs one and two can be bought together, yet they still oblige fans who purchased Pop! The First 20 Hits, to buy those hits again.
Total Pop Deluxe Box DVD
The second and more tragic flaw comes in the form of the included DVD. Instead of collecting Erasure’s best and most innovative promotional videos, the band decided to include live performances of their hits recorded throughout the years.
While great entertainment, they take the focus off the groundbreaking and innovative music Erasure crafted in the last 30 years, and place it unjustifiably and inexplicably on Andy’s assless blue sequence cowboy costumes. A true opportunity wasted.
Erasure’s Total Pop is available in several editions. Total Pop Deluxe Box, including the live CD and DVD, makes a great addition to any die hard fans’ collection.
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