Erasure • Gaudete

Last month, Erasure released a new album, and I somehow managed to miss it until I read about it on Marc Harshbarger's wonderful blog, Deep Dish. Erasure first came to my attention back in 1985, with the release of their first single, "Who Needs Love Like That?", a great song that convinced me to buy the album. I have been a big fan since. Erasure is made up by Andy Bell and Vince Clarke, both wonderfully talented men. Bell's voice has an unerring clarity, and Clarke's use of keyboards is beyond reproach, as can be heard from his days with Depeche Mode to Yazoo to this 28 years with Erasure. 'Snow Globe' is the name of the latest, and it is a 13-song offering is collection of holiday music, both old and new. The first single off the album, "Gaudete", is a lovely song, part Pop yumminess, and part chorale treat. And it is traditional color, composed in the 16th century, and arranged by Bell and Clarke. This is the official music video for "Gaudete".

The first cut on the album is an original written by Andy and Vince. "Bells of Love (Isabelle's of Love)" is a wonderful song, sounding very much like an Erasure song, but carrying a message fitting for the holiday. It takes a look at what is happening in society today, and the need to healing hands to help be a part of the change for the better. This is an audio track for "Bells of Love (Isabelle's of Love)".

While just over half of the tracks are either tradition or newer holiday favorites, they are arranged by Andy and Vince, giving them a new sound and feel. That would include the eleventh song on the collection, "Midnight Clear". It is a Christmas carol written by Edmund Sears, pastor of the Unitarian Church in Wayland, Massachusetts, in 1849, better known as "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear". The following year, Richard Storrs Willis, a composer who trained under Felix Mendelssohn, wrote a melody that would be the sound of this music. Again, Bell and Clarke add their magic to the mix, making it a special track. This is the audio for "Midnight Clear".

I will grant you, the title "Blood on the Snow" does not sound like a great start to a holiday song, but never underestimate the power of Clarke and Bell. The dynamic duo tell a modern-day story of life and the struggle that comes with it. The search for divine intervention, for the sign to let us know we are moving in the right direction, sounds both timely and timeless in the hands of Erasure. This is the audio track for "Blood on the Snow".

This is a wonderful album, a must-have to Electronica fans, and people who love great music. You can purchase 'Snow Globe' from iTunes and Amazon. To learn more about Erasure, visit their official website. You can also 'like' them on Facebook, and 'follow' them on Twitter. To check out Deep Dish, Marc Harshbarger's wonderful blog, you can visit the official website. You can also check them out on Facebook and Twitter.

Erasure • Who Needs Hits Like That?

Erasure bandmates Andy Bell, left, and Vince Clarke, right.

Sometimes I am working on a post, and I surprise myself with amazing observations like, "No Freakin' way it has been 28 years since I first heard this song!" Yes, I know, I don't really say freaking, but I thought I'd clean it up. But it is true, it has been almost three decades since I first heard the amazing duo Erasure. I had followed keyboardist Vince Clarke since his collaboration with Alison Moyet in Yazoo, as well as his stint in Depeche Mode. So when he paired up with Andy Bell, I was curios to hear the new sound. After all, I had no idea who this Bell kid was, and I was reluctant to let go of the hope Vince and Alison would get back together.

In the Fall of 1985, before the first album hit the shelves, the group released "Who Needs Love Like That", soon to be featured on the debut album, 'Wonderland'. The song had a strong Synth-Pop sound, and dealt with a faltering dysfunctional relationship, and asks the immortal question, "Who Needs Love Like That"?

While that none of the early singles entered the US Billboard charts, Erasure did have a following in the States, with people who were loving the EuroPop coming in the form of New Wave acts like Howard Jones, Yazoo, Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, Soft Cell, Bronksi Beat, and so many other. In April of 1986, just weeks before the release of 'Wonderland', they released the single "Oh L'Amour" and I remember going to my music import store in the West Village to get it. The sound was so new, so fresh, and so darned fun.

It was another two years before Erasure started to show up on the US Single charts. In 1988, they released 'The Innocents', a fantastic new collection. The month after the album's released, a new song hit the airwaves that would certainly make an impact in the US. "Chains Of Love" was a bold and brash song that stood firm in the stance that all love needs to be honored, not just some. To free all love from the chains restricting those people, we can't really be free. Yes, this was a song I danced to on more than one occasion and in more than one club in New York. "Chains of Love" made it to #12 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #4 on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart.

That was followed up by a song that instantly spoke to so many people, it was universally loved. "A Little Respect" had so much meaning on so many levels, for the gays marching and trying to feel the respect offered to everyone but themselves. It also spoke to people in relationships, where one one person feels they are working so hard just to have their voice heard, be it with a lover, a friend, or a parent. The song made it to #14 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #2 on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart. Here is the music video for "A Little Respect", also off the album 'The Innocents'.

You can find these hits and more on 'Pop! The First 20 Hits', available for purchase on iTunes, Amazon, or at their online store. To learn more about Erasure, visit their official website. You can also 'like' them on Facebook and 'follow' them on Twitter.

Depeche Mode • Devotional (1993)

Depeche Mode left to right: Martin Gore, Dave Gahan and Andy Fletcher

Since some enjoyed the Madonna concert last week, I thought I would offer another live show of great music this week. So I picked the ElectroPop genius of Depeche Mode. Ever since the 1981 release of their debut album, 'Speak & Spell', Depeche Mode have made a habit of making hit songs, from "Just Can't Get Enough" to 2009's "Perfect", the band has managed to deliver on the music charts. Dave Gahan, Martin Gore and Andy Fletcher are the current line-up of the band, but can remember the time when Vince Clarke was part of the band, until he left to join Allison Moyet in Yazoo. Their music ran the gauntlet of cute an fun Pop to dark and inspired rock. I love them, and they are still on my playlist.

As the title would suggest, the show was taped from their 1993-1994 Devotional Tour, filmed in Barcelona, Spain, Liévin, France and Frankfurt, Germany. The show includes some of the best music, as well as some of the great music they were making in the 1990s. Their catalog is spectacular, and one could easily fill up up hours to cover their greatest hits, but they decided to limit keep the DVD under 2 hours. This makes for a tight and wonderful playlist, one that includes"

01 - Higher Love

02 - World In My Eyes

03 - Walking In My Shoes

04 - Behind The Wheel

05 - Stripped

06 - Condemnation

07 - Judas

08 - Mercy In You

09 - I Feel You

10 - Never Let Me Down Again

11 - Rush

12 - In Your Room

13 - Personal Jesus

14 - Enjoy The Silence

15 - Fly On The Windscreen

16 - Everything Counts

17 - Halo

18 - Policy Of Truth

Depeche Mode were also sounding great in 1993, so this is a great show to watch. Enjoy Devotional.

For more about the band, you can visit their official website. You can also follow them on Twitter or like them on Facebook. To purchase the DVD of the concert, check out Amazon.

Depeche Mode Co-Founders Clarke & Gore to Reunite

Two of the original members of Depeche Mode have reunited for the first time since 1981. Vince Clarke and Martin L. Gore have announced they will release a series of EPs and a new album under the band name VCMG.

"Out of the blue I got an email from Vince just saying, 'I'm interested in making a techno album. Are you interested in collaborating?'" reports Gore in a press release. The pair's first EP of remixes, Spock, will have an exclusive release on Beatport on November 30th before becoming widely available on December 13th. Their untitled new album is expected in early 2012.

Vince Clarke was one of the four co-founders of Depeche Mode in 1980. He soon left, citing creative differences, and went on to co-found Yazoo with Alison Moyet and, later, Erasure with Andy Bell. Gore became Depeche Mode's principal songwriter after Clarke's departure.

New Mix - Erasure - A Little Respect

Andy Bell & Vince Clarke of Erasure; Angel Andy gets his wings.

They were and still are Gods of music, ruling the airwaves with their innovative and magic music in the mid 80s to the mid 90s. Andy Bell had a magiccal voice, and a stage presence that was such star power. Vince Clarde was the music man, his former associations with Yazoo and Depeche Mode coming to fruition in Erasure, making amazing synth-Pop that had grace and a bite. 22 years ago they released an amazing song, A Little Respect. Recently, they have released a new remix of the song, and everyone should go to iTunes and buy it now, just because they can. Even better, because the money is going to the Hetrick-Martin Institute, hence the HMI Redux tag, the home of the Harvey Milk High School, in New York, and the True Colors Fund. The Hetrick-Martin Institute, the nation’s oldest and largest LGBTQ youth service organization, provides a safe and supportive environment to all young people – regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity so that they can achieve their full potential.

In the wake of all the gay bullying and related suicides that have been reported in the US over the past several months, Erasure wanted to do something special to spread a message of tolerance and to raise money for an organization that engages in the fight on a daily basis and, because it has become something of a gay rights anthem over the years, it seemed only fitting to release a brand new version of A Little Respect.

The HMI Redux features a youth chorus from the Hetrick-Martin Institute who also appear in the music video, directed by filmmaker Jason Stein.

The original version of A Little Respect, released in 1988, featured on The Innocents, the first Erasure album to hit the UK #1 spot (first on 30th April 1988 and again in January 1989), a chart-topping position they revisited with each of their next four album releases.

In over two decades together, Andy Bell and Vince Clarke have sold more than 20 million albums around the globe, proving themselves masters of every kind of song from disco symphonies to unplugged ballads. To download this amazing redux of A little Respect, click here.



So, for just 99 cents, you can have an incredible song, and help support LGBTQ Youth. This is a total win-win, and a triple win if you consider you'd be getting the music of Erasure. To purchase the download from iTune, click here. So do it now!