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Audio CD
Publisher: Mute U.S.
Erasure's tenth studio album, & the follow up to 2000s critically acclaimed 'Loveboat', features the duo's unique take on some of their favorite songs. Recorded over 2001 with Gareth Jones, best known for his work with Depeche Mode, the album includes a diverse selection of tracks originally made famous by the likes of Buggles, Cockney Rebel, Buddy Holly, The Righteous Brothers & The Korgis. Mute. 2003.
Erasure is at the top of the list of synth-pop groups who have transcended the genre's inherent limitations, and Other People's Songs demonstrates why they've stood the test of time. These are not remixes or samples; in fact, the arrangement apple never falls far from the tree. The selected pop tracks from the latter half of the 20th century are rendered through Vincent Clarke's effervescent sensibility and Andy Bell's emotive vocals. Most dance-club covers have a shelf life that barely outlasts the last call. But as on Abba-esque, their homage to Abba, Erasure meticulously nurture and revitalize rainbow-colored covers, this time making Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill" and Buddy Holly's "Everyday" sweet but not bubblegum-flavored. Erasure has a stockpile of signature sounds, many of them used here to tie together disparate but instantly recognizable pop songs into Erasure songs. --Beth Massa
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| Erasure's cabaret act. |
| Customer Rating: 3 out of 5 |
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It's certainly a sign of aging when a formerly hip dance music duo resorts to cover versions of the Righteous Brothers and Elvis Presley. Andy Bell and Vince Clarke have chosen to freeze their sound in mid 1980's analog synthetics and have issued this adult-contemporary-friendly set of 70s and 80s pop ditties, with mixed success but a definite love for the material. This is certainly pure pop, which is something Erasure has always excelled at, and yet by devoting an entire album to "other people's songs", they also send the message that they are perhaps past their prime of great songwriting on their own. Or perhaps they are simply sufficiently wealthy and comfortable enough to issue their version of a late-nite cabaret show.
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| Buy Solsbury Hill, skip the others |
| Customer Rating: 3 out of 5 |
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The "Solsbury Hill" song, the first track on this CD, is absolutely mind-blowing. It has a power and punch that even surpasses the original song. Get it!
However, can't say the rest about the other songs on this CD. Many of them are just blah. They feel generic and uninspired, with random synthesizer beeps and boops that seem to be prevalent in Erasure's later sound. Is it music or an old video game? Who knows. By contrast, the first song, "Solsbury Hill", instead captures the great high-energy sound of Erasure's early hits.
I bought this CD merely for completeness, but if I had it to do over again, I'd just buy "Solsbury Hill" individually online and skip the others.
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| Avoid this |
| Customer Rating: 1 out of 5 |
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I stumbled on this travesty while seeking a version of Video killed the radio star, and found the selection of songs intriguing. I love versions of good songs and erasure had chosen some excellent songs to cover.
Unfortunately, their mechanical synthpop approach to this classic material is worse than annoying--it is slapdash and heretical. Particularly, their Solisbury Hill tackles one of the finest songs of the rock era and facemasks the profound meaning of Gabriel's original--one suspects the group didn't even understand the mystical meaning of the song! If an appropriate group of pop music mavens convened in a college and appointed a theologically correct pop music pope
(is Paul McCartney available? He isn't doing anything except battling messy divorce cases.), he would excommunicate erasure and condemn them to the Muzak inferno.
Just seek out the originals of these songs.
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| ...are best left unrecorded by Erasure |
| Customer Rating: 2 out of 5 |
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This collection of poorly chosen and recorded songs really shouldn't have been released as a bona fide Erasure album. Save a track or two for b-sides to GOOD Erasure singles, but leave this glop in the dust. I will say that their versions of "Come Up And See Me" and "Ebb Tide" managed to win me over, but the rest is just awful. Here's hoping Erasure never attempt to release anything like this ever again.
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| erm... |
| Customer Rating: 1 out of 5 |
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Erasure is the poor man's Depeche Mode. Funny since Vince started that band too...maybe he should've stuck around.
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Solsbury Hill - Peter Gabriel
Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime - The Korgis
Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me) - Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel
Everyday - Buddy Holly
When Will I See You Again - The Three Degrees
Walking in the Rain - The Ronettes
True Love Always - Buddy Holly
Ebb Tide - The Righteous Brothers
Can't Help Falling in Love - Elvis Presley
You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' - The Righteous Brothers
Goodnight - Cliff Eberhardt
Video Killed the Radio Star - The Buggles
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