Erasure Album: “Moon & the Sky”

With some singles you get a couple of remixes that don't do justice or raise the bar to the original but you might want to check this one out. Not only are there some great remixes here but you also get some stripped down accoustic versions from the past and present. I am a HUGE fan of Erasure but I have to admit that I was less than impressed with their latest release, Love Boat. I've waited for the singles from this CD to come out in hopes that they'd work their magic on them and turn them from sedated into elated versions. I am here to tell you that my patience has paid off. This is not to say that every remix is amazing but the first three mixes of the Moon and the Sky really are. The last two mixes are those typical canned, no brainer remixes where you have a thousand mile an hour beat that sounds NOTHING like the original song. The accoustic songs, in my opinion, are laid back, stripped down and intimate. The accoustic versions of Freedom and A Little Respect are my favorites, especially A Little Reespect (WOW!). The others are quickly growing on me and have every sign of being familiar old favorites as well. The bottom line here is that they shot for the moon and the sky with this one but hit the stars, it's classic Erasure.

It's been 14 months since Loveboat was released. Freedom died of death in the charts which subsequently "sunk" Loveboat. The Motiv 8 remix of Freedom should have been the format for a successful chart release, good beat, catchy synths and Andy's voice being the forefront of the track. Instead they opted for the album version of Freedom which charted poorly at 28 in the UK then disappeared without trace. Mute also has to take the blame for lack of promotion. It's also took other remixers to give Moon and the Sky what it deserves and this has to be the catchiest song since A Little Respect courtesy of JC's Heaven Scent remix. If this version was released, with proper airplay and promotion, it would have blown the charts away. It's just a shame it's ineligible for chart release because of the numbers of remixes. Let's hope this year's release of a covers album puts Erasure back where they belong - at the top, with 100% credit going to Andy and Vince and not other remixers.

Must admit i am bias as an Erasure fan, but this single is very noteworthy. The remixes and acustic versions are what makes Erasure a thrill to listen to. Of all the remixes The Millionaires remix is the strongest (just wish it was a full length remix instead of a radio).