Erasure Album: “The Innocents”

I first bought this album (on tape no less!) back when I was 14 years old. I haven't listened to it in over 10 years and after I rebought it on CD, I can safely say that this album has stood the test of time and lost none of it's magic. The grand opening of A Little Respect is awesome, as are similar chart successes like Chains of Love and Ship of Fools. Vince Clark's electronica and Andy Bell's soulful, at time mournful voice singing fantastic lyrics are still outstanding.

Lesser known, maybe more overlooked songs like Phantom Bride and Hallowed Ground are as good as the singles. My favourite though is Yahoo. This gospel infused song just lifts you right up there. Play it loud and don't be ashamed to sing along with the chorus. Weight of the World, Witch in the Ditch and Imagination are good too. The only number I don't like is Sixty Five Thousand, it just doesn't seem to fit in well with the rest of this beautifully written album. The same could be said of the dance remix of River Deep Mountain High but that song manages to scrape through.

If you like good elecronica pop with wonderful lyrics, buy this album. This is Erasure at their finest.

I remember the first time I listened to Ship of Fools and When I Needed You. I was in eighth grade and beginning the worst crush of my life on my gay best friend; Erasure's equally unattainable (to me) Andy Bell not only looked like him, but the melancholy song lyrics combined with Bell's beautiful voice made it the perfect music for unrequited love. That's all ancient history. In our thirties, my good friend and I are still very close and content in our respective love lives, and Andy Bell's voice is still as moving as it was then. Only now I find the album uplifting rather than depressing!

For those unfamiliar with Erasure, Vince Clarke, the instrumentalist, was one of the original members of Depeche Mode, which he later broke off from to start YAZ with Alison Moyet. Andy Bell, the singer, was one of the first openly gay performers, who also held religious affiliations. Whether that interests you or not, he's a phenomenal singer and the pop synth tone complements his high yearning voice well. And The Innocents is a terrific example of Erasure's work. Some of it is almost gospel--River Deep, Mountain High. It's a fun album and very danceable. If you like Human League, Depeche Mode, YAZ, or The Pet Shop Boys, then I think this might be an excellent fit.

Erasure is one of my favorite groups from the '80s that has put out consistent and timeless synth-pop. For me their music never sounds dated, especially their earlier material from the '80s. I recently acquired "The Innocents" because my all time favorite Erasure songs are on this album. "A Little Respect" and "Chains of Love" are songs that I grew up on in the '80s. I particularly adore "A Little Respect". The infectious melodies and melancholy lyrics are absolutely perfect. What I really love about Erasure is their abilities to mix lyrics of unrequited and/or lost love with upbeat, catchy melodies. I don't know how Vince Clarke and Andy Bell does it, but they make melancholy sound good in their songs. I hear hope in their most melancholy songs. I might be the only person who found "Chorus" a disappointment, if not highly overrated. The songs on that album did not stuck out for me as did the songs on "The Innocents". The only track that I found to be only so-so was the instrumental "Sixty-Five Thousand". I wasn't too keen on the song but I'm not saying that it is a bad song either. "Phantom Bride", "Imagination" and "Witch In the Ditch" are my favorite tracks off the cd, well of the songs that I have never heard before. Erasure is one of the few groups from the '80s that stills put out consistent,quality pop music today. Going back into their catalogue only makes me fall in love with their music all over again.

There's probably not much need for me to add to the dawn Chorus at this point, but just in case anyone was still wondering: _The Innocents_ is a classic. I say this even though I never did manage to get into "Chains of Love," the song that brings a lot of people to this album -- well, that and "A Little Respect," which was used as a leitmotif in an early episode of NBC's "Scrubs" and rightfully celebrated/pilloried for being one of the most annoyingly catchy pop songs ever unleashed upon an unsuspecting world.

As any good synthpop geek knows, Clarke and Bell have bestowed upon us an impressive quantity of not-THAT-guilty pleasures over the years, but this is their high-water mark. Personal favorites in addition to ALR are "Ship of Fools," "Heart of Stone," "Witch in the Ditch," and "When I Needed You," though just about everything here has its merits. There's a warmth and a joy here that has rarely been replicated within this genre or any other.

This album, along with 'Chorus', is one of Erasure's most solid albums. However, when I think of my most favorite Erasure songs, none of them are on this CD. I guess that's the trouble with making such a solid production - nothing seems to stand out. This is only part of the reason, though, that this is only my third favorite Erasure album behind 'Chorus' and 'Erasure'. The other part is that 'the Innocents' seems to tail off a little at the end with the rather dull 'When I Needed You' and the completely unnecessary cover of 'River Deep, Mountain High'.

On the good side, there's the rest of the album which (barring 65,000) is all vintage Erasure. As for the aforementioned 65,000: It's a superb and fun instrumental and I can't understand why everyone seems to take offense to it.

This is essential for any Erasure fan or just about anyone who loves '80s music.