Audio CD review:
Erasure - The Circus

Erasure - The Circus

Band: Erasure Title: The Circus Rating: Release Date: 25 October, 1990 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: It Doesn't Have To Be 2: Hideaway 3: Don't Dance 4: If I Could 5: Sexuality 6: Victim Of Love 7: Leave Me To Bleed 8: Sometimes 9: The Circus 10: Spiralling 11: In The Hall Of The Mountain King 12: Sometimes (Extended Mix) 13: It Doesn't Have To Be (The Boop Oopa Doo Mix)

Customer Reviews Erasure albums are timeless - classic from the start I just can't stop listening to Erasure songs, during work, workout, in the car, in the house. I just can't stop. They are one of my favorite band to keep me going when I am in a rut. They are so talented, each and every song is a work of art. AMAZING!. great 80's synth-pop album In a lot of ways, this is one of Erasure's strongest albums. It's really sad, the number of times I have seen The Circus in used CD bins over the years. As most people know, Wonderland, their first album, was something of a dud. The follow-up, Circus, is the first album to establish the "Erasure" sound throughout. More importantly, it tackles a lot of social issues without being preachy or precious, an uncanny ability Erasure always had. During the course of Circus, we hear about racial injustice (It Doesn't Have to Be), homophobia (Hideaway), peace & harmony (If I Could), and the plight of the working class (The Circus). However, with their catchy hooks, lyrics, and Andy's fine singing, you have enough else to concentrate on without feeling "preached" to! The album opens with It Doesn't Have to Be, which didn't get any airplay in America (at least in my memory), but is one of their best songs, in my opinion. Apart from being just a great song overall, it draws upon African percussion rhythms, and even has Andy singing in Swahili(?). Everytime I hear it, I think of the video, where he is waving the sparklers around. Next comes Hideaway, which has a lot of personal meaning for me as a gay man, although fortunately I wasn't "rejected by the people that I cared for!" Aside from the subject matter, it's another good song. Don't Dance seems to be a favorite with other reviewers, and I have to agree. It's a testimony to Erasure's talent that even the "non-singles" can sound this good. If I Could, which comes after, is another one that affects me. The song seems to be about a broken relationship, but the refrain, "If I could make the world a little better, you know I would," suggests something else entirely- a heartfelt cry for world peace. Sexuality is a notch below the rest, only because sonically it's somewhat jumbled. On the other hand, it's one of their most provocative songs ever, with lyrics like, "let's not pretend you're shy about it" and "strip it, do it". Victim of Love, which actually was a radio hit, is one of their most soulful ever. They tap into R&B and Soul, with such lyrics as "I'm gonna find you out. " Leave Me to Bleed is another non-single that tops them all, a great song to listen to if you've ever been jilted by somebody. Sometimes was another radio hit- did any other synth-pop group use a saxophone melody like that? The Circus, while not an obvious choice for a single, is a stroke of genius, in how it mixes a "carnival" sound with such grave lyrics about the disenfranchisement of the working man. The album "proper" ends with Spiralling, which for my tastes could have been left off altogether, though it has its fans. The bonus tracks, sadly, are all duds. In the Hall of the Mountain King is just Vince Clarke's electro-reworking of a classical tune. And the remixes of Sometimes and It Doesn't Have to Be are nothing special, just your standard 80's "extended" mix, which doesn't reveal any new facet of the song, or make it danceable. It doesn't matter, though, because the album itself is so strong. If you think that Erasure's glory days begin with The Innocents, Wild!, or Chorus, think again. The Greatest Show on Earth? "Victim of Love," "Sometimes," and "It Doesn't Have to Be" are catchy, sugarcoated songs that have as much to offer in melody and craft as they do in hooks. Erasure has named their second album "The Circus," in which Vince Clarke and Andy Bell are ringmasters of a show filled with synth pop bliss that's deeper than it appears. The most attention-getting track is "Hideaway" whose lyrics tell the story of a gay teen coming to terms with his sexuality and the society that rejects him. It's not really that deep a social commentary on homophobia, but the song still passes with flying colors. Other favorite tracks are the title song and the gloomy "Leave Me to Bleed. " A record like this should have made Erasure a flash-in-the-pan synth act whose appeal wouldn't last beyond the 1980s. But this fine record would lay as the foundation of a long and successful career that makes this duo among the most enduring and consistent in UK pop. . You can see a complete list of all Erasure discography, or go back to the Erasure tabs