Friday's Find.

Toronto's choir! choir! choir! sings Erasure's "A Little Respect."

Erasure Announces U.S. Tour.

 

Along with revealing the title of their forthcoming album Tomorrow's World, which is set to be released in the fall, Erasure announced today that they will be touring the U.S. and Canada for the first time in five years.

With a stop in Waist High's own Portland, Oregon, the 25-date U.S. tour begins on Aug. 31 in Tampa, continues through September, and finishes in Seattle on Oct. 6. Tickets will go on sale on Friday, June 24. See the Erasure website for details. 

From Erasure: Tomorrow's World was written in New York, London, and at Vince Clarke's cabin studio in Maine following a short break, which found Andy Bell recording and releasing his second solo album Non Stop, and Vince Clarke reuniting with former Yazoo partner Alison Moyet for a recent tour. It was recorded in Maine, London and Los Angeles between January and June 2011, with Vince using his vintage collection of analog synths for the final touch. The end result is a collection of electronic songs that sound totally contemporary and classic at the same time. 

Photo: Erasure

The Circus And Wonderland To Be Reissued.

 

Erasure have announced that on June 4 EMI will be reissuing their first two albums - Wonderland (1986) and The Circus (1987) - in special expanded 3-disc editions. 

Both releases will feature remastered versions of the original albums, each supplemented by single remixes, b-sides and radio session tracks across the two CD discs, plus a DVD containing the promotional videos for the singles from each album, plus a live concert. For Wonderland the previously unreleased concert footage was recorded in Stockholm, Sweden in 1986 while the DVD for the The Circus release will feature Top of The Pops performances plus the 1987 Live At The Seaside concert recorded in Brighton, originally released on VHS, now available on DVD for the first time. 

Photo & material: erasureinfo.com

Erasure Releases Video For "A Little Respect (HMI Redux)."

 

Erasure have recorded a brand new version of their 1988 song "A Little Respect" and the amazing video, directed by filmmaker Jason Stein, is now up at the Mute Channel. 

Erasure wanted to do something special to spread a message of tolerance and to help raise funds for an organization that is on the front line for gay and human rights and all proceeds from "A Little Respect (HMI Redux)" will be donated to The Hetrick-Martin Institute, the nation's oldest and largest LGBTQ Youth Service Organization. 

The video was filmed in New York City in the West Village and features Erasure lead singer Andy Bell, HMI youth and many other passers-by. 

Photo: Laundry Service Media via Mute Channel 

Material: The Hetrick-Martin Institute

The New "A Little Respect (HMI Redux)" Single For Charity Is Now Available.

 

Erasure have recorded a brand new version of their 1988 song "A Little Respect" (HMI Redux) and it is available today on iTunes in the USA. 

From Erasure News: Proceeds from the track will be donated to The Hetrick-Martin Institute, 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 organisation 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. 

Photo: Erasure News

Vince Clarke And The Temple Of Synth.

 

For an episode of Electric Independence Motherboard.TV visits Vince Clarke in the woods of Maine where he constructed a cabin for his vast collection of machines, including some that he used during his time with Depeche Mode. 

"Vince Clarke is a man synonymous with synth pop and a legend in the history of electronic music. He's famous for founding three of the most popular and lasting musical acts in history: Depeche Mode, Yazoo and Erasure. But his distinct sonic output depends upon another feat: he has spent the last 30 years amassing one of the world's most impressive collections of rare, 'holy grail' analogue synthesizers." 

To Clarke, music is still magic even now, an alchemy in which he gets to make "something from nothing." 

Photo: Motherboard.TV

A Little Something To Make Me Sweeter.

On Oct. 12 Erasure will release the Phantom Bride EP which features contemporary remixes of key tracks from their The Innocents album, alongside a 2009 remastered version of the original track.

The EP will precede the 21st Anniversary edition of The Innocents album which will follow Oct. 26.

Tracklisting for Phantom Bride EP
Phantom Bride – 2009 Re-master
Hallowed Ground – Vincent Clarke's Big-Mix
Chains Of Love – Almighty 12" Essential Mix
Phantom Bride – Ghostly Groom Dub by FrankMusik
A Little Respect – Wayne G & Alan Allder Hurdy Gurdy Club Mix
Heart Of Stone – Joebot's 'Ounce Of Bounce' Remix
Phantom Bride – Dogmatix's 12" Tearless Mix
Chains Of Love – Plastic Operator Remix

The remastered The Innocents 2 CD set will include the original album, a B-SIDES, REMIXES & RARITIES, which includes "the much sought after 7" version of 'River Deep Mountain High,' the US mixes of 'Chains Of Love' and 'A Little Respect' and four previously unreleased tracks from the BBC's 'In Concert' recording of Erasure at London's Hammersmith Odeon on The Innocents tour back in 1988."

The DVD will feature "The Innocents concert from Birmingham's NEC (originally released as a VHS video in 1989) with remixed and remastered audio, plus the two tracks from that concert that have never been released before, but there is also the videos for the three singles taken from the original album, a selection of TV performances from the BBC archives and The Innocents live in MP3 format for you to download to your computer or music player!"

Quoted material: erasureinfo.com/news

Vince Clarke Wins Ivor Novello Award.

Saying that it was "a real honour to get this award," the great Vince Clarke picked up the prestigious award on May 21 for Outstanding Song Collection, in recognition of 30 years in the music industry.

"Presented annually at the Grosvenor House, London, The Ivors continue to be acknowledged as amongst the most widely coveted awards for British songwriters or composers in the world."

Vince Clarke's songwriting credits include 13 studio albums with Erasure, all but two songs on Depeche Mode's 1981 debut album Speak & Spell, and the Yazoo albums Upstairs at Eric's and You and Me Both.

Photo: Fred Field via The Boston Globe
Quote: The Ivors

Yazoo To Reform.

VINCE CLARKE AND ALISON MOYET TO REUNITE FOR FIRST UK SHOWS IN 25 YEARS

Vince Clarke & Alison Moyet have announced that they will reunite for the first time in over 25 years for Reconnected, a UK tour in June, starting in Glasgow on the 4th and culminating in a headline show at London's Hammersmith Apollo on the 18th.

The tour is preceded by the release of In Your Room, a 4 disc box set which includes remasters and 5.1 mixes of both Yazoo's classic albums Upstairs at Eric's and You And Me Both, b-sides and remixes, a DVD featuring a new short film containing exclusive new interviews with Vince Clarke and Alison Moyet, and the promo videos for "Don't Go," "The Other Side of Love," "Nobody's Diary," "Situation (1990)" and "Only You (1999)."

The joyous, unlikely coming together of Vince Clarke, who had just left Depeche Mode, and Alison Moyet, lasted for only 2 albums, saw them performing only 24 concerts worldwide, but left an indelible mark on pop. Yazoo released Upstairs at Eric's in July 1982 then parted company just 12 months later on release of the second album You And Me Both, which reached #1 in the UK. Vince and Alison have since gone on to have their own successful careers, Vince with Erasure and Alison as a solo performer, both releasing critically acclaimed albums in 2007. The Reconnected tour will also see Yazoo perform material from You And Me Both live for the very first time.

Material: myspace.com/alisonmoyetofficial

Happy Birthday Vince Clarke.

In the small town of Basildon, outside London, there lived two guys named Vince Clarke and Andrew Fletcher. In 1976 they formed a band called "No Romance In China." At that same time, a guy named Martin Gore was a guitarist in the band "Norman and the Worms." By 1979 Clarke and Gore were playing together in the guitar and synth band "French Look." Soon, Fletcher joined them and they changed their name to "Composition of Sound."

In 1980, a guy named David Gahan was drafted in to complete the line up and the band was re-named Depeche Mode.

The band became part of Daniel Miller's Mute label by verbal contract, and released their first album in 1981. For Speak and Spell, Clarke penned "Dreaming of Me," "New Life," and "Just Can't Get Enough." While the band was promoting the album, Clarke began to publicly admit his discomfort with the level of success that Depeche Mode was achieving, and departed shortly thereafter.

Clarke has commented on Depeche Mode's post Speak and Spell material as being a little dark for his taste, but good nonetheless.

Clarke then teamed up with singer Alison Moyet to form Yaz, who produced two albums. Upstairs at Eric's gave us the greats "Don't Go," "Situation," and "Only You," and You and Me Both delivered "Nobody's Diary."

In 1985 Clarke put an ad in Melody Maker for a singer, and the forty-first applicant was Andy Bell, a fan of his earlier projects. He teamed with Bell to form the group Erasure, and the duo has become one of the biggest selling acts in British pop music history. Songs include Waist High favorites "Oh L'amour," "Sometimes," "Chains of Love," and "A Little Respect."

The band have released fifteen albums in their twenty-one years together, most recently 2006's Union Street.

Photo: jencray.com
Material: wikipedia.org & synt.nu/depeche

Happy Birthday Andy Bell.

The Erasure story began in 1985 when former Depeche Mode and Yazoo founding member Vince Clarke advertised to find a singer for his new project. Then just 21, ex-butcher Andy was the 41st candidate that Vince auditioned, but their creative chemistry clicked instantly. Before long the pair were scoring the first of five number one albums and started racking up an incredible 32 consecutive singles in the Top 40, with more than 14 million albums sold so far.

On their brand new album Union Street, Vince and Andy have delivered their biggest surprise yet. In a boldly experimental step for an electronic band, they have unplugged themselves, bringing new soulful depths and acoustic textures of 11 songs spanning their entire career.

Andy releases a new single via Sanctuary Records on 22nd May 2006. "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" is taken from the Erasure frontman's debut solo album Electric Blue, which was released in October 2005.

Material: andybell.com & erasureinfo.com

Happy Birthday Vince Clarke.

Depeche Mode, Yazoo, and Erasure founder. Driving force "behind the rise and continued vitality of the synth pop movement, his work proving an enormous influence on the subsequent emergence of electronica."

Photo by: Dirk Lindner via erasureinfo.com
Quote: icebergradio.com