Erasure (album)

Erasure
Studio album by
Released24 October 1995
Recorded1995
Studio
  • Strongroom (London)
  • Sorcerer Sound (New York City)
  • 37B (Chertsey, England)[1]
Genre
Length71:25
LabelMute
Producer
Erasure chronology
I Say I Say I Say
(1994)
Erasure
(1995)
Cowboy
(1997)
Singles from Erasure
  1. "Stay with Me"
    Released: 11 September 1995
  2. "Fingers & Thumbs (Cold Summer's Day)"
    Released: 27 November 1995
  3. "Rock Me Gently"
    Released: 12 February 1996
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Cash Box(favorable)[3]
Music & Media(favorable)[4]
NME6/10[5]

Erasure is the seventh studio album by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released on 23 October 1995 by Mute Records. It was produced by Thomas Fehlmann (of the Orb) and Gareth Jones.

An overtly experimental and introspective album, Erasure contains 11 mostly mid-tempo tracks that differed from their past output of shiny, three-minute pop songs. Most tracks clocked in at five minutes or more, several contained long synth interludes, and guest artists included the London Community Gospel Choir and performance artist Diamanda Galás.

Although appreciated for its experimental nature, Erasure marked the beginning of Erasure's slide from the peak of their popularity in the mainstream music world.[citation needed] Coming off four consecutive number-one albums in the UK, this album failed to hit the top 10, and two single releases also missed the UK top ten. After a successful top 20 debut on the Billboard 200 for their previous album I Say I Say I Say, Erasure debuted and peaked at number 82 in the US and generated no Hot 100 singles. In Germany the album also peaked lower than previous albums, at number 87.

In an interview with DJ Ron Slomowicz circa 2006, Erasure were asked for their favourite album from their own catalogue. Bell stated "it's a toss-up between Chorus and the self-titled Erasure album from 1995."[6]

  1. ^ Miller, Jonathan. "Erasure - Under Cover". Garethjones.com. Archived from the original on 23 January 2013. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  2. ^ "AllMusic ((( Erasure > Review )))". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
  3. ^ Baltin, Steve (20 January 1996). "Pop Albums" (PDF). Cash Box. p. 9. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  4. ^ "New Releases: Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. 28 October 1995. p. 10. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  5. ^ Moody, Paul (21 October 1995). "Long Play: 'Sure Fire Hit". New Musical Express. p. 52. ISSN 0028-6362.
  6. ^ Slomowicz, Ron (2006). "Erasure - Union Street Interview". About Entertainment. Archived from the original on 24 October 2015. Retrieved 16 June 2023.