The Circus (Erasure album)

The Circus
Studio album by
Erasure
Released30 March 1987 (1987-03-30)[1]
Recorded1986–1987
StudioWorldwide International, The Garden, Strongroom, The Power Plant (London)
GenreSynth-pop
Length38:23
LabelMute
Producer
Erasure chronology
Wonderland
(1986) 		The Circus
(1987) 		The Innocents
(1988)
Singles from The Circus
  1. "Sometimes"
    Released: 6 October 1986
  2. "It Doesn't Have to Be"
    Released: 16 February 1987
  3. "Victim of Love"
    Released: 18 May 1987
  4. "The Circus"
    Released: 21 September 1987
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Q[3]
Record Mirror[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[5]

The Circus is the second studio album by the English synth-pop duo Erasure, released on 30 March 1987 by Mute Records in Germany and the United Kingdom and on 7 July 1987 by Sire Records in the United States. It was Erasure's second consecutive album to be produced by Flood.

The Circus became the duo's breakthrough in the UK, spawning four successful singles and reaching number six. It was an immediate success thanks to the number two UK placing of the first single "Sometimes", six months earlier. The album remains Erasure's longest-running on the UK charts.

Although mainstream success in the US did not occur with this album, it did generate two hits (including a number-one) on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. It also became their first record to enter the Billboard 200.

The Two Ring Circus, also released in 1987, is a double 12-inch remix album that served as a companion piece to The Circus. It includes remixes and re-recordings along with live bonus tracks on the cassette and CD versions.

  1. ^ Smith, Robin (28 March 1987). "News Digest". Record Mirror. p. 36. ISSN 0144-5804.
  2. ^ AllMusic review
  3. ^ Q review
  4. ^ O'Toole, Lesley (4 April 1987). "Albums". Record Mirror. p. 16. ISSN 0144-5804.
  5. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 230.