Category: Erasure

December 19, 2016

Erasure – Crackers International (Part II) (UK 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1988

Seasons Greetings! I originally posted this 12″ on December 21, 2011. I really love this EP and wanted to give it a proper transfer. This is the first restoration using the new Ortofon 2M Bronze. I really hope that it is an upgrade and you will be able to hear the difference.

Crackers International is a Christmas EP released by Erasure in 1988, in between the albums The Innocents and Wild!.

The EP appeared in several different versions. The original UK release by Mute Records consisted of four original, self-produced tracks. In the UK, where at the time EPs were eligible for the singles chart, it became one of Erasure’s most successful releases, matching the number two peak of 1986’s “Sometimes.” It was promoted with a simple music video for the lead track “Stop!”, showing Clarke and Bell performing the song on a stage surrounded by “stop”, “no entry”, “give way” and similar road signs.

In the U.S., Crackers International was still considered an EP, although two remixes were added (bringing the track list count to six) when Sire Records released it. In the U.S., where EPs chart on the Billboard 200, it hit number seventy-three. The song “Stop!” was also released as its own stand-alone single in the U.S., just barely making an appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 (number 97). On the U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart “Stop!” / “Knocking on Your Door” peaked at number four as a double-sided entry.

Additionally, a version of the EP was released in the UK by Mute Records in a very limited-edition, seasonal pressing, titled Crackers International Part 2. Released originally in 12″ vinyl with extended versions of “Stop!” and “Knocking on Your Door”, both remixed by Mark Saunders, it also added the Christmas standard “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”. It was subsequently released as a compact disc containing the original 7″ versions of “Stop!” and “Knocking on Your Door” (also of note is the fact that there were two different versions of the single mix of “Stop!”, one with a fade, and a slightly longer one with a ‘cold’ ending).

Sire Records commissioned some mixes for the song by Justin Strauss, who previously had remixed A Little Respect for the U.S. market, but the mixes remain unreleased. This versions can be found on the Soundcloud page of Justin Strauss.

Twenty-five years after Crackers International, in 2013, Erasure would finally release a proper Christmas album, titled Snow Globe.

SIDE A:
Stop! (Mark Saunders Remix) 5:46
Producer – Erasure
Remix – Mark Saunders
Written-By – Clarke/Bell

SIDE B:
Knocking On Your Door (Mark Saunders Remix) 6:04
Producer – Erasure
Remix – Mark Saunders
Written-By – Clarke/Bell

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen 3:10
Arranged By – Erasure
Mixed By – Mark Saunders
Written-By – Trad.*

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S.CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1989	Stop!	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#97
1989	Stop!/Knocking On Your Door	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#4

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Mute ‎– L12 Mute 93
Format: Vinyl, 12″, EP, 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: 28 Nov 1988
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Design, Art Direction – Me Company
Engineer – Alan Moulder
Engineer [Assistant] – Cameron Jenkins, Jock Loveband
Illustration – James Marsh

Find the 12″ on DISCOGS

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M
Stylus: Ortofon 2M Bronze
Isolation: Auralex Acoustics ISO-Tone Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp: Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube: Tung-Sol 12AX7ECC803-S Gold Electron Tube
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner

SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

June 17, 2016

Erasure – Chains Of Love (US 12″ Promo)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1988

“Chains of Love” is a song by British synthpop duo Erasure, released in May 1988 as their ninth single overall.

The song was released by Mute Records as the second single from Erasure’s third studio album The Innocents. In the United States, Sire Records released it as the first single. The album version was produced by Stephen Hague and was slightly remixed for its single release (most notably the album version starts cold, while the radio version contains a short synthesizer pattern as an intro).

“Chains of Love” became Erasure’s sixth consecutive Top 20 hit on the UK singles chart, just missing the Top 10 by peaking at number eleven. In the United States, it became Erasure’s mainstream breakthrough by climbing to number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming the group’s first entry on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. It also hit number four on the U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. “Chains of Love” remains as Erasure’s highest-charting U.S. pop hit.

The song, written by Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, is an uptempo dance-oriented synthpop track with Clarke’s signature analogue sound and Bell’s lyrics about breaking through any restrictions or stereotypes of what love should be. The lyrics allude subtly to Bell’s desire for wider acceptance of homosexual couples, his pain evident from the opening lines “How can I explain when there are few words I can choose/How can I explain when words get broken”. The chorus is memorable for Bell’s use of falsetto. The music video featured Clarke and Bell performing the song while being hoisted through the air by thick, metal chains.

The instrumental dub as well as the remix radio edit without intro are exclusivley promotional versions/edits.

SIDE A:
Chains Of Love (The Unfettered Mix) 8:23
Chains Of Love (Fetter Dub Dub) 5:10
Chains Of Love (Remix Radio Edit Without Intro) 3:34

SIDE B:
Chains Of Love (Truly In Love With The Marks Bros. Mix) 7:19
Mixed By – Mark McGuire, Mark Moore

Chains Of Love (Instrumental Dub) 3:52
Chains Of Love (Remix Radio Edit With Intro) 3:54

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint (company)

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1988	Chains Of Love	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	#12
1988	Chains Of Love	U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks	#22
1988	Chains Of Love	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#4
1988	Chains Of Love	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music Club Play/Maxi-Singles Sales	#1

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Sire ‎– PRO-A-3186, Mute ‎– PRO-A-3186
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Promo
Country: US
Released: 1988
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Edited By – Tim Scott (tracks: A1 to A3, B2, B3)
Engineer [Mix] – Dennis Mitchell (tracks: A1 to A3, B2, B3)
Producer – Stephen Hague
Producer [Additional Production], Mixed By – Shep Pettibone (tracks: A1 to A3, B2, B3)
Written-By – Bell*, Clarke*

NOTES:
Special versions from the LP “THE INNOCENTS”

Find the 12″ on DISCOGS

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp: Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube: Tung-Sol 12AX7ECC803-S Gold Electron Tube
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

March 17, 2016

Vince Clarke & Paul Quinn – One Day (Extension) (UK 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1985

“One Day” is a one-off single by English synth-pop musician Vince Clarke and Scottish singer Paul Quinn. The single peaked at #99 on the UK singles, #7 UK Indie chart.

SIDE A:
One Day (Extension) 4:19
Written-By – McVey*, Morgan*

SIDE B:
Song For (Extension) 5:10

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Mute ‎– 12 TAG 1
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: 1985
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Mastered By – timtom* (tracks: A), TY* (tracks: B)
Producer – Flood
Written-By – Clarke*

Find the 12″ on DISCOGS

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

February 15, 2016

Erasure – Sometimes (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1987

“Sometimes” is a song by British synthpop duo Erasure, released in October 1986 as their fourth single overall.

After three commercial flops from their debut album Wonderland, “Sometimes” became Erasure’s first bona fide hit, peaking at number one in South Africa, number two in their native United Kingdom and in Germany, and becoming a huge international hit. The song became Erasure’s second Top 5 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, where it charted alongside “It Doesn’t Have to Be” and peaked at number four.

Written by band members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, “Sometimes” typifies the Erasure “sound” — an uptempo, dance-oriented pop tune accentuated by Clarke’s analogue synthesizers and Bell’s lyrics about being in love. The music video showcases Erasure on a building rooftop — Clarke playing an acoustic guitar and Bell singing — as they weave through white sheets hanging from a laundry line; near the end of the video rain starts to fall on the duo.

“Sometimes” spent seventeen weeks in the UK singles chart — the duo’s longest chart run for a single in that country — and was included on Erasure’s second album The Circus, released six months later in March 1987.

SIDE A:
Sometimes (Shiver Mix) 5:50
Remix [Uncredited] – Rico Conning

Sometimes (Extended Mix) 7:30
Edited By – Joseph Watt
Remix – Rico Conning

SIDE B:
It Doesn’t Have To Be (The Boop Oopa Doo Mix) 7:13
Remix [Uncredited] – Phil Harding

Sexuality (Private Mix) 5:56
Remix – Rico Conning

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1987	Sometimes	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#4
1987	Sometimes	U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales	#37

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Sire ‎– 0-20614, Sire ‎– 9 20614-0
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Maxi-Single
Country: US
Released: 1987
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Producer – Flood
Written-By – Clarke/Bell

NOTES:
Tracklist of Side A is incorrectly identified on back cover and center labels as:
A1 Sometimes (Extended Mix)
A2 Sometimes (Shiver Mix)

“Sometimes (Extended Mix)” is a longer version of the “Shiver Mix”.

Find the 12″ on DISCOGS

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi