Customer Reviews

Innocents

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Erasure has always released great singles, with good albums attached, but here they have released an album where every song could stand on its own as a single. Andy Bell's vocals perfectly suit Vince Clarke's gorgeous synthesizer washes and melodic hooks.

Side one is anchored by "Chains of Love," a superb dance-floor evocation of gay life in the city. From the wistful, half-spoken opening line, "How can I explain / When there are few words I can choose?" the song takes off into a pounding synthesizer beat that can keep the listener dancing until the end. Also particularly effective on side one are the dance number "A Little Respect" and the pop-oriented "Heart of Stone." The preachy, socially-oriented "Hallowed Ground" is saved by a great melody.

Side two has a grab-bag of interesting songs, from the off-beat rhythm of "Witch in the Ditch" to the soulful "Weight of the World." "Yahoo!" may be the best dance song, with it's gospel-type shout-along chorus. In addition, side two has a heart-breaking, haunting song, the bonus track "When I Needed You." The difference in quality and musicality between this stunning track and any other Erasure ballad is unbelievable. Finally, if Erasure's version of "River Deep-Mountain High" does not work as well as Tina Turner's, as so many critics have carped, how many bands or singers could possibly render a song as well as Ms. Turner? To their credit, Erasure did not try a straight cover of the song, instead adding synthesizer flourishes to create a more dance-oriented song.

The Erasure fan most likely already owns this album. The novice Erasure listener would find this the best place to start. Just about every song would find its rightful place on an Erasure greatest hits album.

I first bought this album (on tape no less!) back when I was 14 years old. I haven't listened to it in over 10 years and after I rebought it on CD, I can safely say that this album has stood the test of time and lost none of it's magic. The grand opening of A Little Respect is awesome, as are similar chart successes like Chains of Love and Ship of Fools. Vince Clark's electronica and Andy Bell's soulful, at time mournful voice singing fantastic lyrics are still outstanding.

Lesser known, maybe more overlooked songs like Phantom Bride and Hallowed Ground are as good as the singles. My favourite though is Yahoo. This gospel infused song just lifts you right up there. Play it loud and don't be ashamed to sing along with the chorus. Weight of the World, Witch in the Ditch and Imagination are good too. The only number I don't like is Sixty Five Thousand, it just doesn't seem to fit in well with the rest of this beautifully written album. The same could be said of the dance remix of River Deep Mountain High but that song manages to scrape through.

If you like good elecronica pop with wonderful lyrics, buy this album. This is Erasure at their finest.

One of the only albums I know every word too. The best sing along album of all time. The new synth music is good but it will never be as good as erasure.

I remember the first time I listened to Ship of Fools and When I Needed You. I was in eighth grade and beginning the worst crush of my life on my gay best friend; Erasure's equally unattainable (to me) Andy Bell not only looked like him, but the melancholy song lyrics combined with Bell's beautiful voice made it the perfect music for unrequited love. That's all ancient history. In our thirties, my good friend and I are still very close and content in our respective love lives, and Andy Bell's voice is still as moving as it was then. Only now I find the album uplifting rather than depressing!

For those unfamiliar with Erasure, Vince Clarke, the instrumentalist, was one of the original members of Depeche Mode, which he later broke off from to start YAZ with Alison Moyet. Andy Bell, the singer, was one of the first openly gay performers, who also held religious affiliations. Whether that interests you or not, he's a phenomenal singer and the pop synth tone complements his high yearning voice well. And The Innocents is a terrific example of Erasure's work. Some of it is almost gospel--River Deep, Mountain High. It's a fun album and very danceable. If you like Human League, Depeche Mode, YAZ, or The Pet Shop Boys, then I think this might be an excellent fit.

i honestly can't believe it's been nearly twenty years since 'the innocents' landed vince clark and andy bell in the american psyche. it was something of a mixed blessing for us fans who'd been with the band since the beginning. part of me loved having erasure to myself. everyone at my school was listening to metallica, rush, george michael, et al. all that changed when 'chains of love' burst on the scene. dispite an atrocious video, 'chains of love' was the perfect single to introduced erasure to hoardes of people who suddenly declared erasure 'my favorite new band.'

but i digress. 'the innocents' truly is one of erasure's best albums (i personally consider 'i say, i say, i say' their best moment), and it's easy to understand why it was so popular. the album was solid, in fact, that it almost plays as a greatest hits album. a lot of bands spend entire careers to get the same number of hits erasure had on one album. the erasure formula is fairly simple. vince clark pens the music, andy bell the lyrics. vince, the godfather of electronic pop music, was always light years ahead of his peers, both in constructing flawless melodies, as well as harnessing a rapidly evolving and improving technology.

after two relatively successful UK albums, 'the innocents' see the dynamic duo firing on all cylinders. the album opens with the impossibly catchy 'a little respect,' a song that, judging from the video, has as much to do with andy bell's flamboyent sexuality as it does vince clark's association with the band he started, depeche mode. 'phantom bride,' one of the finer songs, is another solid dance hit (and a perfect concert opener for the park city, ut show back in 1988--man, i am old). 'chains of love,' 'yahoo,' 'heart of stone,' and the weepy 'when i needed you' showed just how potent and prolific erasure had become in churning out top-quality pop songs. it seemed as though they barely had to try. i mean, really, is there a more perfect dance song than 'chains of love?'

sadly, erasure's popularity drastically fell after 'the innocents.' for those who didn't stick around after the duo hit their peak, you've missed a very impressive career (detractors be damned). sure, erasure weren't going to solve world peace, or make you think about anything extraordinarily deep, but i suspect they never wanted to. erasure was and is a dance bad. if their goal was and is to make unabashedly peppy dance music, they succeeded mightily and nowhere is that more apparent than in 'the innocents.'

whenever i listen to this album i'm immediately transported to a happier, care-free time when i didn't have a driver's license, bills, serious worries, college, etc--and that might might be the greatest compliment of all. thanks, guys.

Erasure is one of my favorite groups from the '80s that has put out consistent and timeless synth-pop. For me their music never sounds dated, especially their earlier material from the '80s. I recently acquired "The Innocents" because my all time favorite Erasure songs are on this album. "A Little Respect" and "Chains of Love" are songs that I grew up on in the '80s. I particularly adore "A Little Respect". The infectious melodies and melancholy lyrics are absolutely perfect. What I really love about Erasure is their abilities to mix lyrics of unrequited and/or lost love with upbeat, catchy melodies. I don't know how Vince Clarke and Andy Bell does it, but they make melancholy sound good in their songs. I hear hope in their most melancholy songs. I might be the only person who found "Chorus" a disappointment, if not highly overrated. The songs on that album did not stuck out for me as did the songs on "The Innocents". The only track that I found to be only so-so was the instrumental "Sixty-Five Thousand". I wasn't too keen on the song but I'm not saying that it is a bad song either. "Phantom Bride", "Imagination" and "Witch In the Ditch" are my favorite tracks off the cd, well of the songs that I have never heard before. Erasure is one of the few groups from the '80s that stills put out consistent,quality pop music today. Going back into their catalogue only makes me fall in love with their music all over again.

There's probably not much need for me to add to the dawn Chorus at this point, but just in case anyone was still wondering: _The Innocents_ is a classic. I say this even though I never did manage to get into "Chains of Love," the song that brings a lot of people to this album -- well, that and "A Little Respect," which was used as a leitmotif in an early episode of NBC's "Scrubs" and rightfully celebrated/pilloried for being one of the most annoyingly catchy pop songs ever unleashed upon an unsuspecting world.

As any good synthpop geek knows, Clarke and Bell have bestowed upon us an impressive quantity of not-THAT-guilty pleasures over the years, but this is their high-water mark. Personal favorites in addition to ALR are "Ship of Fools," "Heart of Stone," "Witch in the Ditch," and "When I Needed You," though just about everything here has its merits. There's a warmth and a joy here that has rarely been replicated within this genre or any other.

For years, I didnt buy this album, thinking all the good songs from here were on the Pop album. But there are many songs at least as good as the ones that got all the airplay in the US such as Phantom Bride, Hallowed Ground, Imagination, Weight of the World, Yahoo, just to name a few. The only track I didnt care for is River Deep Mtn High. Many people will also single out 65,000, but I looked at it as more of an intermission. So your left with 11 strong tracks, which is better than 99.9% of the albums out there.

This album, along with 'Chorus', is one of Erasure's most solid albums. However, when I think of my most favorite Erasure songs, none of them are on this CD. I guess that's the trouble with making such a solid production - nothing seems to stand out. This is only part of the reason, though, that this is only my third favorite Erasure album behind 'Chorus' and 'Erasure'. The other part is that 'the Innocents' seems to tail off a little at the end with the rather dull 'When I Needed You' and the completely unnecessary cover of 'River Deep, Mountain High'.

On the good side, there's the rest of the album which (barring 65,000) is all vintage Erasure. As for the aforementioned 65,000: It's a superb and fun instrumental and I can't understand why everyone seems to take offense to it.

This is essential for any Erasure fan or just about anyone who loves '80s music.

This is, bar none, the finest Erasure album of all time. First, you get the two 1980's blockbusters: A Little Respect and Chains of Love. Secondly, the non-released tracks are as good or better!! Phantom Bride, Heart of Stone, Hallowed Ground, and Ship of Fools are among Andy and Vince's purest and most gripping work.
If you like love songs with some techno flavor and electronica but without the out-and-out synth-pop sound, you'll find "The Innocents" is the only Erasure album you can truly get into and truly love.
"Cowboy", "I Say I Say I Say", and "Wonderland" are all excellent choices... But if you're looking for Erasure's best stuff on one album, you simply gotta go with "The Innocents."
P.S. The album art kicks [tush] too.