Customer Reviews

Loveboat

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

An avid collector of Erasure music (singles, imports, etc), I was anxiously awaiting the US arrival of this long-delayed album. My first impression of this album was mixed. It was not truly in the tradition of the syntho-pop music that made Erasure so reknowned. Nevertheless, I gave "Loveboat" a chance and put it through multiple listening sessions.

Driving along the interstates of Texas, I suddenly realized that this was the Erasure of the 2000s. The message of their music, which meant so much to me growing up, carried through. The sound was somewhat different than what the Children of the 80s may have anticipated, but it was beautifully adjusted to a more current beat.

"Mad As We Are" is a fantastic piece which begins like black & white television then morphs into a classic Erasure ballad. Simplistic and haunting, this song speaks loudly. "Catch 22" is an upbeat tune in the tradition of early Erasure albums. "Alien" is yet another tune that should appeal to the hardcore Erasure following.

There is a new twist to the album that will leave some Erasure-ites with mixed emotions. Several of the songs have a harder edge that speak to a more alternative sort of taste. It took several listenings for me to adapt to this new sound from Bell & Clark.

This album is traditional, campy and innovative. Be prepared for an experience that ranges from expected to the unexpected from our British Boys. The hardcore Erasure fan will find another gem. The casual listener looking for the sound of the 80s may be disappointed. Overall, however, the album is a keeper for anyone who considers themselves a connoisseur of the Erasure, Pet Shop Boys, Depech Mode tradition.

This album is quite a departure from previous Erasure albums. The songs are a bit more abstract (even more so than their self-titled Erasure album). Several songs seem to hint at a more acoustic sound, although the familiar electronic elements come in here and there. Upon first listen, it's easy to see why this album never really took off. It actually takes effort to listen and truly hear the musical arrangements. However, with that effort, you will hear a very well-written collection of songs.

My rating of three stars SHOULD have been four, but I had to take one away for the TERRIBLE mixing and cleanup of the sound. The album sounds like an old cassette tape. The bass is abnormally strong and messy, and some of the more important highs are drowned away. It's really a shame, because the record has huge potential to be one of Erasure's best.

Highlight tracks include the infectuous "Freedom", the melancholy "Alien", and the beautiful acoustic "Love Is The Rage", which is probably one of the best Erasure tracks I've ever heard.

I'd recommend this record for fans only. If you're unfamiliar with Erasure, check out The Best of, Chorus, I Say I Say I Say, Nightbird or The Innocents.

I dock this CD one point because of the production, engineering and mixing. If it was supposed to be mixed this way, then I must be missing out on something. Most of the tunes on this disc, especially my personal favorite "Perchance to Dream", are mixed so oddly, with the vocals mixed way down and the bass SO way up front, it makes a horrible murky thudding mess of almost any system I play it on, whether it's on my home system , my computer system, my walkman, or in my truck. I have to adjust the bass so far down that it makes most of the songs inaudible and unenjoyable. That said, the majority of the tunes themselves are brilliant, as usual, full of the hooks fans have come to expect from Erasure. I find far less material I consider "filler" on Loveboat than on earlier, more popular releases such as Wild! and The Innocents. All in all, not as bad as many fans are making this out to be. I just think Loveboat should have been remastered or given to another remixer before being released in the US. I think it would have been more succesful. Then again, I'm sure Andy and Vince are happy with it, otherwise they wouldn't have let it go out like this. If I could sit them down and ask them myself, I surely would.

I know that I'm going against the grain in choosing this as one of the group's best--but I truly believe that it ranks with "Chorus" and "I Say, I Say, I Say." Others have docked this one points for its mixing, but on a good sound system it sounds just fine. People are not accustomed to the heavy bass and downplayed vocals, but the material here is well suited to this approach. The album was produced by Flood, who produced the first two Erasure albums with sparkling clarity, and who has produced many of the biggest names out there, including Depeche Mode and U2. The album sounds the way it was meant to.

Perhaps another reason for the lack of enthusiasm is that, other than "Freedom," there are no real Hi-NRG numbers, which were once the bread and butter of the group. It is a much more peaceful, pensive, and even melancholy record. I love nearly everything here, from the devastating "Mad As We Are," to the lovely "Alien," from the techno-blast of "Moon and the Sky" to the wistful romanticism of "Here in my Heart."

For me, this is the best Erasure album since "Erasure," far superior to "Cowboy" and "Other People's Songs," and more complex and interesting than "Nightbird."

I remember when this CD came out... i was 20 and already a huge erasure fan for about 3 years and at first listen I was truly disappointed, but I realize now the only reason I was disappointedwas because I truly didn't know how to listen to music subjectively yet. I wanted another Erasure/synth-pop album and this isn't that (although its not far off either). I kinda shunned the album for about 4 or 5 years... but as I became more musical with my ears I popped this album back in the CD player and you know what, its a very WELL written album which I think gets masked by the muddy production. Most people, the average listener will NOT even listen to the music if the production isn't pleasing, and I can totally understand that! But listening to it with musician ears, it is a great album. Also, in a weird kind of way, I feel the albums' production kinda matches the song-writing in the album, so it works for me! The songs are very haunting, distant, and at times just plain old ODD sounding! However, the song-writing is EXCELLENT on every track!

1. FREEDOM (4/5) - Very minimalistic instrumentally. Just a heavy, clunky drum beat, thumping steady bass rhythm, and acoustic guitars. Sounds to me like it could have been written for those black-church shows you see on Sunday mornings. I love it! Very uplifting, lots of soul and very gospel-y!!!

2. WHERE IN THE WORLD (3/5) - Another very minimal sounding track. Slow tempo song, I like the idea but I don't think it was fully realized. I like Andy's lower-register singing here, it fits with the mood of sorrow and regret.

3. CRYING IN THE RAIN (3/5) - Ok this one is a bit more Erasure sounding in the sense its more electronic, but it ends there with the similarity! This is a mid-tempo song that just kinda goes everywhere. I love the minimal, techno/indie style drum pattern, very cool, and great bassline to go with it. The synth sounds are crazy and weird, so is the song-writing. There's something here to get you into it though! No real hook here though.

4. PERCHANCE TO DREAM (3/5) - Andy in Falsetto style here. For years I thought this didn't work, but now I see the magic in it. Sooo 60's sounding, very doo-wop, along with Vince's typical bass rhythm and bass patterns here... just no real major hooks here but I love the atmosphere of it.

5. ALIEN (4/5) - The gem on the album is right here. Beautiful ballad, soft gentle acoustic guitar, great atmosphere. Anyone with me on it sounding a little Oriental?

6. MAD AS WE ARE (4/5) - What a great title! Im not quite sure what Andy is singing about here, but you DO get the feeling it's a story of sorts of people who are so unbelievably mad at one another but yet they have something they need to work out for a greater purpose? I love how the song builds ever so subtly. The lyrics and music really match well here, every time I hear this, I do imagine some sort of love story unfolding on a big old black and white screen in a theatre!

7. HERE IN MY HEART (4/5) - Classic Erasure here, production still muddy but a very nice melodic love/dance song. "I do know you love me"... wasn't that used before?

8. LOVE IS THE RAGE (4/5) - An angry Erasure song? I LOVE this song! I think Andy is singing about even though he is often the outcast because of his sexuality, that he truly knows how to love someone, unlike in today's world where everyones materialistic, cheating, looking for more and more when love just isn't enough. Listen closely to the end to here a chant-like melody from Andy very low in the background!

9. CATCH 22 (3/5) - Another typical pop song from Erasure. This one and "Here In My Heart" for me are always very similar. Beautiful tune but not a special one for me.

10. MOON & THE SKY (4/5) - Very COOL song! If for nothing else, just listen to this song because it sounds like nothing I've heard before by ANYONE EVER! Pump it up loud and enjoy!

11. SURREAL (4/5) - A very quiet way to end the album, and it fits perfectly! Odd and distant sounding synth pads from Vince, I love what Vince does on this album. Its almost as if he purposely threw things in there that sound OFF in every way possible. Detuned, gritty, and very odd manipulated sounds but fits perfectly with beautifully written ballads like this! HENCE WHY I LOVE THIS ALBUM!!!!

No one saw this coming. In the wake of their previous album 'Cowboy', which had featured shimmering production and a very upbeat atmosphere, Erasure's 'Loveboat' docked with a resounding thud, both commercially and, more importantly, sonically. This album has the dubious honor of being Erasure's worst selling, and many would say worst-sounding album.

Although it continues the whimsical, computer-generated cover-art style of 'Cowboy', the similarities between the two records pretty much end there. The sound mix of 'Loveboat' is certainly the record's most infamous characteristic; producer Flood (with Erasure's cooperation) mixed this record down into a dubby, lo-fi, bass-heavy collection featuring dirty beats, hip-hop rhythms and a far-away, spacey atmosphere, which brought the record some critical acclaim (unusual for this band), but disastrous sales. It barely registered on the UK charts, and wasn't even released in the USA until 2003 (Maverick, their US label at the time, refused to release it without major remixing (and subsequently dropped them entirely), but finally Mute offered their own US release).

Despite its demo-like sound quality, 'Loveboat' does contain some outstanding tunes which, when taken on their own merit, rank among Erasure's best (and most uncharacteristic). Certainly the lead single "Freedom" would show up on many fan's 'best-of' lists, while the tender ballad "Mad As We Are" is a simply gorgeous track, building up from a dreamy start to a stratospheric conclusion. "Where in the World" is a melancholy masterpiece, "Love is the Rage" is a tuneful, guitar-based sing-along, and "Moon and the Sky" is an intense, dubby dance trip (whose single version was drastically altered for commercial airplay). More traditional Erasure tracks "Here in My Heart" and "Catch 22" sound somewhat like 'Cowboy' outtakes, although they too have been mixed down into a lo-fi state. The tender ballad "Alien" is a standout, and the album's lovely closer "Surreal" ends the proceedings on a dreamy note, courtesy of Vince's atmospheric synths.

Indeed, Vince's synthetics throughout the record are heady and spacey, seeming to come out of nowhere at times. This gives 'Loveboat' an atmospheric ambience, and justifies its lo-fi mix. The entire record feels rough and underproduced, which, according to Vince, was the band's intention.

Most controversial among fans are the R&B-flavored tracks "Perchance to Dream" and "Crying in the Rain". Their hip-hop beats and altered vocals are uncharacteristic of the band (although traces of this style can be found on 'Cowboy'), and the bass lines literally take over the tracks. Erasure's charm had always stemmed from their bubbly, melodic songs that sounded superb ('Cowboy' in particular had been produced to a glistening sheen), so these tracks are rather jarring at first. In hindsight, "Perchance" would have made an excellent single, but slow album sales probably killed off any further single releases.

In some ways it is sad that 'Loveboat' is remembered mostly for its sound mix, since it contains so much interesting and adventuresome music. When taken on its own merits, 'Loveboat' offers an enjoyable cruise. It deserves a better reputation than it currently has, even among longtime fans.

Erasure has been and always will be my favorite band. Andy Bell and Vince Clarke just keep creating unique sounding music that no other band can truly duplicate. The blend of synths with other bleeps and instruments from Vince paired with Andy's soulful vocals just creates a truly haunting listening experience.

That being said, Loveboat the follow up album to Cowboy finally is getting released in the US and its about time. Apparently, Maverick (the US label of Madonna's who released Cowboy in the US) was not impressed with this effort and refused to release it. It wasn't until Mute, Erasure's UK label set up a North American branch that we are finally getting an official release of this album. Like their self-titled "Erasure" album it's a highly experimental album featuring a lot less synth sounds that previous efforts. This is certainly not Cowboy. However, there are some standout tunes on this, thanks in part I believe to Andy's strong vocals.

Freedom-a poor choice for a single in my opinion as it was the 1st from this album released overseas and not a strong start. It's guitar heavy which isn't necessarily a bad thing but just not catchy.

Where in the World-a strong ballad, I like Andy's haunting vocals on this

Crying in the Rain-not a favorite and definitely not a "typical" Erasure song...not bad

Perchance to Dream-argueably the worst track on the album, suffers from too much bass in my opinion

Alien-should have been a single...a great catchy Erasure song!

Mad As We Are-not a fan favorite but one of my favorites just for Andy's vocals. Hauntingly powerful!

Here In My Heart-probably the most typical Erasure sounding song on the album and a very decent catchy track!

Love Is the Rage-a track where the guitar play from Vince really REALLY works. Nothing short of brilliant and should have been a single!

Catch 22-the second most typical song on the album and a nice song..nothing bad here

Moon and the Sky-my favorite track, almost dark...lots of bass which works here..great stuff

Surreal-another ballad, not bad just not great. Nothing unique here in my opinion.

A generally slower album that most Erasure efforts with lots of ballads, Loveboat is an experimentation that does generally work and while not perfect (lots of complaints about too much bass and really poor mixing from Flood) this is a solid effort!

I don't know why this album is getting such low marks on here. I picked this one up the other day and its been in my car stereo ever since. They use some acoustic guitars sometimes, but its not some folksy album;its regular danceable erasure. There's only about 3 songs which I skip, but otherwise its an awesome cd. I think its up there with the Innocents easily.

Why this album didn't get success on the charts? I think it's simple to explain: it caused strange reactions on the fans 'cos it sounds very different from their previous albums. And maybe it has received some good reviews from the critics (a rare thing on Erasure's career) just because of this characteristic, after all they love to praise more unusual/harder records to clash with the popular taste... In fact, Loveboat was intentionally made to own a more challenging sound and I do think it's almost so great as their most classic ones. And it really doesn't matter what happened with it on the charts, 'cos they constantly lie about the quality of an album. A lot of bad ones arrive at the top of the charts in U.S.A., but it doesn't make these same ones become great. It cannot be a brilliant album, but it's quite superior to most ones that have been recorded in the present decade. Besides it has very good songs, such as "Catch 22", "Moon & The Sky", "Perchance To Dream" and the incredible ballads "Surreal" and mainly "Alien", both ones with great lyrics. "Love Is The Rage" and "Where In The World" are almost so great as those other ones while the hit single (cough, cough, cough) "Freedom" is far from being the best one from Erasure, but it's a good pop one anyway. Regarding the other 3 ones from Loveboat, I really enjoy "Crying In The Rain", but I despise "Here In My Heart" (uninspired lyrics) and mainly "Mad As We Are" (confused lyrics and boring melody). Maybe "Perchance To Dream" causes a serious feeling of irritation at a first listening (or at various listenings) since it was intentionally recorded for sounding unpolished (just like a 'trip hop' song) and nobody expects this kind of thing from Erasure, but only more of the same every time... And maybe you can also feel bothered on hearing Andy's muffled vocal on Catch 22 or Where In The World or on hearing semi-acoustic tracks like Love Is The Rage... Well, I've sincerely never felt at this way on hearing those ones, but I think it's a natural feeling of rejection for who was used to hear the traditional and clear synth sound from Erasure. Actually Erasure have never recorded the same album every time at my humble opinion. Try, by example, to pick any track from an Erasure's album for putting it on another one and you will see how unfit it will sound. And this argument is strong enough to prove that Vince has always used his huge talent as keyboarder to create distinct atmospheres for every work he has recorded with Erasure.

I'll make this review as simple as possible. The secret to Erasure's success has been simple. Simple lyrics, sweet melodies, and a syntho-pop sound that has yet to be duplicated. Erasure has had the knack of incapsulating a sweet as sugar harmony into a rythmic blend of greatness. That being said, this Erasure offering is way off base. They've exchanged the charm and happiness apparent on "Cowboy" and "I say, I say, I say", and turned out a dreary, depressingly melodic, bore, and that's not what makes Erasure great. There are a few that may catch your attention. Freedom was a logic choice for the first single, its the only track with a hook chorus. Moon and the Sky is also a nice track, but the rest of this offering is so un-Erasure it's truely disheartening.