Customer Reviews

Union Street

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

You can do yourself a big favor by ignoring many of the negative reviews of Erasure's acoustic LP. Everyone, from Nirvana to Jay-Z, has given their back catalogue of songs the "unplugged" treatment, so why not Erasure? On "Union Street" (named after the Brooklyn location of the recording studio), Vince Clarke and Andy Bell give a handful of tracks an acoustic/country & western feel, but instead of opting for their hits, they dig deep into lesser-known album cuts and b-sides. The results are convincing and effective, as shown on "Boy," "Siren Song," the b-side "Tenderest Moments," and "Blues Away." "Union Street" proves that Erasure's songwriting and craft for melody stand tall even when you strip their songs of their synth-heavy production.

Pieces of this really did evoke a "Simon and Garfunkel" feeling in me.
Almost all of the songs took the 'treatment" well, the total standout for me was "Tenderest Moments"; simply beautiful,perfect, and touching.

Overall this was beautifully executed, I feel sorry for the naysayers who just can't get it.

On reading all those negative reviews specially dedicated to this album, I was sincerely shocked, after all it represents to me the definitive slap on all Erasure's knockers... Anyway I'm not so surprised with those commments, since Erasure have been target for jokes since the beginning of their career... But what makes me feel really bothered is to read critics that accuse Erasure of recording the same album every time. What a lie! A pop duo who dared to record such a different albums just like the self-titled or Loveboat or even this last one cannot be accused of repeating themselves. In addition Clarke & Bell aren't worried in following musical trends for conquering new fans indeed. Actually, Erasure's fans know that what makes a good *pop* song is basically good lyrics + good melody and not its position in musical charts, which are basically occupied by artificial and disposable ones. And Erasure own many, many songs that own those two qualities! Well, but let's talk about what really matters here: Union Street is an extremely BEAUTIFUL album and I'm not exaggerating at all! Besides it really owns just gorgeous (and practically ignored) ballads from Clarke & Bell, exception for "How Many Times?", which is just good at my opinion. All the other 10 songs present in this (AMAZING) compilation were very well-chosen. But Erasure own many other underrated ballads that could be perfectly put on this (SUPERB) work, such as: "Witch In The Ditch" & "Hallowed Ground" from Innocents, or "Turns The Love To Anger" and "Siren Song" from Chorus, or "Take Me Back" & "All Through The Years" from I Say (x3), or "Grace" & "A Long Goodbye" from the self-titled, or yet "Surreal" & "Where In The World", both ones from the largely disliked Loveboat, but nothing prevents Erasure from performing all these other ones on The (SENSATIONAL) Acoustic Tour. Regarding the fact this one is totally acoustic, I must confess that I was really worried about how Union Street would sound, but this fear has disappeared as soon as I heard it at the first time! And I almost cried when I did it since all the songs are so well-sung and well-played here. It's really amazing to discover again how great all those songs are. I mean they are all the same ones, but the acoustic instruments gave to them a new chance for being properly enjoyed. In short, Erasure have proved one more time they are far from being a disposable dance-pop band, since Andy's voice has never sounded so beautiful as on this one and Vince could get here a great opportunity for showing he is a brilliant musician (not only a brilliant keyboarder) on creating wonderful acoustic arrangements for all the songs (of course together with the rest of the great team responsible for this REMARKABLE album). By the way, hey, Erasure's haters, don't worry, Erasure will continue to make great records despite all yours bad vibes, after all V&A have flown so high with their talents that your hate will never get them! So if you are looking for some good music to listen to on this year (and on the next years too), it's more than fundamental to go to this Union Street to enjoy great moments of the most perfect musical pleasure.

This album is great..and all the whining about how they didn't do their biggest hits yada yada yada. Get over it, it is their choice to not record the songs that already have a bunch of different versions out there and do songs not quiet as over done. I'm all for that. This album and the Boy single are great!

Hehehe and even more amusing we just got back from seeing them perform the acoustic stuff live and it totally rocked! They have drums, a full on Bass, steel guitar, penny whistle autoharp etc..it was the most amazing concert! All the songs they did, including some of the expected big hits missing from this cd were so amazing to hear in this format. Using Latin rythms, country, rock-a-billy and just straight acoustic they really knew what rythm to pick for each track everything worked! If you go to Erasure's website you can find a link to order a recording on CD of the Live concert.

Erasure fans can often be divided into - please pardon the expression - two camps. The first camp likes to see them experiment and break new ground such as on their self-titled album or Loveboat while the second camp prefers they play it safe and stick to the synthpop formula they've been known for the last twenty-plus years. As you many have guessed, Union Street, with its acoustic reinterpretations of earlier songs, is clearly aimed towards the former group.

Like most Erasure fans I do not listen to acoustic music very often, so I was pleasantly surprised at what I heard. Vince and Andy have indeed proven that great songs work with any type of instrumentation. And unlike what a previous reviewer said, they did not make obvious choices for the album. Obvious choices would have been hit singles, not obscure album tracks and a b-side.

The backings are sometimes a bit sparse, as on "Spiralling", but I think this only showcases Andy's heavenly choirboy voice. Afterall, with Vince playing guitar on only track (he does co-produce as well), this is more of an Andy album. His voice is as smooth as ever, never delving into wild histrionics like so many younger singers do. Although he sings in a lower register on "Tenderest Moments", he proves he still has that remarkable falsetto on "Blues Away".

The highlight on the album is "Stay With Me". The backing woodwinds give you that spine-tingling feeling that only Erasure songs seem to do. It is simply the most beautiful song written this side of "God Only Knows". "Rock Me Gently", also originally from their self-titled masterpiece, is another standout with its new backing vocal arrangements. It makes a wonderful closer even if it does lack the country-esque vibe of the rest of the album. The only skippable track on the album is "Love Affair", which was never one of their better songs to begin with.

So Erasure fans, look at this album for what it is - a showcase for two of the greatest and most underrated songwriters the world has ever known. While we may all still prefer their electronic counterparts, these new reinterpretations offer a nice fresh look at some old favorites.

The dynamic duo of Vince Clark and Andy Bell return with Union Street - a disc that is a departure from anything they've ever recorded. To look at the track listing, you'd think this was a repackaged album of previously released material. That is until you take a listen to the first track, "Boy," and realize that this might be the same song they recorded back in 1997 from their Cowboy album, but this "Boy" is not that "Boy" at all. Get the picture? This disc is filled with album tracks that date back as far as the eighties, and they've all had a country-acoustic facelift. When Andy was confronted about this familiar material with a country twist, he joked, "We're going to be the first band ever to cross over from pop to country." He even kidded that they would like to play The Grand Old Opry. To tell you the truth, I don't think he was joking. Judging from the fantastic fresh sound on this album, with carefully selected backtracks such as "Piano Song," "Home," "Love Affair," "Rock Me Gently" and seven more, it makes me feel that Andy took in more than a few screenings of Brokeback Mountain. If the popular TV show, Extreme Makeover had a slot for music, this album would certainly take top honors. Andy explains, "We wanted to show the songs in a different light, and to show that they could work on any instrument, synthesizer or guitar." Vince chimed in "We just felt there were songs on our albums that had been missed as songs." I agree. With most people downloading the "popular" songs to their ipods and ringtones for their cell phones, this was a brilliant concept album to represent the songs that deserve attention that may have been lost on past "hits" collections. And what better way than presenting them in a completely new setting? It will be interesting to see how Union Street is accepted by the public, especially for longtime fans of the pop-electro sound that put Erasure on the map. If anything, this album should not only please those longtime fans, but probably add a few new ones. This is one minimalist album that deserves major attention!

I was a little skepticle in purchasing this album, as I know many people might be since Erasure is known for its dance rhythms and beats. An acoustic version?

Each song is hauntingly beautiful and seems brand new, but you can tell each song is that of Erasure with the mixture of strings and arrangements of sounds. This album should be listed as a remix album of sorts, a different and original kind of remix.

I'm not really into acoustic music, but I gave this album a try and I'm glad I took a chance. After a few repeat listens the album has grown to be my ultimate choice for a long relaxing car ride. Andy sounds like an angel.

This is another adventurous and inspired release from an unusually enjoyable band. I agree with the other reviewers who suggest that to fully enjoy Erasure, one must do so with all their electronic glory; but I appreciate a band that is constantly willing to rework the formulas and deliver surprises to their audience - especially when the songs are so good in so many formats.

As they did so adeptly in their recent live show at Lakewood Theater in Dallas - even going beyond this song selection and into other singles performed in this same "acoustic" touch - they prove to be a thoroughly enjoyable act, despite life's monumental hurdles they have overcome.

The songs are solid and have stood the test of time and guitars!

I don't understand. People critize Erasure for not changing their musical style and when they do, they also get critized for venturing away from their trademark. True, the songs on this album were originally slow-tempo to begin with. I didn't understand why they didn't choose more popular hits, and then it hit me - they chose songs that were a little obscure to bring attention to them. Maybe they felt the songs were good enough but for whatever reason didn't resonate as much as they do on this album. I really like this album and the more I listen to it the more I appreciate its sound. The songs work - they sound more like traditional country songs than what you hear on the radio nowadays. The arrangements are brilliant actually and fit the songs like a glove - if you didn't know any better you would swear the songs started out as traditional country songs. I saw their show in Nashville this past weekend - and let me tell you, it was fantastic. This is where they showedcased their greatest hits acoustically. This is why they chose less-known songs to sing on the album - to showcase their big hits on stage, live. Their rendition of Oh L'amour was gorgeous - no joke, it took a different meaning, much more emotional, raw, and heartbreaking. If you get a change to hear this album do - preview it. If you get a chance to listen to it live, I recommend that even more. Their live show was different for them but in a way was a breath of fresh air. In a society that sees artists sell themselves for money, glory, or the occassional fame fad - Erasure went the other way and continued to stay true to their convictions; and when they decide to venture out of their comfort zone, they do it because they love the music. Their acoustic live show had upbeat country versions of their popular songs while this album just has subdued renditions of b-sides - but they both worked for me. They really could be the only act to succeed in going from pop to country.