POP! - 20 Hits

Erasure

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 24, 1992)
• Original Release Date: November 24, 1992
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Reprise / Wea
• ASIN: B000002MHL
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #17,609 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

A singles band if ever there was one, the hits on Pop make the duo of Andy Bell and Vince Clarke of Erasure sound like the Rodgers & Hammerstein of synth-pop disco. With the exception of The Circus and The Innocents albums, most of Erasure's full lengths house only a few brief moments of brilliance, the rest of the songs being limp and uninspired. But putting songs like "Blue Savannah" with its sweeping loveliness, the haunting "Ship of Fools," and the campy, raucous "Love to Hate You" all on the same disc shows that when Erasure is on, they shine like a thousand-carat tiara. The energetic and electronic disco is front and center here with "Oh L'Amour" and the audience participation number "Stop!," but the beautifully crafted "Sometimes" shows the band's true potential. The irrepressible melody line is punctuated by an acoustic riff and a melancholy trumpet solo that actually has to do its best to keep up with Bell's warm lament. An indispensable collection. --Steve Gdula

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars what talent! where are they now?, July 2, 2000

By	Shelley Shay (Denton, TX **(God Bless the USA!!)**) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I had a friend over yesterday and something in our conversation ended up making me think of Erasure. Having an extensive CD collection, I sometimes forget all the CDs I have and I found this gem that I haven't listened to in a long time.

I think that one of the reasons why people don't think they know many Erasure songs is that with the exception of a couple like "Blue Savannah" and "Chains of Love," you can't necessarily figure out what the title of the song is by listening to it. The group definitely has its own sound and unless you listen to them a lot, many of the songs tend to sound very similar. This makes me think of bands like Journey and STYX who's greatest hits albums are awesome... it wasn't until listening to the entire CDs that I realized I really did know a lot of songs by those bands. They just kind of suffer from a lack of branding of their songs. What my philosophy/theory brings me to is, that if you've ever heard even one Erasure song that you liked, you need to get this CD... you'll realized you've heard all of these songs before and loved them. Synthesizers and a strong beat give these songs a lot of dance-ability for parties or just grooving in your car and they can be listened to over and over. With all these hits and all the talent, you've gotta wonder, where are these guys? Why don't I hear them on the radio anymore?

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unexpectedly Intense, Romantic, Passionate, Bitter, January 27, 2004

By	Gary F. Taylor "GFT" (Biloxi, MS USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I'm not often enthusiastic about club-dance-techno-pop bands, most of which seem determined to copy each other to the point of exhaustion. But I'll make an exception for Erasure, which has a great deal more going for it than the vast majority of music you're likely to hear the next time you hit the dance floor.

Chief among the band's assets is vocalist Andy Bell, who has a remarkably rich and passionate voice--but Erasure does not rely on Bell pure and simple. It is the combination of Bell's vocals, a bouncy beat, and the often unexpectedly thoughtful and frequently bitter lyrics that do the trick. The result is a consistent sound that crackles with a sensuous passion, and at its best creates one memorable cut after another.

POP! suffers from the usual failings of every compilation album, which is to say that it generally goes for the obvious choice even when a lesser-known selection is clearly superior. But even so, it offers a solid overview of Erasure, from the purely danceable to the disquietingly emotional playing against the dancefloor rhythm. "Ship of Fools," "Chains of Love," and "A Little Respect" are perhaps the side of Erasure that are most recognized--but when the selections turn to such intense and lyrically sharp selections as "Drama" and "Love to Hate You," you know that you've stumbled into something special.

The compilation, in my opinion, saves the best for last, running a gamut from the intensely passionate and romantic "You Surround Me," to the purely elegant "Blue Savannah," to angry "Chorus," to the moody and introspective "Am I Right"--the latter of which may well be single finest thing in this collection. As a garnish, the collection finishes up with a very enjoyable cover of Abba's "Take A Chance." But whichever you happen to prefer, it's all good stuff. Recommended.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a worthy greatest hits album, October 16, 2000

By	daniel (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews

Prior to listening to this album, I was only familiar with Erasure from the radio. When a friend loaned me this album on cassette, I was eager to listen to songs that didn't receive airplay here.

This album proves that for every "throwaway" pop hit they released, another one exists which is more introspective and sublime. Starting from The Innocents era (why is this album trashed by the Amazon reviewer?), the duo really began to indulge (thankfully) in material that is melancholy in nature. Listening to "The Circus", for example, you focus first on the theme-park background, but lyrics like "holding back the pieces of a broken dream" show another facet. Similar in lyrical style, "Ship of Fools" from the title alone would seem to be a campy song, but it is really a wonderful, sad song about the pain of growing up. The other "extra" tracks here, for the most part, follow in this vein. "Drama!" is cathartic, and "You Surround Me" is sensual; "Am I Right" is sublime, and "Breath of Life is anthemic. These songs will be a revelation to anyone who only knows Erasure from radio airplay.

Of course, any Hits album has to draw the line somewhere, and some great songs are missing, like "How Many Times?", "Heart of Stone", "Brother and Sister", "She Won't Be Home", "If I Could", "S.O.S.", etc... But that only encourages you to buy their other albums to discover these great songs.

The bottom line is that anyone with even a passing interest in this group would like this greatest hits album.