So, was Phantom Bride a true Erasure "single" or not?  Inquiring minds want to know!  Until very recently, I thought so.  When The Innocents got the 21st Anniversary expanded edition in 2009, we saw Phantom Bride finally getting some attention.  It seems common knowledge that PB had been intended to be The Innocents' 4th single in the 80's, but that never happened.

What defines a "single" (aka radio single, aka a-side)?  Imo, a "single" is one song that the band puts forward for radio, DJ, or sales (or all 3).

It's true that there is a 1-track Phantom Bride promo that consists only of Phantom Bride (2009 Re-master), which seems to show the band or label intended PB as a "single."  However, there were no publicly purchasable items or tracks except for the Phantom Bride EP.  This release included Phantom Bride (2009 Re-master), but it's hard to say that it's actually a single vs. a featured track.  After all, it wasn't titled Phantom Bride (Single Mix) or Phantom Bride (7" Mix) or even Phantom Bride (2009 Mix).  It's arguable that the band or label could have just as easily picked any of the other 2009 remastered tracks, named the EP after it, and we would have had the Heart of Stone EP or Witch in the Ditch EP.

An EP, also, is not a single - like Martin Gore's Counterfeit EP, it exists in the space between singles and albums.  Similarly, Reprise released a 1-track promo of DM's Halo, but no one would argue that Halo is a DM single.  A 1-track promo for Erasure's Magic Moments exists, but it also was not a single.

We also know that Phantom Bride was not included on the Singles Discs in the From Moscow to Mars box set.  However, other tracks that certainly were singles, like WNLLT (Hamburg Mix) were not included either so I hesitate to consider that collection definitive.

So, was Phantom Bride (2009 Re-master) a "single"?  I tried searching through old EIS newsletters to see what wording was used, but I must have deleted them because I have none from 2009!  What do you guys and gals think?

One does not question those things one is fortunate to have.

You might wonder "Is my wife beautiful?" but you not ask her this.

Likewise, the fact that your employer might not be keeping up with their oral hygiene is not something to bring up with them at the water cooler.

Similarly, one does not question what is a collective good for the Erasure community; a known fundamental truth that has led to restful nights and a belief of a life beyond this. A world where someone will offer to wipe those tears from your eyes.

Yes, Phantom Bride was a single. It had been prophesied, and we are not only fortunate to have lived to witness it, we were privileged to have been able to purchase it.

We should all know what's good for us, and vote accordingly.

The 2009 EIS Newsletters offer some tantalising clues and, possibly, an answer. For a bit of fun, and maybe a little drama, here are the 13 EIS Newsletters from 2009 which mention the Phantom Bride EP.

14 July, 2009 - an intriguing start. Not a normal EP - a "special" EP!

Hello Stephen!
A few weeks ago in this newsletter I mentioned that there were all sorts of exciting Erasure plans in the pipeline that I was looking forward to telling you about, and I'm very excited this week to announce another of them, the 'Phantom Bride' EP...
NEW ERASURE RELEASE - THE 'PHANTOM BRIDE' EP!
'Phantom Bride', from Erasure's 1988 album The Innocents, will be released by Mute Records as a special EP on October 12th. Featuring brand new remixes from Almighty, Frankmusik, Dogmatix and Vince Clarke the EP will be released as a CD and via digital download. That's all I know at the moment, but as soon as I have more information I'll post it on the website and let you know!
THE INNOCENTS 2009 - RELEASE DATE
Mute Records have announced that the much anticipated 21st anniversary edition of Erasure's 1988 album The Innocents will be released on October 26th and will be available as a standard and a deluxe edition. Again, more information when it's available but I will say that you're going to love the deluxe edition!
ERASURE.CLUB EP - AUDIO SAMPLES ONLINE
I've added a little audio player to the NEWS page at ErasureInfo.com so you can now listen to extracts from all six of the remixes featured on the Erasure.Club EP which will be released on August 10th. The extracts are also available to listen to on Erasure's MySpace page. The EP is available for PRE-ORDER at Lexer Music's Official Erasure Shop along with a special Erasure.Club t-shirt, more about that below!
LIMITED EDITION ERASURE.CLUB T-SHIRT
In the last newsletter I promised you I'd try and photograph the Erasure.Club t-shirts that I have had printed up as samples, but at the time I had no idea it would be so difficult to photograph them in a way that makes them look as good as they do look! However I have done my best and you can see the results of my efforts also in the NEWS section at ErasureInfo.com... remember that the shirts are only available via PRE-ORDER from Lexer Music's ERASURE SHOP before JULY 28th!
Last week, in the spirit of our international Erasure family, I signed off my newsletter with a spirited 'Muchos Gracias' which only served to demonstrate my lack of knowledge of the Spanish language because I now know that I should have said 'Muchas Gracias', so here you go...
Muchas Gracias!
Enjoy your week...
Richard
Erasure Information Service
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4 August, 2009 - the tracklisting is set

Iorana Stephen!
We seem to have developed a truly international theme to these newsletter greetings and I've had loads of emails from fans around the world teaching me how to say hello and goodbye in their language (thank you... I will use them all in due course!) but this week's is perhaps the most unusual. 'Iorana' is a greeting and a farewell from the Easter Islands down in the Pacific Ocean, thanks to Carlos for sharing it!
Here's this week's news...
PHANTOM BRIDE EP - TRACKLISTING ANNOUNCED
Mute Records have announced the tracklisting for the forthcoming Phantom Bride EP which is due for release on October 12th, preceding the 21st Anniversary edition of Erasure's The Innocents album which follows on October 26th. See the news section at ErasureInfo.com for the full CD and download tracklistings.
ERASURE.CLUB EP / ABBA-ESQUE REMIXES DOWNLOAD BUNDLE RELEASED NEXT WEEK...
The CDs are all pressed, the EIS t-shirts are all printed, the downloads are digitised and the wait is almost over... the Erasure.Club and ABBA-esque remix EPs will both be released next week. If you've not already ordered it, you can get the Erasure.Club CD from the Official Erasure Shop and all good online and offline shops and the Erasure.Club and ABBA-esque downloads from iTunes and all good online retailers!
ERASURE ALBUM REISSUE
Mute have reissued Erasure's 1995 album 'Erasure'. The new edition is exactly the same as the previous one except that instead of being packaged in a Digipac it comes in a regular plastic CD jewel-case. You can buy the reissue over at the Official Erasure Shop!
IN SEARCH OF THE INNOCENTS - AN ERASURE BLOG
OK, it's a fair cop I got distracted from this particular project after waiting for ages for the cast of thousands involved in the making of The Innocents to get back to me, but I'm back on the blog roll this week and am pushing hard to get more interviews online... watch this space and keep an eye on the blog itself!
Iorana!
Richard
Erasure Information Service
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18 August, 2009 - Artwork and a clip!

Hej !
In keeping with the spirit of the release of last week's ABBA-esque Remixes download I'm using a greeting and a farewell from Sweden this week... my thanks to Anneli for sending them over! It has been brilliant to receive such great reactions to that reissue and also to the release of Erasure.Club last week, and on a more personal level to know that so many of you around the world are wearing my Erasure.Club t-shirts! Thank you all for your support as always...
Here's the news...
PHANTOM BRIDE EP - ARTWORK REVEALED & FIRST AUDIO CLIP ONLINE
Mute Records have sent over the sleeve for the forthcoming Phantom Bride EP which will be released on October 12th. They have also given me a 90-second clip of the first track from the Phantom Bride EP, the 2009 remaster of Phantom Bride itself! See the news section at ErasureInfo.com for the sleeve image, the audio clip and the full CD and download tracklistings. I'll have another audio sample from the Phantom Bride EP for you next week...
ERASURE.CLUB EP & ABBA-ESQUE REMIXES DOWNLOAD BUNDLE OUT NOW...
I am currently collecting links to iTunes and online retailers around the world who are stocking them, and hope to have those links on the website shortly for anyone who needs them! Feel free to email me with any links you know! In the meantime you can still get the Erasure.Club CD at the Official Erasure Shop at Lexer Music.
ANDY BELL SOLO ALBUM
I was lucky enough to meet up with Andy last week to talk about all sorts of online bits and pieces, and I was lucky enough to hear some finished tracks from his forthcoming solo album and I have to say they sound brilliant! Obviously I will bring you all the news on that as soon as I'm able, but I just wanted to let you all know that it's in the pipeline... in the meantime I've updated Andy's website with a couple of pictures I took of Andy in the studio with Pascal Gabriel back in May. Andy also confirmed that he is meeting up with Vince again shortly to start work on the new Erasure album!
NEW VINCE CLARKE REMIX
It seems that Vince has remixed the forthcoming single from A Place To Bury Strangers. 'In Your Heart' will be released by Mute on September 21st in the UK and is the first single from the new A Place To Bury Strangers album 'Exploding Head' which is scheduled for an October 5th release.
Hej då!
Cheers
Richard

Erasure Information Service
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25 August, 2009 - A second clip.

Keixo Stephen!
Quite a short newsletter this week but I think it's the calm before the storm as we get ever closer to the release of the Phantom Bride EP on October 12th and The Innocents 21st anniversary edition on October 26th. Trust me, behind the scenes it's the usual whirl of activity and without giving too much away who would have thought it was possible to get so obsessed over window stickers? More on that, and much more, very soon!
Thanks to Mikel this week's greeting and farewell are in Euskera, the language used in the Basque region that covers parts of Spain and France...
Here's this week's news...
PHANTOM BRIDE EP - SECOND AUDIO CLIP ONLINE
I have added a 90-second clip of the Plastic Operator Remix of Chains Of Love to the Phantom Bride EP audio player this week... I think it's probably one of my favourite mixes from the EP and I hope that you will all enjoy having a little listen! See the news section at ErasureInfo.com for the sleeve image, the audio clips and the full CD and download tracklistings. I'll have another audio sample from the Phantom Bride EP for you next week...
ANDY BELL PRE-ERASURE DEMO ONLINE
Another audio clip available to you this week is a demo from Andy Bell's pre-Erasure project Dinger. The song is called 'Air Of Mystery' and Andy thinks it was recorded around 1985. The song is online now on Andy's MySpace page and also in the Biography section of his website... enjoy!
Agur!
Cheers
Richard
Erasure Information Service
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1 September, 2009 - A third clip!

Haere Mai Stephen!
Great to receive such brilliant feedback on the audio preview of Plastic Operator's excellent remix of Chains Of Love that I put on the website last week. It seems that the forthcoming Phantom Bride EP is creating a great deal of excitement and anticipation out there which is fantastic in the run up to the release of the 21st anniversary release of The Innocents in just a few weeks. See below for news of another audio preview that went online for you just today!
This week's newsletter greeting and farewell are in Maori, the native language of New Zealand, by the way... thank you Andrew!
Here's the news...
PHANTOM BRIDE EP - THIRD AUDIO CLIP ONLINE
As promised there's another 90-second clip on the website this week, the Wayne G & Alan Allder Hurdy Gurdy Club Mix of A Little Respect. See the news section at ErasureInfo.com for the sleeve image, the audio clips and the full CD and download tracklistings. Enjoy!
STOP! USED IN AN ARGENTINIAN ADVERT
It seems that Stop! - the lead track from Erasure's 1998 Crackers International EP - has been used in a new TV advert in Argentina which you can watch by on YouTube... thanks to Walter for sending that over!
VINCE CLARKE TO APPEAR IN SYNTH BRITANNIA DOCUMENTARY
A press release from the BBC4 has announced that Vince Clarke will be among the contributors to Synth Britannia, a forthcoming TV documentary that will set out to trace the beginnings of the synth revolution of the late seventies and early eighties. No transmission date has yet been set but the show will also feature contributions from Martin Gore, Bernard Sumner, Phil Oakey, Gary Numan and Neil Tennant among others. There's more information, plus a trailer for the show (which I think is only accessible if you're accessing the site from within the UK... sorry if you're not!) on the BBC website.
ALISON MOYET REINTERPRETS YAZOO ON NEW COMPILATION
Alison Moyet is to release a new hits package entitled '25 Years Revisited' on October 19th. The release - which ties in with Alison's forthcoming UK tour of the same name - will be available as a standard CD and as a deluxe 2-CD package featuring a bonus disc of new versions of key tracks from Alison's catalogue, including new versions of the Yazoo classics Situation and Midnight. The album in available to preorder now from all good retailers including our good friends Lexer Music!
Aroha Nui!
Cheers
Richard
Erasure Information Service
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8 September, 2009 - Clip #4, I need answers!

Ciao Stephen!
Lots of bits and pieces for you this week, including the much-anticipated tracklisting for the 21st anniversary edition of The Innocents and an extract of Frankmusic's remix of the title track of the forthcoming Phantom Bride EP, which is creating a lot of discussion over on the Erasure forum. I expect the pre-sale for both releases to be announced fairly soon so do keep an eye on ErasureInfo.com and also the Official Erasure Shop over at Lexer Music for updates!
Have a great week. Here's the news...
THE INNOCENTS 2009 - TRACKLISTING ANNOUNCED
Mute records have released the tracklisting for the forthcoming 21st anniversary edition of The Innocents, and I do think you're going to like it! There's too much on the release to list here, but it's all in the news section over at ErasureInfo.com... enjoy!
PHANTOM BRIDE EP - FOURTH AUDIO CLIP ONLINE
There's another 90-second clip on the website this week, an extract from Frankmusic's Ghostly Groom Dub Mix of Phantom Bride. See the news section at ErasureInfo.com for the sleeve image, the audio clips and the full CD and download tracklistings.
ERASURE TOUR AND VIDEO COSTUMES UP FOR AUCTION
Erasure's costume designer Dean Bright is selling off some t-shirts, trousers and clothing that Erasure have worn onstage and in video shoots. The items are up for auction on eBay and Dean will be putting some more bits and pieces online very shortly.
ANDY BELL TALKS TO THE QUIETUS
Andy Bell has done a quick interview with The Quietus, a follow-up piece about his idea to work with the Cheeky Girls. You can read the piece on their website. The Quietus have also talked to both Vince and Andy about the reissue of The Innocents for an interview that they will run around the October release.
VINCE CLARKE'S A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS REMIX AVAILABLE ONLINE
Vince Clarke's remix of 'In Your Heart' by Mute label mates A Place To Bury Strangers is available now via iTunes in the UK and in the USA, see the news section on the Erasure website for details.
This week's newsletter greeting and farewell are in Italian, courtesy of Giorgio!
Arrivederci!
Cheers
Richard
Erasure Information Service
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10 September, 2009 - Radio play! Radio play! That's got to mean something! A poll to see if it's going to be a hit? That must mean...

Hello Stephen!
It's me again... I do realise that two emails in one week might be too much of a good thing, but I do have good reason!
Tonight the remastered version of 'Phantom Bride' from the forthcoming EP will be played on Chris Evans' show on BBC Radio 2 in their 'Jukebox Jury' feature. Radio 2 is the most listened-to radio station in the UK and Chris Evans' show gets one of the biggest radio audiences on the channel so this is a fantastic opportunity to remind a LOT of people how great Erasure are, and to spread the word about The Phantom Bride EP release and The Innocents reissue.
Here's how you can help... Chris Evans will play 'Phantom Bride' on the show sometime between 6.15pm and 6.30pm and then he will invite listeners to text the show with their opinions of the song, basically whether it's going to be a hit or a miss. Obviously we want it to be a hit and we want as many people as possible to text Radio 2 to say so, so if you can then please listen to the show and as soon as the record is played (not before!) text the show (I listen to Chris Evans a lot and the text number is almost always 88291 but do listen to make sure) to tell them how much you like it and how big a hit you think it will be.
Thank you all in advance.
Cheers
Richard
Erasure Information Service
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15 September, 2009 - Radio 2 airplay. A scorching hit. Chris Evans played the what??? OMG, did he say single?

Salut Stephen!
After the excitement of sending two newsletters last week things are back to normal again this week which means more bits and pieces of news for you, plus a brand new Phantom Bride EP audio clip online for your listening pleasure. However I do want to thank everyone who supported Phantom Bride by texting BBC Radio 2 last week, the feedback I received was amazing and I'm sure the BBC were bombarded by similarly positive messages!
Have a good week. Here's all the news...
PHANTOM BRIDE EP - FIFTH AUDIO CLIP ONLINE
I added the fifth audio clip to the Phantom Bride EP audio player yesterday and I think it's the first to have been greeted with unanimous praise, which is good because it's a sample of a mix done by our very own Vince Clarke who has contributed his brand new Big-Mix of Hallowed Ground to the EP. See the news section at ErasureInfo.com for the sleeve image, the audio clips and the full CD and download tracklistings.
THE STOOL PIGEON TALKS TO VINCE AND ANDY
There's a new interview with Vince and Andy talking about The Innocents reissue featured in the new edition (October 2009) of UK music magazine The Stool Pigeon.
BBC RADIO 2 LISTENERS VOTE PHANTOM BRIDE A 'SCORCHING HIT'!
Last week the remastered version of Phantom Bride - from the forthcoming EP - was played on Chris Evans' show on BBC Radio 2 in their 'Jukebox Jury' feature. Chris Evans played the single and then listeners were asked to text in if they thought the song was a hit or a miss... they overwhemingly voted it a 'scorching hit'!
VINCE CLARKE TO APPEAR IN SYNTH BRITANNIA DOCUMENTARY
I mentioned this TV documentary a couple of weeks ago but wanted to update the story to say that BBC4 have scheduled Synth Britannia for October 16th, although I don't have the transmission times yet. Just to recap, Vince will be among the contributors to the show, a TV documentary that will set out to trace the beginnings of the synth revolution of the late seventies and early eighties, also featuring contributions from Martin Gore, Bernard Sumner, Phil Oakey, Gary Numan and Neil Tennant among others... the trailer is still available on the BBC's website.
This week's newsletter greeting and farewell are in French, courtesy of both Emmanuelle and Christophe!
À bientôt!
Cheers
Richard
Erasure Information Service
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Quoted from ba747

15 September, 2009 - Radio 2 airplay. A scorching hit. Chris Evans played the what??? OMG, did he say single?

BBC RADIO 2 LISTENERS VOTE PHANTOM BRIDE A 'SCORCHING HIT'!
Last week the remastered version of Phantom Bride - from the forthcoming EP - was played on Chris Evans' show on BBC Radio 2 in their 'Jukebox Jury' feature. Chris Evans played the single and then listeners were asked to text in if they thought the song was a hit or a miss... they overwhemingly voted it a 'scorching hit'!

Thank you for defending the faith, and quashing the insidious heresy of doubt. I feel confident you will be rewarded in the hereafter.  

Well, after the last reveal, that's as close as we get, but for completeness here are the remaining 2009 Phantom Bride EIS Newsletters

23 September, 2009

Sa Wat Dee Kraap Stephen!
It's been a bit of a wait but I'm delighted to announce that at last the Phantom Bride EP and the Deluxe 21st Anniversary Edition of The Innocents are both available to pre-order! There's also a special EIS bundle available to anyone pre-ordering The Innocents from the Official Erasure Shop, more about that below...
Here's we go!
THE INNOCENTS ALBUM & PHANTOM BRIDE EP AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER
Lexer Music is now taking pre-orders for both the Phantom Bride EP and the 3-disc deluxe edition of The Innocents. The Innocents is also available as part of a special EIS bundle along with a long-sleeved t-shirt and a window sticker both featuring The Innocents' artwork.
A shirt and a window sticker were far and away the most requested items of merchandise when I asked what you'd like to see, so I hope you'll like what I've come up with. The EIS bundle is exclusively available in The Erasure Shop by pre-order only, and neither the shirt or the sticker will be available to buy after October 13th or be reprinted in the future. You know what I'm saying... if you want one then you should order now!
PHANTOM BRIDE EP - SIXTH AUDIO CLIP ONLINE
The response to last week's audio clip (the Vincent Clarke Big-Mix of Hallowed Ground) was fantastic, thank you to everyone who got in touch to say nice things about it! There's yet another 90-second clip on the website for you this week, an extract from Almighty's 12" Essential Mix of Chains of Love. See the news section at ErasureInfo.com to have a listen... enjoy!
This week's newsletter greeting and farewell are in Thai, courtesy of Steve. What an international bunch we are!
La Gon!
Cheers
Richard
Erasure Information Service
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29 September, 2009

Saluton Stephen!
With the releases of both the Phantom Bride EP and the 21st Anniversary edition of The Innocents just around the corner it all feels very exciting to be in the EIS hot seat at the moment. I am thrilled, not only that so many of you have already pre-ordered those releases through the Erasure Shop at Lexer Music, but also that so many of you are choosing to buy The Innocents in the special EIS bundle we've put together for you. On behalf of the band and myself, thank you very much for your enthusiastic support, it is always much appreciated!
Here's this week's news...
THE INNOCENTS 1988 TV ADVERT
While Mute were poking around in the Erasure archives, in the planning stages for the release of the 21st Anniversary edition of The Innocents, they came across the original 1988 TV advert for the album which I thought you might like to see, so much so in fact that I have put it online on the front page of the website for you... it's a tiny slice of Erasure history and it's all yours!
ASK ERASURE - VINCE CLARKE & ANDY BELL ON THE INNOCENTS
As part of my In Search Of The Innocents blog I will be asking both Vince and Andy about their memories of the recording and release of the original edition of The Innocents, the touring they did to promote it and their thoughts on its incredible success. It's obviously a very key release in Erasure's history and I know that it's an album that holds a special position in the hearts of many of you, so I thought I'd ask you to provide the questions. If there's any questions you'd like me to consider asking Vince and Andy about The Innocents then or now (please keep the questions to the subject of that album, there will be opportunities to ask about other things further down the line!) then please email them over. Hopefully it will be a shot in the arm for the blog which has shuddered to a bit of a halt recently. Thank you!
PHANTOM BRIDE EP - SEVENTH AUDIO CLIP ONLINE
There's yet another 90-second clip on the website for you this week, an extract from Joebot's 'Ounce Of Bounce' Remix of Heart of Stone. See the news section at ErasureInfo.com to have a listen... enjoy!
THE INNOCENTS ALBUM & PHANTOM BRIDE EP AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER
As I mentioned above Lexer Music is currently taking pre-orders for both the Phantom Bride EP and the 3-disc 21st Anniversary deluxe edition of The Innocents which is also available in a special EIS bundle with a long-sleeved t-shirt and a window sticker both featuring The Innocents' artwork. The EIS bundle is exclusively available in The Erasure Shop by pre-order only, and won't be available to buy after October 13th or be reprinted in the future.
This week's newsletter greeting and farewell are in the international language Esperanto, courtesy of Sue...
Adiaya!
Richard
Erasure Information Service
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6 October, 2009

Shalom Stephen!
Even though I've been working towards it for months it feels like next week's release of the Phantom Bride EP has come upon us very suddenly! It was all brought into focus for me this week when I received an advance copy of the EP from Mute Records (it's an EIS perk that I love!) and I have to say that it both looks and sounds fantastic, so I very much look forward to hearing what you all think when you get your copies next week!
Here's the news...
PHANTOM BRIDE EP - FINAL AUDIO CLIP ONLINE / PRE-ORDER AVAILABLE
I have put the final 90-second audio clip from the Phantom Bride EP onto the website for you this week, an extract from Dogmatix's 12" Tearless Mix of Phantom Bride itself... perfect timing of course as the Phantom Bride EP is released on Monday and is available for you to pre-order from the Official Erasure Shop at Lexer Music and from all good online and offline retailers! See the news section at ErasureInfo.com to have a listen to all 8 of the audio clips...
FRANKMUSIC REMIX OF PHANTOM BRIDE AVAILABLE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD
I know that lots of you have spotted this already but Frankmusic's Ghostly Groom Dub mix of Phantom Bride has been given away as a free download by lots of websites and music blogs over the last couple of weeks as part of the promotional campaign for the Phantom Bride EP... if you've not spotted the chance to download this remix for free then you can see the news section of my very own RememberTheEighties.com website or via the music blogs ArjanWrites, MOG and ElectroQueer among others...
ASK ERASURE - VINCE CLARKE & ANDY BELL ON THE INNOCENTS
Last week I asked for questions about The Innocents album that you'd like me to consider asking Vince and Andy as part of my In Search Of The Innocents blog. Thank you to the hundreds of you who sent questions over, I think I'm going to make 5pm (UK) tomorrow the deadline for questions and them I'm going to pick the best ones for the band to answer. If there's any questions you'd like me to consider asking Vince and Andy about The Innocents then or now (please keep the questions to the subject of that album!) then please email them over to me!
THE INNOCENTS ALBUM & EIS BUNDLE AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER
With the release of the Phantom Bride EP so imminent I've not really said much this week about the upcoming releases of the 3-disc deluxe 21st anniversary edition of The Innocents on October 26th, however this is the perfect time to remind you that the album is available to pre-order now at the Official Erasure Shop, either separately or as part of the special time-limited EIS bundle complete with a long-sleeved t-shirt and a window sticker for anyone ordering before October 13th, which is just a week away! The clock is ticking...
This week's newsletter greeting and farewell are in Hebrew, courtesy of Lee...
Lehitraot!
Richard
Erasure Information Service
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12 October, 2009

Privet Stephen!
A Monday newsletter this week in honour of the release of Erasure's Phantom Bride EP which is out today! I hope you're all enjoying it, I think it probably contains something for everyone and I'm interested to hear your thoughts.
I had expected the release of Phantom Bride to be the main focus of this week's newsletter, but I actually have some even more exciting news... Vince Clarke and Andy Bell are in New York City at the moment and have started work on a new Erasure album. There's is a picture of Vince and Andy together in NYC in the news section on the website!
The new album will probably be released towards the end of next year but before you start asking, I have no information about a tour yet... as soon as I know anything I promise I will let you all know!
Here's the rest of the news...
PHANTOM BRIDE EP - RELEASED TODAY!
The wait is finally over and if the EP isn't already in your hands then it should be in all good online and offline outlets - including the OFFICIAL ERASURE SHOP at Lexer Music - right now! The eight remixes featured on the CD edition of the Phantom Bride EP are all previewed in the audio player on the news page of the Erasure website. Here are the CD and download tracklistings...
CD - Phantom Bride – 2009 Re-master / Hallowed Ground – Vincent Clarke's Big-Mix / Chains Of Love – Almighty 12" Essential Mix / Phantom Bride – Ghostly Groom Dub by FrankMusik / A Little Respect – Wayne G & Alan Allder Hurdy Gurdy Club Mix / Heart Of Stone – Joebot's ‘Ounce Of Bounce' Remix / Phantom Bride – Dogmatix's 12" Tearless Mix / Chains Of Love – Plastic Operator Remix.
DOWNLOAD - As above except Chains Of Love – Almighty 12" Definitive Mix replaces Chains Of Love – Almighty 12" Essential Mix.
THE INNOCENTS ALBUM 2009 - ONE MORE DAY TO ORDER THE EIS BUNDLE!
The 21st Anniversary edition of The Innocents will be released on October 26th as a standard CD and also as a 2xCD/1xDVD deluxe edition featuring masses of extra content (you can see the full tracklisting in the news section of the website). Both items are available to order from the OFFICIAL ERASURE SHOP at Lexer Music but if you want to order the special EIS deluxe bundle (the deluxe edition of the album, plus a long-sleeved t-shirt, plus a window-sticker) then you need to place your order with Lexer Music by the end of tomorrow (Tuesday). You have been warned!
THE INNOCENTS - US RELEASE DATES
Mute USA have announced that they will be releasing the 21st anniversary 3-disc deluxe edition of The Innocents on November 24th. The US edition will feature exactly the same package and content as the UK/European edition.
VINCE CLARKE AND ANDY BELL ON FACEBOOK
Both Vince Clarke and Andy Bell have relatively new official Facebook pages and are waiting to be befriended by you all! You will find Vince here and Andy here!
VINCE CLARKE IN SYNTH BRITANNIA DOCUMENTARY
Just a reminder that this BBC4 TV documentary tracing beginnings of the synth revolution of the late seventies and early eighties will be broadcast for the first time this week. The show features contributions from Vince as well as Mute's Daniel Miller, Martin Gore, Bernard Sumner, Phil Oakey, Gary Numan, Neil Tennant and John Foxx among others, and will broadcast on BBC4 in the UK this friday at 9pm.
This week's newsletter greeting and farewell are in Russian (although displayed using Latin letters), courtesy of Yaroslava...
Poka!
Richard
Erasure Information Service
http://www.erasureinfo.com
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20 October, 2009

Shw Mae Stephen!
There's loads of news this week so I'm going to get cracking on that straight away, but before that I do want to say a huge thank you for all the extremely positive emails I've had about Erasure's brand new Phantom Bride EP which was released last week. I am delighted that it is being so well received and that it is whetting your appetite for the release of the 21st anniversary edition of The Innocents next week!
Here's the news...
VINCE CLARKE & ANDY BELL IN NYC
As I mentioned in last week's newsletter, Vince and Andy are currently in NYC writing for the next Erasure album and I've added several pictures of them to the news section on the website this week, including pictures of the boys with Sharon Osbourne taken during the filming of Celebrity Apprentice yesterday. Word from the writing sessions is that there are several song ideas coming together already. The new album is currently scheduled for late 2010 and there is currently no word on tour plans so please don't ask me!
THE INNOCENTS 2009 ALBUM RELEASED NEXT WEEK
The 21st Anniversary edition of The Innocents will be released next week (November 24th in the USA) as a standard CD and also as a 2xCD/1xDVD deluxe edition featuring masses of extra content (you can see the full tracklisting in the news section of the website). Both items are available to order from the Official Erasure Shop at Lexer Music and from all good retailers.
THE INNOCENTS IN THE MEDIA
There has been a flurry of Erasure-related media activity this week as we gear up for the release of The Innocents 2009. Both Vince and Andy were interviewed about the release in the October edition of The Stool Pigeon magazine which is now available to read online. The album was also the album of the day on BBC Radio 2's Richard Allinson's show on Saturday (which meant that 'A Little Respect', 'Chains of Love', and 'Ship of Fools' were all played during the course of the show).
A very interesting Andy Bell interview went online this week at Real.com in which Andy talks about The Innocents, the new Erasure album, his forthcoming solo album and quite a lot more besides, it's well worth a read as Andy drops all sorts of interesting bits and pieces of information into the conversation!
Not part of the promotion for The Innocents but interesting all the same, Mute Records founder Daniel Miller mentions Erasure a couple of times in an interview he did with The Quietus to tie in with the first broadcast of BBC4's excellent documentary 'Synth Britannia' which aired last Friday.
ERASURE NIGHT ON SKYHIGH RADIO
SkyHigh Radio are dedicating a whole night to Erasure this Saturday to celebrate the release of the 21st anniversary edition of The Innocents. SkyHigh is an online radio station so you can listen from anywhere in the world and the show will play requests and dedications throughout the show (you can submit requests during the show but pre-submitted requests will be given priority, and no bootleg requests please!) and there are also live forums available if you want to chat with other fans during the show.
IN SEARCH OF THE INNOCENTS - AN ERASURE BLOG
My In Search Of The Innocents blog has been updated this week with the addition of a very interesting interview with the backing vocalists from The Innocents tour, Valerie and Emma Chalmers. I have also just received designer Paul Khera's answers to the questions I sent him and those will be going online shortly. The questions you sent in for Vince and Andy on the subject of The Innocents are with the band now and I hope to have them back very soon too... nice to have the blog rolling again!
This week's newsletter greeting and farewell are in Welsh, courtesy of Steve!
Hwyl Fawr!
Richard
Erasure Information Service
http://www.erasureinfo.com
Forum | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter

Hope you enjoyed it.