This actually reminds me. I thought the same thing at the time, that Andy’s voice sounded a lot like Alison Moyet’s. Back then I was only nine, so my ear probably wasn’t that good. Listening now, it’s clear they’re actually quite different. Andy’s voice is lighter and more agile, while Alison’s has a deeper, huskier tone and more soulful inflection. I guess the similarities we noticed back then were more surface-level, maybe in the mid-range or the way the early tracks were produced. It also makes me wonder about Vince’s taste in voices. He must have liked that similarity, even if they don’t really sound the same.
Arthur also recorded an unreleased version of ‘Who Needs Love Like That’ for The Assembly, Clarke’s post-Depeche Mode project that aimed to use a variety of vocalists. “But I decided I really needed to find someone permanent, as opposed to using different people,” Clarke explains, “so I started working with Andy Bell and the song became the very first Erasure single.”