Erasure4Rum

Yes that is just one small area that ive inhabited with my collection with a connection to the letter 'E'.
In the next few decades i'll be boring you rigid with tales of how and why this collection came together,i'll also be regaling you with stories of how to get some of these rare items or how to spend your weeks wages on something that you really want but don't need in your life.
I may even offer out little bits of this collection as gifts (or i may not),bit i hope you get an insight into my vast collection of which pre-internet days i thought was big and complete but then when i got logged onto the WWW found out mine was a tiny fragment of whats out there.

Hopefully inbetween my rantings people will come along and chip in with their stories to embellish line or may also feel the need to start up there own 'collection' thread so we can all get jealous together.

Oh and that photo doesn't even include my case full of cassettes!,the new album maybe called Tomorrow's World but welcome here to my 'Yesterdays World' of Erasure goodies. :no:
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Part Two



This little lot was started way back in the late 80's after hearing a little electronic synthpop ditty called Who Needs Love (Like That) by a new band known as Erasure. I wasn't aware at the time like most people probably that the origins of this new band had a great synthpop pedigree behind it in the shape of one Vincent Clarke. Now i already owned a single (cassette single Don't Go) and albums by Depeche Mode (the singles 81-85) but wasn't aware of the connection until later. I'd heard the single played on radio quite a lot and also the comments about Andy sounding like Alison Moyet etc but i got 'into' Erasure because of well ...... Erasure.

I eventually found the single in my local record shop,you remember it was like a normal shop but with records in it,unlike the virtual shops like iTunes we now frequent.At that time i only bought 12" singles and was happy with my purchase. It wasn't until later that i went back and collected the 7"/cassette etc. (This goes for most of the singles,anyway the cassette didn't appear until Sometimes was released)

Being the 80's things like 'the internet' or the 'world wide web' was still only under developement being a left over from the second world war (theres a factoid you may not know),anyway those days the only way you find out about future releases was via being in a fan club or reading the music papers/mags such as back then Smash Hits,NME,Melody Maker or Record Mirror.
The 2nd single Heavenly Action i stumbled across in what i know as the 'flop box' where records that didn't do to well end up being sold off cheap. But this was no normal 12" it was a double pack being shrink wrapped with the mexican mix of WNLLT,so it was a no brainer i bought it straight away because i loved the first single. To my surprise the new track was just as good as the first,soon after i found the now infamous Yellow Brick mix in the same flop box!!,and look how much of a rarity that turned into.
It was the same for Oh L'Amour i managed to get that cheap too,finding the remix first,it wasn't until i saw them live at the Coventry Poly in 1986 that i found out about the fan club and then got EIS updates and postcards through the post to let me know before any single was released-unlike today where we find out seconds after the EIS update is written.

Of the first three singles it still took a while to fully appreciate all the mixes and variations of formats,take for example the Heavenly Action single,it wasn't until later that i got the 7" version and realised that the b-side 'Don't Say No' actually had a full set of lyrics as i'd only heard the 12" Ruby Red Mix which as you'll all know was a virtual instrumental,plus the actual instrumental was also on the 12".

And that folks is how it all started for me anyway,and its not stopped 25 years later. The album Wonderland was also the very first CD album i ever bought-and that was something i aimed to do with my collection and that was to try and get as much as i could on the CD format,something that i still aim for to this day.
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Part Three

Collecting is a funny game it comes in many formats,like Erasure records-
7" singles
12" singles
picture discs
cassingles
CD singles
limited edition singles
box sets
albums-CD/Vinyl/minidisc/cassette
VHS videos
DVD's
laserdiscs
MP3-memory sticks/downloads

..... all these also come as promo only variants. My collection features one or more of each variant above,i may have even missed something off,i'm sure you'll correct me if my memory fails me. (if theres soemthing above you think-"what could that release be?",i'll let you know the release)

A major factor which is sadly missing from todays record collectors and that is actually going out of your house/flat etc and actually going out and about and tracking down that elusive release that you really need for your collection. Wether it means treking down to your local record shop or attending a record fair,the fun of trawling through racks of CD's,vinyl or promo's etc-the excitement of finding a rarity for the first time and feeling that euphoria of knowing your now the proud owner of that holy grail of Erasure folk law.

Today you type 'eBay' into your browser and thats all the fun taken away,but this lengthy intro is to talk about what was probably my greatest find and all in one visit to my local record shop.

This particular trip was to my local record shop 'Soundhouse' sadly no longer there,Mike who served me is an EIS member but ive not seen him post for a longtime,he gave me a promo poster for the Drama! single (thanks Mike),but this day i went in i wasn't really looking for anything in particular and i don't think a single was available at that time but they had a 'promo box' on the front counter where they sold off the promo's probably for about a £1 each (or cheaper i can't really remember the actual price but the total for the transaction was an absolute steal about £4)
Normally a rarity is a solitary thing sat alone in a rack of un-interesting items,but this day i struck pure gold not one but 4 rare items all in the same box.

The first item was the 'Boys United' Sire sampler CD which included the LTHY Spanish version-



1. Book Of Love - Boy Pop
2. Erasure - Love To Hate You (Spanish Version)
3. Doubleplusgood - Conga Te
4. La Casa - Get To You
5. Marc Almond - What Makes A Man A Man
6. Barenaked Ladies - What A Good Boy
7. Morrissey - He Knows I'd Love To See Him
8. John Wesley Harding - Save A Little Room For Me
9. Deborah Harry - Bike Boy
10. Belly - It's Not Unusual
11. The Judyrats - Pain Makes You Beautiful
12. Waterlillies - I Am Woman
13. Jose And Luis - The Queen's English

The next disc was the Mute International CD



3'35'' Crime & The City Solution - I Have A Gun (Woody Guthrie Mix)
3'48'' Depeche Mode - Enjoy The Silence (Extract From The Quad: Final Mix)
4'11'' Fortran 5 - Crazy Earth (L'Edit De Syd)
5'35'' Mark Stewart - Fatal Attraction (Extended Version)
4'59'' Inspiral Carpets - Sackville
3'44'' Easy - Between John & Yoko
2'46'' Laibach - 10.5.1941
4'32'' Erasure - Push Me Shove Me (Recorded Live At Milton Keynes Bowl, 1 September 1990)
4'52'' Wire - Drill (Turn Your Coat)
2'39'' Renegade Soundwave - Pocket Porn (Dub Mix)
4'34'' Nitzer Ebb - Out Of Mind (Spoken Mix)
4'09'' AC Marias - Give Me
4'46'' Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - The Train Song
3'52'' Ohi Ho Bang Bang - The Three

the next disc was the 'An Historical Debt' CD



1. Obvlivious - Aztec Camera
2. Push Me Shove Me (Live) - Erasure
3. Halo - Depeche Mode
4. Possible Worlds - The Shamen
5. Pump Up The Volume - Marrs
6. The Sweetest Girl - Scritti Politti
7. Birthday - The Sugarcubes
8. Phobia - Flowered Up
9. The Only One I Know - The Charlatans
10. Sleep Well Tonight - Inspiral Carpets
11. Well Well Well - The Woodentops
12. Godlike - The Dylans
13. All My Dreams Are Dead - Television Personalities
14. Jeane - Sandie Shaw
15. Shipbuilding - Robert Wyatt
16. Skin Storm - Bradford
17. Let's Kiss And Make Up - The Field Mice
18. I Wonder Why - The Heart Throbs
19. Arc-Lite - Loop
20. Gods Zoo - Death Cult

the final disc was the 'Follow Our Trax Vol V11



LOVE TO HATE YOU (Bruce Forest Remix Edit) - Erasure
JACKY - Marc Almond
STEPPIN' STONE - The Farm
GONE TO THE DOGS - Squeeze
BALLERINA OUT OF CONTROL - Ocean Blue
MY LOVE LIFE (CD Maxi-Single Version) - Morrissey
SEE SAW - Katydids
NOTHING NATURAL (CD Maxi-Single Version) - Lush
HEART OF SOUL - The Cult
BOBBY SHANNON - Sister Double Happiness
EL PANTALON BLUE JEAN - Texas Tornados
THIS IS IT - House Of Freaks


......... Now thats what i call being in the right place at the right time! Or alternatively-RESULT!! :chuckel:


(Now this story is in fact a true event i did buy 4 promo CD's,but the 4th disc was escaping my memory but i think it was the 4 above - but the International Compilation maybe the Magpie of the story)
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Part Four

TRACKS YOU DIDN'T KNOW YOU HAD

It's always a nice surprise when you stumble upon a nugget of pure gold hidden away in the depths of your collection.
It happened to me on a couple of occasions-

I had the US edition of the debut album Wonderland,but because I already owned the UK version I didn't really need
to play it,but one day for some reason I was playing it through and as soon as Oh L 'Amour came on my ears pricked up,it was the rare original Vince Clarke version with the 'pow pow' drums (I love that term),it's now the version Vince
plays live at gigs.

The next time was the discovery of the 7" single of Heavenly Action,as my collection progressed I decided to try and
get all of the UK releases at the time I only bought 12" singles/cassingles & CDs,so think of the surprise when I played
Don't Say No from the 7" as that is the full vocal version,previously the only vocals were on the Ruby Red Mix and that
was only a few of the full vocal version.

As far as 'hidden' tracks are concerned apart from DVD Easter eggs,the only track I'm aware of that appears on a CD
that isn't tracklisted on the sleeve is the instrumental version of First Contact that appears on the Rain CD single.


Part Five

Found a few things this afternoon,starting with my DVD collection




Wigstock The Movie (Demo of Cold Summer’s Day is in soundtrack album)


Red,Hot & Blue featuring the video for Too Darn Hot


Wonderland US promo cassette given to Seymour Stein to listen before he signed erasure to Sire.
Thanks Mike Depaz


Part Six

My latest addition to my collection,something I’ve never seen before
which I’ve since found out May well be a bootleg,unless you know better?




Part 8

EIS Sanctuary DVD i have 5 photos included on inside cover all highlighted here.

Back in the beginning

Love that photo so much, Pughie!! It "takes me back" as it probably does for most of us!! A simpler time!! x

Niiiice stuff

Still love that poster.

Tin Soldier wrote: Fri Jan 18, 2019 7:50 pm Still love that poster.

Bought as merch at my first ever Erasure gig at the Coventry Poly ‘86

A very old pre-Erasure shot,not very clear but you can see what I was ‘into’ before Erasure took over,also both artists have connections to Erasure,firstly to the left Propaganda with magazine cuttings featuring Claudia Brucken who sang duets on Andy’s Electric Blue solo debut. Andy has also sang live with Claudia performing those duets and also the track Absolutely Immune by her post a Propaganda project Act with Thomas Leer.
Then we have to the right Japan my first major fan obsession. Japan was an act Andy saw live in Leicester at the De Montfort Hall a place Erasure have played many times. Lead singer David Sylvian also added synths to the debut Propaganda album A Secret Wish.
Claudia & Suzanne have just finished a support tour with Heaven 17 where she was accompanied onstage by Philip Larson from Manhattan Clique (Of Electric Blue fame).

(Ps that wallpaper wasn’t my choice,it was there when we moved in!!)

Love the pics! Yowch, that wallpaper was awful. No wonder tried to cover it up as much as possible!

I was looking back over the pics of your DVD collection. What are those Electric Blue DVDs? Are those official?

mrblue wrote: Fri Mar 22, 2019 5:56 pm I was looking back over the pics of your DVD collection. What are those Electric Blue DVDs? Are those official?

The Electric Blue DVD’s are infact promo CD’s for the album in what’s known as the ‘porno’ covers. I have two as one if fully signed by all the artists that appear on it.

Andy Bell Electric Blue promo with ‘porno’ dvd case.







My fully signed copy.
Andy,Chris,Philip,Claudia & Jake



Autographs by Andy,Chris,Philip & Claudia were done at the Nightingales PA appearance in Birmingham.
The Jake autograph was done after a Scissor Sisters gig at Birmingham 02.

Wow! That's a very cool item!! And signed, no less!! Thanks for sharing!