Erasure are an English synth pop duo formed by songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell in 1985. It was the third successful pop group co-formed by Clarke (Depeche Mode and Yazoo being the first two). Erasure has released twenty-four consecutive Top 20 hits in the United Kingdom and sold 25 million albums worldwide The band also enjoys popularity within the GLBT community, with openly homosexual Andy Bell being regarded a gay icon.
In the mid-1980s, Vince Clarke placed an advertisement in Melody Maker, looking for a vocalist for a new musical project. He selected Andy Bell, who was the 43rd to audition. Erasure's first three singles were commercial failures in the UK, although the third, "Oh L'amour", charted well in Australia and some European countries (especially in France, where it still remains Erasure's only hit to date). Their fourth single, "Sometimes", peaked at number 2 and spent many weeks in the UK Top 40. The album The Circus, turned platinum in the UK with three additional hit singles - "It Doesn't Have To Be", "Victim of Love" and "The Circus". It remained on the charts for over a year. The third album, The Innocents, was released in 1988. Preceded by the Top 10 single "Ship of Fools", the album hit number one in the UK on its initial release and returned to popularity a year later, eventually going triple platinum. It also turned platinum in the U.S., generating two Top 20 hits in "Chains of Love" and "A Little Respect".
Posts
0 comments