Erasure: 'Total Pop!' - The First 40 Hits -- In U.K. Stores Today!

Erasure: 'Total Pop!' - The First 40 Hits -- In U.K. Stores Today!

When its cold outsideAm I here in vain?Hold on to the nightThere will be no shameErasure, "Always"What a classic! "Always" is my favorite Erasure song, and it was really the first Erasure song that I paid attention to. I still remember hearing this all over the local radio station here in Grand Rapids, Michigan back in the summer of 1994. Good ol' 98 WGRD, The Number One Hit Music Station! Ah yes! The Pepsi Top 9 @ 9! I probably have it on tape somewhere! Has it really been 15 years now? Wow! "Always" is such a beautiful song, lyrically, vocally, and musically. It's one of those few songs that gives me chills every time that I hear it.And what better way to celebrate 15 years of "Always" with none other than the brand new Jeremy Wheatley 2009 Mix of the song?! I was really happy to hear that the song is getting life again yet 15 years after it's success in 1994 (#4 U.K., #20 U.S., #1 Ireland, #5 Germany). It was only late 2008 that I had re-discovered the song and added it to my car MP3 CD playlist. Erasure had a U.K. Top 5 single and #1 album ('I Say I Say I Say') thanks mostly to the song and scored their highest charting album in the U.S. Released as the new single to promote 'Total Pop!' comes this new mix, which was just featured on the 'Pop Remixed' EP (released 9 February 2009 in the U.K.)While the new mix of "Always" does not differ greatly from the original 1994 version (perhaps that's why I like it so much) I am glad that it was released. I love the first chorus in which the "and" lyric is skipped over so that Andy sings, "always I want to be with you make believe with you" instead of "always I want to be with you and make believe with you". I kept thinking that it was missing the "and" when I listened to it. Then I compared it to the original and realised that it was! Nothing big, but it just adds a little extra something to the already brilliant song.But that's not all that comes with the new 'Total Pop' collection. While the release title mentions "the first 40 hits" it's actually a 41-track double CD compilation, covering their entire career -- from 1985's "Who Needs Love Like That" to 2009's "Always [Jeremy Wheatley Mix]" -- all in digitally remastered audio. A whopping 33 of these hits made the U.K. Top 40. Twenty-eight of them made the U.K. Top 20. Quite an impressive feat! Take a look at the hits. While most of these singles did not chart in the U.S. they were successful overseas. Their list of hit singles is very impressive. If you are unfamiliar with their hits outside the U.S. charts now is your chance to catch up!Tracklistings (courtesy of Amazon.co.uk) --

1:Who Needs Love (Like That) (2009 Digital Remaster)

2. Heavenly Action (2009 Digital Remaster)

3. Oh L'Amour (2009 Digital Remaster)

4. Sometimes (2009 Digital Remaster)

5. It Doesn't Have To Be (2009 Digital Remaster)

. Victim Of Love (2009 Digital Remaster)

7. The Circus (2009 Digital Remaster)

8. Ship Of Fools (2009 Digital Remaster)

9. Chains Of Love (2009 Digital Remaster)

10. A Little Respect (2009 Digital Remaster)

11. Stop! (2009 Digital Remaster)

12. Drama! (2009 Digital Remaster)

13. You Surround Me (2009 Digital Remaster)

14. Blue Savannah (2009 Digital Remaster)

15. Star (2009 Digital Remaster)

. Chorus (2009 Digital Remaster)

17. Love To Hate You (2009 Digital Remaster)

18. Am I Right? (2009 Digital Remaster)

19. Breath Of Life (2009 Digital Remaster)

20. Take A Chance On Me (2009 Digital Remaster)

21. Who Needs Love (Like That) (Hamburg Mix) (2009 Digital Remaster)

Disc 2:

1. Always (2009 Digital Remaster)

2. Run To The Sun (2009 Digital Remaster)

3. I Love Saturday (2009 Digital Remaster)

4. Stay With Me (2009 Digital Remaster)

5. Fingers And Thumbs (Cold Summer's Day) (2009 Digital Remaster)

6. Rock Me Gently (2009 Digital Remaster)

7In My Arms (2009 Digital Remaster)

8. Don't Say Your Love Is Killing Me (2009 Digital Remaster)

9. Rain (Al Stone Mix) (2009 Digital Remaster)

. Freedom (2009 Digital Remaster)

11. Moon And The Sky (JC's Heaven Scent Radio Re-Work) (2009 Digital Remaster)

12. Solsbury Hill (2009 Digital Remaster)

13.Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me) (2009 Digital Remaster)

14. Breathe (2009 Digital Remaster)

15. Don't Say You Love Me (2009 Digital Remaster)

16. Here I Go Impossible Again (2009 Digital Remaster)

17. I Could Fall In Love With You (2009 Digital Remaster)

18. Sunday Girl (2009 Digital Remaster)

19.. Storm In A Teacup (2009 Digital Remaster)

20. Always (2009 Mix)Want more?

'Total Pop!' is also available as a 4 disc deluxe box set, featuring not only the 2-CD collection as listed above but a bonus live CD and bonus DVD. Take a look

CD - Disc 3 (Erasure Live 1987 - 2007):Spiralling (The Circus Tour

1987The Hardest Part (The Innocents Tour)

1988Drama! (The Wild! Tour)

On Your Door (The Wild! Tour) 1989

Push Me Shove Me (Milton Keynes Bowl) 1990Voulez Vous (Phantasmagorical Tour)

1992Am I Right? (Phantasmagorical Tour)

1992Heart Of Stone (Phantasmagorical Tour)

1992Who Needs Love Like That (The Tiny Tour)

1996Rain (Cowboy Tour) 1997Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime (Sanctuary The EIS Christmas Concert) 2002Piano Song (The Other Tour)

2003Hideaway (The Erasure Show)

2005Breathe (The Acoustic Tour)

2006Oh L'Amour (Light At The End Of The World Tour)

2007DVD - Disc 4 (Erasure At The BBC 1986 -

2005):Sometimes (Top Of The Pops)

1986It Doesn't Have To Be (The Tom O'Connor Roadshow)

1987Victim of Love (Daytime Live) 1987The Circus (Daytime Live)

1987Ship of Fools (Wogan) 1988Chains of Love (Top Of The Pops)

1988A Little Respect (Going Live!)

1988Stop! (Top Of The Pops) 1988Chorus (Wogan)

1991Love To Hate You (Top Of The Pops)

1991Am I Right? (Top Of The Pops)

1991Breath of Life (Top Of The Pops)

1992Who Needs Love (Like That) (Top Of The Pops)

1992Always (Top Of The Pops)

1994Run To The Sun (Top Of The Pops)

1994I Love Saturday (Smash Hits Poll Winner's Party)

1994Stay With Me (Pebble Mill) 1995Fingers & Thumbs (Cold Summer's Day) (Pebble Mill) 1995Don't Say Your Love Is Killing Me (Top Of The Pops)

1997Solsbury Hill (Top Of The Pops)

2003Breathe (Top Of The Pops) 2005Top Of The Pops 2 Special (Top Of The Pops 2)

2003-Breath Of Life-Sometimes-Love To Hate You-You've Lost That Loving Feeling-A Little Respect-Make Me Smile (Come Up & See Me)Sometimes (The Tom O'Connor Roadshow) 1987How Many Times? (The Late Show) 1989Miracle (Later... with Jools Holland) 1994Because You're So Sweet (Later... with Jools Holland) 1994