Erasure rehabilitate cover-versions

The reputation of cover version has been devalued with charts full of instant talent competitions to join the pop’s assembly-line of spewing puny re-cuttings of classic songs. The notion that blowing the dust off a track from yesteryear can discover new dimensions or rescue the tune from undeserved obscurity is hardly stirring. In such an atmosphere of regressed creativity an electronic duo has decided to serve a whole platter of ‘Other People’s Songs’.

They are Erasure and anyone with a memory that goes further than last summer’s beach-hits, should recall an EP, ‘Abba-esque’, fashioned back in 1992. This time, according to the band’s music maestro, Vince Clarke, it “is a bit more serious,” also claiming “this album is not so throw away as the Abba thing.” One should hope so after 17 years in the business (as Erasure member) and 25-odd years since Clarke’s debut with Depeche Mode.

Clarke and singer Andy Bell were talking about an album of covers at the time of promoting their ninth studio album, ‘Loveboat’, a couple of years ago but it was planned to be a solo album by Mr Bell.

Andy Bell: “Yes, the idea was to do something alongside the line of ‘Dusty Springfield in Memphis’, either by going to Nashville and making a Country’n’Western album with some people there or, the easiest thing, stay here and do songs that I’ve always loved, such as ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’’ and ‘Do I Love You’ by The Ronetts. I was working with a producer only and we needed a musician around because it was going too slowly. Vince came to see me in Spain (where Bell lives part-time) and suggested that we do it together and make it an Erasure album.”

Less is monster

The songs Vince and singer Andy Bell present on this album are not only well-known tunes, such as Peter Gabriel’s ‘Solsbury Hill’ (the first single), Righteous Brothers’ ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’’ and Elvis Presley’s ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’, but also some obscurities/forgotten tracks: ‘Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime’ (Korgis, 1980), ‘Goodnight’ (Buffy Sainte-Marie, 1970s) and ‘Walking In The Rain’ (Walker Brothers, 1966)…

Aren’t you a bit concerned that covering songs has been totally devalued with the whole ‘Pop Idol’ malarkey?

AB: “Of course we are and we’ve heard some even more disturbing attempts, like Martine McCutcheon doing a ‘duet’ with Judy Garland, on film!? And I think, oh, no! It’s being milked too much and a lot of covers are just disgusting!”

VC: “Still, the truth is that anybody’s version could be the definitive one, who’s to say that the original was the best? For instance, Human League’s version of ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’’ is my favourite version because that’s what I’m into.”

AB: “We wanted to call the album ‘Top Of The Pops’ but it is a trademark and we couldn’t use it. We really feel these are some of the greatest songs ever. But we also had to be careful to make sure these songs would work in our format, the way we wanted them to. We weren’t prepared to cover songs just because they were our favourites without actually being able to do anything with the cover.”

Please, explain then the inclusion of ‘Video Killed The Radio Star’?

VC: “That’s one of the songs that is my choice but the interesting thing is that I couldn’t make Andy sing the ‘Video…’ My brother programmed the vocal (using ‘Simple-sing’) and it worked… ”

AB: “I didn’t want to do it because I wanted singer’s songs; I love the song but I was snobby… The funny thing is that I played the album this morning at my accountant’s office and they thought it was me singing it! I didn’t take kindly to that!”

VC: “Cockney Rebel’s ‘Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)’ is my favourite on the album because it means so much to me, I remember buying it when I was a kid and loving it. I think we should have covered their ‘Sebastian’, it is a great song and quite operatic. I think Andy would have done a brilliant job on it.”

On a mover

Erasure plan to tour, Vince is moving to New York, there are a lot of changes occurring in their lives and career…

VC: “I think the reason is that I stopped drinking. That was the reason I wouldn’t tour last year, it was too soon after giving up. I’ve never liked touring and preferred spending my time at home, in my studio… But now, I’m moving to New York, for a year, and then coming back to live in Yorkshire. The reason I’m moving to NYC is that my girlfriend lives there but only for a year as that’s how long a visa I could get.”

“I also believe that it’ll be a great city to work in, with people there as well as explore Erasure’s mindset in such a setting. When we are in Spain we tend to hang around the pool and not do much while in New York everything seems to be pushing you to be creative. The older you get the more you realise how influenced by your environment you are and a song written in Spain has a different feel to the one we might write around Andy’s (Brit) house. It is actually less of a case when you are younger because, I think your inner life is more intense and important than the outside stimuli.”

“I also want to study film, there are some great courses there; not that I want to make my own movies, I just want to learn more about the process. I’ve done some soundtrack music but don’t really know much about film making.”
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Tour dates:

Sun 09 February - UEA, Norwich
Mon 10 February - Leas Cliff Hall, Folkstone
Wed 12 February - Auditorium, Grimsby
Thu 13 February - Guildhall, Preston
Fri 14 February - Town Hall, Middlesbrough
Sun 16 February - Barrowlands, Glasgow
Mon 17 February - Barbican. York
Tue 18 February - Assembly Rooms, Derby
Fri 21 February - Astoria, London
Sat 22 February - Astoria, London