Erasure ~ The Innocents: A Review (The Innocents - Erasure)

Member Name: keeperofthematri

Product:	The Innocents - Erasure
Date:	25/05/09 (21 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A strong, consistent album

Disadvantages: Sixty Five Thousand is a tad lame

The Innocents was Erasure's third studio album, & fourth in total {an album called The Two Ring Circus had been released which was a collection of remixes & live tracks). It contains the following tracks:-


01) A Little Respect:
The third & final single to be released in the UK gave the group their highest charting single from the album when it peaked at number 4 in the UK.
Andy asks for A Little Respect over a great backing track. A strong opening to the album.

02) Ship Of Fools:
The lead single from the album peaked at number 6 in the UK chart upon it's release.
This has a great dreamy intro & still sounds fresh over 20 years after it first came out! Andy's almost choir-boy like voice blends perfectly with the melody to create one of the album's standout tracks.

03) Phantom Bride:
Another track with a catchy intro. The album takes a step into seriousness here as we're presented with the tale of a girl who's got pregnant but who's boyfriend has left her. Not up to the standard of the first two tracks but a solid enough song in its own right.

04) Chains Of Love:
This, the second single to be released in the UK peaked at Number 11 in the charts in a remixed version.
The track starts with Andy singing over a minimal backing track before it bursts into life as he tells us all about how restrictive love can be. This uptempo number, which features Caron Wheeler of Soul II Soul fame on backing vocals, is a strong contender for the best track on the album.

05) Hallowed Ground:
"Everybody's intent on killing someone, the street's are closed & there's a kid on the run, the bullets scream out from gun to gun, everybody's intent on being someone".
Like Phantom Bride this song seemed to reflect the times we when first heard it back in 1988. But, with knife crime, one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in Europe & a culture in which people think that they can find instant fame through TV shows like Big Brother & The X-Factor it may as well have been written about the world we're living in today.

06) Sixty-Five Thousand:
Mainly an instrumental track that has a few brief lyrics used at various points. It's an ok track but probably not something you'd want to listen to every time you play the album.

07) Heart Of Stone:
An uptempo track which belies the lyrical content of the song. "I cry for your heart of stone" sings Andy as he tells us all about his relationship with his hard hearted lover. But if the line "my mother told me you'd be no good for me" doesn't raise a smile then I don't know what will!

08) Yahoo!:
Another uptempo track here with Caron Wheeler once more chipping in which some backing vocals. It's got a bit of a religious feel as Andy sings "I pray to the lord on high to set you free." Yet another strong track on the album.

09) Imagination:
Another strong backing track on this song as Andy sings all about memories & imagination. Bonus points for getting Medusa into the lyrics!

10) Witch In The Ditch:
This song has a slightly different feel to the rest of the album & might not be to everyone's taste. It feels a bit like some sort of medieval hymn sang over a synth driven backing tracking, but I rather like it.

11) Weight Of The World:
This one's all about keeping things wrapped up inside yourself, something I'm sure we've all been guilty of. Andy points that such a course is "soul destroying" & that it won't actually alter the situation.

12) When I Needed You (Melancholic Mix):
This starts off with minimal backing before bursting into a more uptempo number. "Where were you, when I needed you most, when I needed a friend" asks Andy as he also tells us about various things he'd like to be.

13) River Deep, Mountain High:
The first cover version to feature on an Erasure album {barring the live version of Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) on The Two Ring Circus}.
I suppose your opinion of this might be derived from what you feel about the Ike & Tina Turner original. Not one of my favourites & at just over 7 minutes in length it rather outstays its welcome.


Compare "Wonderland" to "The Circus" & it's clear that Erasure has raised their game a notch or two between the two albums. Likewise, when comparing "The Circus" & "The Innocents" it's clear that this album has a different sound and is more accomplished, more polished, more 'poppy'.
It's a very consistent album & if you haven't heard it yet you're in for a treat.

Summary: Possibly the group's best album