Hits! The Very Best of Erasure

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Hits! The Very Best of Erasure
Greatest hits album by
Released20 October 2003
Recorded1985–2003
GenreSynth-pop
Length78:24
LabelMute
Erasure chronology
Other People's Songs
(2003)
Hits! The Very Best of Erasure
(2003)
Nightbird
(2005)
Singles from Hits! The Very Best of Erasure
  1. "Oh L'amour (August Mix)"
    Released: 13 October 2003
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

Hits! The Very Best of Erasure is the second greatest hits album by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released on 20 October 2003 by Mute Records. Capitalising on a resurgence of Erasure's music after their successful covers album Other People's Songs, Mute released Hits! in order to reintroduce people to the duo's music and to give an update to their 1992 singles compilation Pop! The First 20 Hits.

Since the release of Pop!, Erasure had released fifteen more singles, but only six of them appeared on Hits!. In addition, two additional songs from the Abba-esque EP were added to the line-up, as well as a new remix of "Oh L'amour", originally found on their 1986 debut album Wonderland.

To entice Erasure completists to purchase the Hits! set, limited copies of the album contained a bonus CD containing an "Erasure Megamix", consisting of eighteen of their classic songs (including "You Surround Me", the only song not on the main album) strung together in a DJ-mixed form. A few are the basic single mixes, but most of them consist of well known dance remixes done at the time of their respective releases; in particular, additional vocals from remixes of "Love to Hate You" and "Sometimes" were included.

Hits! was repackaged and reissued in the UK on 29 October 2007. This new version includes the same two discs as the original release, along with a DVD containing 35 Erasure music videos. These are the same videos which were released on the Hits! the Videos in 2003. On 22 July 2013, the album was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).[2]

Track listing[edit]

Disc one[edit]

  1. "Oh L'amour" (Clarke/Bell)
  2. "Sometimes" (Clarke/Bell)
  3. "Victim of Love" (Clarke/Bell)
  4. "Ship of Fools" (Clarke/Bell)
  5. "Chains of Love" (Clarke/Bell)
  6. "A Little Respect" (Clarke/Bell)
  7. "Stop!" (Clarke/Bell)
  8. "Blue Savannah" (Clarke/Bell)
  9. "Chorus" (Clarke/Bell)
  10. "Love to Hate You" (Clarke/Bell)
  11. "Breath of Life" (Clarke/Bell)
  12. "Lay All Your Love on Me" (Andersson/Ulvaeus)
  13. "Take a Chance on Me" (Andersson/Ulvaeus)
  14. "Voulez-Vous" (Andersson/Ulvaeus)
  15. "Always" (Clarke/Bell)
  16. "Stay with Me" (Clarke/Bell)
  17. "In My Arms" (Clarke/Bell)
  18. "Freedom" (Clarke/Bell)
  19. "Solsbury Hill" (Peter Gabriel)
  20. "Oh L'amour (August Mix)" (Clarke/Bell)

Disc two – "Erasure Megamix"[edit]

Remixed and reconstructed by: Mark Towns, Chicago 2003

  1. "Stay with Me" (Clarke/Bell)
  2. "You Surround Me" (Clarke/Bell)
  3. "In My Arms" (Clarke/Bell)
  4. "Solsbury Hill" (Gabriel)
  5. "A Little Respect" (Clarke/Bell)
  6. "Chains of Love" (Clarke/Bell)
  7. "Take a Chance on Me" (Andersson/Ulvaeus)
  8. "Love to Hate You" (Clarke/Bell)
  9. "Stop!" (Clarke/Bell)
  10. "Victim of Love" (Clarke/Bell)
  11. "Blue Savannah" (Clarke/Bell)
  12. "Always" (Clarke/Bell)
  13. "Freedom" (Clarke/Bell)
  14. "Chorus" (Clarke/Bell)
  15. "Oh L'amour" (Clarke/Bell)
  16. "Breath of Life" (Clarke/Bell)
  17. "Sometimes" (Clarke/Bell)
  18. "Ship of Fools" (Clarke/Bell)

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for Hits! The Very Best of Erasure
Chart (2003) Peak
position
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[3] 50
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[4] 54
Scottish Albums (OCC)[5] 14
UK Albums (OCC)[6] 15
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[7] 2

Certifications[edit]

Certifications for Hits! The Very Best of Erasure
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[2] Platinum 300,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

10 Great Songs[edit]

10 Great Songs
Greatest hits album by
Released2 October 2009
Recorded1986–1994
GenreSynth-pop
LabelMute
Erasure chronology
Pop2! The Second 20 Hits
(2009)
10 Great Songs
(2009)
Tomorrow's World
(2011)

10 Great Songs is a budget compilation released on 2 November 2009, shortly after the Total Pop! The First 40 Hits range of releases. According to the official Erasure website, the album was "part of a series of budget titles put together by EMI specifically for sale through 'non-traditional outlets'".[8] It re-used the cover artwork from the Hits! The Very Best of Erasure compilation, bordered by a generic sleeve design used on the packaging for other artists also featured in the series.

Track listing[edit]

  1. "Sometimes"
  2. "Victim of Love"
  3. "Ship of Fools"
  4. "Stop!"
  5. "Blue Savannah"
  6. "Chorus"
  7. "Breath of Life"
  8. "Take a Chance on Me"
  9. "Love to Hate You"
  10. "Always"

References[edit]

  1. ^ AllMusic review
  2. ^ a b "British album certifications – Erasure – Hits - The Very Best Of". British Phonographic Industry. 22 July 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  3. ^ "Oficiální česká hitparáda IFPI ČR – 44. týden 2003". Marketing & Media (in Czech). 31 October 2003. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Erasure – Hits! The Very Best Of" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  5. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  7. ^ "Erasure Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  8. ^ "10 Great Songs : Erasure news 12 October 2009". Erasureinfo.com. 12 December 1988. Archived from the original on 23 June 2011. Retrieved 3 August 2011.

External links[edit]

  • Erasureinfo.com – The official Erasure website
  • markymix.com – Website by Mark Towns: Remix engineer for Erasure's 2003 "HITS!" megamix and "Oh L'Amour" internet single.