Okay Andy, so the new album is Hits! I guess a proud moment in your career is it? Looking back at all of this fantastic track listing?
Well I wouldn't say proud…
Oh!
But it's very good to have it out though, because it kind of reminds people of who we are and that we're still here - and that we're still going!
Do you have a favourite track if you look at the listing there on the album? Do you pick one out?
I like Always and Blue Savannah.
So do I. It's often the case, a lot of artists releasing a greatest hits album that they put on a new track or two. But you've not gone for that option, tell us why?
Oh you mean a new, a brand new?
A brand new track…
Well we tried but we didn't think they were good enough.
Oh really?
Yeah, so they're on the b-side of the Oh L'Amour single. That's being very very honest, you see?
It was very honest!
And now we've written five new songs for a new album for 2004. And we're going to keep writing, writing writing writing 'til we've got probably ten or twelve.
Excellent, well I was gonna ask you about a new album a little bit later on actually. Last time I spoke to you, you mentioned "Saints and Sinners". Are there other titles that you're going to reveal today?
Oh no, "Saints and Sinners" ended up being one of the b-sides!
Did it?
Yeah, which is now called "Nothing Lasts Forever".
Ah yeah I've had a listen to that.
And… No I mean we've got five songs but there are no working titles, just song one, song two, song three, song four.
Oh I see, right, well don't give too much away!
No.
The new single is the remix of the classic "Oh L'Amour". Are you pleased with it?
Um, quite pleased…
Okay.
I think with, I think the original's really good on is own anyway.
Agree yes.
And I thought it was better than the Dollar version, which the radio played…
Agree again, yeah!
So, I'm hoping they're gonna play this one of ours. But we just kind of wanted to re-release it to let people know that we've written it anyway in the first place.
Sure
So it's the same kind of thing with the Wheatus single, you know. People coming to the gigs and saying "Why are they doing that Wheatus song mum?"
Yeah. I do an eighties show on a Sunday lunchtime and I played "Oh L'Amour" one week and I said there's the original version. And some woman was on, saying "What are you talking about? This is a Dollar song!" So I put them straight, don't worry!
Good - thank you!
And I'll continue!
On the new single - the DVD, there's "Victim of Love" live in Copenhagen.
Right.
Can we expect the whole show out on DVD?
Um, the show they're talking about at the moment putting on DVD is the "Phantasmagorical Entertainment" show. But I think they might be doubling them up - like doing one say of the "Wild Tour" with "The Circus Tour" and things like that, but I'm not sure.
Oh really?
But on the second DVD they've got kind of clips from all the shows, I think two songs from each show - each tour sorry. And all the EPKs (Electronic Press Kits) we've done, some few little extra bits and things. But I think the DVD "Hits!" the video one it's very good value for money, cause you get 35 songs on there.
Yes an awful lot on there.
Yeah.
Well that should be good.
And rumours, of the other week anyway, the Country and Western album?
Yeah
Is there any thing in that?
Yes that's done - we've finished it.
That is real! It's a real rumour!
It is real, yeah.
We heard it and then it was denied, and, and but its happening?
We've done, yeah, it's done.
So what, is this original material? Or…
This is still Erasure material so we can't release it after the "Hits!" album because people will start getting bored of old stuff. So we're going to release new stuff and then release the country and western album when it's time.
So it's Erasure hits with a country and western twang to them?
Yes! It's a lovely, it's really fantastic, I'm very proud of it.
Fantastic!
Did you enjoy the recent tour?
Yeah, it was OK. I was kind of um, I overdid it a bit though. I wasn't you know I wasn't really in good shape. But then I didn't, the flexibility in my hips went, so I was in agony on stage.
Were you?
You might have not noticed, yeah, but I was in agony, honestly, every night! When I after, when I came off I couldn't even walk the next day!
Andy, that doesn't bode well for another tour which is my next question?
No I know. But I'm getting ready; I'm doing all physiotherapy and all that kind of stuff.
Are you?
Ready for next summer, yeah.
Ah! That sounds like a promise! I heard acoustic tour maybe, is that what's happening?
Well the acoustic tour, we were going to do some acoustic shows for Christmas to coincide with the new country and western album. But as that's not coming out, we'll do a proper Erasure tour next year and then wait on the acoustic until the country and western comes out. But that all depends on Vince cause he's the, you know, the ship steerer!
Yes yes! So, um, do you think… Well is the plan if you do a tour next summer, that the new album with original material will be around by then?
I don't know! I don't know - it's very weird because people don't seem to like hearing new stuff you know. Or hearing something that they're not familiar with, it doesn't go down very well. You always got to do stuff that people know.
Hm Hm Hm
Unless you just do all of the new stuff and that's all but, I don't think people will be satisfied with that.
Sure they want to hear those classics as well.
Yeah.
Do you ever get a little frustrated with the bit less media or attention these days when you're still churning out a good product?
Yeah, you do, cause I think, they're not, you know the media's not really very supportive. I don't mean to um, it's mostly kind of national radio things. Because if they say we're too old and all this kind of stuff and I think that's rubbish, you know. And also, they don't seem to embrace their own home grown talent. And it's all kind of 19 Management stuff, you know all this, um Pop Idols and Fame Academies and all these people…
Churned out…
It's like, almost like your place in the charts is a game show price now.
Absolutely, absolutely agree!
Andy on the day when we run this interview we're going to play a lot of your tracks. We already do by the way! But I wonder if I'd say the titles of tracks, if you could just say whatever comes in the head about each track - would that be OK?
What? Like word association you mean, or… ?
Well not word assoc… just a memory of recording the track or, you know…
Okay
Do you see what I mean? Just so what we're planning really is that over the intro of each track we'll play a bit of you!
Well I'll try!
Ok, let's see here goes.
Hm… A Little Respect?
A Little Respect… Vince said you can't call this song "A Little Respect" because there's already another song called "A Little Respect" by Aretha Franklin. And I said yes we can, and put my foot down.
Very good, see? it works. Breath of Life?
Breath of Life - Vince isn't that keen on this one, but I love it, cause it's kind of like a Donna Summer disco song.
Brilliant! You're good at this, you see? Ehh Sometimes?
Sometimes… We knew we had a hit when we went "Ah ha ha, ah ha ha, ah ha ha ha"!
The Abba covers.
Abba covers, I love Abba!
Very good… Victim of Love?
Victim of Love is a Motown baseline, is kind of white northern soul.
Fantastic, Ship of Fools?
Ship of Fools was another song that wrote itself, didn't have to think about the words on that one.
Really?
No
Okay well we're nearly through I promise! Chains of Love?
Chains of Love was a hit in America, it's another one that Vince doesn't like but I love, cause it's Motown-ish.
Excellent. Always? You've already said a bit about that but…
"Always something there to remind me!"
Okay! Stop?
Stop! was a present from Vince - we'll be together again.
Oh right! Er, Blue Savannah?
Blue Savannah is our tribute to Roy Orbison.
Really? Go on, expand!
Yeap! Well I think it's the kind of song that he would love to sing, and it's one of those songs that you can drive in your car across the desert.
True. And finally, Solsbury Hill?
Solsbury Hill, not my choice, but in hindsight I think we did a good job, and there is no Solsbury Hill anymore, they cut it off.
Oh, really?
Yeah.
I didn't know that.
It's gone.
Excellent, right.
Ok I've got one or two more little things, I think that we can do Andy, is that alright?
Yeah, yeah.
If you could do, so we could use it as a promo because we're doing like a big winning day for your album.
Yeah
I don't know if you've got a pen you want to write it down so you can remember it - "Hi! This is Andy Bell from Erasure. Win Hits! The Very Best of Erasure this Friday on Lincs FM" is what I'm after.
"Hello, this is Mr Andy Bell from Erasure, and you can win Hits! The Very Best of Erasure this Friday on Lincs FM!"
First take, brilliant!
I've got one or two questions if I had time I said I'd do this from the EIS members.
Okay!
Is that okay?
Yeah!
Cactus wants to know, any chance he said you can ask, "whether the Mute/EMI deal will be best for you in the long run?"
Well, I think they're putting out this "Hits! The Very Best Of", so it's down to them, so, which it seems to be a good promotion for us, so yes!
Right, and Michael says please ask why Phantom Bride still hasn't been given it's due. Tell him fans think it should be released as a single or mixed or recorded acoustically at least.
Well it was covered by some lady who did a Hi-Energy version, I can't remember the name, sorry! Hm, but I don't know!
A favourite of yours?
It's alright. I don't like singing about brides.
Don't you?
No!
Why not?
Because I can't, cause I can't be one!
I thought you got married?
No, I was going to, but, I called it off!
Did you?
Yeah!
Oh dear! And nearly there friend - Terry says, "Do you and Vince feel you need to constantly develop/change Erasure's sound versus being pleased with Erasure's sound and not feel like it necessarily has to change?"
No.
One more. He'll be pleased with that when he hears this! Kev says "Ask Andy if he has got any contact with backing singers from previous tours."
Some of them.
Do you have any of their names?
Derek, ah, James, Val, Emma - not the twins.
Not the twins?
Don't know where they are!
Oh I see!
Love them, don't know where they are!
Andy, well, thank you very much, I think we're through everything we need.
Thank you!
Thank you for your time, bye-bye.
Thank you, thanks.