Out now in the UK, Europe and beyond is 'Storm Chaser', the new EP which features new, extended and remixed versions of songs from the album 'Light At The End Of The World', plus an exclusive track that features guest vocals from Cyndi Lauper.
The North American release date for the 'Storm Chaser' is the 2nd October.
'Storm Chaser' is available on three formats - a nine track CD, a two track 7" vinyl picture disc and as an eleven track digital download.
Track Listing:
CD
- Storm In A Teacup [Single Version]
- Sucker For Love [Extended Mix]
- Golden Heart [GRN's 'Golden Glow' Radio Edit]
- Early Bird-Feat. Cyndi Lauper
- Storm In A Teacup [Koishii & Hush Club Mix]
- Sucker For Love [DJ Manolo Remix]
- Storm In A Teacup [Extended Mix]
- When A Lover Leaves You [Oscar Salguero Remix]
- Glass Angel [The Equalatrial Mix]
Digital Bonus Tracks
- Golden Heart [GRN's Golden Glow Remix]
- When a Lover Leaves You [GRN Remix]
7" Vinyl Picture Disc
- Storm In A Teacup [Single Version]
- Sucker For Love [Edit]
The cheapest place to purchase the beautifully designed physical formats (CD and 7" vinyl picture disc) is online via Mute Bank. High street stores such as Virgin Megastore and HMV are of course also stocking this release.
The eleven track digital download version of 'Storm Chaser' is currently available for an absolutely bargain price for £1.99 from iTunes and £1.50 from MSN Music.
A 'Storm Chaser' E-Card is available online and you can listen to one of the mixes via the Erasure MySpace site.
Erasure's recent live performance at London's Royal Albert Hall is to be released on audio CD & Digital Download from November and on DVD in the New Year.
You can pre-order these releases at a special discounted price online. Anyone pre-ordering the CD/DVD bundle will also receive an exclusive limited edition poster.
For further information visit liveherenow.co.uk.
There has been a change of plan to the television programme 'Stephen Fry - HIV & Me', which was previously reported to be featuring Andy Bell openly talking about his experiences of living with HIV.
As the series developed and the editing progressed, the series became much more about how everyday people live with the virus rather than being about celebrities, therefore Andy will no longer appear.
The series is due to be broadcast in the UK on BBC TWO at 21.00 on Monday 1st October and Monday 8th October.
The 14th annual MTV Europe Music Awards is taking place on the 1st November.
One of the award categories is "Inter Act", where you can vote on which band you think has been most interactive with fans and online.
In the past twelve months there has been Erasure related blogs / podcasts / exclusive audio & video clips / remix competitions / fan photos included in an Erasure video etc, therefore it would be great if you could all vote for Erasure.
You can vote by visiting ema.mtv.co.uk.
This weeks preview of the forthcoming release 'Storm Chaser' is a clip of the track 'Sucker For Love (DJ Manolo Mix)'.
'Storm Chaser' is released in the UK / Europe on the 24th September (and North America in October) and can be pre-ordered from HMV and Mute Bank.
Erasure's forthcoming live performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 25th September is to be released on CD and download from November and on DVD in the new year.
You can pre-order both these releases now at a discounted price. Anyone pre-ordering the CD/DVD bundle will also receive an exclusive limited edition poster.
For further information and prices visit liveherenow.co.uk
29th October sees the release of a re-packaged version of Erasure's 'best of' collection - "Hits! The Very Best Of Erasure".
Containing 3 discs, it features:
- CD 1 - 20 classic Erasure songs
- CD 2 - 18 Erasure songs mixed together (mixed by Mark Towns)
- DVD - The first 35 Erasure videos
With the tour continuing in the UK, local press have been conducting interviews with Andy and Vince, and reviewing the live shows.
Both myself and Andy were in very good headspaces so hopefully some of that optimism comes across.
This album is to show people that our pop isn't finished. It's saying we can still do it, we can still write great songs.
There really ought to be pop's version of a blue plaque to mark Manchester's part in the pinnacle of Erasure's career.
And what a knees up it was: hit after hit was met by a wildly enthusiastic audience....Bell's voice has always been one of pop's strongest and he did deliver the goods...
...the result was one of the best gigs, in terms of atmosphere and music, you are likely to see there in a long time...
...Erasure easily proved they still enjoy what they do. More importantly, they still do it well. Just looking at Bell cavorting around the stage would likely tire even the fittest person, and his vocals remain absolute perfection.
Plus an article in the 'Lancashire Evening Post' regarding Ray and Kath Sutton, who contacted the EIS with a wish to meet and thank the band.
Ray and Kath Sutton, from Cop Lane, Penwortham, were reunited with singer Andy Bell who supported the couple with kind words and sympathy as they waited for a flight to New York in 2005. They were revisiting the children's camp their son had worked at before a horrific 30ft fall from a building led to his death. Bell, 43, also phoned them personally to invite them to a USA Erasure concert.
They were so grateful and were desperate to meet and thank the popsters on their trip to Lancashire - and their dream came true last night.
They met Andy and synth maestro Vince Clarke backstage and told them about progress with charity Sutty's Shooting Stars, set up in memory of Carl.
Another 'Storm Chaser' preview for you this week. This weeks clip is 'Sucker For Love (DJ Manolo Mix)'.
'Storm Chaser' is released in the UK / Europe on the 24th September (and North America in October) and can be pre-ordered from HMV and Mute Bank.
This long awaited extraordinary book chronicles Paul and Andy's spectacular rise to prominence with Erasure's early hit albums and offers a vicarious look at the parties, glamour, and exclusive lifestyle it enabled.
But it was also a lifestyle of dangerous excess, which ultimately resulted in a potentially fatal episode for Paul in a luxury Los Angeles hotel. A massive stroke rendered him paralysed and unable to speak, and it was unclear it he would be able to recover.
Hospitalised, Paul was faced with an uncertain future, unsure which, if any, of his faculties would return. Unable to talk Paul had no choice but to reflect on his life and was reduced to communicating with typed notes.
Yet the more he typed, the more he recovered, slowly giving birth to this book. By doing so Paul re-engages the world world, celebrates in the love and support of his family, friends, and most importantly, Andy.
For further information visit Paul Hickey's MySpace site.
Vince has made available his second tour podcast, where the band and crew visit one of the UK's first service stations, and we eavesdrop on Andy and the backing singers doing their vocal exercises.
All the podcasts are available via this page, via iTunes or via a RSS feed.
Back in 2000, Family Fantastic released an album entitled 'Nice!', a pastiche of 70s disco classics which featured the talents of Vince Clarke, Phil Creswick, Jason Creasey, Val Chalmers and Emma Whittle.
Now sees the highly anticipated second Family Fantastic album 'Wonderful' nearing release, starring Daphne Diamant, James Gray, Phil Creswick and featuring Vince Clarke and Nick Carter.
'Wonderful' track listing:
- So Sentimental
- Cargo Cult
- Boom Boom
- Falling
- Hold Me
- Shimmy Shimmy
- Southern Hemisphere Girl
- Somewhere
- Wonderful
- Lullaby
Look out for it's release towards the end of October on iTunes, Rhapsody and Napster.
Just a quick correction to an earlier news story. The visuals for Erasure's current 'Light At The End Of The World' tour were done by both Shaun o Conner (myspace.com/prickimage) and Steve Sleeve (visualiza.co.uk). Check out both sites for updates and examples of their work.
Whilst Erasure are touring the UK and Europe, Vince Clarke will be producing a podcast that chronicles the day on each tour date.
The first podcast (recorded yesterday before the Oxford show) is available now.
You can access the podcast feed here, or you can download the MP3's here.
We are giving away an exclusive extended remix of 'Golden Heart' - one of the new tracks from Erasure's latest album.
To download this free remix, simply sign up to receive the Erasure E-Mail Newsletter & you will be sent a link to download this track.
Congratulations to the following people who won the recent Erasure E-Mail Newsletter competition to meet Andy and Vince:
- Sara Elliott
- Darren Coyle
- Andrew Smith
- Claire Locke
- Scott Retter
- Tracy Dyson
The answer to the question was 'C', there are 13 tracks on the iTunes release of Erasure's new album 'Light At The End Of The World'.
An exclusive audio preview from the forthcoming release 'Storm Chaser' is now available - this week it's a clip of the 'Koishii & Hush Club Mix' of 'Storm In A Teacup'.
Audio streams in QuickTime, Real Media and Windows Media formats are below.