Erasure - Union Street

Title: Union Street Artist: Erasure Release Date: 4/18/2006 Label: Mute Records Album Type(s): lyrics/libretto, Enhanced CD-ROM UPC: 724596932124 Genre: Rock Styles: Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Dance, Alternative/Indie Rock Moods: Dramatic, Energetic, Joyous, Rousing, Bittersweet, Bright, Effervescent, Slick, Stylish, Yearning, Amiable/Good-Natured, Cheerful, Confident, Gleeful, Carefree, Elaborate, Exuberant, Fun, Playful, Theatrical, Party/Celebratory Total Copies: 0 Members Wishing: 2 Number of Discs/SwapaCD Credits: 1

1. Boy
2. Piano Song
3. Stay with Me
4. Spiralling
5. Home
6. Tenderest Moments
7. Alien
8. Blues Away
9. How Many Times?
10. Love Affair
11. Rock Me Gently
12. [Untitled Track]

Year Type Label Catalog # 2006 CD Mute Records 9321

Union Street [Japan]

With live albums, remix albums, and even an all-covers album in their back catalog, Erasure have utilized every stopgap device known to man except the unplugged album, until now. With plenty of dobro, strings, pedal steel, and nylon string guitars, Union Street is a soft, all-acoustic affair. While that may seem an uninspired choice after the excellent and purposeful Nightbird -- or downright ridiculous since they are a dancefloor-filling synth duo at the core -- the oddball song selection and elegant arrangements are surprising enough to believe this is more than a cash-in or by-the-numbers release. Instead of unplugging "Love to Hate You," "Oh l'Amour," or any of the other club hits that have made an impact past their core audience, Erasure have chosen album tracks and B-sides, most dealing with heartbreak, and a handful dealing with hope. It's a limited listen, made worse by the front-loading of the best tracks. "Boy," "Piano Song," and "Stay with Me" all sound renewed and vital, but as the album progresses, the songs get cluttered with strumming and string arrangements that don't serve the tunes as well as they should. As melodies get lost in this pastoral jumble, familiarity with the original tracks helps a lot, suggesting the album would make a better fanclub release than a general one. If approached in that casual manner, a longtime Erasure fan will get twice, maybe three times as much more out of Union Street than the merely curious will. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide

Name Credits Anja Wood Cello Antoine Silverman String Arrangements, Violin Ben Butler Guitar Ben Wittman Percussion Christopher Cardona Violin David Creswell Viola David Weiss Woodwind Gordon Titcomb Mandolin, Dobro, Pedal Steel Greg Calbi Mastering Jason Lehning Mixing Jill Walsh Production Coordination, Vocal Arrangement, Vocal Producer, Vocals (Background) Joe Salvatto Technical Consultant Joey Seifers Bass (Acoustic) Juan Bautista Sánchez García Engineer Kenny Wollesen Percussion Nick Cipriano Engineer Richard Hammond Bass, Bass (Acoustic) Steve Walsh Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Producer, Slide Guitar Vince Clarke Guitar (Nylon String), Performer, Producer Zach Dychs Engineer