Erasure - The Innocents [180G]

By the time Erasure released their third album, The Innocents, in 1988, they had built up a devoted following and an impressive clutch of hit singles. Produced by Stephen Hague, the LP captured Vince and Andy's star in the ascendant; its huge pop sound and catchy choruses catapulting Erasure to super-stardom in their home country and giving them their long-awaited U.S. breakthrough. The Innocents heralded the beginning of a string of No. 1 albums for the band and went double platinum in the UK. It has gone on to sell over 5 million copies worldwide and is Erasure's best-selling album to date. The Innocents spawned three hit singles; "A Little Respect" (arguably their signature song), "Ship Of Fools' and "Chains Of Love."

Clarke was a synth-pop pioneer prior to forming Erasure and wrote nearly all of the songs on Depeche Mode's iconic first album, Speak and Spell, before moving on to form Yazoo with Alison Moyet (Yaz in the US). Remarkably Clarke found Bell by placing a newspaper ad. The flamboyant Bell was among pop's first openly gay stars, and his high-pitched voice has a soulful power that's an arresting complement to Clarke's inspired melodies.

A Little Respect
Ship of Fools
Phantom Bride
Chains of Love
Hallowed Ground
Sixty-Five Thousand
Heart of Stone
Yahoo!
Imagination
Witch in the Ditch
Weight of the World