Another Flashback Friday...
Continuing the series of "Flashback Fridays" - listening to an old album on my discman to and from work in order to relive and enjoy once more the tracks and times of days long gone:
Flashback Friday Number 2 - "Wild!" by Erasure
Released in October 1989, "Wild!", for me, is the best album Erasure have ever done for the tracks contained within it blend into each other perfectly and encompass a wide range of sounds, that no-one had really delved into at the time.
I have been a fan of Erasure since "Sometimes" back in 1986. It was a track that stood out from the others and in 1988, I knew there was something Erasure had that other bands of that time didn't have. They possessed a certain special quality and "A Little Respect" confirmed that. Even to this day, this track remains one of my favourite tracks of all time. Like other artists who were around in the late 80's however, I was a fan of their work without actually owning anything they had done because I spent day in, day out during this time listening to the radio (it was much better back then!).
I received "Wild!" as a Christmas present ( a stocking filler no less) from my parents in 1989 and put simply I was well chuffed! Fifteen years later, it's amazing how fresh the album sounds today. Yes, there are 80s synthesisers in there but the way Vince Clarke has used them results in a sound that doesn't sound dated or cheesy but instead regains the charm of the music around at the time. The singles "Drama!", "Blue Savannah", "Star" and "You Surround Me" stand alongside album tracks that are just as impressive. If you ever get the chance to hear "Piano Song", please do. :)
So what memories are aroused for me whilst listening to this album? It certainly takes me back to the Christmas of 1989 when I received it. I remember listening to it a lot over the festive holidays and making sure that it was played in the car on trips to the supermarket and into town. While other people were obsessed with the 1989 version of "Do They Know It's Christmas?" featuring the likes of Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and co., I remember the lyrics for the single "You Surround Me" complete with a photo of Andy and Vince appearing in Smash Hits.
I also remember being thrilled when "Blue Savannah" hit the charts because I had been listening to it on the album for months beforehand. I think this was the first time that I had ever done this and it felt very special for me. It went on to get tons of airplay and the video (complete with that weird blue hand) was always on "The Chart Show". It was great to see how they had transferred it from a track on an album into a piece of art on the TV. :)
I felt all grown-up listening to the album because a lot of the tracks on it are very serious in tone and I was used to listening to all the mainstream pop that was occupying the charts. I had been introduced to the world of albums and the more I think about it, the more I'm sure it was around this time that I started to care more about the sort of music I was listening to. It was a case of less Stock, Aitken and Waterman and more focus on the serious and thoughtful tracks that were around. I'll always love "Wild!" because it paved the way for how my musical tastes progressed and developed. It led me to like music that wasn't just bland pop and it introduced me to lyrics that actually mean something.
It's a milestone, if you will, of the music of my life and a very great one at that. :)
Flashback Friday Number 2 - "Wild!" by Erasure
Released in October 1989, "Wild!", for me, is the best album Erasure have ever done for the tracks contained within it blend into each other perfectly and encompass a wide range of sounds, that no-one had really delved into at the time.
I have been a fan of Erasure since "Sometimes" back in 1986. It was a track that stood out from the others and in 1988, I knew there was something Erasure had that other bands of that time didn't have. They possessed a certain special quality and "A Little Respect" confirmed that. Even to this day, this track remains one of my favourite tracks of all time. Like other artists who were around in the late 80's however, I was a fan of their work without actually owning anything they had done because I spent day in, day out during this time listening to the radio (it was much better back then!).
I received "Wild!" as a Christmas present ( a stocking filler no less) from my parents in 1989 and put simply I was well chuffed! Fifteen years later, it's amazing how fresh the album sounds today. Yes, there are 80s synthesisers in there but the way Vince Clarke has used them results in a sound that doesn't sound dated or cheesy but instead regains the charm of the music around at the time. The singles "Drama!", "Blue Savannah", "Star" and "You Surround Me" stand alongside album tracks that are just as impressive. If you ever get the chance to hear "Piano Song", please do. :)
So what memories are aroused for me whilst listening to this album? It certainly takes me back to the Christmas of 1989 when I received it. I remember listening to it a lot over the festive holidays and making sure that it was played in the car on trips to the supermarket and into town. While other people were obsessed with the 1989 version of "Do They Know It's Christmas?" featuring the likes of Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and co., I remember the lyrics for the single "You Surround Me" complete with a photo of Andy and Vince appearing in Smash Hits.
I also remember being thrilled when "Blue Savannah" hit the charts because I had been listening to it on the album for months beforehand. I think this was the first time that I had ever done this and it felt very special for me. It went on to get tons of airplay and the video (complete with that weird blue hand) was always on "The Chart Show". It was great to see how they had transferred it from a track on an album into a piece of art on the TV. :)
I felt all grown-up listening to the album because a lot of the tracks on it are very serious in tone and I was used to listening to all the mainstream pop that was occupying the charts. I had been introduced to the world of albums and the more I think about it, the more I'm sure it was around this time that I started to care more about the sort of music I was listening to. It was a case of less Stock, Aitken and Waterman and more focus on the serious and thoughtful tracks that were around. I'll always love "Wild!" because it paved the way for how my musical tastes progressed and developed. It led me to like music that wasn't just bland pop and it introduced me to lyrics that actually mean something.
It's a milestone, if you will, of the music of my life and a very great one at that. :)