Wonderland (Erasure album)

Wonderland
Studio album by Erasure
Released	US 1 May 1986 (1986-05-01) UK 2 June 1986 (1986-06-02)
Recorded	1985
Genre	Synthpop
Length	49:05
Label	Mute (UK) Sire (US)
Producer	Flood
Erasure chronology
Wonderland (1986) The Circus (1987)
Singles from Wonderland
"Who Needs Love Like That" Released: 2 September 1985 (1985-09-02) "Heavenly Action" Released: 11 November 1985 (1985-11-11) "Oh L'amour" Released: 21 April 1986 (1986-04-21)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

Wonderland is the debut album by Erasure, recorded in 1985 soon after the duo's formation. It was originally released 1 May 1986 in the United States on Sire Records and 2 June 1986 by Mute Records in the United Kingdom.^[2] Not an immediate success, the three singles released from it failed to crack the Top 40 in the UK, nor did any of them enter the Billboard Hot 100. "Who Needs Love Like That" would eventually make the British Top 10 in 1992, and "Oh L'amour" became a UK Top 20 in 2003, both in remixed form promoting their Pop! The First 20 Hits and Hits! compilations respectively. However, the album fared better in both Germany and Sweden, where it was a Top 20 success.

Erasure's initial exposure in the US came via dance clubs, as two singles did hit the top ten on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.

At the time of its release, Wonderland was considered a failure, especially when comparing it to Clarke's prior successes with Depeche Mode and Yazoo. Early reviews of the album dubbed Bell as an Alison Moyet imitator^{[citation needed]}.

Wonderland is widely revered as a classic example of mid-80s synth pop, by most critics, and is appreciated now as the beginning stages of one of electronic music's most enduring acts.

Track listing

All songs were written by Bell and Clarke, except where noted.

UK release

Side one

1. "Who Needs Love Like That" (Clarke)
2. "Reunion"
3. "Cry So Easy" (Bell)
4. "Push Me Shove Me" (Clarke)
5. "Heavenly Action"

Side two

6. "Say What"
7. "Love is a Loser"
8. "Senseless"
9. "My Heart... So Blue" (Clarke)
10. "Oh L'amour"
11. "Pistol"

CD bonus tracks

12. "Say What" (remix)
13. "March on Down the Line" (remix)
14. "Senseless" (remix)

US release

Side one

1. "Who Needs Love Like That" (Clarke)
2. "Reunion"
3. "Cry So Easy" (Bell)
4. "Senseless"
5. "Heavenly Action"

Side two

6. "Say What"
7. "Love is a Loser"
8. "March on Down the Line"
9. "My Heart... So Blue" (Clarke)
10. "Oh L'amour"

CD bonus tracks

11. "Who Needs Love Like That (The Love That Mix Version)"
12. "Oh L'amour (The Funky Sisters Remix)"

The US version drops the tracks "Push Me Shove Me" and "Pistol" and adds "March on Down the Line" which was originally the B-side to "Oh L'amour" in the UK (and also appeared in remixed form as a CD bonus track on the UK version of the album). The CD versions of both the UK and US versions of the album have different remixes as bonus tracks.

The UK and USA album versions of "Oh L'amour" were slightly different.

Chart performance

Original release

1988 re-issue

1989 re-issue

Release history

2011 Remaster and Repackage

On 4 July 2011, EMI re-released Erasure's first two albums in 2CD/DVD format. Both feature the original album remastered, plus another disc of tracks associated with the album, and a DVD containing promo videos and a live concert.

Tracklisting

References