Critical Quote "Spiralling was written by God as a thank you for Oh L'amour."
- Dotmusic.com
Onge Review
After the failure of Wonderland, The
Circus finally broke Erasure
into top 40 with a string of hits in 1986. The singles from this album
tended to fair better than the album itself, with The
Circus only reaching number 6 in the UK album charts.
However this album was the catalyst that started it all, and Erasure
grew in popularity after this significant release. The enjoyable It
Doesn't Have To Be is the album's opener, a song where Andy
bemoans his partner's reluctance to proudly reveal him as his lover.
It is an attempt to demonstrate that homosexuals should feel free
enough to live open lives without the fear of homophobia and is as
effective musically as it is lyrically. The massively popular
Hideaway follows, which shows why many gay men are nervous
about coming out - for fear of rejection. Frozen out by his family
and friends, the boy in the song (which could be Andy as some of the
song is sung from a first person perspective), embarks upon a spiritual
journey where he longs for his family to accept him for what he is.
The song crucially is not without optimism, with Andy stating that
hope can achieve contentment. Musically over simplistic, but still
a fine song, which many of Erasure's
gay fans can empathise
with. The wonderfully catchy Don't Dance follows,
which bizarrely enough is the type of Erasure
song that is hard to sit still to. The lyrics are not particularly
amazing, but Vince's accompaniment is contagious and engrossing, complimented
by Flood's production. If I Could is a nondescript
number, simple and devoid of significant merit. Pleasant it may be,
uninspired it most certainly is. The outrageously raunchy
Sexuality follows. This track is extremely enjoyable and
pleasing and although it lacks a certain subtlety this only adds to
the charm. It's nice to see someone singing about sex so open and
freely.
Victim of Love starts the second half of the album. This
was a reasonable single, but isn't a particularly breathtaking
Erasure attempt. The performance and production is
of a high standard but the song still lacks a certain something.
Leave Me To Bleed is a cleverly written song, where Andy's
investigating exposes his cheating lover's ways. Well structured and
produced, this is one of the album's better songs. Sometimes
is a superb Erasure
song, one that took the charts by storm, and one which is a truly
great 1980s tune. A flawless pop song: everything from the mature
sounding arrangement from Vince to Andy's fine performance of his
sex charged lyrics make for this perfect musical experience.
The Circus follows, a meaningful song about English society
and how the miners of yesteryear have been reduced to nothing since
the pits were closed. A key political topic of the 1980s this shows
Erasure have more depth
than the average pop band. The song is unique musically, with Vince
experimenting to good effect with an accordion over a potent bass
and melody. A fine and undervalued Erasure
track. The non-CD versions of the album conclude with the sensational
Spiralling, where Andy mourns the loss of the love
of his life. Although generally a downcast song, the lyrics offer
hope that time will heal his wounds. The song concludes in a bizarre
manner as a fading Andy offers the final hope over a fairground style
waltz from Vince. All-in-all, a truly exceptional song. Bonus tracks
on the CD version include some awful remixes and a poor cover of the
instrumental In The Hall of The Mountain King.
Summary The Circus is a decent
album that deservedly brought the band some success. Unfortunately
it isn't full of exceptionally strong tracks but shows at an early
age that Erasure were
an extremely capable band set to release some phenomenal music for
years to come.
* Want a second opinion? Disagree with what I've written? The Fan
Reviews section of this site is home to reviews written by other fans and
also allows you to post your own review of this, or any, Erasure
album.
