I love "Wonderland", but consider it to be way too similiar to Yazoo (which Clarke had just came from). So "The Circus" is really the album that begins to give us a good understanding of Erasure - the band. From the hip "It Doesn't Have To Be" to the soft "Spiralling", this album has it all. And it is actually a concept album of all things. There's hints in the music from "Don't Dance" to "Spiralling" that lead all back to the actual song "The Circus". What I love about Erasure, is that they often have a number of songs on each album that are just as good as their singles or better. "Hideaway", "Leave Me To Bleed" and "Spiralling" are tracks that were never heard on the radio, but they are three of my favorite tracks from the album. There are hits as well like "Sometimes" and "Victim Of Love". If you are interested in Erasure and don't have this album, get it. You won't be disappointed.

It's really sad, the number of times I have seen The Circus in used CD bins over the years. In a lot of ways, this is one of Erasure's strongest albums. As most people know, Wonderland, their first album, was something of a dud. The follow-up, Circus, is the first album to establish the "Erasure" sound throughout. More importantly, it tackles a lot of social issues without being preachy or precious, an uncanny ability Erasure always had. During the course of Circus, we hear about racial injustice (It Doesn't Have to Be), homophobia (Hideaway), peace & harmony (If I Could), and the plight of the working class (The Circus). However, with their catchy hooks, lyrics, and Andy's fine singing, you have enough else to concentrate on without feeling "preached" to!

The album opens with It Doesn't Have to Be, which didn't get any airplay in America (at least in my memory), but is one of their best songs, in my opinion. Apart from being just a great song overall, it draws upon African percussion rhythms, and even has Andy singing in Swahili(?). Everytime I hear it, I think of the video, where he is waving the sparklers around. Next comes Hideaway, which has a lot of personal meaning for me as a gay man, although fortunately I wasn't "rejected by the people that I cared for!" Aside from the subject matter, it's another good song.

Don't Dance seems to be a favorite with other reviewers, and I have to agree. It's a testimony to Erasure's talent that even the "non-singles" can sound this good. If I Could, which comes after, is another one that affects me. The song seems to be about a broken relationship, but the refrain, "If I could make the world a little better, you know I would," suggests something else entirely- a heartfelt cry for world peace. Sexuality is a notch below the rest, only because sonically it's somewhat jumbled. On the other hand, it's one of their most provocative songs ever, with lyrics like, "let's not pretend you're shy about it" and "strip it, do it". Victim of Love, which actually was a radio hit, is one of their most soulful ever. They tap into R&B and Soul, with such lyrics as "I'm gonna find you out."

Leave Me to Bleed is another non-single that tops them all, a great song to listen to if you've ever been jilted by somebody.
Sometimes was another radio hit- did any other synth-pop group use a saxophone melody like that? The Circus, while not an obvious choice for a single, is a stroke of genius, in how it mixes a "carnival" sound with such grave lyrics about the disenfranchisement of the working man. The album "proper" ends with Spiralling, which for my tastes could have been left off altogether, though it has its fans.

The bonus tracks, sadly, are all duds. In the Hall of the Mountain King is just Vince Clarke's electro-reworking of a classical tune. And the remixes of Sometimes and It Doesn't Have to Be are nothing special, just your standard 80's "extended" mix, which doesn't reveal any new facet of the song, or make it danceable. It doesn't matter, though, because the album itself is so strong.

If you think that Erasure's glory days begin with The Innocents, Wild!, or Chorus, think again.

The Circus reflects the bands growth level from their debut Wonderland with better vocals and tighter production. Some of my favorite Erasure songs of all are here in "Victim Of Love," "Leave Me To Bleed," and "Sometimes." A smooth blend of analog synths, unique electronic bleeps, combined with a great melody has quickly become the British duo's tour de force. Lots of danceable tracks with some slower ones mixed in. I love the atmospheric dreamy qualities of "Spiralling." Other cool songs include "It Doesn't Have To Be," "Hideaway," and "The Circus."

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Erasure is one of my favorite recording artists, not only for their wonderful musical ability, but also for their ability to capture my emotions. No other artist has been able to so closely express how I feel. "The Circus," is particularly close to my heart. "Hideaway" is so eerily close to reality. It helped me through that ugly day when Mom found out (you know what; if not, listen to the track). The album is also useful when you find out that special someone is a jerk. "Victim of Love" is a great anthem of self-reaffirmnation.

My experience with Erasure has been a little backwards. In fact, since buying "Pop: The First 20 hits" and "I Say^3" a few years ago, I have bought every erasure album (barring the latest two of course) in reverse order of release. Anyway, I just recently purchased "The Circus" and after one listen was kicking myself for waiting so long.

Before buying it, I was sure, as I was with "Chorus", that the best songs would be the singles from "Pop..". It ended up, however, just as with "Chorus", that my favorite songs were entirely different. While I love "Victim of Love" and "The Circus", my favorite tracks are "Hideaway", "Don't Dance" and "If I Could", with "Don't Dance" being the top one. (I know I'm in a small minority there) This is just simply a great album and it brings my list of Erasure albums better than "The Innocents" up to four with "Chorus", "Erasure", and "I Say^3" being the others. I don't know what it is about me and "The Innocents", I guess i just "Don't Dance" to the Rhythm.

As for the extra tracks, "Mountain King" is fun, "Sometimes" is a little unnecessary, but I do like the "Boop Oopa Doo" Mix of "It Doesn't Have to Be". All fans of synth-pop will love this outstanding album. Next on my list to purchase is "Wonderland". (Can you believe I don't even own their FIRST album???)