These five stars are obviously under some strong emotional influence. If this CD sounds dated at all (80's), I am blind to it. I was born in 1974, and when I got into Erasure, I was 15, in high school, and this type of alternative music (by the old definition!!) was the THING. It still sounds fresh to ME!

"The Two Ring Circus" was the first recording I ever heard from the "pop-electronic" duo Erasure. Of all their work, this is easily my favorite. The romantic, sentimental, melancholy nature of the band's music is epitomized in this recording. The songs express being broken-hearted, romantically-dejected, depressed and isolated from the world, all in a rosy dance of victorian sentiments swirling through your mind.

I'd say that Erasure is definitely a band for romantics, especially those that treat their love interests as sacred ~ the altars can be built with Erasure's tunes. So, no doubt, this can seem a bit adolescent - but these are geniune emotions that many people experience at some point, regardless of age, so they deserve their rightful place in the cosmos and the course of musical repetoire. (I mean, was Berlioz's impassioned & longing "Symphonie Fantastique" considered adolescent?!?! hmmm)

This CD is arranged so perfectly that there is no need to ever skip a track; and (unlike my reviews), it never drags. Andrew Poppy's influence in the middle of this disc initiates the listener past a veil and into a completely new realm of musical pleasures: the orchestral mixes. I adore these tracks! I particularly am fond of the horns and the strings here. WOW!! For some reason these mixes bring to my mind imagery from the Victorian era during Christmas time ... perhaps partially due to the classic brass and chamber music arrangements. Beautiful.

Also for you visual/imagery folks: the season that fits this disc best as a whole is a cold and dreary, dead and chilled November or December with beautiful memories of color and life scattered about like leaves on the damp pavement of squishy sentimentalism.

The song "Sometimes" - still Erasure's best ever - starts the disc out in its best available version. "Hideaway" is another standout. If you really love this disc and want more, don't pass up its predecessor "The Circus" because the other versions of the songs there are ALSO well-worth having, including the more electro-percussive version of "Leave Me to Bleed".

I wish Vince and Andy had continued with their earlier creativity and experimentalism as they did with this disc!! Their CD "Wild!" is the next best creative from of their output (but still very different) until they fell into their own later, self-designed pop formulae (which came together in Chorus but mostly fell apart afterward).

Some think that Erasure was at its best early in their career, others think that they blossomed in the '90s. As far as I'm concerned, it's more a matter of tastes than anything else; their '80s material has a very distinct sound from their '90s, synthesizer-wise and also in the approach that Erasure wrote hooks: Clarke heavily employed more acoustic-sounding synthesizer tones in the '80s (in particular, with the Oberheim Xpander synthesizer) and Clarke's focus was in making songs which were fairly simple and short but poignant and very memorable, nonetheless. Sometime in the late '80s or early '90s Clarke reverted back to analog synths (which have a more computerized and metallic sounding quality) and made darker and more complex songs, though the hooks and songwriting were as creative as ever.

That being said, "The Two Ring Circus" is my favorite '80s Erasure album, and in my opinion also their best '80s album. It is a compilation of remixes of Erasure's best cuts from "Hideaway" and "The Circus." The remixes are generally well-done though a few seem to drag on for too long. My favorite remix, by far, is "Hideaway-Little Louie Vega Mix" which I like FAR better than the original Hideaway. The song combines a full sequence of layered synth tones, for a full, rich sound, and a very melancholic and emotional melody which is powerful and unforgettable. In fact, this remix is probably my favorite Erasure song of all time. All the other tracks are great as well; even the three orchestral songs are good.

The album also contains six live tracks from a German concert including "Gimme Gimme Gimme" which is an ABBA remake, done superbly.

Whatever your tastes are in Erasure, there's no denying that this is one of their best and a must-have, in particular, for anybody with a passing interest in this British duo or an Erasure cognoscenti who has a craving for '80s Erasure-esque nostalgia.

This is the last of Erasure's 12 albums that I have added to my collection, always having avoided it before as it contains no new songs, just remixes and re-recordings of tracks from "Circus" and a few from "Wonderland". This is an album in 3 parts (only 2 if you own the record):

1. The Remixes 2. Orchestral Interpretations 3. Live Concert

The first part is good as none of the remixes stray too far from the originals so as to lose the tune. Other than the superb remix of "Leave Me To Bleed", there's nothing superior to the album versions here, although the Little Louie Vega mix of "Hideaway" comes close.

Part 2 includes three songs re-recorded using a real orchestra rather than synthesizers for backup. These are not only interesting, but quite good actually. "If I Could" perhaps gets the best treatment, but the other two aren't far behind.

The last part, included only on the CD release, is six songs of a live show featuring three singles from the Circus, two from Wonderland, and a great cover of Abba's "Gimme Gimme Gimme". All in all, a lot of fun.

As Nate said, this album is worth it alone for the Orchestral versions of the songs, but together with the Remixes and live tracks, it's an eclectic effort with something for everyone. And anyway, it's Erasure...how can you go wrong?

This CD was recommended by my good friend, Florence Graving, and she was right. It is a great CD, the music is wonderful. I am so glad I listened to Florence Graving and purchased it. I recommend it to anyone.

100% one of my ALL TIME FAVORITES (other than the 2 box sets that are very $$$ with multiple CD, maxi's enclosed and to much to carry around) but it is a must have (in a collectors box) with every remix and unreleased items avialable. But This 2 Ring Circus CD, is just as good if not better. The Mixes are great, with the Erasure Feel and a tad of that Yaz feeling, some songs are acoustic, some are remixed to perfection, and the live concert tracks send chills up your spine, as if U are really there. For the small $ this is a CD that you just can't stop listening to, I have 2 copies (one for the home, and one for the Car) at least if one is damaged, I have a back up edition. EXCELLENT CHOICE, even the box set(s) do not have "Drama, Love 2 hate U, and so many more, but I would start with this Cd. The Live version of Oh'Lamour is so fabulous, the crowd cheering in the background etc.. really allows you to know how much this group is appreciated the 2 Ring Circus CD is great....Jason Prof DJ