It's More Than Fundamental To Be In The Union Street On 2.006! (Please, Forget About The Critics!)

On reading all those negative reviews specially dedicated to this album, I was sincerely shocked, after all it represents to me the definitive slap on all Erasure's knockers... Anyway I'm not so surprised with those commments, since Erasure have been target for jokes since the beginning of their career... But what makes me feel really bothered is to read critics that accuse Erasure of recording the same album every time. What a lie! A pop duo that dared to record such a different albums just like the self-titled or Loveboat or even this last one cannot be accused of repeating themselves. In addition Clarke & Bell aren't worried in following musical trends for conquering new fans indeed. Actually, Erasure's fans know that what makes a good *pop* song is basically good lyrics + good melody and not its position in musical charts, which are basically occupied by artificial and disposable ones. And Erasure own many, many songs that own those two qualities! Well, but let's talk about what really matters here: Union Street is an extremely BEAUTIFUL album and I'm not exaggerating at all! Besides it really owns just gorgeous (and practically ignored) ballads from Clarke & Bell, exception for "How Many Times?", which is just good at my opinion. All the other 10 songs present in this (AMAZING) compilation were very well-chosen. But Erasure own many other underrated ballads that could be perfectly put on this (SUPERB) work, such as: "Witch In The Ditch" from Innocents or "Take Me Back" and "All Through The Years" from I Say (x3) or "Grace" and "A Long Goodbye" from the self-titled or yet "Surreal" and "Where In The World", both ones from Loveboat, but nothing prevents Erasure from performing all these other ones on The (SENSATIONAL) Acoustic Tour. Regarding the fact this one is totally acoustic, I must confess that I was really worried about how Union Street would sound, but this fear has disappeared as soon as I heard it at the first time! And I almost cried when I did it since all the songs are so well-sung and well-played here. It's really amazing to discover again how great all those songs are. I mean they are all the same ones, but the acoustic instruments gave to them a new chance for being properly enjoyed. In short, Erasure have proved one more time they are far from being a disposable dance-pop band, since Andy's voice has never sounded so beautiful as on this one and Vince could get here a great opportunity for showing he is a brilliant musician (not only a brilliant keyboarder) on creating wonderful acoustic arrangements for all the songs (of course together with the rest of the great team responsible for this REMARKABLE album). By the way, hey, Erasure's haters, don't worry, Erasure will continue to make great records despite all yours bad vibes, after all V&A have flown so high with their talents that your hate will never get them! So if you are looking for some good music to listen to on this year (and on the next years too), it's more than fundamental to go to this Union Street to enjoy great moments of the most perfect musical pleasure.

Surprisingly 5 Stars!!!

I was a little skepticle in purchasing this album, as I know many people might be since Erasure is known for its dance rhythms and beats. An acoustic version?

Erasure - Unplugged.

You can do yourself a big favor by ignoring many of the negative reviews of Erasure's acoustic LP. Everyone, from Nirvana to Jay-Z, has given their back catalogue of songs the "unplugged" treatment, so why not Erasure? On "Union Street" (named after the Brooklyn location of the recording studio), Vince Clarke and Andy Bell give a handful of tracks an acoustic/country & western feel, but instead of opting for their hits, they dig deep into lesser-known album cuts and b-sides. The results are convincing and effective, as shown on "Boy," "Siren Song," the b-side "Tenderest Moments," and "Blues Away." "Union Street" proves that Erasure's songwriting and craft for melody stand tall even when you strip their songs of their synth-heavy production.