Unfortunately not. There's a dozen or so songs you're missing. Songs hidden away on soundtrack albums, songs only available in certain countries, songs buried on promotional-only compilations, songs played once on the radio and then forgotten.
This is where the real trouble begins, as almost all of the albums and singles listed here have been long-since deleted - only those marked (*) are still available.
To find many of these tracks will take hours of diligent searching through bargain bins, record fairs and mail order catalogues - and even then you'll still be missing some. You may like to try the route of searching for the various bootleg CDs that compile together some of the rarer tracks and mixes, but these too are becoming extremely difficult to find.
Alternatively, your third option is to surf the net, and track down the web sites containing naughty Erasure sound files.
But possibly the best course of action is to find an Erasure pen pal who has already collected some of these tracks and to ask them to kindly make you a tape copy. It's not impossible that some of these tracks may eventually be re-released, or included on a retrospective compilation, but until then they are destined to remain obscure, hidden treasures.
Air Of Mystery
(Dinger single, 1985, Face Value Records; FVR 221A)
Only a few hundred copies of this single by Andy Bell's pre-Erasure band were pressed and were only available at concerts, so this record is extremely difficult to come by.
The track itself is surprisingly Erasure-ish in instrumentation (if a little bass-heavy), although Andy's vocals are considerably rawer and more affected than usual. The melody and lyrics are nondescript and awkward during the verses, but the chorus is cheerful and catchy in a similar vein to early Erasure tracks like "Cry So Easy" and "Don't Say No".
Always Spanish Version
(on Dee Jay Club 3, 1994, Rave On/BMG; ECD 81.119)
So far this track has only been released on this obscure Argentinean compilation CD and on some South American editions of "I Say I Say I Say".
Apart from the fairly direct Spanish translation of the lyrics, this is almost identical to the normal version; the atmospheric 'woahs' in the introduction and some of the frillier backing vocals have been omitted, but that's about it. On the South American dates of the Cowboy / Tiny Tour, Andy performed this track live to an enthusiastic reception.
Amateur Hour*
(on Sparks' album Plagiarism, 1997, Roadrunner Records; RR-87912)
Vince opted for this track, one of his favourites from Sparks' Kimono My House album, as Erasure's contribution to a Sparks tribute album. The tribute album eventually transformed into an album of Ron and Russell Mael's own reinterpretations of their hits, with guest artists (Faith No More, Jimmy Somerville) collaborating on a minority of the tracks.
Recorded in the autumn of 1995, Vince's arrangement is bubbly and dance floor-friendly, sounding more like an Erasure track than a remix. As Russell Mael handles the main vocals, Andy is relegated to backing harmonies on the chorus and instrumental break of this typically offbeat and witty song.
B3
(on "Am I Right?" Limited Edition 12" single, 1991, Mute; L12 Mute 134 and Japanese "Am I Right?" CD Single, Alfa; ALCB-430)
Another Vincestrumental in the same mould as "Snappy", "Vitamin C" and "Carry On Clangers", B3 is an unessential but not unenjoyable track. Based around a dramatic synth-stab riff, the track has a cinematic reel and occasionally alludes to "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly".
Andy's ethereal vocals add to the sinister mood but the track is still essentially the result of Vince experimenting with his synthesisers, building a tune around a drum pattern and a bass line, rather than a first-division Erasure song.
Camp Christmas
(UK Channel 4 TV special, 1993, unreleased)
In a parody of the creaky Perry Como Christmas TV specials, this TV show featured Melissa Etheridge and an unnerved Andy Bell greeting various guests (Stephen Fry, Lily Savage, East 17 and Bob Downe amongst others) to their very own lag cabin covered in polystyrene snow. The highlights of this Christmas Eve show were Andy and Melissa's duets on "Winter Wonderland", "Sleigh Ride" and "My Favourite Things", and Andy's charming solo rendition of "Emerald City", a 1967 Christmas single by The Seekers, Vince's musical accompaniments (the recording of which interrupted the sessions for "I Say I Say I Say" with Martyn Ware) are typically chirpy and festive.
Vince also provided the music for the final ensemble sing along of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" and a hideous rendition of "Nobody Loves A Fairy When She's Forty" by Eastenders' Pam St Clements.
Chertsey Endlos*
(on "Rock Me Gently" CD single, 1996, CD NEMY 4 and CD MUTE 180)
Only released in Czechoslovakia and Germany, the "Rock Me Gently" single included "Chertsey Endlos" as a bonus CD track.
The track derives some inspiration from Autobahn-era Kraftwerk with its simple and repetitive melody, not to mention its cod-German title, but Vince's synth arrangement is so chirpy the end result is unmistakably Erasure, particularly when Andy joins in with some ad-hoc lyrics towards the (rather sudden) end.
The track is hardly a classic song - it sounds more like a compilation of half-formed ideas - and is essentially a cheerful, harmless throwaway.
Cold Summer's Day
(on Wigstock Original Motion Picture Sound track, 1995, Sire; 61818-2)
Four months before it would see the light of day on the "Erasure" album, the song "Fingers & Thumbs" first appeared, in a somewhat restrained form, in the end titles of a film documentary on the New York "Wigstock" transvestite festival. This track is notable for being a work in progress; an unfinished demo missing many of the synthesiser and vocal elements of the final track but also including some ideas which were ultimately rejected.
The instrumentation is minimalist, consisting of a straight drum beat, bass and a few twiddles, which means the sections where Andy is not present are rather dull. The vocals have an airy, distorted texture and Andy is a little ambivalent about the tune, as here some of the lead vocals pursue melodies later to become backing parts and vice versa. Also much of the finished version's climactic finale is missing - here it simply fades away.
The alternate lyrics are clearly based on the Wigstock festival; for instance "And I'm putting a brave face on, it makes me look tall and kind, you know what they say, the higher the hair the closer you are to heaven." This version is undoubtedly lacking in terms of production but is interesting as an example of a false start that would ultimately be reworked into one of the highlights of Erasure's career.
Heart Of Glass
(BBC Radio 1 Session, 1994, unreleased)
Three years before Erasure included this track in their set list for the "Tiny Tour", they performed this song on UK BBC Radio 1.
The track, one of Andy's all-time favourites, was played on "Collins & Maconie's Hit Parade" on the 19th May 1994 and was recorded at Vince's home studio, 37B, at the same time as the version of "Because You're So Sweet" which appeared on the b-side of "I Love Saturday".
Introduced by Vince, who says they chose to cover the song "because the chords are easy", it is another light-hearted, bouncy arrangement, under produced but with excellent falsetto vocals from Andy.
I Love To Love
(b-side of Dinger's Air Of Mystery 7" single, 1985, Face Value Records; FVR 221A)
This track is much catchier and entertaining than the a-side, and the nursery-rhyme lyrics are endearingly naive. The song has an unusual structure, with no clear delineation between verse and chorus, and some weird effects on the backing vocals it makes interesting listening; an example of the undisciplined approach to songwriting that Andy Bell brings to the Erasure partnership.
Let It Be
(7" single. 1987, CBS; 6507967 AID 1)
Andy contributed to this Band Aid-style charity single for victims of the Zeebrugge Ferry Disaster and also appeared briefly in the promotional video.
The single reached #1, Andy singing the couplet beginning "For though they may be parted".
A contemporary TV documentary went behind the scenes of the recording of the single and Andy can be seen trying out various harmonies for the chorus which were not used in the final mix.
Looking Glass Sea
(on Dick Tracy Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, 1989, Sire; 7599-26236-2)
Together with "Love To Hate You", this song was offered to Madonna for her to sing in the Dick Tracy movie.
Ultimately the song was performed instead by Andy Bell, accompanied by a small orchestra (including harp, piccolo and clarinet) and three backing vocalists, arranged by occasional Beach Boys producer Andy Paley.
The song is a sultry affair, admittedly a 1920's pastiche but a hugely inventive and enjoyable one.
Indeed, this is possibly one of Erasure's most romantic, evocative and beautiful tracks and is certainly one of their most overlooked.
Love To Hate You Italian Version
(unreleased)
Love To Hate You Spanish Version
(on Boys United promo CD, 1993, Sire; PRO-CD-6101 and Spanish 7", Sannia; MUTE 131)
Also known as Amo Odiarti and Amor Y Odio respectively, these renditions of "Love To Hate You" are really only for Italian-speakers, Spanish-speakers or die-hard completists.
The translations are somewhat liberal but occasionally Andy still has to struggle to fit the lyrics to the metre of the song.
Apart from the lyrics, these tracks are identical to the album version of the song and are of novelty value only.
Magic Moments*
(on Lord of Illusions Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, 1995, The Fine Line / Mute; IONIC 13CD)
Erasure were asked by Clive Barker to contribute to the soundtrack to this gruesome and derivative horror movie and their cover version of "Magic Moments" (a Bacharach and David hit for Perry Como) works beautifully as a cheerful counterpoint to the brooding visuals.
The song, produced as a 'warm up' to the "Erasure" album, contains many wonderful touches; Andy's sinister reverberating vocals on the bridge, Vince's plinky-plonk accompaniment and Andy's 'dum-dum' bassline on the coda.
It is a perfectly concise and bright rendition and one of Erasure's most delightful cover versions.
The track was resurrected to appear as a bonus track on the US edition of "Cowboy" in 1997 and was almost released as a single in the autumn of that year, with Maverick producing a small number of 1-track promotional CD singles. "Magic Moments" would have been an odd choice of track to represent Erasure's musical oeuvre, but as an example of the breadth of their musical sensibilities it is unrivalled.
No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)
(on Coneheads Original Motion Picture Sound track, 1993, Warner Bros; 9 45345-2)
After Andy Bell and kd Lang's barnstorming performance of this song at the 1992 Brit Awards, compère Richard O'Brien archly observed that their duet contained "something for everyone". Indeed, the reception to this duet (originally performed by Barbara Streisand and Donna Summer) was so positive a studio recording of the song was made and prepared (with remixes) for release as a single only for the idea to be suddenly scrapped due to contractual difficulties.
The track eventually surfaced in the abysmal Dan Ackroyd vehicle "Coneheads", languishing on its soundtrack album. Nevertheless it is an excellent track, distinguished by Stephen Hague's trademark melodramatic production, though there is something unnerving about hearing Andy singing over non Vince Clarke instrumentation.
A remix of the song also turned up as b-sides to kd Lang's "Lilted By Love" single, which was extensively imported into the UK specifically for this track.
Over The Rainbow
("The Tank, The Swan & The Balloon" video, 1993, BMG/MuteFilm; 74321-12250-3)
Not the bonus track from the "Chorus" CD single of the same name, but the rather more famous Judy Garland song from The Wizard Of Oz.
The only official release of this track is on this (now deleted) video of the "Phantasmagorical Entertainment" tour, although the track has turned up on innumerable concert bootlegs.
Andy gives a heartfelt performance of the song against a tinkly, minimalist synthesiser backdrop, wearing the almost obligatory ruby slippers.
[Note: Now available on DVD]
Pistol*
(in the US this has only been released on Just Say Mao, 1989, Sire; 25947-2)
Following some success in the club charts for "Who Needs Love Like That", "Wonderland" was released in the US several months before it hit the shops in the UK.
During the delay Erasure added the newly-recorded "Pistol" to the track listing of the UK release (Stumm 25), replacing "March On Down The Line".
This funky and outrageous track eventually turned up in the US three years later on this Sire label sampler CD.
Place In The Sun
(12" single credited to 'Winjama', 1988, Creole; CAT 7)
Another Band Aid-style charity single, this time to aid Jamaican hurricane victims, with Andy singing the line "Like a long lonely stream I keep running to the dream, moving on, moving on" and joining in on the choruses.
Andy was the most high-profile singer of those involved but even his name was not enough to prevent the single plummeting without trace.
Other artists involved in the single include Sinitta, Green Gartside (Scritti Politti) Leee John (Imagination), Barrington Levy, Sylvia Tella, Trevor Walters, Simon Climie (Climie Fisher), Dixie Peach, Sandie Shaw, Errol Brown (Hot Chocolate), Ruby Turner, and Glenn Tilbrook (Squeeze).
Rage
(on Tame Yourself, 1991, RNA; R2-70772)
Asked to contribute a track to a PETA charity album, Andy Bell duetted with Lene Lovich on a reworking of her song "Rage" (from her 1989 album "March") with Vince brought in to provide the music when the original backing proved unsatisfactory. The combination of Lene Lovich's histrionic vocal technique and a conspicuously subdued performance from Andy Bell does little to enhance what is a fairly uninspiring song - it sounds like an ill-matched comedy karaoke contest.
In addition, Lene's lyrics are laughably over earnest, with such memorable tub thumpers as "Hey let that chicken be, a cow is not a factory" and "Stop think before you chew, don't eat the creature that won't eat you".
Even Vince's pseudo-Chris Lowe arrangement is uncharacteristically pedestrian. A track full of good intentions but little else, it is one track that possibly deserves to remain a little-heard obscurity.
Safety In Numbers
(on "Victim Of Love" CD single, 1987, Mute; CD MUTE 61)
"Safety In Numbers" is the end waltz section of "Spiralling", although it was performed separately as the opening number of the "Circus" tour.
Also available on the "Live At The Seaside" video, the song (written almost entirely by Andy Bell) is a brief, folksy affair, with basic accordion accompaniment
Shout
(on Ant & Dec 'Shout' CD single, 1997, Telstar; CDDEC11)
The pop fortunes of the Geordie preteen heart-throbs Ant & Dec (formerly known as "PJ & Duncan") were on the wane when they released this track in 1997.
As the accompanying album slipped into the discount bins they embarked instead on a career as children's TV personalities.
The song, a simple tune utilising the bass riff of "Walk On The Wild Side", was originally demoed by Andy Bell at the Strongroom as a favour to the songwriters.
Ant & Dec retained parts of Andy's rough vocals for their version (consisting of various "woahs" and backing vocals) without prior permission and did not credit Andy for his contribution.
Silent Night
(on Yulesville, 1987, Warner Bros; PRO-A-2896)
An extremely short track (51 seconds long), "Silent Night" begins with Vince and Andy introducing themselves.
Andy then sings the first verse hesitantly over a rinky-dink keyboard accompaniment before shouting "Wishing you an Erasure Christmas" - the track ending with Vince's deadpan "And a Happy New Year".
The track - a greeting for DJs to include in their festive play lists - is only available in full on this promotional-only LP which, because it contains similar greetings from Prince and Madonna, is extremely sought-after by collectors and unduly expensive.
The track later turned up on the Australian 1995 release "Christmas With Pride" but, as they mastered it from a bootleg copy, their version is in questionable sound quality and omits the opening speech.
Stand By Your Man
(The Tank, The Swan & The Balloon video, 1993, BMG/MuteFilm; 74321-12250-3)
Like "Over The Rainbow", this track is only available in the live version performed at the Manchester Apollo on the 6th August 1992, featuring Andy as a bare cheeked Rhinestone cowboy and Vince as a bizarre pink Mae West.
The accompaniment is camp and jaunty, the song an example of Erasure at their most self-effacingly ridiculous.
[Note: Now available on DVD]
Too Darn Hot
(on Red Hot And Blue, 1990, Chrysalis; CHR 1799/321799-1)
For the original (and best) Red Hot And Blue compilation the songs were taken from the catalogue of Cole Porter, with Erasure opting for "Too Darn Hot" from the musical "Kiss Me Kate".
Erasure surpassed themselves with this cover; from the sizzling opening to the climactic ending as Andy doubles up on answering backing vocals and adlibs over the main melody, this sounds like an Erasure single that never was.
In common with most of the other tracks on the album, this song also had a promotional video. Directed by Bonnie Lux, the video casts Andy as a newsreader linking items where Vince is interviewing members of the public.
The video also includes subtitles disclaiming the various myths that had built up around the AIDS virus, plus real news footage and captions criticising the policy of the US government. Because of the overtly political nature of this video, it was excised from the Red Hot And Blue TV show when it was screened in the US.