Erasure discography

Wonderland

Studio album · 1986

Erasure’s 1986 debut pairs “Oh L’Amour” with lean synth-pop, an adventurous rhythm section, and a partnership still finding its sound.

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ErasureFan illustration; not official release artwork.

Listening notes

Inside Wonderland

By Alex Vale

Wonderland catches Erasure before the hit-making routine settled in. “Who Needs Love Like That” starts briskly, “Heavenly Action” reaches for a bigger chorus, and “Oh L’Amour” already sounds like a song that could outlast its first release. There is a wiry energy here that the later, more polished records sometimes leave behind.

Flood’s production gives the debut a harder outline than the records that follow. Andy Bell and Vince Clarke do not yet sound interested in smoothing every transition, and the album is better for leaving that formation visible. “My Heart… So Blue” and “Cry So Easy” also prevent the record from becoming a simple rehearsal for the singles.

Play The Circus next. Listen to the two albums in order and you can hear their confidence grow. The Circus gives Bell more room to sing and Clarke’s arrangements a clearer focus, while keeping the debut’s appetite for a good tune.

First release: 2nd June 1986 (Germany), 2nd June 1986 (UK), 1st May 1986 (USA)
Release type: Studio album
Label: Mute
Catalog number: CD STUMM 25

Track list (11 tracks)

Reference edition: Wonderland · GB · 1986-06-02 · CD. Track order can differ by territory and reissue.

Who Needs Love Like That [3:20]
Reunion [3:25]
Cry So Easy [3:35]
Push Me Shove Me (Tacos Mix Edit) [5:08]
Heavenly Action [3:30]
Say What [3:56]
Love Is A Loser [3:02]
Senseless [3:26]
My Heart… So Blue [4:31]
Oh L’Amour [3:04]
Pistol [3:29]

Formats, editions, charts, and credits

Formats

VINYL (CDSTUMM25), DIGITAL DOWNLOAD (ISTUMM25), CD (CDSTUMM25), CASSETTE (CSTUMM25), 3-DISC REISSUE BOXSET (LCDSTUMM25), 3-DISC REISSUE DOWNLOAD (ILCDSTUMM25)

Chart positions

71 (UK) | 16 (Germany)

Edition notes

Early editions of the UK vinyl release were bundled with a free copy of the ‘Oh L’Amour’ 12″. The album was later re-released as a limited edition double cassette with ‘The Circus’.
The album was released in the USA with a different tracklisting (see above) and features a different mix of ‘Oh L’Amour’.
The ‘Push Me Shove Me (Tacos Mix Edit) is labelled as just ‘Push Me Shove Me’, and on the US release ‘Who Needs Love Like That (Mexican Mix)’ is labelled as ‘Who Needs Love Like That (Love That Mix)’.
The three disc (2CD and DVD) reissue of ‘Wonderland’ was released on July 4th 2011 and was available with a limited edition Erasure Information Service slipcase via the official Erasure shop. A…

Selected credits

Written by Clarke/Bell except ‘Who Needs Love Like That’, ‘Push Me Shove Me’ and ‘My Heart… So Blue’ written by Clarke and ‘Cry So Easy’ written by Bell.
Published by Musical Moments Ltd/Minotaur Music Ltd/Sony/ATV Music Publishing (UK) Ltd. Except ‘Who Needs Love Like That’, ‘Push Me Shove Me’ and ‘My Heart… So Blue’ published by Musical Moments Ltd/Sony/ATV Music Publishing (UK) Ltd & ‘Cry So Easy’ written by Bell, published by Minotaur Music Ltd.
Produced by Flood
Assisted by A. Clay, P. Legg and N. Hine.
Recorded at: Trident, Powerplant, Blackwing and Livingstone.
‘Push Me Shove Me [Tacos Mix Edit]’ and ‘Who Needs Love Like That [Mexican Mix]’ mixed by Joseph Watt. ‘Say What (Remix)’,…

Sources

Corrections are welcome through the contact form.

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