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Total Pop! The First 40 Hits

Compilation album · 2009

A wider singles collection that carries the story through Light at the End of the World. Deluxe editions add live and video material.

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ErasureFan illustration for Total Pop! The First 40 Hits; not official release artwork
ErasureFan illustration; not official release artwork.

Listening notes

Inside Total Pop! The First 40 Hits

By Alex Vale

Total Pop! The First 40 Hits takes the idea of Pop! beyond 1992. The later singles bring in “Always,” songs from the self-titled album and Cowboy, the covers period, Nightbird, and Light at the End of the World. It is the useful choice when the original compilation leaves you wanting the next chapter.

It is a generous overview, though its second half covers more changes of style than its first. Forty singles show extraordinary melodic consistency, but they also flatten albums that were designed around very different textures. The larger editions restore some context through a live disc and television performances, turning the set from a long playlist into a collection of live and television performances.

Choose it when you want a broad view of the singles. New listeners who want one elegant early-era story should still choose Pop!. Collectors who will actually watch and compare the bonus material are the audience for Total Pop!; the standard edition may be enough if you mainly want the singles.

Release details

Total Pop! The First 40 Hits facts

Verified 2026-07-18

First release
2009-02-23
Release type
Compilation album
Label
Mute
Catalog number
lcdmutel16
Track list (60 tracks)

Reference edition: Total Pop! The First 40 Hits · GB · 2009-02-23 · CD, DVD. Track order can differ by territory and reissue.

  1. Who Needs Love (Like That)
  2. Heavenly Action
  3. Oh L'Amour
  4. Sometimes
  5. It Doesn't Have to Be
  6. Victim of Love
  7. The Circus
  8. Ship of Fools
  9. Chains of Love
  10. A Little Respect
  11. Stop!
  12. Drama!
  13. You Surround Me
  14. Blue Savannah
  15. Star
  16. Chorus
  17. Love to Hate You
  18. Am I Right?
  19. Breath of Life
  20. Take a Chance on Me
  21. Who Needs Love (Like That) (Hamburg mix)
  22. Always
  23. Run to the Sun
  24. I Love Saturday
  25. Stay With Me
  26. Fingers & Thumbs (Cold Summer's Day)
  27. Rock Me Gently
  28. In My Arms
  29. Don't Say Your Love Is Killing Me
  30. Rain (Al Stone mix)
  31. Freedom
  32. Moon & The Sky (JC's Heaven Scent radio Re-Work)
  33. Solsbury Hill
  34. Make Me Smile (Come Up and See mix)
  35. Breathe
  36. Don't Say You Love Me
  37. Here I Go Impossible Again
  38. I Could Fall in Love With You
  39. Sunday Girl
  40. Storm in a Teacup
  41. Always (2009 mix)
  42. Spiralling (The Circus Tour 1987)
  43. The Hardest Part (The Innocents Tour 1988)
  44. Drama! (The Wild! Tour 1989)
  45. Knocking on Your Door (The Wild! Tour 1989)
  46. Push Me Shove Me (The Wild! Tour 1990)
  47. Voulez Vous (The Phantasmagorical Entertainment 1992)
  48. Am I Right? (The Phantasmagorical Entertainment 1992)
  49. Heart of Stone (The Phantasmagorical Entertainment 1992)
  50. Who Needs Love Like That (The Tiny Tour 1996)
  51. Rain (Cowboy Tour 1997)
  52. Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime (Sanctuary the EIS Christmas Concert 2002)
  53. Piano Song (The Other Tour 2003)
  54. Hideaway (The Erasure Show 2005)
  55. Breathe (The acoustic Tour 2006)
  56. Oh L'Amour (Light at the End of the World Tour 2007)
  57. Sometimes (Top of the Pops 04/12/86)
  58. It Doesn't Have to Be (The Tom O'Connor Roadshow 02/03/87)
  59. Victim of Love (Daytime live 22/10/87)
  60. The Circus (Daytime live 22/10/87)
Formats, editions, charts, and credits

Formats

CD, DVD

Sources

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