Erasure discography

The Innocents

Studio album · 1988

Our first recommendation for new listeners: “A Little Respect,” “Chains of Love,” and an album full of reasons to keep listening.

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ErasureFan illustration; not official release artwork.

Listening notes

Inside The Innocents

By Alex Vale

Put on The Innocents and “A Little Respect” makes the introduction for you. The quieter “Ship of Fools” follows, “Phantom Bride” offers one of the album’s loveliest melodies, and “Chains of Love” brings the rush back. There is more variety here than the three famous singles suggest, right through to the reflective “Weight of the World.”

Stephen Hague’s production is polished, but it gives the performances room to breathe. Brass, backing voices, and bright synth parts add color without getting in Bell’s way. He can sound wounded, commanding, or playful, while Clarke’s arrangements give each song a clear shape.

This is why the album remains ErasureFan’s first recommendation. It contains the famous singles and less familiar songs that reward another listen. Follow it with Wild! for bigger arrangements, or Chorus for a crisper synth sound.

First release: 18th April 1988 (Germany), 18th April 1988 (UK), 24th May 1988 (USA)
Release type: Studio album
Label: Mute
Catalog number: stumm 55

Track list (11 tracks)

Reference edition: The Innocents · GB · 1988-04-18 · 12" Vinyl. Track order can differ by territory and reissue.

A Little Respect [3:31]
Ship Of Fools [4:01]
Phantom Bride [3:31]
Chains Of Love [3:36]
Hallowed Ground [4:00]
Sixty-Five Thousand [3:23]
Heart Of Stone [3:19]
Yahoo! [3:48]
Imagination [3:27]
Witch In The Ditch [3:43]
Weight Of The World [3:38]

Formats, editions, charts, and credits

Formats

VINYL (UK – STUMM55 / Germany – INT 146.836 / USA – Reprise 25730-1), DIGITAL DOWNLOAD (ISTUMM55), CD (UK – CDSTUMM55 / Germany – INT 846.836 / USA – Reprise 25730-2), CASSETTE (UK – CSTUMM55 / Germany – INT 446.836 / USA – Reprise 25730-4), DOUBLE CASSETTE (UK – CSTUMM55D), MINIDISC (UK – MDSTUMM55), 3-DISC REISSUE BOXSET (LCDSTUMM55), 3-DISC REISSUE DOWNLOAD (ILCDSTUMM55)

Chart positions

1 (UK) | 10 (Germany) | 49 (USA)

Edition notes

The CD, Cassette and MiniDisc formats include two bonus tracks. Early editions of the vinyl release contained a colour poster depicting the sleeve artwork. This album was also released as Limited Edition double cassette (CSTUMM55D) with ‘The Two Ring Circus’.
The cover image features part of a stained glass window from St. James and Charlemagne in Chartres Cathedral.
‘The Innocents’ was reissued in 2009 in Standard CD and Limited Edition 3-Disc formats.

Selected credits

Written by Clarke/Bell.
Published by Musical Moments Ltd/Minotaur Music Ltd/Sony/ATV Music Publishing (UK) Ltd.
‘River Deep Mountain High’ written by Barry/Greenwich/Spector, published by: Warner Bros Music Ltd.
Produced by: Stephen Hague.
Engineered by: Bob Kraushaar.
‘Ship Of Fools’ produced by Stephen Hague and Dave Jacob, and engineered by Dave Jacob.
‘When I Needed You [Melancholic Mix]’ and ‘River Deep Mountain High [Private Dance Mix]’ produced by Erasure.
Brass on ‘Heart Of Stone’ by The Kickhorns (Roddy Lorimer, Tim Sanders, Simon Clark and Steve Sidwell).
Additional backing vocals Naomi Osborne on ‘Chains Of Love’ and ‘Yahoo!’, Caron Wheeler on ‘Chains Of Love’ and ‘Yahoo!’, and…

Sources

Corrections are welcome through the contact form.

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Sire / Reprise CD

One CD with the 11-song album, plus ‘When I Needed You’ (Melancholic Mix) and ‘River Deep, Mountain High’ (Private Dance Mix).

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