Greg EIS:

¨ UK TV Programmes Of Interest

Hi

Very quick mid-week update - thought you might be interested in the following UK programmes:

- Abba's Greatest Hits - Thurs 29th April 20:00 - 21:00 (Five)

Documentary celebrating the pop phenomenon that was Abba with a countdown of their biggest selling singles. Featuring contributions from Elvis Costello and Dannii Minogue.

Apparently it also contains a contribution from Andy Bell, although it is not a recent interview (i.e. one filmed within the last 12 months) so I'm have problems confirming this.

- TOTP2 - Weds 5th May 19:00 to 19:30 (BBC TWO)

Featuring classic performances from the Top of the Pops archives, including songs from 10cc, Depeche Mode, Alanis Morrissette, Jason Donovan, Pulp, Double Trouble & The Rebel MC, and Tavares. Plus new music from Norah Jones.

- 1992 Forever - Fri 7th May 01:35 to 02:30 (ITV1 LONDON)

A look back at the music of 1992, featuring Take That, Nirvana, Pearl
Jam, Tori Amos, Shakespear's Sister, PJ Harvey, Stereo MCs, the Shamen, Erasure and Whitney Houston.

Cheers!

Greg
[Erasure Information Service]

¨ New Mixes To Download

Two more tracks for download has been added to the audio section: "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (Eu-Jinn Version)" and "Breath Of Life (Eu-Jinn Version)". Thanks to Eu-Jinn. Audio page available in Media section.   

¨ More Photos From Andy's Birthday Party

Here are some other photos from Andy's birthday party taken on 25th of April. Among other guests on the party also appeared Daniel Miller (head of Mute Records), Manhattan Clique (remixers of "Solsbury Hill" and "Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)"), Paul Hickey (Andy's boyfriend), Stephen Hague (producer of "The Innocents" album), Gareth Jones (longtime Erasure producer / collaborator), Alison Goldfrapp (from Goldfrapp), Paul Humphreys (from OMD), Claudia Brucken (ex-member of Propaganda), Valerie Chalmers and Ann-Marie Gilkes (Erasure backing vocalists) (very big thanks to jimmymac for the info and photos).

¨ Some Interesting Vince Answers

In a recent "Ask Erasure" session Vince revealed some interesting facts:

 - Recording new album was all done on his laptop. All of the sounds were generated by software synths and the only auxillary equipment he needed was a Oxygen 8 keyboard and a pair of speakers. He used a mixture of edited preset sounds and also programmed his own patches from a whole myriad of soft synths; 

 - On a 20th anniversary of Erasure he is going to bake a cake and "Andy will be eating it!". He is sure there will be a special gig or tour;

 - There are no plans at the moment to release 2nd Family Fantastic album;

 - He hasn't sold his house and studio in Surrey and he wouldn't build another house;

 - He'd love to remix "Chorus" in 5.1 surround sound..

¨ Andy Bell Photo From His Birthday Party

Here is a photo taken from Andy's 40th birthday party in central London on 25th of April. Unfortunately Vince wasn't at the party (very big thanks to Greg of the EIS for the info and photo).

¨ Happy Birthday Mr. Andrew Ivan Bell

Erasure.com.ru wishing very happy birthday to Mr. Andrew Ivan Bell (who celebrates his big 40 today). We love you very much. We need you. And we are waiting for you here in Moscow. We are also wishing that forthcoming Erasure single top the charts ;-)

¨ Birthday Book For Andy

Don't forget to write your wishes for Andy (who will be celebrating his 40th birthday tomorrow, 25th of April) in his online birthday book. It is located here.

¨ Erasure In "Ultimative Chart Show"

Last Thursday german television station RTL screened the "Ultimative Chart Show" with the most succesful duos. They showed the duos and duets, which have selled the most in Germany. Highest Erasure position was # 11 with "Abba-esque" EP. Other Erasure entries are:

 - # 96 Sometimes
 - # 133 Always
 - # 203 Ship Of Fools

The complete chart can be seen here. Also you can see a 3 min. snippet from the show which is exclusively available at http://www.erasure.de (thanks to Jens for the info).

¨ Andy Bell On Channel 5

On Thursday April 29th at 8pm Andy is appearing on "Abba's Greatest Hits" on Channel 5 in the UK. "Abba's Greatest Hits" is a documentary celebrating the pop phenomenon that was Abba with a countdown of their biggest selling singles. It is also will be featuring contributions from Elvis Costello and Dannii Minogue. For further details see Channel 5 website (thanks to John Marshall for the info).

Greg EIS:

Hello!

Now that most of the EIS '04 passes have been produced and sent out (see below) my attention can switch back to the EIS website.

So I thought I'd update a feature that I've probably had more emails about than any other...

¨ EIS Update - Paul Taylor Interview

Yes after a longer gap than originally planned - the second part of the interview with Mute's Art Director - Paul Taylor (with exclusive images of the concept artwork of 'Hits! The Very Best of Erasure') has now been published.

http://www.erasureinfo.com/features/interviews.html

¨ New Feature - 'Ask Mute'

Given the great success that the EIS 'Ask Erasure' has achieved - with a bit of 'gentle' persuasion Mute have agreed to take part in an 'Ask Mute' feature (thanks guys!)

So if there is anything that you have always wanted to ask Mute - well now is your chance!

Basically the questions I receive will form the basis of an interview with Daniel Miller.

Please choose your questions carefully - receiving 1,000's of questions in the vain of "why wasn't [insert song name] released as a single" may not produce the most interesting feature!

Please submit your questions here:

http://www.erasureinfo.com/contact/index.html

(Please select "'EIS Site > Ask Mute (EIS Members Only)" as the subject from the drop down list).

¨ EIS Update - 'Ask Erasure' - Vince

Speaking of the 'Ask Erasure' feature - it has been updated with April's answers from Vince. See his replies to your questions here:

http://www.erasureinfo.com/features/index.html

Please refresh a particular page in your web browser and / or clear your browser cache before emailing me to say a feature hasn't been updated the updates are uploaded before the email updates are sent out.

¨ EIS '04 Passes

The second batch of EIS '04 passes have been sent out today - please let me know if you haven't received anything by the end of next week.

¨ EIS Forum Feedback

Thanks for everyone who has submitted feedback regarding the EIS forum - several changes have already been made in order to make the topics easier to find etc - further slight enhancements are planned in the next week or two.

¨ Email Spam Filters etc

If you know of anyone that has stopped receiving the EIS email updates - can you ask them to check if their ISP has starting using a spam filter? Most ISP's who do filter emails will allow you to check your email online and see what is being filtered.

¨ Last Weeks Prize Draw

I've extended the deadline for last weeks prize draw - here are the details again:

Here is your chance to win one of eight promotional CDs (produced by Maverick) of Erasure cover of "Magic Moments" (from the United Artists feature film "Lord of Illusions")

[Check your EIS email update for entry details]

Closing date for entries is the 29th April 2004 at 1pm. Eight names will be picked out of the virtual hat at random and will win one copy each. Winners will be notified by email.

Until next time!

Greg
Erasure Information Service

Added New Pics

Added details of: "Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)" us cd, "Run To The Sun" canadian cd, "Who Needs Love Like That" 1985 german vinyl (thanks to Patrick Aldag), "In My Arms" belgian cd (thanks to Mike DePaz), "The Innocents" swedish cd (thanks to Mike DePaz).

Album News

Latest news comes from Union Street Recording studio's owner Steve Walsh:

"April 14... Yesterday Vince Clarke brought me a copy of the mixes of the new Erasure record that's to be released later this year. All I can say is that Erasure fans will not be dissapointed."

Updates: New Wallpapers

Two new wallpapers has been added to the "Media" section. The first one based on "Chorus" theme while the second one (which is probably the best we ever made) is calling "Waiting For The Day". Check them.

Greg EIS:

Hello!

This Weeks Prize Draw

This week's prize draw gives you the chance to win one of eight promotional CDs (produced by Maverick) of Erasure cover of "Magic Moments" (from the United Artists feature film "Lord of Illusions")

[Check your EIS email update for entry details]

Closing date for entries is the 22nd April 2004 at 1pm. Eight names will be picked out of the virtual hat at random and will win one copy each. Winners will be notified by email.

Prize Draw Winners

The winners of the previous prize draw to win copies of the Yazoo 'Situation' CDs and the Erasure Interview CD are as follows:

- Yazoo Winners -

Colin Tye (UK), Tracy Logan (UK), Rob Nelson (UK), Robert Moon (USA), Graham Nisbet (UK), Natalie Caldwell (USA), Melissa Quirke (Ireland), Gavin Harriman (UK)

- Erasure Interview Winners -

Andre Filardo (USA), Andrew Pach (USA), Angela Gregson (UK), Annette
Scherr (USA), Craig Money (UK), Adam Almond (USA), David DuBois (USA), David Hawes (UK), Stuart Farina (UK), Frank Preuss (Germany), Karen Wilson (UK), Gary Curry (USA), Glenn Higginbotham (USA), Harald Waldrauch (Australia), Frederick Carbonneau (Canada), Janine Payton (UK), Janne Bjerkeland (Norway), Ramona Gupta (USA), Sara Elliott (UK), Mark Summerfield (UK), Michael Stoor (USA), Simon Day (UK), Stephen Rogers (UK), Thomas Lilja (Sweden)

Congratulations to you all!

EIS '04 Passes

The first batch of EIS '04 tickets and dining passes were sent out today (first class). The second (and final batch) will be sent out next week.

Once these are all sent out then normal EIS service will resume!

EIS Forum Survey

Well the EIS Forum is six months old next month so now seems a good time to conduct a review. What do you think of it so far?

So here is your chance to take part in a survey that allows you to give anonymous feedback - see here for further details:

http://www.erasureinfo.com/contact/forum.html

In a few weeks I'll compile the results and produce a summery and make any changes (if required).

Andy's Online Birthday Book

An online book for you to write your birthday wishes for Andy (who celebrates his 40th birthday on the 25th April) has been setup by Jackie (one of the EIS Forum moderators) on her "Erasurette" web site.

Further details here:

http://www.erasurette.com

Jackie will compile all the comments and pass them onto me, and I'll pass them onto Andy.

EIS Merchandise

The stock levels for the following items are extremely low:

- Box Sets logo mug
- Tiny Tour programme
- Loveboat Logo T-Shirt (medium size)

Once they have sold out then they will not be made available again.

They can be ordered from:

https://secure.erasureinfo.co.uk/oldshop/merch.html

Charity Event

EIS member Dennis O'Farrell will be participating in AIDS / LifeCycle fund raising bike ride in June 2004. It involves biking along the California coast from San Francisco to Los Angeles over 7 days, and it's 585 miles in length.

Further details available here:

http://www.aidslifecycle.org

and donations can be made here:

https://www.aidslifecycle.org/donate/6529

Until next time!

Greg
Erasure Information Service

Added New Pics

Added details of: "Singles Box Set 3" german/french cds, "Oh L'Amour" 2003 uk 3 track promo cdr, "Sometimes" german vinyl (thanks to Patrick Aldag), "Pop! - The First 20 Hits" uk promo interview cd (thanks to Mike DePaz), "Cowboy" south african cd (thanks to Mike DePaz).

Pictures From "Stay With Me" Video Shoot

Back in 1995 Erasure filmed a video for their single "Stay With Me". The director of the video was Mario Cavalli. Video shows different people in their flats living in one big house. Here are some pictures from scenes that were not included in the final version of the video.

More about Mario Cavalli and also about Ashley Potter (who was the artist who made an illustrations for the "Erasure" album cover and related singles) can be found on their website.

New Section - Audio

Finally there is an audio section on the site. The first two tracks for download are two remixes made by DJ Eu-Jinn. The first one is "A Little Respect" and the second one is "Push Me Shove Me". Audio page available in Media section.   

Unreleased "I Say I Say I Say" Related Drawings

Three unreleased drawings made by extra talented Michael Cosford (who worked on Erasure artworks back in 1994) see the light of day. The third one (with winter landscape) was planned as a cover of unreleased 4th single from "I Say I Say I Say" album. You can visit Michael Cosford website which can be found here (many thanks Dave for the info and pics).

On-line Petition To Mute Records

Sign on-line petition to Mute Records! Created by Dave it is asking Mute Records to rehire Michael Cosford for the new Erasure album. You can sign this petition here.

Updates: Added New Pics

Added details of: "Singles Box Set 2" reissue cds, "Hits! - The Very Best Of Erasure" uk limited cd (thanks to Patrick Aldag), "Today's Best Mix, Volume 5" us cd, "Stay With Me" german lcd (thanks to Patrick Aldag), "Pop! - The First 20 Hits" hong kong gold cd (thanks to Mike DePaz).

Greg EIS:

Hello all!

A new month and a new EIS email update...

[EIS] Website Update - Studio Diary Updated

The final instalment of the popular studio diary (day 26) has been put live:

http://www.erasureinfo.com/features/studiodiary.html

German translation:

http://www.erasureinfo.com/features/studiodiary_de.html

I'm sure what Vince says about the champagne isn't true - but my recollection of that evening is a little hazy...

Many thanks again to Corinna and Janet from erasure.de for providing the translations.

[EIS] Website Update - 'Ask Erasure'

This week it's Vince's turn to answer a selection of your questions - where he reveals that he is currently into experimental chamber music...

http://www.erasureinfo.com/features/index.html

Prize Draw Time

Regular readers of the EIS Forum will know that I've been having an office clear out - with several vinyl promo's being given away via the forum. More will happen via the forum in the next few weeks - however for now the next batch of freebies will be given away via a prize draw.

There are two prize draws this week:

- Prize Draw One -

I have 24 copies of 'Erasure' Interview CD's (ERASSAY 2) to give away. These interview CDs contain an interview (conducted by Mark Goodier 12.8.95 - although you don't hear his voice) with Andy and Vince that was used to promote the release of their self titled album 'Erasure' - back in 1995 for radio stations to air etc. A transcript and audio stream of this CD is available here:

http://www.erasureinfo.com/features/interviews_erasure_selftitled.html

[Check your EIS email update for entry details]

Closing date is 8th April 2004 and 24 names will be picked at random from all the entries received.

Winners will be notified by email.

- Prize Draw Two -

I also have 14 Yazoo 'Situation' promo CD's (RCDYAZ 4) to give away. The track listings is as follows:

1) Situation (deadline mix edit 2:39)
2) Situation (deadline mix edit 2:56)

[Check your EIS email update for entry details]

Closing date is 8th April 2004 and 14 names will be picked at random from all the entries received.

Winners will be notified by email.

You can enter either or both draws.

EIS '04

Last week proved to be an interesting experience, seeing half the EIS '04 tickets sell within the first 15 mins of going on sale - and the rest within the hour! Two weeks before I was convinced that the event would have to be cancelled due to lack of interest - judging the demand for events doesn't seem to be the most exact science...

The vast majority of the payments have now all been processed - and the EIS '04 passes are currently being printed and laminated. It's planned that they will be sent out next week.

There probably won't be an EIS update next week as I'm taking a few days off to recover from the (probably) toxic but not altogether unpleasant fumes from the laminating process!

So until next time!

Greg
Erasure Information Service

New wallpaper has been added to the "Media" section. To celebrate the 1st of April it is representing Andy Bell in drag.