Andy Bell, together with Vince Clarke, are responsible for selling more than 15 million records around the globe and releasing some of the most popular, enduring music of the last 20 years as synth pop phenomenon Erasure. Out now is Total Pop! The First 40 Hits – a collection of all Erasure’s hits in one glittering package.

GaydarRadio’s Simon Le Vans caught up with the mighty Andy Bell to find out more.

You’re looking very well – a bit of a tan, I see?
A mini one, yeah. I had a little cruise on the Atlantis boat.

I thought you were going to say Hampstead Heath then.
No, no, no. The cruise was lovely – I recommend it.

Were you doing anything on the cruise?
Yes, I did two 45 minute sets of remix versions of the songs. I used two of the backup singers from the boat. It was fantastic.

Now tell us about the new album, the deluxe edition of Total Pop! The First 40 Hits. The first one came out in 1992, is that right?
Yeah, 1992. That was Pop! The First 20 Hits. 

With this one, there’re lots of different versions. Tell us about them.
They were thinking of doing Pop Hits 2, because we had the first Pop Hits, as well as a few various hit compilations with different songs on them, so they thought they’d do Pop Hits 2, with all of the singles we’ve had out from 1992 onwards in chronological order. So they got those two Pop Hits together, available on one album.

Then there’s a remix version of tracks that people have done of our singles. There’s also a box set, which is mostly for the fans, which includes DVDs of our live performances at the BBC and all the programs that we’ve done throughout our career, plus songs from all the tours we’ve done.

So, right, the first 20 hits and then the next one – did you think that you and Vince as Erasure would still be going all this time later?
Well, I didn’t think about it. The time goes so fast, I don’t know where it’s all gone. Towards the end of 2006, when we were last on tour, I said to Vince, “I really need a break from Erasure”. I had done the solo thing in 2005, but I just felt like I really needed to step back and do some more work, some solo work, anyway. But I’m really pleased that I did it, because this now kind of landed in my lap, the Total Pop! The First 40 Hits thing. I thought, ‘Wow, this is what we’ve been doing the whole time’. Because you don’t even know!

No, I suppose you just do it.
Yeah, you’re just doing it, going around and playing live everywhere and writing songs and stuff. Then you kind of think, ‘What’s going on with my life?’ And then I saw all these songs and I just thought, ‘Oh my god’.

Like you’d done it all over again?
Yeah, almost. I was really proud when I saw Total Pop! The First 40 Hits. I couldn’t believe all the songs.

"The time goes so fast, I don’t know where it’s all gone...this now kind of landed in my lap, the Total Pop! The First 40 Hits thing. I thought, ‘Wow, this is what we’ve been doing the whole time’. "

These days, a band will have maybe a couple of albums out and then do a greatest hits, so I think once every 20 hits is fair enough! When did you decide to include a CD of remixes with the collection?
I don’t know, I think it’s kind of par for the course now, really, to do remixes. There’re different songs on the remix - some old songs, some new songs.

How did you choose which songs were going to be remixed?
We didn’t, really. I said I’d quite like to do ‘Drama’ with JC and I suppose Vince chose ‘Stop’ and then they put everything else together.

Did they put the songs out to tender?
Yeah, they probably put them out to tender because I don’t know half the people on there!

I don’t know half the people on there, either. I do know some of them, though.
I’m not very good with DJ names.

Some of the mixes are slower than the original songs, which is kind of unusual.
I think they were going for that electro, sort of minimal, original kind of feel.

A lot of them are very stripped back, and then some of them are quite high energy electro trance.
I suppose so, yeah.

The Erasure sound was almost the beginning - or part of the original - electro movement, really. It was all synthesised, it was all programmed.
Yeah, it’s all mixed in there and people really admire Vince for his sounds.

Who are your favourite producers are at the moment?
There are a few remixes or remixers that I like, but they’re all the usual suspects, like the Freemasons and all that.

"You’re just doing it, going around and playing live everywhere and writing songs and stuff. Then you kind of think, ‘What’s going on with my life?’ And then I saw all these songs and I just thought, ‘Oh my god’."

Have you got a favourite on the remix project?
My favourite is the Manhattan Clique one. It’s quite sexy.

Manhattan Clique did some stuff on your solo album, is that right?
Yeah. I did the whole album with them. So I’m a bit biased, but I do like their sound.

I like ‘Stop’ – that was originally from an EP, was it not?
That was from the Crackers International EP - that was probably 1989 or 1990.

It was obviously the track that jumped out from the EP – a nice, little short pop song. It’s a Vince Clarke mix, is it not?
It is.

So he’s had a re-fiddle with it?
He has, yeah.

Talking about the deluxe edition, it’s kind of a book that has DVDs in it. Tell us about the DVDs.
The first DVD has lots of songs from all the live shows that we’ve ever done. They’ve put it all together so it looks like it’s one continuous show from 1987 to 2007, so I grow older through the shows. Then they’ve got all our BBC performances on there.

Which is just a huge amount. I mean, you did lots on the BBC and lots of Top of the Pops. Did you enjoy Top of the Pops?
I did, I used to love it. But I think, by about 1995, I was getting all a bit fed up with it, though. It was too much walking down the street – I’m not saying I was being mobbed or anything like that, but I couldn’t do anything, you know? My life wasn’t my own, really. And I kind of blamed programs like Top of the Pops for it, which wasn’t really the truth. It comes with fame, I suppose. It was just me, really. But I was quite glad when it all went down a bit, because it was too much.

What about the demise of Top of the Pops? Do you think that’s sad or do you think it had its time?
I don’t think it had its time, because the program’s about music.  I think maybe the presentation had its time.

They shouldn’t have moved it to a Friday.
No, they should never have fiddled with it in the first place. All they should have is a live music show with live bands, show some videos, and that’s it.

"It’s been quite hard writing this time because I haven’t had Vince. I’m having to find all these people, because I don’t play any instruments, so it has really made me miss him."

With the live shows, how do you choose what to play with so many hits now? You can’t do them all anymore.
No, we can’t do them all. It’s going to be quite hard, I mean, people will always want to hear the standards anyway, the ones that they know the most. It’s quite hard to pick and choose. We probably start off with maybe 21 songs or something and then Vince will start shaving the ends off and then speeding them up, just so the show’s over quicker and we can get home.

Is there any new stuff coming out?
There won’t be any new Erasure stuff until at least next year. I’m going to go and see Vince in autumn. I’m really looking forward to seeing him, because we haven’t seen each other for a year, at least. I’m also doing my second solo thing, which I’m really happy with so far, and that probably won’t be out until next year.

Is it true that there’ll be a 2010 tour?
Well, we are going on tour, but I’m not sure when it’s going to be.

Is a world tour now a thing of the past? Is it more just doing a few months here, having a few months off, then doing a few months there?
I don’t know, it just really depends what’s going on. I mean, we always play North America and maybe Germany, maybe Scandinavia, but then we only ever play South East Asia or South America if we’re tagged on with somebody else, because it’s quite hard to pay for yourself to go down there. I mean, we have played in South East Asia and South America with David Bowie, plus a whole group of other people like No Doubt. We have played on our own, as well, but it is a really hard slog. I don’t mind it, but after a while, you do start pining to go home.

So the second solo album, when can we expect to hear bits of that?
I think it’s going to be available in the new year because it’s not going to be finished until June.

Do you still enjoy writing the songs?
I do, yeah. It’s been quite hard writing this time because I haven’t had Vince. I’m having to find all these people, because I don’t play any instruments, so it has really made me miss him. I had a bit of a hassle as well with a few people – nothing major – but it was all about money, really. But with Vince, it’s just 50/50, down the line – it’s just so simple.

The Pet Shop Boys have just worked with Xenomania, have you ever thought about getting together with someone like them?
I would do, you know. I’m open for anything. 

Read Our Review Of Total Pop! The First 40 Hits »
Click to read why Andy Bell and Vincent Clarke have sold more than 15 million albums around the globe.

Total Pop! The First 40 Hits, by Erasure
Label: Mute
Released: 23 February 2009
ASIN: B001O7JHJ8

Love Erasure? Buy Total Pop! The First 40 Hits online now. You'll save some money to put towards Pop! Remixed and the Total Pop! Deluxe Box Set. Plus, check out the 2009 mix of 'Always' below!

 

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