On February 14th 2020 BMG will release the latest in their series of remastered and expanded Erasure CD reissues with a 3-CD edition of “Chorus”. It features a remastered version of the original album on one disc; a selection of new and classic remixes, b-sides and bonus tracks on disc two; and a live version of the entire “Chorus” album, recorded on Erasure’s Phantasmagorical Entertainment Tour, on the final disc.
This track is a brand new remix of “Am I Right?” taken from the forthcoming remastered and expanded 3CD set.
“Chorus” was Erasure’s 5th proper studio album and was released on 14 October 1991 by Mute Records in Germany and the UK and 15 October 1991 by Sire/Reprise Records in the USA. The remastered and expanded edition of ‘Chorus’ comes in deluxe hardback book packaging with brand new sleeve notes by Mat Smith.
MIDI slop killed the chorded voices
For the geeks, prior to the album’s production, programmer Vince Clarke had noticed technical limitations of the by-then-predominant MIDI sequencing standard, notably that the protocol’s low signal rate resulted in timing errors (known as “MIDI slop”) when multiple notes were triggered simultaneously. In an effort to eliminate this and give the album a “tighter” feel, he avoided the use of MIDI completely, using primarily analog synthesizers and the Roland MC-4 CV/gate sequencer. The avoidance of MIDI had other side effects on the sound of the album, such as the lack of chorded voices (the MC4 can only trigger one note at a time per instrument) and the absence of digital synthesizers and samplers, due to lack of CV/gate control on available models. Clarke would continue with this production technique for later recordings through the 90s.
Tracklisting.
CD1 – CHORUS REMASTERED
• Chorus
• Waiting For The Day
• Joan
• Breath Of Life
• Am I Right
• Love To Hate You
• Turns The Love To Anger
• Siren Song
• Perfect Stranger
• Home
CD2 – B-SIDES, REMIXES & RARITIES
• Over The Rainbow – Originally appears on the single ‘Chorus’
• Turns The Love To Anger (Vince Clarke Remix) – New Remix
• Perfect Stranger (KROQ Mellow Version) – Taken from ‘The KROQ Sessions’
• Waiting For Sex (Full Length) – Taken from the single ‘Am I Right?’
• Love To Hate You (Robbie Rivera’s Juicy Mix) – New Remix
• Twilight – Originally appears on the 2006 EIS release ‘Buried Treasure II’
• Let It Flow – Originally appears on the single ‘Am I Right?’
• Chorus (Fishes In The Sea) (Ben Grosse Remix) – U.S. Promo
• Siren Song (Alternative Lyrics) – Originally appeared on the 2006 EIS release ‘Buried Treasure II’
• Breath Of Life (Divine Inspiration Mix) – Remixed by Phil Kelsey. Originally appears on the single ‘Breathe Of Life’
• Love to Hate You (KROQ Blunder Version) – Taken from ‘The KROQ Sessions’
• La La La – Originally appears on the single ‘Love To Hate You’
• Mirror To Your Soul – Originally appears on the 2006 EIS release ‘Buried Treasure II’
• Waiting For The Day (Demo Version) – Originally appears on the box set ‘From Moscow To Mars’
• Perfect Stranger (Acoustic) – Originally appears on the single ‘Am I Right?’
• Am I Right? (Glen Nicholls Extended 12″ Mix) – New Remix
• Home (Minute Taker Remix) – New Remix
CD3 – CHORUS LIVE
• Chorus
• Waiting For The Day
• Joan
• Breath Of Life
• Am I Right
• Love To Hate You
• Turns The Love To Anger
• Siren Song
• Perfect Stranger
• Home
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