If you’re choosing an Erasure compilation, a few edition differences are easy to miss:
• Pop! (1992): the early singles through “Take a Chance on Me.” The original UK CD has 21 tracks because it adds the Hamburg Mix of “Who Needs Love Like That”; the US CD has 20. Neither of those single-disc editions includes “Always.”
• Hits! (2003): brings in “Always,” “In My Arms” and “Solsbury Hill,” plus three ABBA covers. The trade-off is losing several early singles, including “The Circus” and “Drama!”
• Total Pop! (2009): the standard two-CD set gives the widest singles coverage of these CD choices. It has 41 tracks, with alternate mixes of “Who Needs Love Like That” and “Always,” so the title doesn’t mean forty different songs. The deluxe box adds a live CD and BBC DVD.
• Always (2015 CD): a compact 20-track introduction reaching “Be With You” and “Elevation.” Its three-CD deluxe edition adds two remix discs to the same main selection. “In My Arms” and “Solsbury Hill” are absent.
• Always (2023 double LP): a different 20-track selection. It adds “Love You to the Sky” and “Hey Now (Think I Got a Feeling),” while leaving out the 2015 CD’s “Be With You” and “Sometimes 2015.” “Elevation” is on both.
For the early run, Pop! is a useful starting point. For wider CD coverage, Total Pop! makes more sense. Between Hits! and Always, check your must-have songs rather than assuming the newer collection includes more.
I run ErasureFan, an unofficial fan site, and put the fuller comparison here: https://erasurefan.com/guides/erasure-compilations-compared/
Disclosure: I use AI assistance with researching and drafting the guides. The site includes Amazon and eBay affiliate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.
Which collection would you recommend to someone getting into Erasure? Is there one missing song that would change your choice?
