''Wonderland'' is the debut studio album by English

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

duo Erasure, released on 1 May 1986 by Sire Records in the United States and on 2 June 1986 by

Mute Records Mute Records is a British independent record label owned and founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller. It has featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Depeche Mode, Erasure, Einstürzende Neubauten, Fad Gadget, Goldfrapp, Grinderm ...

in the United Kingdom and Germany. Not an immediate success, the three singles released from it failed to crack the top 40 in the UK. "

Who Needs Love Like That "Who Needs Love Like That" is the debut single of British synthpop duo Erasure. The song was released in the UK on Mute Records in 1985 as a prelude to their debut album, '' Wonderland'' (1986). The accompanying music video was directed by John ...

" would eventually make the UK top 10 in 1992, and "

Oh L'amour "Oh L'amour" is a song by English synthpop duo Erasure, released in April 1986 as their third single. Written by Erasure members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, it is a lament from someone experiencing unrequited love ''("broke my heart / now I'm ...

" reached the UK top 20 in 2003, both in remixed form promoting their ''

Pop! The First 20 Hits ''Pop! The First 20 Hits'' is a greatest hits collection from Erasure, released on 16 November 1992 in Germany and the UK and 24 November 1992 in the United States. The album utilises a straightforward format: all of Erasure's singles up to tha ...

'' and '' Hits!'' compilations respectively. However, the album fared better in both Germany and Sweden, where it charted within the top 20. Erasure's initial exposure in the US came via dance clubs, as two singles reached the top 10 on ''Billboard''

Hot Dance Music/Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as th ...

chart. At the time of its release, ''Wonderland'' was considered a failure, especially when comparing it to Clarke's prior successes with

Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting). Depeche ...

and Yazoo. Andy Bell has stated that

Alison Moyet Geneviève Alison Jane Ballard ( ; born 18 June 1961) is an English singer noted for her powerful bluesy contralto voice. She came to prominence as half of the duo Yazoo (also known as Yaz), but has since mainly worked as a solo artist. Her ...

was an influence of his vocals and he used to practice to Yazoo songs.

Track listing

All songs were written by Andy Bell and Vince Clarke, except where noted.

UK and Germany releases (Mute)

Side one

" (Clarke) #"Reunion" #"Cry So Easy" (Bell) #"Push Me Shove Me" (Clarke) #"

Heavenly Action "Heavenly Action" is a song by the British synthpop duo Erasure, released in November 1985 as their second single. It is a mid-tempo pop song, written by Erasure members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell as a straightforward ode to love. Issued by Mu ...

Side two

"Say What" #"Love is a Loser" #"Senseless" #"My Heart... So Blue" (Clarke) #"

" #"Pistol"

CD bonus tracks

"Say What" (remix) #"March on Down the Line" (remix) #"Senseless" (remix)

US release (Sire)

Side one

#"Who Needs Love Like That" ( Vince Clarke) - 3:19 #"Reunion" - 3:25 #"Cry So Easy" ( Andy Bell) - 3:35 #"Senseless" - 5:20 #"Heavenly Action" - 3:30

Side two

"Say What" - 3:56 #"Love is a Loser" - 3:02 #"March on Down the Line" - 3:26 #"My Heart... So Blue" (Clarke) - 4:31 #"Oh L'amour" - 3:24

CD bonus tracks

"Who Needs Love Like That (The Love That Mix Version)" - 6:11 #"Oh L'amour (The Funky Sisters Remix)" - 7:17 The US version drops the tracks "Push Me Shove Me" and "Pistol" and adds "March on Down the Line" which was originally the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

to "

" in the UK (and also appeared in a remixed form as a CD bonus track on the UK version of the album). The CD versions of both the UK and US versions of the album have different remixes as bonus tracks. The UK and US album versions of "Oh L'amour" were slightly different. The Brazilian edition of the album contains the live version of "Oh L'amour" as track 6.

2011 remaster and repackage

On 4 July 2011, EMI re-released Erasure's first two albums in 2CD/DVD format. Both feature the original album remastered, plus another disc of tracks associated with the album, and a DVD containing promo videos and a live concert.

2016 "Erasure 30" 30th Anniversary BMG Reissue LP

Subsequent to their acquisition of Erasure's back catalog, and in anticipation of the band's 30th anniversary, BMG records commissioned reissues of all previously released UK editions of Erasure albums up to and including 2007's '' Light at the End of the World''. All titles were pressed and distributed by Play It Again Sam on 180-gram vinyl and shrinkwrapped with a custom anniversary sticker.

2016 "30th Anniversary Edition" US Audiophile Remaster LP

In December 2016, American boutique record label Intervention Records released an audiophile-quality analogue remaster of the US release sourced from Sire's masters still held by Warner Brothers Records in the US. The release was pressed on 180-gram vinyl and in a 60s-style Tip-On jacket. Intervention also planned and begun work on a similar release of Erasure's second album, '' The Circus'', for the first quarter of 2017, but it was withdrawn in February of that year.

Charts

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wonderland (Erasure Album) 1986 debut albums Albums produced by Flood (producer) Erasure albums Mute Records albums Sire Records albums