The Two Ring Circus

The Two-Ring Circus
Compilation album (remixes and live recordings) by Erasure
Released	16 November 1987
Recorded	1985–1987
Genre	Synthpop
Length	73:37
Label	Mute (UK) - LSTUMM35 Sire (U.S.) - 25667
Producer	Flood and Vince Clarke
Erasure chronology
The Circus (Erasure) (1987) The Two Ring Circus (1987) The Innocents (1988)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	(2/5)[1]

The Two Ring Circus, released in 1987 on Mute Records in the UK and Sire Records in the U.S, is a remix album from Erasure that served as a companion piece to their second album The Circus. The vinyl version was a double 12" album playing at 45rpm, featuring 6 previously unreleased remixes and 3 re-recordings. The CD and cassette editions featured an additional 7 live bonus tracks billed as "The Touring Circus".

UK chart rules at the time made The Two Ring Circus ineligible to chart. It became their second release to briefly slip into the Billboard 200 chart, peaking at number 186.

The first six tracks on The Two Ring Circus were all new remixes of songs that had already appeared on their second album "The Circus". The next three tracks were re-recordings of two songs from The Circus and one song from the band's first album Wonderland. All three were orchestral arrangements by Andrew Poppy.

The 7 "Touring Circus" bonus live tracks on the CD and cassette mainly feature songs from Erasure's first two albums. The last track, a live version of "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" was their first remake of an ABBA tune, foreshadowing a concept that would later provide them with a number-one in the UK in 1992 with the Abba-esque EP.

All 7 of the CD and Cassette live bonus tracks were recorded in Hamburg and were previously featured on the triple 12" single release for "The Circus". There was a further live song per 12" not featured on this album. All 10 of these live tracks (plus an 11th originally featured on the "Victim Of Love" CD Single) are featured on disc 2 of the "EBX 2" box-set.

The US editions of the CD and cassette also included an additional remix in the form of an edited version of a previously released remix.

Track listing

UK version (L STUMM 35)

1. "Sometimes" (Erasure and Flood Mix)
2. "It Doesn't Have To Be" (Mix By Pascal Gabriel)
3. "Victim of Love" (Little Louie Vega Mix)
4. "Leave Me To Bleed" (Vince Clarke and Eric Radcliffe Mix)
5. "Hideaway" (Little Louie Vega Mix)
6. "Don't Dance" (Daniel Miller and Flood Mix)
7. "If I Could" (Orchestral Arr. & Thanks To Andrew Poppy)
8. "Spiralling" (Orchestral Arr. & Thanks To Andrew Poppy)
9. "My Heart... So Blue" (Orchestral Arr. & Thanks To Andrew Poppy)

"The Touring Circus" (Bonus tracks on the cassette (LC STUMM 35) and CD (CDL STUMM 35)

1. "Victim of Love" (live)
2. "The Circus" (live)
3. "Spiralling" (live)
4. "Sometimes" (live)
5. "Oh L'amour" (live)
6. "Who Needs Love (Like That)" (live)
7. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" (live)

US Cassette and CD

25667-4 / 25667-4

1. "Sometimes" (Erasure and Flood Mix)
2. "It Doesn't Have To Be" (Mix By Pascal Gabriel)
3. "Victim of Love" (Little Louie Vega Mix)
4. "Leave Me To Bleed" (Vince Clarke and Eric Radcliffe Mix)
5. "Hideaway" (Little Louie Vega Mix)
6. "Don't Dance" (Daniel Miller and Flood Mix)
7. "The Circus" (Dave Powell Mix)
8. "If I Could" (Orchestral Arr. & Thanks To Andrew Poppy)
9. "Spiralling" (Orchestral Arr. & Thanks To Andrew Poppy)
10. "My Heart... So Blue" (Orchestral Arr. & Thanks To Andrew Poppy)
11. "Victim of Love" (live)
12. "Spiralling" (live)
13. "Sometimes" (live)
14. "Oh L'amour" (live)
15. "Who Needs Love (Like That)" (live)
16. "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" (live)

Release history

Country	Date
United Kingdom	16 November 1987
United States	1 December 1987

Chart performance

Chart (1987)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard 200[2]	186

References

1. Allmusic review
2. http://www.billboard.com/artist/301794/erasure/chart?f=305