 
ep // Sunsets Pink
Sometimes iTunes has a wonderful way of completely
justifying its existence and its impact on the music industry. The
relative efficiency with which bands / artists without a record
label can just get music out there for people to buy with a few
clicks is part of its universal appeal, especially where releasing
rare or hard to find material that would be costly to press up for
a relatively small audience remains the preserve of the short-run
musical underground - The Wire is filled with small-run
releases on tiny labels, mostly on CD-R or cassette. iTunes therefore
is perfectly suited to efficiently releasing out-of-print items,
especially where they are heavily bootlegged.
Still, even with iTunes' utilitarian dimension,
I never expected to be able to download five tracks from Dinger,
the duo of Andy Bell and Pierre Cope,
that existed before Bell's fateful audition with Vince Clarke
that led to the formation of Erasure. (Apparently
'Dinger' was Bell's nickname.) Previously I'd only managed to download
'I Love To Love' and 'Air Of Mystery' from some dodgy Erasure fansites,
and presumed that the two tracks (which I seem to recall formed
the only official 7" release by the band) were the only songs
they recorded. So three additional tracks is a bit of a bonus.
The principal curiosity value of this EP is being
able to hear a young Andy Bell making his first foray into the world
of pop music, ahead of that audition, audio evidence of which has
also come available thanks to the Erasure Information Service. It
was often said, by Bell and others, that it took pretty much the
whole of Wonderland before Andy found his 'own' voice,
claiming that the voice he adopted as his 'own' was modelled on
Alison Moyet's. On the strength of the tracks compiled
on Sunsets Pink, I'm not so sure. It is different, certainly,
but not unrecognisably so. If anything, Bell sounds like a cross
between David Bowie, David Sylvian and the guy from Our Daughter's
Wedding that sang that 'Lawn Chairs' track, very melodramatic and
engaging, especially on the slinky and dangerous 'Air Of Mystery'.
It's very of it's time, unlike the voice that brought Vince's songs
to life on Wonderland.
The point about sounding of its time is most enforced
by the sound of Cope's backing; the whole thing has a very 1984
/ 85 vibe, particularly in the use of funky slap bass, a sound that
hasn't aged well. When used in a controlled manner it sounds sublime
- 'I Love To Love' still sounds to me like an early, shimmering
OMD cut, though the middle eight - with a slap bass solo - is a
bit much. Erasure could have easily recorded this for Wonderland
- the one note synth melodies are right up Vince's street and I
swear he has actually co-opted that descending hook since. 'The
China Song' (about, er, going to China) sounds like an attempt to
distill the sound of the (Expanded) Talking Heads of Remain
In Light, and has that cute sense of awe that the early Eighties
had for all things foreign and 'exotic' (and that presumably explains
the palm trees and holiday sunset on the sleeve image). That same
funk vibe propels 'Kettle Of Fish' whilst also referencing the stuttered
S'Express beat that Bell's future collaborator
Pascal Gabriel would develop for 'Theme From S'Express'.
'Dance' is a seedy number with a Non-Stop Erotic
Cabaret feel, Bell imploring us to 'dance, dance, dance'
while far-off chatter and voices mutter away in the background.
It's the least straightforward pop song here, the most uncompromising,
and probably my personal favourite, even if I did wish the low end
of the beat was more prominent.
Sound quality generally is a little poor across
this collection, as if it's just the legitimate release of a shoddy
bootleg. Throughout, the sound is pretty murky (and I'm sure my
dodgy downloads of 'I Love To Love' and 'Air Of Mystery' were far
cleaner), but as an insight into Andy Bell, pre-Erasure it's nigh
on essential.
A single track download of 'I Love To Love'
was released on iTunes on 4 March 2011.
download:
1. Kettle Of Fish
2. Dance
3. Air Of Mystery
4. I Love To Love
5. The China Song
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