Upon its release it became Erasure's fourth consecutive studio album to hit No. 1 in the UK, and fifth overall,[10] generating three top-20 singles. In the US, I Say I Say I Say debuted and peaked at number 18 on the Billboard 200, easily beating their previous highest chart placing. In Germany, the album climbed to number six.
Although Erasure always maintained popularity in the US dance club community, with the rise of grunge rock Erasure saw their exposure on college radio, mainstream stations and MTV become mostly non-existent by 1994.[citation needed] This made it even more of a surprise when the ballad "Always" gave them their third top-20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in September.
The album saw keyboardist/programmer Vince Clarke continue with his by-then trademark exclusive usage of pre-MIDI analog synthesizers and sequencers, with the additional self-imposed constraint that no drum machines were to be used either.[citation needed] Instead, Clarke used synthesizers to create the album's drum and percussion sounds.
Critical reception
Upon its release, James Slattery of Melody Maker felt that Erasure had taken a "misguided quest for serious critical acclaim", resulting in the "greatest singles band in the last 10 years" to produce an album without one "shag-happy top five certainty" and only "glimpses of what might've been". He commented, "Erasure seem too willing to rein in the extravagances and plump for a utilitarian pop-techno sound, pussy-footing around in a fog of lightweight moderation."[11] Alan Jones of Music Week remarked that the album "sadly contains fewer songs of merit than any previous Erasure album" and predicted it would be "huge initially" but with a "shorter chart life than usual". He singled out "Always" for "standing head and shoulders above the rest".[12] Steven Wells of NME felt that Erasure had "once again proven themselves worthy" with an album which "runs the whole gamut of current bink-bash-bleep-bonk-diddley-bop dancepop". He added, "There are ten screamingly obviously international top ten hits here, all of them hymns to an innocence which yearns desperately to be corrupted and all of them with fabulous, juddering, soaring, sickeningly sweet melodies that wiggle and jiggle past the appalled intellect and make straight for the tear ducts.[7]
On the Chilean/Argentinian cassette version, there's a Spanish rendition of "Always" (Spanish vocal), just before "Always".
In the Philippines release of this album in MC, 2 extended remixes of "Always" were added as hidden tracks (no mention or credits in the inlay), one at the start of each side (before "Take Me Back" on Side 1 and the original "Always" on Side 2).
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 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.
