After their smash 1988 album, 'The Innocents', it was widely believed that Erasure had reached pop perfection and could go no further. Not so. In 'Wild!', the unlikely duo had created a masterpiece, bettering its award-winning predecessor and becoming possibly the most complete album of the decade. 'Wild!' opens with a poigniant instrumental, 'Piano Song', which was refreshingly devoid of synthesizers. It then moved swiftly on the the chart smash 'Blue Savannah', which is still my favourite song to this day. The album then conitunues brilliantly, moving seamlessly from song to song. Highlights include the triumphant 'Drama!', the synth-happy singalong 'Brother and Sister' and the magnificent full version of 'Piano Song'. The minus points? I'm still looking...
What makes this album so great is the fact that the songs merge beautifully despite their diverse nature. The only other albums i know to have done this are 'Automatic for the People' by REM and Van Morrison's 'Astral Weeks', and they are both classic albums in their own right. Perhaps 'Wild!' will one day be seen in the same light. Deservedly so, I think.