A gently propulsive track from
Wild!,
Blue Savannah makes for a pleasant if not a completely stunning single for
Erasure; the band itself once amusingly claimed it was "
Erasure meets the
Eagles!" The pleasure in this single lies in the various remixes and extra tracks that come scattered throughout. The title track itself benefits from two complementary remixes, "Der Deutsche Mix I and II", the latter of which adds a reasonable enough breakbeat and some fun synth soloing to create a low-key, Manchester-tinged dancefloor filler. There's one further remix from
Mark Saunders that combines his usual fun beats and upbeat feeling to the original, not to mention adding a bit of twangy country guitar. Also on the disc is an okay enough original B-side, "Runaround in the Underground," which appears in a 12" mix form, while the awesome cover of "Supernature" from the You Surround Me EP surfaces as well. The ringer comes at the end -- a cover of "No G.D.M.," a playful obscurity from late-70's German glam/punk types
Gina X Performance.
Zeus B. Held, later known for his dance and metal production skills, was an original member of the group; here he revisits past work by mixing
Erasure's remake. A tribute to
Quentin Crisp -- "G.D.M." stands for great dark man -- the bitchy lines about alternative lifestyles suit
Bell's hypercamp delivery just right. ~ Ned Raggett