helpdeskdan | Midland, Mi United States | 12/16/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I bought this tape on a whim years ago, and I am very much considering getting another copy on CD. Somebody compared this to Chorus, and I don't think that is fair. This is a totally seperate album - more upbeat than Chorus, it makes you want to get up and dance. Two totally different moods. I think the "knocking on your door - 12 inch remix" is one of the best songs Erasure has ever made. I would not reccomend it as your first Erasure album, but, as a big Erasure fan, I have to say that I loved this album."
The hardest part
Erica Anderson | Minneapolis, MN | 10/29/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Erasure is perhaps my favorite synth-pop groups from the '80s. Vince Clarke (Depeche Mode/Yaz fame) and Andy Bell have an uncanny ability to churn out some of the catchiest pop music I have ever heard. One of my all time favorite Erasure songs is the melancholy "She Won't Be Home". The melodies are so sweet and catchy yet if you listen to the lyrics, the song is pretty sad. Only Erasure could combine melancholy lyrics with infectious pop melodies. "Stop!" is a groovy little dance song. I prefer the original over the 12" remix but I wouldn't go as far as say that the remix was bad. I just can't get into remixes as I once was when I was in college. "Knocking On Your Door" epitomizes new wave music with its catchy synth beats. In the case of this song, I got into the 12" remix. Although "Crackers International" had no "A Little Respect" or "Chains of Love", it is still a worthy edition for Erasure fans I think."
A nice diversion
J. Brady | PAWLEYS ISLAND, SC United States | 11/11/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This EP is a nice little diversion. A few great songs ( STOP! is excellent ) and a few great B-sides. By the way, Joe Diaz ( who reviewed this cd here ) , check your facts, "the Hardest Part" is NOT a Blondie cover !!!"
Interesting and a must have for Erasure completists!
M. Bowman | Los Angeles | 05/11/1999
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I was always kind of bummed that "Knocking on Your Door" never made it on the greatest hits album. At a brief 2.55 couldn't they have fit it on there somewhere? Anyway "The Hardest Part" is not a remake of the famous BLONDIE song (playing time 3.38). It sounds better after repeated listenings. "She Won't Be Home" is a lovely Christmas ballad (playing time 3.27). "STOP" Remix has a 5.44 playing time, while the "Knocking On Your Door" Remix has a 6.03 playing time (a little long but the first version I ever heard -- at a club in 1988). I bought the ep at the time and just now got the cd because I had an itch to have "Knocking on Your Door" on cd. Its nice that this cd is still in print."
Mediocre EP from a superb band
M. Bowman | 09/05/1998
(3 out of 5 stars)
"'Crackers International' is enjoyable, but overall, only one of the songs is a true standout, and nobody seems to remember it.The EP opens with "Stop!" a thoroughly decent dance single, and follows with the slowed-down vocals of "The Hardest Part." These songs certainly aren't bad, they just don't seem to stick in the mind much. The closing song, a 12" remix of "Stop!" seems gratuitous. The song is more effective in its shorter version.Side two has another up-tempo, dance-oriented song with "Knocking on Your Door," which holds up better to repeated listenings than "Stop!" Following is the album's undiscovered gem, "She Won't Be Home," a Christmas song, but more melancholy than standard fare. Andy Bell's vocals have never been more aching, and Vince Clarke gives the song a memorable melody line. Very well done, but once again, the 12" dance mix on side two, of "Knocking on Your Door," is not as good as the short version.This EP seems a bit of a waste, as the songs aren't really memorable, and Erasure probably should have ditched the dance mixes in favor of two other tracks. Was "She Won't Be Home" ever released as a single? If so, buy that, and skip the EP. Especially coming on the heels of so brilliant an album as 'The Innocents,' 'Crackers International' disappoints."