New Wave Outpost Forum

by **Nakedprey** » Sat Apr 25, 2009 4:10 pm

[quote][i]Originally posted by Jim2[/i]
<br> Here's how I rank them
as of today:

1 - Music For The Masses
2 - Black Celebration
3 - Speak And Spell
4 - Some Great Reward
5 - Violator
6 - Construction Time Again
7 - A Broken Frame
8 - Ultra
9 - Playing The Angel
10 - Exciter
11 - Songs Of Faith And Devotion
12 - Sounds Of The Universe

[/quote]

SOFAD at #11????

wow

I actually am surprised at how much I like the new record. The last 3 have left me underwhelmed - not that they're bad, just not as good as the preceding 1984-1993 releases.

I think my ranking would be as follows, taking into consideration that Sounds of the Universe needs to sink in a bit longer.

1 Violator
2 Black Celebration
3 Songs of Faith and Devotion
4 Music for the Masses
5 Some Great Reward
6 Playing the Angel
7 Sounds of the Universe
8 Ultra
9 Exciter
10 Construction Time Again
11 A Broken Frame
12 Speak and Spell

All that being said, I think Sounds of the Universe is a pretty lame title. Makes me think of He-Man raising his sword and saying "By the Power of Grayskull!!!!" The cover isn't much better, but it works with a black background more so than a grey one.

by **rotator** » Sun Apr 26, 2009 1:29 am

Well --- Now that someone else has done the leg work....this will give you an idea of how I rank DM albums...I own almost every version of the UK/US & German LPs, 12"s and 7"s and promos up until about 1991 (and a few others I've picked up along the way like ugh. 'In Your Room'...I aint no johnny come lately fan [;)]

[b]1 - A Broken Frame
2 - Violator
3 - Speak And Spell
4 - Black Celebration
5 - Music For The Masses
6 - Some Great Reward
7 - Construction Time Again
N/A - Songs Of Faith And Devotion
N/A - Ultra
N/A - Exciter
N/A - Playing The Angel
N/A - Sounds Of The Universe[/b]

this is how I rate the singles:

[b]http://rateyourmusic.com/list/rotator/depeche_mode__the_definitive_25_singles[/b]

by **MARV** » Sun Apr 26, 2009 4:11 pm

[quote][i]Originally posted by DonGately[/i]
<br>Marv, and anyone else who has the box set, what do you have to say about the two additional CDs? How are the demo tracks?[/quote]

I think the demo CD is a true gem as Martin has always been extremely guarded with his demos. In all my years of DM collecting (and to the best of my knowledge), none have ever circulated on the bootleg market - and definitely not officially - and I've done my share of searching. I love hearing demos of bands I'm really into. To me a demo is like having an artist's sketch of a well known museum piece. Picture coming across a sketch Michelangelo might have done of the Pieta and gaining insight into his thought process. For Martin Gore fans like myself, this demo is of particular value as they're all with his vocals - except of course for the two that Gahan wrote (Nothing's Impossible and Come Back). Clean and Walking in My Shoes are two of my absolute favorite DM tracks and I love having these demos.

Bonus tracks or b-sides are another way I enjoy appreciating a band through a slightly different lens as they are a unique glimpse into what might have been for an album. I think Light, The Sun and the Moon and the Stars and Ghost are really strong and could easily fit in among the album. Esque...honestly, I've never been a big fan of the Mode's instrumentals. It's okay, I guess. And then there's the Gahan / Gore collaboration, Oh Well, which isn't too bad. I'm glad it didn't make it onto the album.

The remixes are fairly ambient and remind me of Martin's experimental, electronic music DJ sets. Very cool to have for the DM completist. Does anyone know if these were included as part of the SOTU iTunes Pass package?

At the heart of every Depeche record are Mart's lyrics. They're realized through Dave's vocals and of course they're punctuated by the Martin performances. Awesome to see how these key ingredients have evolved so very much as the band in a way sort of comes full circle with the analog synth vibe of SOTU. I think it's sort of a time warp into some alternate past where we could hear a different Depeche mode circa 1980 or - how cool is this - what they might have sounded like if they formed in the seventies. The intro to In Chains screams Kraftwerk. I don't think their influence has ever been so blatant on a DM record.

<object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ia5oiomsGzw&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ia5oiomsGzw&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>

<a href="http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/marvymarv/?action=view¤t=tick.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/marvymarv/tick.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

by **DonGately** » Sun Apr 26, 2009 11:35 pm

Thanks, Marv. That's great info. Here's the list of remixes that have been released with the iTunes pass so far:

The Sun and the Moon and the Stars (Electronic Periodic's Microdrum Mix)
Miles Away / The Truth Is (Lagos Boys Choir Remix)
Wrong (Thin White Duke Remix)
Wrong (Magda's Scallop Funk Remix)
Wrong (D.I.M. vs. Boys Noize Remix)
Wrong (Trentemøller Remix Edit)
Jezebel (SixToes Remix)
Little Soul (Thomas Fehlmann Flowing Ambient Mix)
In Chains (Minilogue's Earth Remix)
Oh Well (Black Light Odyssey Dub Remix)

by **Clifford Darling** » Mon Apr 27, 2009 4:48 pm

[quote][i]Originally posted by Jim2[/i]

1 - Music For The Masses
2 - Black Celebration
3 - Speak And Spell
4 - Some Great Reward
5 - Violator
6 - Construction Time Again
7 - A Broken Frame
8 - Ultra
9 - Playing The Angel
10 - Exciter
11 - Songs Of Faith And Devotion
12 - Sounds Of The Universe

[/quote]

My ranking:

1. Black Celebration
2. Some Great Reward
3. Construction Time Again
4. Music for the Masses
5. A Broken Frame
6. Speak and Spell
7. People Are People*
8. Violator
9. Playing the Angel
10. Catching Up With Depeche Mode*
11. Sounds of the Universe
12. Songs of Faith and Devotion
13. Exciter
14. Ultra

*People and Catching Up With were not studio albums, but for me they served as such. "People are People" was the first DM album I bought in 1984 (didn't know it was a comp. for America) a month before I bought "Some Great Reward. Catching Up With served as DM's 1985 album for me as I had not yet heard the "new material" on it. Though I came to enjoy them, "Flexible" and "Shake the Disease" were the first DM tracks I was initially disappointed with. Remember, I was buying all cassettes. I did not own a turntable until 1986 and a CD player until 1988.

by **Clifford Darling** » Mon Apr 27, 2009 4:59 pm

[quote][i]Originally posted by obs[/i]
<br>[i]> If you told me 20 years ago DM would still be packing the streets of Hollywood in 2009,[/i]

But is that a good thing (as far as their music goes)?

[/quote]

No. They're never going to be the same as when they hit that high between '83 and '90 when Alan Wilder was a member and Daniel Miller was like the fifth Depechie. Martin can get out there with his combover and play megastar with Jimmy Kimmel in the streets of L.A., but it don't mean squat for their music.
[:D]

by **gpow** » Tue Apr 28, 2009 2:00 am

Songs of Faith and Devotion should be last by default.

by **MARV** » Tue Apr 28, 2009 5:33 am

Excellent Don, thank you very much. Peace is the second single off the album. Nice. I'm crossing my fingers for either Fragile Tension or In Sympathy to be the third.

<a href="http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/marvymarv/?action=view¤t=tick.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/marvymarv/tick.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

by **Sean** » Tue Apr 28, 2009 6:40 am

I think this is a great album. It reminds me a lot musically of "Music For The Masses" and vocally of "Some Great Reward". Of course, nothing they are doing of late will really ever compare to their 80's stuff but this is still pretty cool to listen to. I broke down and bought the deluxe box set and it's well worth it for the demos and remixes, especially the demos. Some of the demos may give some of the past album versions a run for their money. I believe Martin sings on most, if not all of the demos, and it gives it a totally different feel. And because it doesn't have the production, the music sounds like classic DM. The deluxe box also gives you two extra documentaries which most of us should be tired of by now but for some reason, they are DM documentaries and they always seem interesting. To summarize, don't really expect the DM of the 80's on the album itself and you may end up liking it. If you are planning to get the box set, it is beautiful. (One of the best looking box sets ever and the content is great)

by **Mechi** » Tue Apr 28, 2009 9:40 am

I'm sorry to disagree... but in my mind, there are only 3 good songs to it: Fragile Tension, Wrong and Jezebel (this last one being pretty majestic). Then, the rest of the album it's pretty mediocre. Ultra is 10 times better and I think they've almost equalled Exciter.

http://www.fotolog.com/mechi2mechi

by **Judas101** » Tue Apr 28, 2009 1:24 pm

DM always get's high expectation from there Hardcore fans (including Me lol) I think the Album's sound is way too Analog'ish.. It's like Speak and Spell meets Exciter, But Speak and Spell is more Upbeat and Exciter's overall sound is more Bombastic/Bigger..

I was hoping to hear some thumpy bouncy driven drum(ala' Never let me down/Strangelove/Personal Jesus) sounds on the album, which I think PTA lacks.. Drum tracks was like listening to MIDI, thin and lifeless.. uninspiring Synth Riffs/Leads (where's ALAN!)Soundwise is was ok but the over-used of Analog gears(?) are somewhat annoying. They should have gone with a different Producer! Flood or Trent Reznor!!

Jezebel, Wrong and In Chains are my fav so far, after non-stop playin on my Car for a week lol.. Maybe my age is the reason why SOTU hasn't really grown on Me.. SOFAD is there last Album that got me Hook instantly, It was a groundbreaking Album Song-wise and Sound-wise not fav by most DM hardcore fans though lol.

I won't watch them live this year tour, I'll just wait for the DVD.. I was really expecting a bigger sounding album than SOTU, possibly
a jump from PTA but it was a step back instead IMHO

by **Mechi** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 11:41 am

They are coming to Argentina (october 17th), don't love SOTU... but I have to see dm live.

http://www.fotolog.com/mechi2mechi

by **Sean** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 2:08 am

Here are my rankings:

1. Black Celebration
2. Speak and Spell
3. A Broken Frame
4. Some Great Reward
5. Music For The Masses
6. Violator
7. Ultra
8. Construction Time Again
9. Songs Of Faith & Devotion
10. Sounds Of The Universe (I still have to listen to this more)
11. Playing The Angel
12. Exciter

by **Judas101** » Fri May 01, 2009 4:49 pm

I guess The SOTU is doing pretty Good in Europe!

From Billboard.com

Depeche Mode races 67-1 on European Top 100 Albums with its new, 12th studio set "Sounds of the Universe" (Mute/EMI), while Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" (Interscope/Universal) moves into a tenth week atop European Hot 100 Singles.

The Depeche Mode album is new at No. 1 in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Hungary, No. 2 in the United Kingdom, France, Norway and Portugal, and No. 3 in Ireland. It holds at No. 2 in Flanders and rises 3-2 in the neighboring Belgian region of Wallony, 38-1 in Denmark and 4-1 in Finland.

And in the US

Depeche Mode sold 80,000 copies of "Sounds of the Universe." The new set gives the British band its second-best rank ever on the chart. Its highest came when "Songs of Faith and Devotion" debuted at No. 1 in 1993.

<a href="http://media.photobucket.com/image/depeche%20mode/sober0406/depeche-mode.jpg?o=20" target="_blank"><img src="http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m1/sober0406/depeche-mode.jpg"></a>

by **MARV** » Wed May 06, 2009 5:43 am

From the official DM website:

[i]We're happy to announce that the all new Depeche Mode "Sounds Of The Universe" app is now available in the iTunes App Store. This app allows you to make your own "Sounds Of The Universe" by turning the album art into a musical instrument. All of the sounds are from the "Sounds Of The Universe" recording sessions and make for endless combinations that you can control. Also, keep up on tour dates and news within the app. [b]Best of all it's free![/b][/i]

<a href="http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/marvymarv/?action=view¤t=tick.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/marvymarv/tick.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

New Wave Outpost Forum

Sounds Of The Universe

Who is online