Depeche Mode

[AndrewCowley]

Very solid song. Good to see them playing instruments like a real band instead of a bunch of guys behind keyboards.

If U2 did something like this I'd be really impressed.

[Jive Turkey]

.....complaining about Depeche Mode playing keyboards????

[LemonMirrorSky]

Originally Posted by Jive Turkey

.....complaining about Depeche Mode playing keyboards????

lol yea that's a funny one!

Btw, I've been listening to Violator again over the past few days and I just wanted to make a general comment. I still think that SOFAD is better! I never quite understood why Violator is considered their best. Sure, it has lovely production and atmosphere all round. But overall, I think the songs are stronger on SOFAD. And it has plenty of atmosphere too! Higher Love is as good a closer as Clean. What do you guys think?

[lemonfly]

I think Black Celebration is their best album, but that's just me.

[djerdap]

Originally Posted by AndrewCowley

Very solid song. Good to see them playing instruments like a real band instead of a bunch of guys behind keyboards.

They've been doing this for about 20 years now.

[FitzChivalry]

Originally Posted by LemonMirrorSky

Btw, I've been listening to Violator again over the past few days and I just wanted to make a general comment. I still think that SOFAD is better! I never quite understood why Violator is considered their best. Sure, it has lovely production and atmosphere all round. But overall, I think the songs are stronger on SOFAD. And it has plenty of atmosphere too! Higher Love is as good a closer as Clean. What do you guys think?

Honestly, I couldn't disagree with you more on this one, and think the exact opposite. My best friend and I have never understood why everyone likes SOFAD so much. It's probably my least favorite DM album from "Some Great Reward" through "Playing The Angel", and for me, on par with "Sounds Of The Universe".

And it's not just because of the shift in sound to harder, more guitar-oriented songs. I just don't think the songs themselves are very good. There are a couple exceptions, of course. I do love 'Condemnation', and 'Higher Love' and 'Judas' are good songs, but overall it feels undercooked to me and mostly boring and laborious. I'm not a fan of SOFAD at all.

[djerdap]

Condemnation is one of my least favourite songs of theirs. Certainly the corniest. But I love Songs of Faith and Devotion - In Your Room (both the album and the single version) being a huge favourite.

I still prefer Violator, Music for the Masses and Ultra though.

[mikal]

"Walking In My Shoes" live is incredible.

[LemonMirrorSky]

Walking In My Shoes is I think my #1 fav song of theirs. I'll admit that I prefer the single version of In Your Room to the album version, although I don't hate the album version.

The thing is, with Violator I sometimes find myself skipping Sweetest Perfection or the ending part of Enjoy The Silence, for example. On SOFAD, practically every song seems like gold to me. It could be the rockier approach that is appealing to me. Or just early 90s nostalgia!

[iron yuppie]

Violator is one of my favorite albums ever. That stretch of Halo - Waiting for the Night - Enjoy the Silence alone would make it a great album.

[u2popmofo]

Originally Posted by iron yuppie

Violator is one of my favorite albums ever. That stretch of Halo - Waiting for the Night - Enjoy the Silence alone would make it a great album.

[Jive Turkey]

I'm with you LMS, SOFAD is my favourite.

One thing I prefer about Violator is the band's image and videos at the time. They still had the sort of old Corbijn aesthetic of Music for the Masses (Enjoy the Silence might be one of my favourite music videos ever). There's an almost quaint quality to the work. While Corbijn was still playing a huge part, there was an obvious shift to a more modern feel when SOFAD came out. I still like it; I just prefer the look of Violator era

[djparky]

Originally Posted by FitzChivalry

Alan was my favorite member! I keep hoping he will return one day. I was very happy when, in '11, each member of DM went to see Alan's Recoil art instillation project/tour. Glad to see they've mended their friendship. Now Alan just needs to get back on the DM train!

Having said that, I do like "Ultra" a lot and "Exciter" wasn't bad, but not great either. PTA and SOTU, aside from a few good individual songs, never really stuck with me.

I was there at RAH when Alan Wilder joined them on stage for a song....magic moment

as for post Wilder material- I quite like Ultra, PTA is half a great album, SOTU and Exciter were terrible- on the basis of the 3 tracks we've heard so far I'm not optimistic about the new one either

I think they really underestimated his input (and still do) and what he did with the production

[LemonMirrorSky]

Originally Posted by iron yuppie

Violator is one of my favorite albums ever. That stretch of Halo - Waiting for the Night - Enjoy the Silence alone would make it a great album.

Waiting for the Night is stunning, I'll agree. It is one of the best on that album.

Originally Posted by Jive Turkey

I'm with you LMS, SOFAD is my favourite.

One thing I prefer about Violator is the band's image and videos at the time. They still had the sort of old Corbijn aesthetic of Music for the Masses (Enjoy the Silence might be one of my favourite music videos ever). There's an almost quaint quality to the work. While Corbijn was still playing a huge part, there was an obvious shift to a more modern feel when SOFAD came out. I still like it; I just prefer the look of Violator era

Yea I see what you're talking about.

[greenlight7-11]

Originally Posted by LemonMirrorSky

lol yea that's a funny one!

Btw, I've been listening to Violator again over the past few days and I just wanted to make a general comment. I still think that SOFAD is better! I never quite understood why Violator is considered their best. Sure, it has lovely production and atmosphere all round. But overall, I think the songs are stronger on SOFAD. And it has plenty of atmosphere too! Higher Love is as good a closer as Clean. What do you guys think?

I wholeheartedly agree. I feel that some of the songs are the best writing of Martin's career (WIMS, IYR, etc.) and I think Flood and Alan really outdid themselves with the deliciously lush and layered production. Of course there's a lot to be said for the clean and crisp production of Violator, but there's just something special about SOFAD for me. It also has this dark romanticism and dark sensuality that you don't really find on the other albums and I think that's unique. I think that whole period, while internally destructive for the band, was just incredible: the album, the visuals, the tour... just firing on all cylinders.

[LemonMirrorSky]

Originally Posted by greenlight7-11

It also has this dark romanticism and dark sensuality that you don't really find on the other albums and I think that's unique.

[phanan]

I prefer Violator myself, although I think Clean is a poor closer.

[U2Fanatic4ever]

Just heard Heaven this morning.. ok... count me in.. Like it a lot!

Now announce those tour dates.. I wanna see them!

[prbiker15]

Looks like the band will be appearing at SXSW in Austin, TX next week. Starting with a panel discussion on March 13th, followed by their first-ever SXSW Showcase on March 15th. Very exciting.

sxsw.com

They're also appearing at the Live on Letterman concert series on March 11th, and performing "Heaven" on the Late Show later that day.

[lazarus]

Originally Posted by phanan

I prefer Violator myself, although I think Clean is a poor closer.

In retrospect, it's rather ironic that he wrote a song called "Clean" a few years before his own heroin addiction.

And now it has more resonance, in my opinion.

But I enjoyed the song to begin with, and actually planned to use it over the credits of a film I was making in high school that never got finished. It's better than New Dress, at least.