A MEMENTO: DEPECHE MODE, AT&T CENTER, SAN ANTONIO, 2 APRIL 2023

 

For this review we welcome back Stephanie Crone. Stephanie reviewed gigs for the Global Spirit Tour Project and I was delighted when she signed up for this new adventure. As you will see, she had a wonderful time at the San Antonio show. Thanks very much for this great review Stephanie and thank you for the wonderful videos and photos.

Let me begin by saying I am still on a high and on cloud-freaking-nine, now three days after the show in San Antonio. It was spectacular.

Upon entering the venue we could hear what I thought was a sound check going on – it definitely sounded like they were playing and curtains were closed tight, staff ushering us all away. But a friend told me during a stage tour he was told that sound engineers use recorded tracks to get sound equipment just right.

The evening began in the VIP room, with amazing pieces of DM history on display (apparently they are bringing this to every show, it was in Sacramento where we also had VIP). Many friendly faces in the VIP area! We visited, took photos, had some appetizers and overall just got very excited for what was to come! (Mart looks like he does NOT approve! ha!)

Luckily this was my fourth show this leg, I attended the opener in Sacramento, followed by San Jose and Las Vegas, then rounded my first leg of DM adventures out in San Antonio with a seat in the second row, Martin side, of course.

From the get-go with My Cosmos Is Mine then Wagging Tongue, it was apparent the boys had started to find their flow after getting used to being on stage again. Sacramento, although amazing, was a bit stiff, each show got better but now they are getting back on their game. The energy coming from the crowd was palpable, Texas Devotees are not messing around!

When the lights were cut the crowd rose up and cheered with anticipation as the intro to My Cosmos Is Mine pulsated from the speakers.

The crowd seemed to receive the new songs well, the album being so new many fans had not had much time to properly absorb (I am not part of those many, absorption complete by now). The fact that Mart and Dave (RIP Fletch) were sharing a stage yet again after years of anticipation, wondering if they would ever tour again, seemed to whirl collectively in the minds of the concert-goers that evening. Everyone stood back and appreciated what they were witnessing.

Next up, Walking In My Shoes. Forever a devotee favourite. Naturally, Dave sauntered over to show us his perfectly polished boots. Not much more to add, brilliant. 

It’s No Good – definite evidence that the boys are still on the very start of their tour and getting used to singing for huge crowds on the regular. Some pitch issues from Dave but do I care? Nope. All wrapped up with a bum wiggle.

And now…big sigh…..Sister Of Night. A classic for any proper devotee. I had heard Mart do this in Hollywood for the Global Spirit tour but hearing the full production with Dave’s vocals, bliss. Although, once again, we hear the pitch issues. He is obviously not used to belting out this tune (yet) but it is still breathtaking (although I can hear some idiots chit chatting away in the background, why are you here???)

Up next… In Your Room. Another favourite, although this seemed to be completely 100% resurrected from the Global Spirit tour. Same remix, same everything except the backing video. I do wish the boys would change it up a bit, there are a plethora of amazing and well-known songs to choose from so I do not understand. Nothing remarkable to add regarding this one. 

And now… my personal favourite… Everything Counts. Again, this was pretty much a re-do of the Global Spirit tour’s performance, but this one always gets me going. Mart on the keys is the best. The new backing video seemed to breathe new life (get it?) into the performance. Towards the end of the song, as most of the audience was focused on Dave doing his thing on the catwalk, I sat in front of Mart in row 2, pointing to him while chanting “Everything Counts in Large Amounts!!!” and making heart signs as I danced (okay I was screaming too, what’s a Gore girl to do?). The huge smiles he flashed my way melted my cold heart like nothing ever could again, probably. This might be my most treasured DM concert moment ever, right behind getting to meet the band in 2017 (so lucky I got to meet Fletch!).

I am thrilled to have Precious showing up on the set list this tour. It is an amazing song and I think it is really spectacular live. It was followed by Speak To Me, the third song from Memento Mori that was played tonight. Once again, the audience seemed engaged and quietly listened. 

And now, it is all about Martin. Swoon. A Question of Lust did NOT disappoint (I mean, how could it?). It was followed by the fourth song of the evening from Memento Mori, Soul With Me.  An instant classic - that voice though! 

Dave returned to the stage next and the boys performed yet another new song, the first single from Memento Mori, Ghosts Again. The audience all seemed familiar with this new tune and everyone was up and dancing. I did not snap any pictures or video of this one, must have just been taking it all in <3 

Another duplicate from the Global Spirit tour followed - I Feel You. Again, I do wish they would mix things up and play some other songs but this one is always a banger and it rocks my socks off live. 

They moved right along into A Pain That I’m Used To. Another high energy performance that did not disappoint. I rocked out. 

And now for some real emotions. World In My Eyes. Always one of my favorites and now has a deeper meaning. I held my heart as I listened and watched the boys serenade the crowd while honouring our Blesser of Devotees, Andrew Fletcher. The performance was definitely on the solemn side. Dave pausing and looking back at the screen when he would usually be preening along the stage at that point in the song. Tears were shed. Fletch you are sorely missed.

After World In My Eyes came Wrong. I adore this song and once again was taking it all in (no pics or videos of this one). I love that they are doing this one live, it is different and not as popular as some of the other choices. My favorite part is where Mart sings “too lonnnnnnnnnng”. Good stuff.

Now, back to business. Stripped. As anticipated the first notes of this song grabbed everyone’s attention and the masses were singing along. At one point Dave came over and pointed the mic to a girl in the row in front of me, she shook her head “no”! I was laughing. He stayed there anyway and I belted it out as best I could. Next up - John the Revelator. I am not sure if I had ever heard this song played live before this tour. I have always enjoyed this song. I am still trying to decide if I like the live version, but I will forever enjoy watching Mart play his star guitar and Dave’s hootin’ and hollerin’.

And now… we have arrived at Enjoy the Silence. I kind of lost it during this song, so emotional. Knowing that when it plays we are coming near the end of the show and it had just been so many years of anticipation, I did not want it to end. I sang and cried and cheered. Then cried some more and hugged my friends. Told them I was soooo fucking happy. Towards the end when Dave introduces Mart, with his drawn out “Martin…..L…… Gooooooooooooooooore”, he had made his way back over to our area and pointed the mic towards me shouting Gooooooreeee :) I did not get any pictures of this but will remember forever.

Encore time……….

I had seen some shows were getting Condemnation, others Waiting For The Night. All three shows I had seen previously were the latter so I was hoping for Condemnation, but I will take whatever these guys are handing out. Once again, no pics or video (they were behind me so…). You could absolutely hear a pin drop in that arena, such stunning harmonizing. Dave bungled the lyrics at one point but it was just a testament to the fact that Dave is human and forgets shit sometimes haha. Bows and hugs between Mart and Dave at the end and of course roaring applause. I love these guys.

Never ever thought I would hear the boys play this live - Just Can’t Get Enough. At first I was a little disappointed, this is definitely not one of my favorites and I will admittedly skip when this song comes on my playlist rotation. But the crowd went nuts and the boys freaking brought it, it was so much fun.

Now we really know things are coming to an end for the evening, time for Never Let Me Down Again. Words are very unnecessary, if you are reading this you know what’s up.

As always the show was rounded out with Personal Jesus. When I hear this song it always brings me back to the feeling of “oh no the show is almost over and that is it”. It is a strange feeling haha. Another remarkable performance from our boys. I never wanted it to end, but it did and the smile on my face has not faded yet.

And that’s a wrap. I have told friends I wish I could just permanently live in this experience. My devotee heart is so full and I cannot wait until I get to see them again this Summer and later this Fall. Depeche Mode forever and ever and ever!

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Thanks Stephanie! 

DEPECHE MODE - THE SINGLES 1981 TO 2021. PART 3: JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH

 

"Who's that band you like again?"

"Depeche Mode?"

"Oh yeah. I remember them. (sings) I Just Can't Get Enough. That was a great song. What happened to them?

"They're still going."

"Really? I thought they'd stopped years ago. (sings again ffs) I just can't get enough, I just can't get enough. I love 80's music like that"

*punching sound*

Ok, an extreme reaction perhaps and not one we should end this all too frequent discussion with, but Just Can't Get Enough (note non DM fans - there is no I  there) is, like it or not, one of the band's most famous songs. It's barely representative of the Depeche Mode we've come to love but, let's face it, it's a bloody good song and yet more evidence of Vince Clarke's pop song writing superpowers. It was also a massive hit in 1981 as we shall see.

JUST LIKE A RAINBOW - JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH

The single

The brief press release - picture courtesy of Depeche Mode Classic Photos & Videos Facebook Group

Just Can't Get Enough was released on 7th September 1981, creeping into the charts at number 44 twelve days later. It started to climb the following week, reaching number 24 before a Top Of The Pops appearance on 23rd September saw the song rocket to number 12. Could they breach the Top 10? Not immediately no, as the following week the single equalled New Life by reaching number 11. On October 7th however, Depeche breached the Top 10 for the first time with Just Can't Get Enough landing at number 8. The 23rd September Top Of The Pops appearance was then repeated on the show on 8th October. Surely the single would climb higher? Top 5 maybe? No, it dropped to 12, before sliding out of the charts via 17, 22, 33 and 46.

The single's reviews weren't all that great. Smash Hits said that it was a "less memorable but sound follow up to New Life," adding that it was "good for dancing."  The magazine featured the lyrics to allow you to sing along with this good dance music:

Record Mirror gave the song Single Of The Week, proclaiming it "hugely enjoyable, bouncy and boppy and very close to irritating."

NME said that the single had "some lovely textures" adding "It's a slight but memorable song" which seems harsh, while Melody Maker stated, in its smartarse way, "I can, you will."  

 

As we can see from the 23rd September Top Of The Pops, the public must have been initially charmed by this bunch of oddly, or in Martin's case barely, dressed individuals all armed with toy trumpets. Dave looks like he's just finished a shift at a local Italian restaurant, Fletch was clearly off out afterwards, Vince looks as if he dressed for the radio rather than the TV and Martin, well, Martin has somehow found the time to select a hat but not a shirt. We should have known that Mr Gore was going to be an interesting dresser from this point. The public quickly tired of Martin and co's looks, as the repeat TOTP performance saw the song drop out of the Top 10. Never mind. Just Can't Get Enough was a bona fide smash hit and deservedly so.

If you want an example of pure, unadulterated pop genius, Just Can't Get Enough is it. As with the previous two singles, there is a lot more going on here than first meets the eye. Behind the seemingly simple lyrics and melody is a lot of syntheszied cleverness and it's that attention to detail that makes this song and plenty of the other Speak & Spell era tracks stand out from their peers. Ultimately though, I can say as much as I want about Vince, Daniel and Eric Radcliffe's huge synth brains but the main point is this - Just Can't Get Enough is one of if not the best synthpop song of its era. 

Despite moving on to bigger and darker things, Depeche Mode have never managed to outrun the song. They played it live on every tour from Speak & Spell to Music For The Masses and it only dropped out of the running during World Violation and the Devotional/Exotic/USA94 tours, returning for The Singles Tour in 1998. Think of 101 without it? It wouldn't be the same. The shot of D A Pennebaker being taken up the ramp by Dave to see the crowd first hand is one of the film's iconic moments. The song would certainly have sounded out of place in 1994, or at least sounded absolutely mental with whatever distorted guitar part Martin came up with for it, but, like it or not Just Can't Get Enough is a big hit at Depeche gigs. The fact it's been played live 613 times speaks to that.

It last turned up at the last gig of the Global Spirit Tour in 2018 and everyone, me included, lapped it up. Ultimately, a good song is a good song no matter how much you think Rush or Blasphemous Rumours etc etc should be there in its place.

The b-side is Any Second Now a quite wonderful instrumental full of those marvellous synth sounds that instrumentals then contained. The song of course would go on to feature on Speak & Spell as Any Second Now (Voices) so called because it had vocals. Clever stuff.

The Video

This is a new section as this was the first time Depeche Mode had ever filmed a video. It's an odd thing really, somehow moving between a bizarre leather clad "live" section complete with dancing girls, and a cocktail drinking section where the band dress quite appallingly and treat the dancers to a selection of terrifying looking drinks. Everyone finds time to tool around on some steps blowing plastic trumpets before an awkward ending where everyone mouths along to the lyrics pretending that they are actually saying "Just Can't Get Enough" to each other like four spies desperately saying a codeword over and over again in the hope the SAWT team finally break in and free them.

It's a video - it does what it needs to do. Is it any good? No, obviously not. Depeche Mode didn't do good videos until Shake The Disease as we'll see, but you'd rather have a bad video and a good song as opposed to a nonsensical video and a quite hideous and mid-bendingly overrated one wouldn't you? I mean Rio by Duran Duran there specifically or, if you like, any Duran Duran "song" ever.

The Formats

The UK 7" single sleeve features at the top of this blog and the back of the 7" single is above. As you'll see, it says that Any Second Now features on the b-side. The a-side label looks like this:

and the b-side label, perhaps unsurprisingly, like this:

Depmod.com tells me that there are seven different variants of that record. I have no reason to doubt that. 

There was a 12" too. As you can see from the picture above, the cover is different from the 7". Gone is the large white cat to be replaced by a man tied up and blindfolded. Lovely stuff. The 12" version of Just Can't Get Enough is the mighty Schizo Mix, a Depeche Mode do Kraftwerk reconstruction of the track that doesn't as much remix it as re-write it. It is marvellous and something everyone must hear. 

The b-side of the 12" is a remix of the 7" b-side. Any Second Now (Altered) is very much an altered version of Any Second Now and it it just as enjoyable as its standard version. The 12" sleeve mirrors the 7" in that Just Can't Get Enough and Any Second Now have a side of the sleeve to themselves with the remix names added on the 12". As you can see, the cat reappears on the b-side of the 12" no doubt delighted to be far away from whatever the hell is going on with the bloke on the other side of the sleeve.

The 1991 UK CD single brought all four tracks together.

As ever, there were releases all over the world and some of these have gone on to become highly sought after with one of them being one of those seemingly insanely rare releases that drive collectors nuts. Firstly, we have an American release. This lovely 12" promo features the Schizo Mix and New Life (Remix):

There is also a US 7". There are not one but two German coloured vinyl versions of the record. As you can see, Just Can't Get Enough was once again proclaimed a Top Hit Aus England (and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland....) and the sleeve uses the 7" art rather than the UK 12" art. There are black vinyl 7" and 12" releases of course and the more common of the two coloured vinyl versions on white vinyl:

There is then also this - the grey vinyl version. It took me years to get hold of and to date it rarely appears for sale. If you want to buy one just now, it'll cost you £1,300 on Discogs. £1,300! That's nearly two Anton art books.

As ever, there is the lovely German CD single with the blue stripe:

The French CD single is a nice thing too:

There are of course other versions of the single available, including a lovely Japanese 7". 

The cover is a work of art in itself. The Speak & Spell swan is there, regal and covered in what looks like clingfilm and Martin, Dave and Andy appear too, all cuddled up in a phone booth. We wouldn't actually see that phone booth until the next single so why is it on this sleeve? Well this single wasn't released in Japan until 26 June 1982 by which time Depeche were down to a trio.

On the B-Side, we get Just can't Get Enough (Schizo Mix) which is marvellous. We also get the lyrics in Japanese and English.

By the time Just Can't Get Enough dropped out of the charts, Depeche Mode were a confirmed Top 10 band and undertaking a successful UK tour. Suddenly though, everything changed when Vince's departure from the band was announced on 30th November. The genius behind their first three singles and most of the debut album was off. That would surely mean the end of Depeche Mode?

No, no it wouldn't. A new songwriter, previously only known for his topless, trumpet holding Top Of The Pops triumph would appear and Depeche Mode would become a very different band.

We'll talk about that next time. See You then. Ouch.

ARBITRARY DEPECHE MODE THINGS NO. 1 - THE TOP TEN 1980'S REMIXES

In an obvious attempt to pander to my core audience, welcome to the first in a series of no-one's yet quite sure how many pieces of what I'm calling Arbitrary Depeche Mode Things. Not the snappiest title I admit, but we're between albums, I've said all I can say about their discography (I still don't apologise for the Exciter post) and I need to write about what I actually know. So here we go: welcome to Arbitrary Depeche Mode Things No. 1 - The Top Ten 1980's Remixes

(all remixes chosen by me only. You may not agree. Knowing DM fans, you won't agree, I'll be horribly wrong and you'll run screaming to play The Things You Said on repeat to get over the shock but do bear in mind that this is all for fun. Sort of like Set Me Free (Remotivate Me) but good. Anyway, onwards...)

10. OBERKORN (IT'S A SMALL TOWN) - DEVELOPMENT MIX (1982)

Oberkorn is quite literally a small town, situated in South-West Luxembourg and with a population of only around 5,000 people. Depeche Mode's tourbus drove through there in the very early days and Martin was, presumably, so taken with it that he wrote a song all about it. It's the b-side to the horrific 1982 single The Meaning Of Love and is, unlike it's quite implausibly bad parent tune, an instrumental filled to the brim with dark synth sounds and haunting gothic melodies. The Construction Time Again foreshadowing Development Mix is a 7 minute 37 second imperious beast of experimental electronics that showed that Depeche Mode were far more than the pop tarts The Meaning Of Love showed them to be. Haunting, brooding and just bloody fantastic, Oberkorn (It's A Small Town) (Development Mix) is a hidden treasure in the early DM catalogue

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9. ROUTE 66 - BEATMASTERS MIX (1988)

The first time I properly noticed Depeche Mode was when I repeatedly watched the 101 video at a mate's house. Yes the main tunes were all magic and utterly transfixing, but the cover of Route 66, used as repeat motif throughout the film (hmmm...really?) stood out. An English electronic band covering a song about a big road in America sung by the wee guy that wears make up? Yes, yes indeed. As the imperious World Violation tour was copied by U2's Zoo TV tour, Depeche beat the Dubliners to the whole Rattle & Hum  thing by providing their own take on American music but, because they are Depeche Mode, they did it in a cool way, not a crap way. Route 66 was of course the b-side to the similarly car themed Behind The Wheel and 80's remix crowd The Beatmasters provide a sample filled but, frankly marvellous remix which deservedly makes this seemingly random top 10.




8. MASTER & SERVANT - SLAVERY WHIP MIX (1984)

Perhaps calling this remix the Slavery Whip Mix extended the whole chains, whips and general pervy but not actually that pervy thing too far, but that's easily forgiveable when you have a remix as good as this. As with most of the mixes here, the band did this and they take the 4 minute pop song and effortlessly turn it into a nine and half minute beast of a track. Drums smash, basslines go mental, whips crack and Depeche Mode go from pop to industrial in one fell swoop. It's a thumping belter of a track and what it lacks in subtlety is more than made up in its utterly unquestionable genius. PLUS - there's the odd acapella/double bass bit at the end which is just weird. It's a lot like life indeed.



7. JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH - SCHIZO MIX (1981)

Ah Just Can't Get Enough. The track everyone knows, the track many people think is the only thing Depeche ever did and the track you can no longer play in Glasgow without angering 50% of the people in the vicinity. The single is a landmark piece of prime, pristine, perfect synthpop, but the 12" mix, the Schizo Mix, is the real gem. Transformed from the simple single, this mix breathes new life (I didn't mean that) into the song, turning it into a brooding Kraftwerkian masterpiece that mixes experimentalism with early synthpop in a way that remains magical.



6. EVERYTHING COUNTS - IN LARGER AMOUNTS (1983)

Firstly, let's acknowledge the simple genius of the remix title. You all know the chorus ("Everything counts in large amounts") so it makes more sense than anything else has ever made to call this 12" version In Larger Amounts. It's genius. The mix itself is ridiculously good: the original song's noises get room to breathe, exposing every clunk, thump, metal scrape and odd flute thing (I still forget the name) for the marvels they are. Add to that extra electronics, sampled vocals that found their way into the live version ("The graph...The graph...The graph...The handshake) and you have something very special indeed. If Depeche Mode had stopped remixing their own tracks after this, they'd have been justified in doing so - it's perfect.




5. GET THE BALANCE RIGHT - COMBINATION MIX (1983)

Beyond acknowledging that Taylor Swift's 1989 is an unimpeachable pop classic, I have little interest in what clutters up the charts these days. I do know, however that someone sang relatively recently about something being all about "that bass." Whilst her musical adventures are misguided, she was right in that sense and this remix (don't worry, this is getting to the point) IS all about the bass. Bassline anyway. The band take a relatively ordinary and Martin Gore despised song and transform it into a club masterpiece that bewitched the likes of Derrick May and Juan Atkins and directly influenced their own highly influential music, remarkably enough. This remix gives the original song a power it simply doesn't ordinarily have. Superb.

(NB - Check out the lyrics. You may find the inspiration for this blog's name)



4. SHAKE THE DISEASE - REMIXED EXTENDED VERSION (1985)

It's a universally accepted truth that Shake The Disease is one of the greatest songs ever penned by anyone. This, surprisingly enough, remixed and extended version of the track takes you on an 8 minute 46 second journey that breaks your heart, rebuilds it, smacks some metal off a fence and then breaks your heart again. Titanic, metallic majesty.




3. PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE - DIFFERENT MIX (1984)

Frankly, all that you need to know about this remix is that it sounds like a factory waking up with a hangover before it spends a day crushing metal

And that is a very, very good thing.



2. STRIPPED - HIGHLAND MIX (1986)

Stripped is a Depeche song that most people would agree is a classic, and it marks the band's transformation from pop mixed with experimental elements to the full on gloomy synth powered beast that would conquer the world. The whole Black Celebration period is exquisite and, as I've rather pretentiously said before, that album is effectively the manifesto for Depeche Mode fans. Stripped was the album's lead single and it's a perfect introduction to that album. This remix takes the track in a slightly different direction, stretching it and allowing its various parts to shine whilst adding a bagpipe like synth sound (hence the title) to kick it all off. Moodier and perhaps less immediate than the 7" version, the Highland Mix is however an absolute triumph filled with power and gothic angst. It's just what a 12" mix should be and still sounds brilliant.



1. NEVER LET ME DOWN AGAIN - SPLIT MIX (1987)

There can only be one winner here and the Split Mix of Never Let Me Down Again is it. A song that was already, and still is, among the best and most powerful in Depeche's catalogue is turned into an even more powerful beast. 9 minutes 31 seconds long, it starts with that orchestral sample part which instantly makes every hair on your and anyone else's body within a 10 mile radius stand on end. From then on, you are in heaven as the song you know smashes you around the head before being taken onto several greater levels as it builds to a shuddering climax. It's absolutely mindblowing and if you ever find yourself stuck on a desert island with the choice of only one Depeche Mode remix make it this. The second you start playing it the desert island will be scared into sailing itself towards land again. Powerful, mesmerising and irrefutably majestic, THIS is the best Depeche Mode remix of the 1980's




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