DEPECHE MODE, CRYSTAL PALACE NATIONAL SPORTS CENTRE, JULY 31 1993

Today is the 30th anniversary of the first time I saw Depeche Mode live. 

I'd become a Depeche Mode fan upon hearing Enjoy The Silence and, since I heard it, had been obsessed with them. I didn't get the chance to see World Violation due to a combination of exams and Depeche forgetting Scotland existed from 1986 to 2009 so, once that tour ended, I wasn't thinking of seeing them live. Instead I spent a lot of time focussed on devouring their back catalogue.

I went from Castle Douglas to Aberdeen in 1993 and, when Melody Maker announced a new tour and album (I still remember (a) the report that they were to play 180 dates and (b) boring everyone I knew with this), I knew my time had come. I would finally see Depeche Mode live.

I'm writing this as the band tour Memento Mori and last night played in Prague. I know this, not only because I am odd that way, but because a world tour these days involves live relays of gigs, photos and videos appearing online and a huge internet ticket scrum whenever tickets go on sale. In 1993, you either queued at a record shop or ticket outlet or did as I did - ask your Dad to write a cheque for the ticket, send it off and patiently await the return envelope with the hallowed piece of paper.

The ticket duly arrived in Castle Douglas and during my next call home from Aberdeen, the news was broken to me. It was happening. I was going to see Depeche Mode. If you are reading this, the chances are that you even you get exasperated with the seemingly endless stream of "content" I generate. All I can say is, none of that compares to the amount I spoke about the ticket news to anyone who would or wouldn't listen.

In those days, you actually got tickets. This one came in its own Songs Of Faith And Devotion card envelope (see above). I've placed these on the Devotional concert programme cover by the way - they're not stuck on it in case people are currently screaming at this post.

The ticket itself features a classic Devotional era picture of the band with Martin staring off into the distance. One thing to note about the ticket is the price - £18.50. Compare that to the price of the tickets for the current tour - my word. £18.50!

Once the ticket was in hand, one problem arose - how was I going to get to London on my own and where would I stay? At the time, I was a hugely shy, worldly unwise chap so I was not going to sleep in a railway station as many people ended up doing. Happily, Alex Small, one of the students in my halls (hi Alex), lived near enough to the stadium and his parents generously put me up. What they must have thought of a mumbling Scottish boy, dressed in black and acting oddly because he was off to see DM I dread to think. They were so kind though and even gave me lunch on the Sunday before I got the train back up the road. 

Having (1) been driven from Castle Douglas to Dumfries station (2) got the train from Dumfries to Carlisle and (3) got the train from Carlisle to London, I headed to Alex's house, chatted to his parents and then made for the stadium. I think Alex's Dad gave me a lift though I can't recall. Once inside, I was immediately terrified. How many people are here and why does everyone seem older than me, more confident and to know exactly what they're doing? London seemed like a mad place.

I headed for the merchandise stall and got the goodies you can see above, all of which came in a Songs Of Faith And Devotion bag. The programme was in there too and I seem to recall the whole lot costing about £20 but that can't be right. The new tour dates on the flyer were a pain as there was no Scottish gig. I mentioned that to a group of people standing beside me. they ignored me. To be fair, I would have done too. There was a Mute badge and sticker with the bag  too, both with the same bespoke logo on the front of the cassette. The sticker was stuck to a folder and the badge stuck onto a pencil case I used. I have no idea where they are. The t-shirt is cool - Devotional live action on the front and the date of the gig on the back.

The support acts were Marxman, Dub Syndicate and Sisters Of Mercy. I was only familiar with the Sisters so was quite pleased when I could get fairly far forward on the pitch to see their set. As it ended, I saw a boy who lived in my street in Castle Douglas. Unusually, his hair was all backcombed. I went to say hello and he blanked me as I clearly wasn't cool enough. I'd actually forgotten about this until I started writing this bit. Hello Richard if you're reading - you really should have stuck around for the main act or "puppet show" as Andrew Eldritch elegantly put it.

The standing area started to fill up with the confident people I mentioned earlier after Sisters ended, so I walked back a bit, passing a Sisters fan in full wedding dress which was quite a sight.

What of the Depeche gig itself? I don't really a great deal sadly. Not because I was drinking - strictly water all day for me then - but because it was all a blur. I remember Higher Love and the thunder and lightning start; Walking In My Shoes and the video screens; Stripped because, well, it's Stripped and Enjoy The Silence which nearly made my brain explode. Here it was - that song and that band were playing it live right in front of me.

I waited right until the end the headed back to Mr and Mrs Small's place. Not that they wanted me to I imagine, but I filled them in the next day, had lunch and then headed back to the station to repeat the journey of the day before in reverse. My head was the clouds for days afterwards. In many ways, it's never quite fully removed itself.

I'd seen Depeche Mode live. That was a very good thing.

You know the rest.....

MY JOY - DEPECHE MODE: SONGS OF FAITH AND DEVOTION: THE 12" SINGLES

 

When Songs Of Faith And Devotion was released, any lingering perceptions people held of them being a weedy electronic act were finally and permanently dispelled. Despite Violator's all conquering performance, Depeche Mode were still viewed with suspicion in their homeland and when I Feel You first appeared, it shocked not only Depeche Mode fans but also everyone else who heard it and was told it was Depeche Mode. While Songs Of Faith And Devotion is not as universally acclaimed as Violator is, it is still a hugely important album and one that is still an enthralling album from start to finish. The album's singles were all wonderful and three of them even charted in the Top Ten in Britain, their best singles-from-an-album chart performance ever.

The newest boxset in the Depeche Mode 12" reissues is the Songs Of Faith And Devotion one and that has been released today. Let's see what's inside.

As with the previous 12" boxsets, it recreates and celebrates the era quite marvellously. The front of the box (above) is a new take on I Feel You's iconic artwork.  Martin is on the left and Dave on the right (more of how we know this below) and Alan (beside Martin) and Fletch have been decapitated for some reason. Harsh. The back of the box looks like this:

As ever, it comes with one of those pointless paper menu things which acts like a picture menu in a restaurant where you don't speak the language? "How do you say play the limited edition 12" of Walking In My Shoes?" "I don't know - just point to it."

"No I said CONDEMNATION. God, don't these people speak (insert language?)"

The 12" singles are, as ever, beautifully and faithfully (lolz etc) reproduced. When I Feel You came out I was in my first year at Aberdeen University. The song debuted on Simon Mayo's Breakfast Show on Radio 1 and I recorded it and then played and rewound the tape (ask your grandparents) endlessly and much to the increasing distress of those who could still bear to hang around with me. When the singles came out, I bought and played them endlessly too, all the time wearing a selection of Depeche Mode t-shirts and being known as "Depeche Mode Dave" to some because I wasn't mature enough to wear actual adult clothes.

Fast forward 27 years and I'm currently listening to I Feel You on 12" while wearing a Depeche Mode t-shirt and relaying that anecdote to a bunch of people who know me as the bloke who writes a Depeche Mode blog. That's progress. I think.

Anyway, I'm not reviewing me thank God, I'm reviewing the singles. Future blog episodes will look at each single in turn (wait...come back) so I'm not going to review all the remixes today. Here's the I Feel You 12":

The cover shows the drawings of the band that would become the terrifying large metal things that hung behind the Devotional stage. Top left we have Alan with Dave to his right. Andy is below Dave and Martin bottom left under Alan. How do I know this? Well, other than Martin's picture having something like his hair, each drawing has the band member's birthday in the bottom right. Presumably Anton did this so that the permanently drunk band would be able to remember birthdays on the Devotional tour - either their own or everyone else's. The back of the 12" features Dave looking moody in Hamburg:

There is no inner sleeve here, just a paper one. Here's Side A of the record:

Even though that is just a big purple blob, I do like that. Side B  has another lovely label and tells us the tracks:

The Throb Mix is the standout for me here. The Babylon Mix is good but has a daft name. Not as daft as others in this box however. There was of course a limited edition 12" and it is a lovely looking gatefold. Here's the cover:

Alan and Dave minding their own business there while Martin and Fletch slope off to chat all things Basildon on the back:

The gatefold inner features two pictures:

On the left we see Alan and Dave back in Hamburg with a lifesize topless cartoon and on the right, all four lads together, all clearly hungover and with Martin standing in a very odd way. The front of the inner sleeve is wonderful:

It's a lovely thing. The other side of it is, well, black:

I show that for completeness sake and nothing else. The labels are again fantastic - here is Side A:

As you can see, it mirrors the image on the inner sleeve. Things like that probably shouldn't make me happy, but they do. If you are reading this then you are likely nodding in agreement. The B-Side label is below:

Fantastic. These 12" singles were easy to get at the time, unlike the In Your Room ones and the recreations here are spot on. There are two Brian Eno remixes on this 12" by the way which are quite interesting. They Eno here and there, burbling and glugging around in that Eno-y way but are pretty decent if you like that sort of thing.

The second single, and the only one to fail to crack the UK Top Ten fact fans, is the godlike genius of Walking In My Shoes. The standard 12" has a lovely shiny sleeve:

As you can see, it features the topless, terrifying part woman part demonic hellbird that featured on the live footage accompanying the song. The same beast features all over this single. Here she is on the back sleeve too:

The original pressing of the singles had a matt cover with spot gloss (thanks Scott) parts such as the barcode section above and the repressing didn't. The boxset version is a recreation of the original pressing. There is no inner sleeve here, just a paper one and Side A's label looks like this:

Side B lets Side A take the arty glory and instead shoulders the burden of displaying actual information:

On the music side of things, for this is after all about a band who play music, the b-side My Joy is a track you don't want to miss. It's a hidden Depeche classic. There is only one remix of the title track here and that is the Grungy Gonads Mix.

That name doesn't improve with age.

The limited 12" is another wonderful thing and I had, and still have, a T-shirt with this cover:

The back is another matt/spot gloss affair:

Like I Feel You, this is a gatefold 12":

The Page 3 with a demonic bird head theme continues on the inner sleeve:

The other side of the inner sleeve is nudity free; in fact it's free of anything other than the catalogue number - L12BONG22:

I really like that. Side A of the actual record continues the label theme from the standard 12":

Again, Side B tells you everything you need to know:

There are four remixes of Walking In My Shoes on the record and they are all great although the Ambient Whale Mix is a bit bland.

The next single was the much heralded Depeche Mode Do Gospel Condemnation and this release introduced us to the Devotional tour which the band had already kicked off by the time the single came out. The sleeve takes a still from the film used when the song played on the tour:

The rear prints the lyrics which look like they've been drawn by someone holding a pencil between their toes rather than their fingers:

The original issue of the single featured a deluxe inner sleeve and that's what we get here. "Deluxe" seems an odd word to use as it's not as if it gets you access to a lounge or free booze, but its a nice thing anyway. It uses another still from the tour film:

The word "deluxe" is further tested by the rear of the inner sleeve whihc is once again just black:

Perhaps its shiny nature gives the additonal luxury purchasers of the re-pressed version missed out on thus ruining their lives. The record features 5 tracks including the Paris Mix of Condemnation, so called because the remix was finished off in a studio in Dusseldorf (hilarious), the at-that-point unreleased Jazz Mix of Death's Door and three remixes of Rush. The first two tracks appear on Side A

and in a move that will surprise nobody, the other three feature on Side B:

The limited edition 12" was a real thrill when it was released. Instead of being called Condemnation, it's called Depeche Mode Live and it features four tracks, Condemnation, Personal Jesus, Enjoy The Silence and Halo, all live from the gig at Forum in Milan on 4th June 1993.

It's another gatefold too. On the cover (above) we have Dave in action and on the back, with another matt/spot gloss effort, we see Martin belting his way through Condemnation:

The gatefold shows all four band members in hot live action on the left and Dave captured wonderfully by Anton in full rock star mode on the right:

Wonderful. The deluxe inner sleeve was again only available with the first pressing of the 12". If you bought later pressings, the record was thrown into the street and you were made to pick it up while people laughed at you outside HMV. Thankfully, the boxset reproduces the deluxe version although is it REALLY deluxe if it's just the same as the standard 12"?

The same question applies to the other side of the inner sleeve:

Side A features Condemnation and Personal Jesus

and, ever the traditionalists, the other two songs pop up on Side B:

The final single from the album was In Your Room, released in its Zephyr Mix form, a mix that would haunt live versions of the song for years after Devotional until they saw sense on the last tour. It featured on the 12" in 7" and Extended form along with two other In Your Room remixes and a comically bad remix of Higher Love, the ironically titled Adrenaline Mix. The cover uses the light bulb motif from the Devotional tour film and the song's video:

Here's the rear:

Again, lucky purchasers of the first pressing could bask in the glow of having a deluxe inner sleeve, reproduced here. It looks like this:

"Where's the luxury," you scream, "It must be on the other side. SHOW US DAVID." 

No, it's black too. At this point, I should let you all know that I'm veery much aware that I'm posting pictures of black inner sleeves. It's clearly a very odd thing to do, but I've started down this road and it would actually annoy me now if I knew I didn't have a photo of every sleeve, no matter how black they are. And yes, I have taken a picture of every one. I've not just taken on and re-used it. I am one of you remember and I know what you/we are like. Depeche Mode fans are very, VERY strange people and they'd complain if I tried anything on here. 

Side A of the record looks like this:

Side B is equally straightforward:

The limited edition 12" and final release from Songs Of Faith And Devotion, is a wonderful 6 track affair featuring six superb live tracks - In Your Room, Policy Of Truth, World In My Eyes, Fly On The Windscreen, Never Let Me Down Again and Death's Door. They are all bloody brilliant - the Devotional version of World In My Eyes is one of the band's finest live arrangements of all time and the live version of In Your Room makes your body shiver for hours after hearing it. Incredible. Depeche Mode are hugely underrated as a live band. This record shows just how good they were then. The cover is all lightbulbs, all the time. Here's the front:

Here is the back:

The really quite lovely cover art is one thing, but can you cope with ANOTHER deluxe inner sleeve? You can? Ok, here's one side of it

and here's the other:

The inner sleeve equivalent of a 5 night all inclusive break in a 7 star Dubai hotel. The labels on the record are gorgeous. Here's Side A:

and here is Side B:

Beautiful. As with the Violator singles' cover art, everything about the Songs Of Faith And Devotion cover art is superb with so much thought being given to every aspect of it, deluxe sleeves aside. The recreation of every aspect in this boxset is tremendous work.

I should say that the records sound superb too.

As with other boxsets there is an extra but, sadly, the only extra here is an admittedly lovely reproduction of a promo poster for Walking In My Shoes:

Perhaps we were spoiled with the incredible extras with the Violator boxset, and I'm perhaps being a bit too greedy, but an additional record such as a reproduction of the Rush  12" promo would have been a cool addition. It's a nice rarity from the era like the World In My Eyes promo reproduced last time, The lack of an other extras doesn't detract from how fantastic this boxset is mind you. I think if anything we may have been too spoiled by the last box.

Finally, there's a download card. 

The whole 12" reissue series has been incredible and a real joy throughout. The Violator box was going to be a hard act to follow, but this boxset is very much up to the task. It recreates the original releases perfectly and, when enjoyed and appreciated as a whole, it reminds us just how good Depeche Mode were in 1993.