A LITTLE LOVE - EXCITER THE 12" SINGLES BOXSET

 

On 13th June 2022, the next instalment of the Depeche Mode 12" Singles boxsets arrived with the Exciter era edition landing with a satisfying thud on doormats all over the world. What extras would we get this time? Would there be stickers? Would they bother including Easy Tiger? Read on....

Before we get into it all, as this is the first Depeche Mode thing I've written since Fletch passed away, I couldn't go on without mentioning him. I've held off writing this because it didn't feel right and to be honest it still doesn't really. However, if I have brought one thing to the world, it's Depeche Mode related reviews that annoy people, so it is time to start talking about the band again. I've no idea if Andy ever read the nonsense this blog trots out, but if he did, I hope he enjoyed it. Rest in peace Fletch.

As with the previous boxsets, this one comes in a thick cardboard box with artwork based on the album art as you can see.

The back of the box contains the tracklisting. What's that noise you hear? Well that's the Pedantry Klaxon. It is sounding because there are timing errors on the back. On the newly formed L12BONG32, a new 12" stuffed full of Freelove remixes more of which presently, the third track on side A, Josh Wink Vocal Interpretation, previously only available on a promo 12" is listed as having a running time of 8 minutes 51 seconds. It is in fact 8 minutes 43 seconds long. Also, the first track on Side B, the Deep Dish Freedom Remix of Freelove is shown as being 11 minutes 25 seconds long when it is in fact 11 minutes 45 seconds long. This is EXACTLY the sort of thing you expect on here - admit it.

There is also the usual photo menu piece of paper thing that accompanies these releases. I imagine it has a name but I have no idea what it is.

The first 12" in the box is 12BONG30, Dream On. 

It contains the same three tracks as the original 12" and you can read all about them and everything else Dream On related in my in-depth review of the single here - http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.com/2021/09/depeche-mode-singles-1981-to-2021-part.html

The Ultra 12" Singles Boxset introduced us to the concept of new L12 12" singles and the Exciter box follows that trend. We get an L12 for Dream On and it is unsurprisingly called L12BONG30. As there is no 12" single to replicate, it cleverly replicates the outer and inner sleeves of LCDBONG30.

It's a very nice concept but it's unfortunately flawed and that flaw repeats itself on all the new 12" singles in this box. The new inner sleeves are too thin meaning that the heavyweight 12" inside them causes the edges to tear. There is just now tear on my Dream On sleeve but there are two on each of the new I Feel Loved and Freelove 12" singles. I know of quite a few other fans who have experienced the same thing. It is a pity as these new 12" singles are well thought out and rather lovely things.

L12BONG30 is a 7 track record. Side A features Dream On (Single Version), Easy Tiger (Full Version), the sadly inevitable Easy Tiger (Bertrand Burgalat & A.S. Dragon Version) and Dream On (Dave Clark Acoustic Version).

Side B features three remixes of Dream On: Octagon Man Mix, Octagon Man Dub and Kid 606 Mix. The Octagon Man Dub was previously only available on a promo 12" for entirely understandable reasons.

The next single from Exciter was I Feel Loved, the only release from the Exciter era to have two 12" releases. 

12BONG31 is faithfully reproduced. The full review of that single from last year's blog nervous breakdown is here - http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.com/2021/09/depeche-mode-singles-1981-to-2021-part_8.html

One joy of the 12" Singles series has been the attention to detail and there's a nice touch in this 12". The original had a sticker on the front telling you that it contained remixes by Danny Tenaglia and that sticker is neatly tucked inside the record here giving you the option to add it or keep it tucked away.

L12BONG31 turns up just as you would expect it to.

The label on the record is lovely as are all the Exciter era labels. I'm sure you agree.

The second new 12" in the box is XL12BONG31 which mirrors the inner and outer sleeves of LCDBONG31.

If you wanted a bigger picture of Dave's hand than you have on your CD single, you are in luck.

Side A features the single versions of I Feel Loved and Dirt.

Side B has two remixes of I Feel Loved: Extended Instrumental and Desert After Hours Dub. 

Freelove comes next and 12BONG32 turns up just as you would expect it to.

If you think this post goes into unnecessary depth, try the full single review where you will find all the tracklists for these releases - http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.com/2021/09/depeche-mode-singles-1981-to-2021-part_15.html

This 12" contains another treat in the form of another sticker that you can apply should the mood take you.

The third and final new 12" in this box again looks to the LCD release for inspiration.

It is again a lovely thing but suffers from the thin paper/heavy 12" problem I mentioned earlier.

Side A contains three tracks - the glorious Freelove (Flood Mix), Zenstation and Freelove (Josh Wink Vocal Interpretation).

On Side B we have two remixes of Freelove which like the Josh Wink Vocal Interpretation were only previously available on promo 12" - Deep Dish Freedom Remix and Powder Productions Remix.

The final 12" in the box is the Goodnight Lovers 12", 12BONG33.

The original release was available on red vinyl and black vinyl as you can read about in alarming depth in my single review - http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.com/2021/09/depeche-mode-singles-1981-to-2021-part_15.html 

If you ordered the single from Mute Bank in 2002, you got a poster with the record. The original poster looks like this:

As you can see, it's a lovely thing. This boxset gives his another treat by including a reproduction of the poster in the Goodnight Lovers 12" but there is a slight problem. See if you can spot it:

Have you seen it? Yes, that's right. The release date is a year out. Having gone to the wonderful length of including poster, it's a shame to see this error.

As ever, we have a reproduction promo poster, this time for Dream On.

And finally, we have a download card. I have no idea what one would actually download music to these days but it's nice to have the option.

Like the previous boxsets, this one is lovingly put together and the work that has gone into making it sound and look good is superb. The poster mistake can be forgiven I think but it's a shame that the lovely new 12" inner sleeves are easily damaged by the heavy 12" singles. 

At some point soon we will no doubt get news about the Playing The Angel 12" Singles box and that will be interesting. There were 9 official 12" singles plus a few promos so it's bound to be a big one. When that comes along, I'll open it and post pictures here so you don't have to.

DEPECHE MODE - THE SINGLES 1981 TO 2021 PART 37: DREAM ON

 

Ultra proved Depeche Mode could still function without former member Albert Winder or whatever he was called and The Singles 86-98 and its accompanying tour reintroduced them to the world of touring. All good so far.

It could be said that Ultra was very much a rebound album - a response to the trials of 93/94 and Alvin's departure. The next new album would be keenly anticipated and thoroughly scrutinised. How would the world's biggest electronic band come back? More Ultra like fuzz and noise? A return to the pristine electronics of Violator?

Neither. Once again Depeche Mode surprised everyone with the sparse electronics of Exciter. The first introduction we had to that album however was even more surprising. A Depeche Mode single with an acoustic blues like riff that ran all the way through it?  That was certainly different. Here is the story of Dream On.

CAN YOU FEEL A LITTLE LOVE? - DREAM ON

The Single

US Promo card rear

The new Depeche Mode single Dream On, BONG30,  was released in the UK on 23rd April 2001. The single was announced in BONG 47, the Depeche Mode fanclub magazine, in a fairly unexcited manner:

"The first single Dream On will be released on April 23rd with Easy Tiger on the B-side. The catalogue number will be BONG30."

Fair enough. The single managed to gather a few positive reviews. The NME said:

"After a decade wracked by overdoses, bust-ups and nervous breakdowns, the Mode's first all-new album since their drug-scarred 'Ultra' four years ago dips a toe in the water in the shape of this broody spaghetti western landscape. It begins unplugged and naked with a finger-picking guitar, and Dave Gahan in breathy, sombre mood. One minute later, the elemental passions and stark electronics kick in, with dark allusions to parasites and body horror. This is a stripped-down Modeworld, shorn of Spinal Tap self-parody, and reconnected to their techno-pop roots by LFO/ Bjork producer Mark Bell. A functional first single from an expansive and adventurous album."

 

A fair review really and interesting to note the intriguing comments about the yet to be released Exciter. I remember going to Easy Internet (ask your grandkids) in my lunchtime around this time to pay my money to listen to 20 or so second clips of each Exciter track as they were added to the band's official site. I doubt the NME reviewer had to go through that.

Billboard magazine said:

"It's hard to remember the last time the group did anything so organic and Dream On proves to be surprisingly refreshing. The guitar line is a catchy head-bobber and the minimal melody sounds like a winner."

Music Week told us that the song had "slithery dark beats" and who are we to argue.

Dream On saw the band return to the Top Of The Pops studio too:

Jamie Theakston, the presenter for those who have until now lived in a Jamie Theakston free world, looks about 11 years old there. There is much to enjoy here. Dave looks superb and his live vocal is very good indeed. There are a couple of hints at the snarling stage persona he would develop for the Exciter tour but they are kept under control. Fletch prods away at his keyboards at moments that don't necessarily match with the music and twiddles his portamento wheel like there's no tomorrow. Martin seems to be having a jolly time, partly seated and partly grooving around. He used to court controversy by wearing women's clothes as people will recall. It seems that his t-shirt which features a cactus "subtly" disguised as a penis was ignored entirely. Also Martin - never tuck your t-shirt in. It's never a good look. Finally, Christian is there too and is still there now, tom tom-ing away at the strangest of moments. The band also played the song on ITV's show CD:UK.

The single performed well in that it entered the UK charts at number 6 on release. From there however, it fell, first to 28, then 48 and finally 72 and that was that. It did briefly reappear in July however, storming into the charts at 100 for some reason on 7th July. It even climbed the week later all the way to the giddy heights of 99 before it once again departed.

Dream On is a song that really has aged well. It was certainly intriguing back in 2001. As we'll see next time I Feel Loved was perhaps the more obvious choice for comeback single, but Depeche being Depeche, they went with Dream On and rightly so. There's something mesmeric to the song and it is one I genuinely love and one that stands the test of time more than a few tracks on Exciter do. I am specifically looking at you The Dead Of Night.  Dream On has not seen much live action. It featured at every Exciter tour gig but has never been played lived by Depeche again. It's a shame really as it worked well on its 83 outings and the chorus is a huge chance for a big drunk singalong. Dave's band played it on the Paper Monsters tour too.

The B-side is the almost entirely pointless Easy Tiger (Full Version) a song with a title very much of its time. It features on Exciter in shortened form and that's the form in which it is better enjoyed. The song formed part of the intro tape to each Exciter tour gig and was mixed with the Dream On intro during which Martin wandered on stage all feathered up, looking like a bewildered Aunt who had just been handed a guitar at a family party. As a consequence, Easy Tiger has featured live the same number of times as Dream On. We live in an odd world.

The Video

The band chose not to use Anton for the video this time so Stephane Sedanoui got the job. Hmmm.

We open with Dave kneeling down in a desert touching a ghostly figure who is lying on the sand. We may already be in visual analogy territory here if we presume the ghost is meant to be a dream. Dave soon speeds off, having already had enough of this nonsense.

His band mates are in the back seat and they look like they are having a fabulous time. No wonder too. Dave has popped on the demo of Hole To Feed to accompany them on their journey. Martin looks actually quite sad, and Fletch just stares out the window. An anonymous source recently sent me the audio from the car journey:

"You can moan all you want Martin, but you made me sing The Dead of F**ing Night for f**ks sake. You WILL listen to my bloody demos. I tell you, this is the last time my songs don't feature on a Depeche Mode album. 'We're in the Zombie room.' THE F**ING ZOMBIE ROOM! Bloody hell Mart."

"He does have a point Mar..."

"Shut it Fletch. 'We are here. We can love. We share something'  is hardly Keats, Dave. And who feeds a hole? What on earth?"

"Don't you f**ing start Mr Houses and Trousers. Don't you f..."

The tape ends there sadly.

The video then just rambles on pointlessly really. A spooky woman appears by the road as Dave drives on. Martin and Fletch look sad. Dave, again looking incredible, keeps on trucking and that is really that. I don't know what the budget for the video was but it must have been in the high hundreds of pounds.

We finish on Dave once again kneeling before the sandy ghost woman, his journey at an end. That is the last time he gives those two a lift anywhere.

The Formats

This release had a large number of promo releases including three promo 12" singles in the UK. These three 12" singles come in proper 12" sleeves with labels the colour of which matches the title bar at the top of each sleeve as seen above. Pleasing stuff and three very lovely items.

The first of these, P12BONG30 (above) is a two track affair. On Side A we have Dream On (Bushwacka Tough Guy Mix) which we will deal with later.

On Side AA (not B, that would be to easy) there's the Bushwacka Tough Guy Dub, a relatively pointless remix.

PL12BONG30 has another two tracks. Side A has the Dave Clarke Club Mix of Dream On which is in fact the Dave Clarke Mix as featured on the official release.

Side B or AA treats us to the aptly named Bushwacka Blunt Mix of Dream On.

PXL12BONG30 has four remixes of Dream On in total. Side A contains the Octagon Man Mix from the official releases and the Octagon Man Dub. Give that one a miss if offered the chance to hear it.

Side AA contains two of the official remixes - Dave Clarke Acoustic Version and Kid 606 Mix.

I am nothing if not honest, so I'll let you all know here that I have let every single one of you down. I don't own the promo CD, RCDBONG30, so I've nicked the picture above from Discogs. Unsurprisingly, the CD is now on its way to me. What an arse. Anyway, this CD contains the Single Version  of Dream On and the Bushwacka Tough Guy Edit, a mix exclusive to this CD.

As well as these promos, there are also three "internal use only" promos which sound incredibly painful, and 4 CD-R promos that are only bought by people who memorise bar codes on Depeche Mode releases. No that doesn't include me. Bugger off.

The song was officially released on three formats. CDBONG30 is a nice thing in a cardboard sleeve that houses another cardboard sleeve holding the CD. You even get a free picture of the band.

There are three tracks on the CD. We have the Single Version of Dream On and the Full Version of Easy Tiger first of all. The third track is the result of a mysterious error at the pressing plant. What claims to be Easy Tiger- Bertrand Burgalat & A S Dragon version is actually a bunch of drunken elephants stamping all over expensive musical equipment having accidentally pressed record first.

I'm joking of course. It is in fact a staggeringly awful remix.

LCDBONG30 is another cardboard sleeve inside a cardboard sleeve thing. If I'm being picky, I should have photographed the inner sleeve the other way round for this but, having just realised I'd got all the promo 12" photos wrong (front sleeve matched with Side AA - argh) and thus having spent half an hour re-doing them and uploading them, sod that.

See what I mean? Annoying. Anyway, there are four Dream On remixes here. We have Bushwacka Tough Guy Mix (CD Edit), an edited version of the full mix which is NOT the same as the RCDBONG30 Bushwacka Tough Guy Edit because, well...who cares. It's joined by the superb Dave Clarke Acoustic Version, the presumably released by accident Octagon Man Mix and the so bland I've already forgotten it Kid 606 Mix.

On Side A of the three track 12" 12BONG30 we have Dream On (Bushwacka Tough Guy Mix)

Side B has the Dave Clarke Mix and Bushwacka Blunt Mix.

The 2004 CD single took all nine tracks and stuck them in the one place. That was the last of the CD single reissue series. 

Elsewhere in Europe, it was CD singles all round with Australia, Argentina, Canada, Chile and Mexico following suit. In the US, it was a much different story with more promo CDs and CD-Rs than are necessary. 

Firstly, there is a two track promo CD that features the Single Version and Album Version of Dream On. There is then this promo CD:

It features these Dream On remixes: Morel's Pink Noise Radio Edit, Morel's Pain Is Waiting Mix, Morel's Pink Noise Club Mix, Morel's Pink Noise Dub, The BRAT Mix and Dave Clark Acoustic Version. The various Morel mixes are ok, the BRAT Mix very good and we know about Dave and his acoustic version.

There are another 9 CD-Rs that feature various mixes, a few spelling mistakes and other things that people really shouldn't care about. There is a double 12" promo too that I don't have. If I did, I'd tell you what was on it but as I don't head over to depmod.com and check it out.

The US 12" is a double 12". Record one has Bushwacka Tough Guy Mix and Dave Clarke Acoustic Mix on side A and Dave Clarke Club Mix and Kid 606 Mix on side B.

I do like the rear sleeve. Record two contains Bushwacka Blunt Mix and Octagon Man Mix on the A-side and Bushwacka Tough Guy Dub and the comedy remix of Easy Tiger on the B-side.

In the US official release section, there is a 5 track CD single and a 7" with I Feel Loved on the B-Side.

Depeche Mode were back! Well, they were back in a curiously understated way. Dream On was a bold and ultimately hugely enjoyable return.

The next time we saw them, they'd put down the guitars, got out the keyboards and decided to go all Depeche-go-down-the-disco on us. We will see if that feels any love next time.