WELL, IT'S ABOUT TIME - ULTRA THE 12" SINGLES BOXSET

 

Eleven months after the Songs Of Faith And Devotion The 12" Singles boxset, the Ultra The 12" Singles boxset has arrived. What's in it? Are there any surprises? Is it something rather lovely? Well, records, yes and very much yes are the answers. Let me explain.

As with the previous releases in this series, the 12" singles are housed in a thick cardboard box. The Useless hand has provided the inspiration for the covert art this time.

The rear of the box tells you what is inside.

As ever, we have the picture menu that shows what you'll find inside, including the three new 12" singles each of which we will come onto shortly.

There's a download card too. Put that beside the box and convince your friends that you have two boxsets and that one of them is really far away.

This review is just a look at the records, not a review of the music. As part of my ongoing what seemed a good idea at the time but it's only when you write about them do you realise just how many singles Depeche Mode have released project, the four Ultra era singles have each been reviewed. You can find them here:

Barrel Of A Gun - http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.com/2021/06/depeche-mode-singles-1981-to-2021-part_30.html

It's No Good - http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.com/2021/07/depeche-mode-singles-1981-to-2021-part.html

Home - http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.com/2021/08/depeche-mode-singles-1981-to-2021-part.html

Useless - http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.com/2021/08/depeche-mode-singles-1981-to-2021-part_13.html

First out of the box is Barrel Of A Gun. Once again, all of the packaging is faithfully reproduced. In the case of this record, there are some lovely touches. When the single was originally released, early pressings came with a silver inner sleeve. That's what you get here which is very nice. 

That's what it looks like on its own. 

A poster was also tucked into a few of the original releases and we get one of those here too. It's a lovely thing and just what you want if you've ever wondered what Fletch and Martin look like without faces.

The original 12" (the bottom one in the picture above) has a sticker in the top left telling you the names of the remixes. Here, as we got in the wonderful Violator The 12" Singles box, the sticker is included for you to stick on if you wish.

That's it above. Don't worry - (a) I've not stuck it on and (b) I know it shouldn't go there. I wouldn't do that to you. 

The sleeve is a gatefold just like the original. Dave is still chained to a radiator and Martin is ready to go deep sea diving.

Side A and the front cover are pictured above. Sadly, even a remastered Underworld Hard Mix still sounds like something that shouldn't have happened.

The rear sleeve is black and shiny which is marvellous but a bugger to photograph as you can see me in it which kind of ruins everything. I had to snap it from an odd angle as a result.

We only got one L12 in 1997 and it was this beauty.

L12BONG25 is a wonderful thing.

When It's No Good was first released, there was one 12", the first time Depeche Mode had not released an L12 since A Question Of Lust. Don't say "But what about Little 15?" Nobody knows if that single was released in any official capacity anywhere on earth.

Here, 12BONG26 is faithfully reproduced which means we have to sit through those remixes again. This song was crying out for a top notch, classic Depeche Mode 12" remix but sadly that just didn't happen.

Hang on - what's this? Well, for the first time ever, we have an L12BONG26. The single's original release saw two CD singles accompany the 12" and cassette single in the UK and to ensure that the remixes that appeared on the original LCD are included in this boxset, a 12" has been specially created. Now, Depeche Mode fans are probably the most relaxed fans of any band there is and they don't get bothered at all by things like catalogue numbers, so will anyone even be interested in the addition of a new L12 to the band's catalogue? I joke of course as the creation of the L12BONG26 catalogue number together with its two companions we'll look at shortly has annoyed some people. There are some collectors who won't buy the box meaning they will now have a gap in their collection and there are others who feel that this is a pointless rewriting of history. Fair enough. I'm very much in the group of people who think this is a pretty cool idea. Perhaps I'd feel differently if I didn't have the box.

The sleeve is based on the LCDBONG26 design and the labels are very nicely done. On Side A, we have It's No Good and Slowblow. On Side B (above), we get Slowblow (Darren Price Mix) and It's No Good (Bass Bounce Mix).  That is not the same tracklisting as LCDBONG26 but does mean that the two tracks on the A Side and the remix of Slowblow get a vinyl release. The Bass Bounce Mix of It's No Good is also known as the Dom T Mix and that already appears on the 12BONG26 in the boxset. The version on this record is 3 seconds longer. Quite what is in those three seconds is a mystery. The inclusion of a remix that is already in this boxset is the only negative point about this L12.

The Home 12" is naturally just the same as the original 12BONG27.

I do love those labels. 

Home sees the introduction of the second new L12, L12BONG27. It takes the four songs from CDBONG27 and LCDBONG27 that didn't make it onto the 12" at the time and gives them a vinyl release. On Side A (above), we have the single version of Home and Home (The Noodles And The Damage Done. The orange label is a very nice thing and reminds me of the promo CD for World In My Eyes. I really do need to get out more.

As with L12BONG26, the artwork for L12BONG27 is based on the LCD release. On Side B, we have the live versions of Barrel Of A Gun and It's No Good from the London Ultra party. The label is again a joy to behold.

The last single from Ultra was Useless and 12BONG28 is here in all its purple glory.

The tracklisting remains the same as the original release.

Talking of the original release, it had a sticker on the front of the 12" (see bottom record above). As with Barrel Of A Gun, we get the sticker inside the sleeve again to stick on if we wish. The addition of the sticker is another great touch and it's yet another example of the thought that has gone into these boxsets. It's pictured above but here's a close-up:

Finally, we have another new 12", L12BONG28.  It takes the five remixes of Useless that didn't get a vinyl release and grants them one. On Side A (above) we have Useless (Remix), Useless (Escape From Whenever: Parts 1 & 2!) and Useless (Cosmic Blues). The latter remix first appeared on CDBONG28 where it was called Cosmic Blues Mix. Wonder why that's not the case here? The artwork is based on LCDBONG28 and, yes, the labels are very nice too.

The rear sleeve is a superb thing isn't it? The two tracks on Side B are Useless (CJ Bolland Ultrasonar Mix) and Useless (Live), another recording from the Ultra party. The videos for Barrel Of A Gun and It's No Good that featured on the enhanced CDBONG28 and LCDBONG28 respectively don't appear on either 12" but that is entirely understandable.

The last part of the box is the reproduction poster and this time round it's the Useless advert that we get. 

As with all the 12" boxsets, this is expensive and arguably not that necessary if you have all the 12" singles already but, just like its predecessors, it is a thoroughly well thought out and well put together collection. The singles look and sound fantastic and the attention to detail both in an audio and visual sense is outstanding. The creation of three L12 singles is controversial but it makes sense when you see them in the context of the boxset. As an aside, it's interesting to note that the second It's No Good promo, PL12BONG26 is nowhere to be seen here.  Since this box was announced, it has in fact disappeared from the discography section on the official Depeche Mode site. The Club 69 mixes seem destined to remain unloved, unacknowledged and on promo only forever.

Will we wait 11 months for the Exciter boxset? And just how many 12" singles will be in that one? If all of the promos are reproduced, it's going to be a very large box indeed. 

DEPECHE MODE THE SINGLES 1981 TO 2021 - PART 33: HOME

The third single from Ultra and the third Depeche Mode single to feature Martin on vocals, Home was released on 16 June 1997. The song is one that a number of non Depeche fans picked up on and it's one that has become a live favourite. The single release was a fairly low key one with a couple of live tracks, a couple of decent remixes, more odd CD single boxes and, for the first time in a very long time, a video that Anton Corbijn had nothing to do with. Let's have a look at this song from the wrong side of town.

FROM MY FIRST BREATH - HOME

The Single

Home, BONG27 appeared on 16 June 1997. There were no television appearances to bolster the song's chart performance this time, so all we had to make so with was the video which we will come to later. The single was generally well received though not everywhere. On 18th June, Melody Maker said:

"MORE maisonette than mansion-sized, this is tidy, moody and not at all offensively pompous. With a bitta jungley feely, naturally. Of course, Dave's deadpan, half passionate vocals are still choking back a sob like they've nearly , but not quite, forgotten what there is to be upset about, but it also sounds like they've made him stand out in the garden while he does it. So, you know what kind of home we're talking about. Your auntie's.

There's a mix called "The Noodle And The Damage Done." Dave Gahan was in rehab, you know."

At least get the name of the singer right. Oh and look - a drug reference. Typically tedious stuff from Melody Maker really but, if you really look among all the smartarsery, they seem to like it.  The NME said:

"Martin Gore sings this one (wonder what Dave was doing at the time?) and makes a personable job of it. The menace of self-annihilation is suggested in the words and heartless beats, but then an enormo string arrangement arrives like the Seventh Cavalry and we're all redeemed once more."

In Billboard. Larry Flick wrote:

"The latest single from Ultra shows the venerable electronic group in a predictably melancholy mood. But who cares? Few acts can dish out the angst better, and "Home" pleases with its baroque strings and skittling beat. Modern rock radio is a given. The question hanging in the balance is whether popsters will once again welcome Depeche Mode onto top 40 airwaves. Hard to say, though this is certainly the act's best mainstream single in a good long time."

I once received a review of it directly during a game of golf. I took my clubs to a public course in the East End of Glasgow one afternoon in 1998 and strated hacking my way around uselessly. A man asked if I wanted to team up and given how scary he looked, I agreed. We chatted about music and I mentioned I was a Depeche fan. As we approached the next tee which was high up on the course, he said that he loved Home, adding "It got me through a really tough time last year as I was living down there." Using his club, he pointed to Barlinnie, Glasgow's notorious prison. What little was left of my golfing ability quickly evaporated and he won easily. Depeche Mode really do get everywhere.

Picture courtesy of depmod.com

The single really didn't perform well in the UK charts. It entered at number 23 and then fell to 26, 47 and 67. It briefly reappeared in September 1997 popping up at 93 and then 100 but that was that. A disappointing return for this lovely song.

Home has long been a live favourite and it has turned up in many different guises over the years from a piano ballad to a remixed version and more. It has been played live 541 times, featuring on every tour the band have played since its release. 

The Video

 

The lack of income from not touring Ultra added to the hole in the band accounts caused by drinking all the booze on earth between 1993 and 1994 meant times were hard for Depeche Mode. They went to Los Angeles for the Ultra party but were so strapped for cash that they had to share one hotel room as this video shows. They couldn't afford Anton, so Steve Green did all the video work.

We open on a spooky bald chap who seems to have intercepted the band's itinerary as he heads to their hotel and peers through the window. As he does, we see Dave and Martin sitting on their bed and Fletch in a chair no doubt relieved that, that despite the inevitable cramp he'll get sleeping there, he won't have to sleep beside Dave, a notorious snorer. 

Martin starts singing and that seems to annoy the bald man, as he's soon off nosing around other hotel rooms like a big pervert. Dave takes a moment to enjoy some non-singing time and gets to work on the lyrics for Hole To Feed, a song directly inspired by this roomshare business. As Fletch stands moodily beside a door, the bald man reappears, this time walking straight through the door because he is a ghost. Or something.

I'd actually forgotten how bad this video is. The ghost perv keeps wandering around and we see arguing couples, a waltzing couple, a man having a heart attack and much more equally uninteresting things, all playing out as this glorious song plays along. The video is a waste of a good song. OK, Anton might have come up with some random nonsense involving grainy footage of an old man in an actual home as women dressed as builders walk by, but it would have been more interesting than this.

Even the band look bored by it, but that might be down to the roomshare thing. It rumbles on until it ends and that's that really.

The Formats

The single appeared on four formats in the UK and there were a couple of promos too. We'll start there.

The 12" promo P12BONG27 is a four track release that comes in a rather nice sleeve, far nicer in fact than the standard 12". It features the same four remixes that we find on the standard 12".

The label on the A-side is white and, as keen-eyed readers will have already noticed, black on the B-side. This is the detail you come here for.

The UK promo CD, RCDBONG27, features the Radio Version and Album Version of Home.

We had no 7" again but fans of the old fashioned A and B side were given a treat with CBONG27. It features the album version of Home and, as the sticker on the front suggests, a live version of It's No Good. It was (mostly) recorded live at the Ultra party in London on 10th April 1997.

Because it was the late 1990's and everyone thought vinyl was for oddballs, the 12" didn't appear in the adverts for the single. 12BONG27 exists however. On the A-Side (above), we have the Jedi Knights Remix (Drowning In Time), a remix that is very much a product of its time and thus awful, and the better Air "Around The Golf" Remix.

The B-Side (note - black label like the promo 12") foists two more unwelcome Home remixes on us. LFO Meant To Be was presumably meant to be something else. The Grantby Mix is a very late 90's trip hop type remix which naturally does nothing to improve the original song. The guitar solo it bungs on it the end will test even the most devoted fan's patience. 

CDBONG27 comes in an Ultra era reversible nonsense box naturally. It contains the Single Version of Home together with the Air "Around The Golf" Remix and LFO Meant To Be from 12" and adds The Noodles & The Damage Done, a frankly laughable remix. Jesus it is bad. I realise I haven't mentioned the artwork yet. That is deliberate as it is dreadful.

The CD sleeve features the lyrics to Home.

LCDBONG27 (reversible box of course) is a bit more interesting. It has four tracks - the Grantby Mix and Jedi Knights Mix (Drowning In Time) and live versions of Barrel Of A Gun and It's No Good from the London Ultra party.

Both are nice to have of course, and the sticker on the front/back is proud to advertise them. They were given a bit of a touch up in the studio to make them ready for release however.

The 2004 CD single features the 8 tracks from both CDBONG27 and LCDBONG27.

The single wasn't released in the US on its own as it appeared later as an odd joint thing with Useless which I'll cover next time, There is a Home promo CD however, and it features the Radio Version of the song and the Air "Around The Golf" Remix.

Elsewhere, only the reliable Germans released the single on a 12". They had two CD singles too as did France, Hong Kong, Italy, Australia and Scandinavia. Benelux had those plus a 2 track cardboard sleeve CD that features the two songs on CBONG27. Brazil, Mexico and Taiwan released on CD only, as did Japan,

The ever inventive Japanese label managed to combine both the UK sleeves in one as you can see.

The single is an 8 track affair, featuring all 8 songs from the UK CD singles.

As well as the usual OBI strip, there's a folded leaflet inside too. As you will see, this CD is "Single and Remix Collection Volume 3" with the CD singles for Barrel Of A Gun and It's No Good having been volumes 1 and 2.

The lyrics to all those three songs are printed on the reverse.

Home is an odd single all told. A wonderful song surrounded by mainly terrible remixes, a very poor video and artwork Anton must have prepared realising he only had five minutes left until the artwork deadline. It's a bit of a chance missed really, especially after the Top Ten success of the previous two Ultra singles.

Anton would be back next time however and that provide a memorable video to accompany a nice remix of Useless. That's what we'll look at next time.