STRANGE HIGHS - DEPECHE MODE: STRANGE AND STRANGE TOO DVD REISSUE

 

For those of us who still remember the video age, DVD versions of Strange and Strange Too, Depeche Mode's classic video compilations have long been in demand. The original versions, the first released in 1988 and the second in 1990, captured the band at their artistic highpoint. Strange compiled their first videos with Anton Corbijn from A Question Of Time to, curiously but brilliantly, Pimpf and Strange Too featured the six videos made for songs from Violator namely the four singles, Halo and Clean.

Finally, both are reissued on DVD in the one package just in time for Christmas.

The package is sealed in cellophane when it arrives and once opened you find one of these increasingly prevalent Japanese OBI style things wrapped around the DVD case. It's pictured at the top of the article. Once removed and set aside to inevitably be lost any day now, the cover above reveals itself. Just look at how cool they look there. This is only five years after The Meaning Of Love for goodness' sake. I won't start bleating on again about how they accomplished so much in such a short space of time but Strange really does speak to the rapid progression of Depeche Mode both musically and artistically. Anton's involvement was crucial to this artistic reinvention and the air of European cool he added to the very European sounding Music For The Masses songs fitted perfectly. At this point, Depeche were a band who had no idea they were about to become stadium gobbling megastars. The two films on this DVD catch them on either side of that precipice and, when watched together (as I have done several times already), the staggering leap they made from 1987 to 1990 is readily apparent.

I've reviewed every Depeche Mode single in worrying depth previously, so rather than go through the videos again, here is a link to each review where the videos are all discussed:

A Question Of Time: man steals baby, delivers it to Alan, Martin gets his hair pulled

Strangelove : world record for most leather in a video ever, Alan gets his horn out, the band laugh

Never Let Me Down Again : Band holiday in Denmark, Martin's Accordion, Dave's two yellow cards

Behind The Wheel : Depeche Mode's Wandering Minstrels, Dave's moustache, the number 69

The version of Never Let Me Down Again on Strange is the Split Mix version of the track so the video is longer than the single version. Unlike the remix itself which is nothing less than a Godlike act of genius, the extended video doesn't add much really. There's some animated boot action and some dancing but that's that.

Pimpf features despite not being a single. The video is great is however. Martin sits, half naked naturally, in the Depeche Mode Museo pictured on the DVD cover playing along to Pimpf on a piano while the rest of the band wander around angrily trying to find him. The three of them pause and start singing along to the OHHH EEEE bit looking like three distressed leather penguins indulging in a terrifying mating call. The discover Martin's Museo when a direction sign saying PIMPF is found, a sign that Dave very weakly kicks over. Andy, Alan and Dave then descend on the Museo either very limply hitting it (Dave and Alan) or headbutting it (Fletch naturally) all while OHHing and EEEing. The combined force of the three leather penguins sees the Museo explode and collapse. OH MY GOD THEY HAVE KILLED MARTIN! Wait...what's that? It's a fully clothed Martin. He's alive and he's rescued the Music For The Masses horn. Thank goodness for that.

Between the songs, we get the same odd videos that featured on the original release featuring Rebecca Thornton (from Strangelove), Valdemar Christensen (Never Let Me Down Again) and Ippolita Santarelli (Behind The Wheel) all of whom have a lot of quite nasty things to say about Dave.

There are some extras on the DVD in the shape of Outtake Vignettes. The Strange three show some previously unseen footage from Strangelove and Behind The Wheel, the latter in two parts, the second of which is soundtracked by the Shep Pettibone Mix of the song. It's really lovely to see these vignettes as any unseen Depeche footage is always a treat, especially these days when the internet seems to have everything you could want or not want. Look out for Dave really getting into his eyebrow raising, Terry Thomas role in the Behind The Wheel section.

The DVD package comes with a two sided fold-out leaflet with pictures on it as you can see above.

Finally, Little 15 doesn't feature on here, no doubt because it wasn't an Anton video and also because it's very bad compared to the great videos here. 

As regular readers of this blog know, along with Kevin May, I have written a book about Violator called Halo which, as well is being available via all good online retailers, is also the ideal Christmas present for any Depeche Mode fan. In addition to that, I own more copies of Violator than could be called healthy and I have bored many people for many years, talking about Violator and the fact it is the greatest work of art ever.

It won't surprise you to learn then that Strange Too is something I am very much a huge fan of. Everything the band did in 1990 was perfect and that includes the videos. I have of course droned on about the videos in earlier blogs so here are the four reviews if you really want to read them:

Personal Jesus : Cowboy Mode, Fletch's toy horse

Enjoy The Silence : Dave eats his fellow band members and heads for the North of Scotland

Policy Of Truth : Depeche Mode mocked by two women

World In My Eyes : Dave takes a date to the movies, specifically a movie that features him and his mates

In addition to the four singles, Strange Too also features videos for Halo and Clean. When writing Halo, the book not the song, Kevin and I spoke to Pam Heffler (Halo) and Angela Sheldon (Clean) about their roles in the videos. 

Of Halo which features the band dressed as clowns, Dave pretending to be strong, a donkey and much more, Pam said:

"I auditioned for the video and I suppose it was not long before we shot it. I was dancing with a choreographer named Sarah Elgart in her dance company at the time and she recommended me to the director since she was choreographing the video. I probably didn't know much about Depeche Mode.. just their name!  I believe we only shot for 1 day and 1 evening ( it could have been two but I don't remember exactly) and as I recall,  don't believe much was discussed about the concept of the video just how we would participate.  We did hang out with the band and I remember everyone being super cool. I am actually surprised by the video. I didn't know it was going to be so unusual. What we did was super goofy and pretty straight forward and the video is rather eclectic, creative and unusual in a great way!"

Clean is very much a Martin solo video and he spends most of it getting off with Angela Sheldon while World Violation video footage plays ominously on the wall of the flat he's in. Here's the Q&A with Angela that formed the basis of her section in Halo:

1. Were you a Depeche Mode fan before you starred in the Clean video? If so, how long had you been a fan?
I was most definitely a fan of DM before I got to be in the Clean video. I had been a fan since People are People and I was a huge Black Celebration fan.

2. How did you get the role in the Clean video?
I went to a massive casting call full of models. I was sitting on the floor reading a book (I think Henry Miller) and the casting director thought I stood out more than the others due to that fact and spent more time with me.

3. The video is very simple - was there much of a production set-up required?
We shot at the house in the hills for the pool and then shot on a sound stage for the sofa scene. There was more production of that required because of the video playing in the background.

4. Did you realise at the time that the location was actually the rented apartment belonging to the production team (Anton and Richard Bell) as they were in LA doing other work for the band?
I knew they were staying there but I didn't know it was their rented apartment.

5. How long did the shoot take?
I think it was two days.

6. Was Martin the only band member present?
Yes, Martin was the only band member present. He was not there during the pool scene but obviously there on the sofa.

7. What was your reaction when you were told about what the video would entail?
I was thrilled. I was actually dating an extremely jealous guy who flipped out when I told him, so I broke up with him to do the video.

8. Was it fun getting to make out with Martin for the video?
I was a huge fan of Martin Gore and was more than happy to make out with him, but we did the "Hollywood" version where you don't actually touch tongues. Believe me, I tried. He was very professional and kind.

9. It's a fairly intense video, in terms of what it is portraying, so how did it seem between yourself, Martin and the crew when the camera wasn't rolling?
Anton was wonderful and everyone was very professional and kind. It was not like the horror stories you hear. In fact, I was the one who was lamenting the fact we weren't actually making out. (I love Martin Gore)

10. Did you see the World Violation Tour at all? If so, what did you think?
I was invited to see the tour after we filmed the video and got VIP backstage passes. It was fantastic.

As with Strange, the between song films featuring Dave and a toy car, the band going to the drive-in etc are all there. The reverse side of the leaflet (above) features pictures from the era.

There are additional Outtake Vignettes with Strange Too which are a joy. The Personal Jesus section soundtracked by Personal Jesus (Acoustic) shows outtakes from the video where all four band members are having a lot of fun which is cool. That is followed by two Policy Of Truth outtakes. The first is exceptionally moving as it is entirely comprised of shots of Fletch not used in the video. It is of course really hard not to think of Andy when Depeche Mode comes up. This short film is a lovely tribute to the great man. The final outtake shows Dave driving around New York soundtracked by Policy Of Truth (Trancentral Mix).

Ultimately, this DVD is a wonderful release. It shows Depeche Mode at their creative highpoint and adds a few extra touches to make the whole package one every Depeche fan will want to have. Now all we need is a reissue of Live In Hamburg and we can finally thrown away our VCRs.

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.....

A MEMENTO: DEPECHE MODE, SPORTPALEIS, ANTWERP MAY 20TH 2023

 

The first review of the European leg is a special one. It is written by Paul A. Taylor who works for Mute and he is a longtime fan and friend of Depeche Mode. This marvellous review sums up what so many of us think about this tour and it's got me looking forward to my first gig of the tour in Dublin even more than I already was. With the exception of the photos above (thanks DMCPAV) and below, all pictures are Paul's. Thanks very much Paul.

there was a girl at the wrexham college i went to who was obsessed with depeche mode, particularly as a live band, when 101 came out she would constantly go on about it and talk about a previous show or be excited about when she’d see them next.

i’d liked singles, i loved black celebration, music for the masses seemed deep to my teenage mind, but this band, whom seemed to be slipping into obscurity, held no interest to me as a live spectacle, the prospect seemed dull. 

i then found myself in london, on the underground seeing these adverts instructing one to call for ‘your own personal jesus’, and of course then the single appeared, wow, this was a stop in your tracks moment, it was the sound of a band so self assured, so layered, so cool, so interesting and so fun. then the violator juggernaut started, and i found myself, by literal luck (my CV was originally put in the bin) working at mute. as such, the opportunity came to see them perform live, to see what my friend in wrexham was so obsessed by, i mean, surely it would be a decent night out. that night, that first time seeing them live, what a moment, this was a show like no other i’d seen, and at the grand age of 20, i’d seen it all! (stops to reminisce about a cocky know it all youth).

fast forward to the devotional tour, still the best live show i have ever seen, fast forward to the first shows without al, the careful but self assured steps ahead, fast forward to the years of what should of been in the wilderness, still playing one incredible stadium filled show after another, fast forward to the 02 london, nearing the end of the pandemic, watching New Order continue their climb back from the wilderness to legendary status.

“what do you think?” i ask. “well, it’s not much of a show is it, when we play, dave’s a showman, holds the audience in the palm of his hand, i can’t wait to get started again”

fast forward to arguably the most anticipated depeche mode tour ever. 

off the back of losing andy, off the back of an album that critics and fans agree is great, i concur, but this is not an album review. 

fast forward to antwerp, the 3rd show of the european leg of the tour.

i arrive in the city and instantly fall in love with the quiet, cultural beauty.

allow me to share some photos to show the city and help paint the picture:

	the wonderful city of antwerp with all its fabulous architecture, restaurants, beer and chocolate.

i have to be at the show for 7pm as i have a meeting there, no one told me that the trams in antwerp have only 2 carriages, it’s now 7.45, as i chase round the venue looking for the meeting room, i find myself in a large room full of white flowers, well, looks like the promoter has gone to town with the ‘memento mori’ theme, but where is everyone? 8.15, the band are on stage at 8.45, i’ve missed the wonderful cold cave and still not had my meeting, turns out i’m in an unused room in the venue that is rarely occupied and is just generally decorated with an abundance of white (plastic...) flowers, but i eventually find everyone, the meeting is quick as the band are about to go on, considering how lost i got initially, i did not want to make the same mistake again, so i get clear instructions of how to get into the arena from where i was to take my seat, armed with 2 full glasses of wine, i head to the arena, 8.43, no problem, i can do this. 

fast forward to the opening bars of ‘my cosmos is mine’ and i’m standing directly underneath the right hand side of a giant M, bugger, i ask a tech in my best brit abroad accent, slow and loud, “how do i get into the arena?” the geordie accent comes back “fuck knows mate, we’ve been getting lost all day”

round in fast circles some more, i finally reach my seat, having missed ‘my cosmos is mine’ & ‘wagging tongues’ but in time for ‘walking in my shoes’, relax, smile, the guys are back, i love these songs, i love these people, two songs later, i’m wondering why they seem so small on the stage, dave is holding the audience in the palm of his hand (just like fletch said he would), martin sings like an angel and plays like a demon, peter and christian, as ever, don’t play a note out of place, then it hits me, just how much of a towering presence on stage that fletch was, he really filled the room, there was something he added that i really didn’t understand until now, i was expecting to miss him, but not like that, with all the hullabaloo getting to my seat, i’d forgotten he wouldn’t be there until it was clear there was a giant fletch shaped hole in my memory.

then came ‘everything counts’ and the emotions came pouring out, but not for any loss, but from the incredible film that tony made to accompany it, boom, so layered, so beautiful, so fun, here’s depeche, being po-faced and serious whilst poking fun at themselves and the world around them.

martin didn’t sing ‘home’!

for me there are 4 songs that always have to be on a depeche mode set list, ‘home’ is one of those 4. how rude of him.

the show became bigger and bigger as it went on, emotion and humour from anton, an unmatched front man performance from dave and martin, playing and smiling (and dancing) like only martin does.

‘enjoy the silence’ chimes out, then encore, no one sits down, dave and mart sing ‘waiting for the night to fall’ together, at the front, it’s beautiful. then comes a finalé to top all finalés, ‘just can’t get enough’, ‘never let me down again’ and ‘personal jesus’, which took me right back to london in 1989 when i called the number for my own personal jesus.

as the show went on, it became clear that this was a different, yet the same depeche mode, when vince left, it was a different yet the same depeche mode, when al left, it was a different, yet the same depeche mode, without andy, it’s a different depeche mode, but it’s still depeche mode. 

they look like they enjoy each other’s company and are having the time of their lives, that can’t help but make you smile in the audience.

would i have liked them to play some of my favourite tracks, some tracks i’ve never seen them perform, of course, was the show disappointing, not one bit.

dave and martin are single minded creative powerhouses who love their job, and just happen to be bloody great at it.

it’s not the end, it’s another beginning.

paul a. taylor

mute 1990 to today and hopefully a while longer

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you Paul.

PRECIOUS AND FRAGILE THINGS - PLAYING THE ANGEL THE 12" BOXSET

 

Normally I'm a bit quicker off the mark with these releases, shoving them in the faces of a largely unmoved public the second a boxset, or indeed any Depeche Mode release, is out there. I've been a bit busy however so do forgive the delay. 

The next instalment of the Depeche Mode 12" celebration celebrates the superb Playing The Angel album by giving us that releases 12" singles which are of course crammed with remixes that are largely very far from superb. As I've mentioned before, once Depeche Mode handed over remix duties to people outside the Depeche Mode process (band members, producers etc), the quality dipped. That dip is perfectly demonstrated here with some notable exceptions. 

I'm not going to go into all the remixes of course as I spent most of 2021 doing that very thing. To read what I think about each single in frankly terrifying depth, have a look at these links:

Precious - http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.com/2021/10/depeche-mode-singles-1981-to-2021-part.html

A Pain That I'm Used To - http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.com/2021/10/depeche-mode-singles-1981-to-2021.html

Suffer Well - http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.com/2021/10/depeche-mode-singles-1981-to-2021-part_21.html

John The Revelatory/Lilian - http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.com/2021/10/depeche-mode-singles-1981-to-2021_27.html

Right, enough of that. What's in the box?

Despite vinyl being as popular in 2005 as Matt Hancock is just now, Depeche Mode resolutely and quite rightly stuck with the format, releasing nine 12" singles from Playing The Angel as well as four 7" picture discs. All nine 12" releases feature here alongside a superb bonus 12".

As ever, the box (the cover of which features at the top of this post) comes with a paper sheet stuck to the back of it that flaps around annoyingly and gets bent when you put it in your shelf. Of course, that may just be me. 

The box is numbered and, behind the flapping thing, the same tracklists are printed on the box itself.

The first single from the album was Precious

12BONG35 is naturally lovingly reproduced and, as with all the records in this box, it sounds great. When I did my normal pictures of records thing on Depeche Mode collector groups on Facebook you really want no part of, my removal of the cellophane and binning of it and the sticker on it caused much consternation among fans. It seems that the stickers on the cellophane cover is highly prized and viewed by many as something almost as important as the records themselves. I had no idea. Genuinely, if those of you who follow this blog and my various other social media outlets think I am an extreme collector, I urge you to think again.  

The rear of the 12" looks all shiny and lovely.

Hot on the heels of 12BONG35, we get L12BONG35.

The labels are lovely aren't they? I'd forgotten about them until I did the single reviews last year.

Next up, A Pain That I'm Used To. Andy is the cover star here. On the front of 12BONG36, he is dark and shadowy:

On the back we see him acting all moody and cool:

On L12BONG36, Martin is the cover star:

The rear of the sleeve reveals more Gore:

He looks like he's having a lovely time there. 

The next single from the album was the Dave written Suffer Well which also featured the album's best, indeed only, good video. 12BONG37 features Dave on the front and a smartly dressed Fletch accompanying a terrifyingly dressed Martin on the label.

The rear sleeve takes the Side A label and displays it in its full "glory."

L12BONG37 really speaks for itself. Given the look on Martin's face, I imagine he wasn't terribly thrilled about the role Anton designed for him in the video.

On the rear of the 12" we see a sombre Dave, a vision of a man traumatised by the beautiful bride he's just seen.

Thrillingly, we got an XL12 for this release though it had nothing at all to do with Suffer Well, the BONG catalogue number aside.

It's an actual fact that The Darkest Star is a glorious album closer and it's an even more guaranteed solid gold fact that the Holden Remix of the song, as featured on Side A of XL12BONG37 here, is majestic.

The Holden Dub on the other side is really rather splendid too.

The last single from the album was John The Revelator/Lilian and it was only really notable for the dreadful remixes, dreadful remix names and terrible video. Still, collectors will collect and we all bought the many formats it came in. Two more feature here and within these we find our first stick on your own stickers of the boxset. 12BONG38 looks like this:

5 minutes hard work for Anton there. On the back, it's, well, all black:

The original 12BONG38 had a sticker on the front telling you what to avoid on the record. Here's what mine looks like:

Hidden with the 12" in this boxset is this sticker which you can use to replicate the original if you so wish. Oddly, for a man who shows little regard for the stickers that come on the cellophane on the box, I choose to keep my stickers safe inside the record.

L12BONG38 looks like this:

The back of it looks like this:

The wee sticker looks like this:

And finally, if you want to mimic the original, here is my original L12BONG38 fully stickered up:

Now time for the bonus round. These boxsets have been great when it comes to bonus 12" singles. Yes some purists get infuriated by the new catalogue numbers (I don't) but there have been some moments of genius in this series. The additional A Question Of Lust 12" for example is one of the most stunning Depeche releases ever, never mind in this series alone. With Playing The Angel, there were so many promo 12" singles at the time that to replicate some or all of them would have led to a boxset being produced so big that you'd have to get into your house by removing a wall just like on one of those "I Weigh 87 Stone And Can Only Leave Home By Helicopter" shows. As that was impractical, the brains behind these boxes came up with a cracking idea - a 10 track promo record, PSTUMM260. As you all know, STUMM260 is Playing The Angel's catalogue number and this promo 12" gathers together ten tracks from various releases including promos and is really rather wonderful.

The sleeve mirrors the Precious 12" promo sleeves which I find enjoyable. Here is what is on Side A:

Free and Newborn are outstanding songs and really should have been on the album. Better Days is a decent enough B-Side and the shorter versions of John The Revelator and Lilian are fine, though it could be said that any version of Lilian is too long.

There's the rear of the sleeve for completeness' sake, and here are the tracks on Side AA:

The two remixes of A Pain That I'm Used To are the stars here. The bonus 12" is a great idea all round however.

Is there a poster this time? Of course there is a poster:

I do like it though it seems odd that a single promo poster wasn't reproduced as in all boxes up to this point. 

Finally, you can download all of the music on here via the link you get on this card:

As with all other boxsets in this series, there is a lot to enjoy here. The reproduction is fantastic, the records sound great and inner sleeve issues that have cropped up a couple of times previously are nowhere to be seen this time. Playing The Angel remains a really strong Depeche album and the first three singles from it are fantastic. The B-sides were great too and it's nice to see them included here as the remixes by and large in this era were not that good at all. Still, those who recreate these boxes can only work with the material they are given and they've done a very nice job.

The next one in the series will be the Sounds Of The Universe box which will be intriguing given that there were only two 12" singles released in that period. Ok, three given that one was a double. I'm intrigued to see how that turns out and please be assured that once it is released, I will rip off its cellophane, bin that AND its sticker and tell you all about the contents.