DEPECHE MODE - THE BEST OF DEPECHE MODE VOLUME 1

Ah, Depeche Mode...  Once again, you release yet another best of compilation and once again, being the completest that I am, I had to pick it up.  During this time, I was snatching up everything I could by them.  This item is a bit unique in that I only purchased one version of the release.  I bought the limited edition and left it at that.  The limited edition of this CD comes with a bonus DVD that includes all of their videos up to that date and a short film about the band.

My other reason for buying this compilation is the inclusion of a previously unreleased track called, 'Martyr'.  When I bought this, I figured it would be the only place I could find the track.  However, the band released it as a single.  I could've saved money and just picked it up there.  As for the DVD, all of these videos have been released on other video collections.  Most of which I already have.  So... Economically, this wasn't the most prudent purchase.

Still, it's a nice collection to have an it certainly makes previous hits compilation unnecessary.  The value isn't really there though.

I believe this came out right around the same time Depeche Mode were releasing their deluxe editions.  I was determined to get the deluxe edition of all of their albums.  Of course things have changed a bit since then.  I'm not longer as deeply committed to the band as I once was.  Their more recent material hasn't impressed me.  In fact, I find it formulaic and repetitive.  There was a time this group was on the forefront of innovation in sound and composition.  These days, they sort of phone it in.

But, back when I bought this, I was experiencing a re-dedication of sorts.  

There's not a lot I can say about this release.  Nothing is new aside from 'Martyr'.  It's just new packaging of old material.  It's funny, but I sort of wish some of the newer bands I'm listening to would do something like this.  Probably because I'm used to it from DM.  The difference between this release and the single disc edition is the cover photograph.  On the single disc, the flower is black while on the limited edition, it's pink.  My final words for this release:  ANOTHER HITS COMPILATION.  DEFINITELY SKIPABLE UNLESS YOU'RE A COMPLETEST.

DEPECHE MODE - THE BEST OF DEPECHE MODE VOLUME 1

CD

01. Personal Jesus

02. Just Can't Get Enough

03. Everything Counts

04. Enjoy The Silence

05. Shake The Disease

06. See You

07. It's No Good

08. Strangelove

09. Suffer Well

10. Dream On

11. People Are People

12. Martyr

13. Walking In My Shoes

14. I Feel You

15. Precious

16. Master And Servant

17. New Life

18. Never Let Me Down Again

DVD

01. Just Can't Get Enough

02. Everything Counts

03. People Are People

04. Master And Servant

05. Shake The Disease

06. Stripped

07. A Question Of Time

08. Strangelove

09. Never Let Me Down Again

10. Behind The Wheel

11. Personal Jesus

12. Enjoy The Silence

13. I Feel You

14. Walking In My Shoes

15. In Your Room

16. Barrel Of A Gun

17. It's No Good

18. Only When I Lose Myself

19. Dream On

20. I Feel Loved

21. Enjoy The Silence 04

22. Precious

23. Suffer Well

24. The Best Of Depeche Mode: A Short Film

RAMMSTEIN - LIEBE IST FÜR ALLE DA

Rammstein released this record in 2009.  I was fortunate enough to have a friend at the record store who ordered me the Limited Edition version.  This version includes a second disc with additional music.  I'll discuss that later on because for now I want to say I really went all out on this release.  I knew they were planning on touring the states for this album after skipping the US on previous tours and when they announced a show in Vegas, I got my tickets right away.  And let me tell you, they did not disappoint.

The first disc begins with a choir vocalizing until Till suddenly bursts in and starts singing in his half growl, half melodic voice.  As quickly and unexpectedly as he appears, the guitar power chords surge in and like the tires on a car squealing when you peel out, 'Rammleid' explodes from the speakers.  I could instantly tell I was going to love this record.  Even with bands you love there are times when they release albums you don't like everything you're hearing.  Although there are a couple of brief moments like that here, I think the disc is overall amazing and worth exploring.  'Ich Tu Dir Weh' is the first song I really got into and it's followed by the track that's become my absolute favorite song from this record.  'Waidmanns Heil' is one of those great tunes that sounds fantastic no matter where or how you're experiencing it.  Although I will say, seeing it live was a life changing event for me.  It was powerful, exciting and dramatic!  The special effects were off the hook and the crowd responded so well, I think it actually surprised the band.  Simply put, this is a track that ROCKS!!!

'Wiener Blut' is another standout number and it's followed by a song I can't take seriously.  Don't get me wrong, I like the music, but I find the lyrics a bit ridiculous.  'Pussy' begins with a weak electronic drum pattern that reminds me of 'Pop Goes The World' by Men Without Hats, but then the live drums erupt and all heck breaks loose.  In the concert, Till Lindemann rides a giant foam cannon across the stage.  It's shaped like a penis and he fires foam all over the audience.  Hilarious.

'Mehr' is the last track I really love on the album and it leads to the ballad, 'Roter Sand' which ends the disc.  It's a satisfying disc and you'd be completely happy with it in that form but...  Wait!  There's that second disc!!!  It starts with 'Führe Mich'.  This is one of their Piledriver songs.  I call it that because these piledriver numbers are usually the ones they use to open their shows.  The second track, 'Donaukinder' reminds me of 'Spieluhr' from "Mutter".  Only Rammstein can take something as innocent as a lullaby and turn it into a frightening parody of itself.  You can only imagine the types of nursery rhymes Till puts his kids to bed with each night.  The intensity of 'Halt' is quickly extinguished by an orchestral version of 'Roter Sand'.  I'm not a huge fan of it on the first disc and even less impressed with it here.  Another ballad, 'Liese' rounds out the second disc.

It always amazes me how poetic and layered Rammstein's lyrics are.  They're truly one of the most interesting bands around today.  Sure they get written off as a power chord metal outfit, but if you take the time to translate and study their lyrics, you'll find a group expressing thoughts and ideas you probably wouldn't even consider in English.  I'm constantly surprised by them.  This record is excellent and left me anticipating their next release.  My final words:  IF YOU DON'T HAVE THIS EDITION OF THE ALBUM, STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND GET IT.  IT'S NOT COMPLETE WITHOUT THE SECOND DISC.

RAMMSTEIN - LIEBE IST FÜR ALLE DA
CD1
01. Rammleid
02. Ich Tu Dir Weh
03. Waidmanns Heil
04. Haifisch
05. B********
06. Frühling In Paris
07. Wiener Blut
08. Pussy
09. Liebe Ist Für Alle Da
10. Mehr
11. Roter Sand
CD2
01. Führe Mich
02. Donaukinder
03. Halt
04. Roter Sand (Orchester Version)
05. Liese

DEPECHE MODE - BARREL OF A GUN

This is the US maxi single for Depeche Mode's 'Barrel Of A Gun', from the "Ultra" album.  During this time, I was buying up everything I could find by them.  For this album, I think I bought the UK and US singles.  Mostly because I wanted to have a complete collection of mixes and you could only get that by collecting the various singles together.

My only complaint about the US singles during this time is that they didn't have nearly the amount of music the UK multiple singles did.  You would hope the US maxi would collect everything together on one disc, but alas...  That wasn't the case.

The single includes three mixes of 'Barrel Of A Gun'.  Two of them are by Underworld and the other is by One Inch Punch.  There's also a mix of the b-side, 'Painkiller' by Plastikman.  'Painkiller' is basically a longer version of 'Junior Painkiller', the hidden track at the end of "Ultra".  The Underworld Soft Mix is actually quite nice.  It's more of an ambient version of the song and oddly enough, as frantic as the tune is, it lends itself to a slower mix quite nicely.  The One Inch Punch Mix is harsh and disgusting.  The tempo is bizarre and the music is sinister.  You imagine a bad acid trip or something.  This isn't a mix you'd want to hear under the influence of any kind of drug.  It's spooky evil.  Yikes!

The Underworld Hard Mix, is as manic as the Soft Mix is mellow.  I find it hard to listen to and prefer the first one over it.  I'm not sure this release was worth the purchase, but US singles at the time weren't that expensive and I could justify it to polish off my various missing mixes and versions collection.  My final words:  NOT EXACTLY THE GREATEST SINGLE EVER, BUT IT HAS ITS MOMENTS.

DEPECHE MODE - BARREL OF A GUN
01. Barrel Of A Gun (Single Version)
02. Painkiller (Plastikman Mix)
03. Barrel Of A Gun (Underworld Soft Mix)
04. Barrel Of A Gun (One Inch Punch Mix)
05. Barrel Of A Gun (Underworld Hard Mix)  

JEVETTA STEELE - HERE IT IS

This is an interesting release for a number of reasons.  First and foremost, there are two versions of it.  For those of you who aren't familiar with her, Jevetta Steele is a member of The Steeles, a gospel family group who recorded with Prince in the 90's.  She's probably the most prominent of that group and released a solo record, "Here It Is" in 1991.  This is that original release.  It was initially only carried by Musidisc, a French label.  It included two tracks written for Steele by Prince.  'And How' and 'Skip 2 My U My Darling'.  

In 1993, she released the album in the US on Columbia, but with a different tracklist, different songs and she replaced the two Prince tracks with two other Prince songs.  The Columbia version includes the Prince penned 'Hold Me' and 'Open Book'.

The two albums share 5 songs in common though it should be noted, the songs seem to have been re-recorded for the 93 release making them different from the versions on this disc.

Steele has a powerful voice.  This is part of the reason she's singled out among her siblings.  When you listen to the material she chooses to showcase on this record, you get a mixed message.  She's obviously a strong and talented gospel singer.  You can tell that's where she feels most comfortable vocally.  The arrangements of the songs on this album definitely play to that strength.  There's an attempt to make the songs more contemporary, but they don't always cross over.  For example, the first track, 'Say A Little Prayer For You'...  Originally titled, 'I Say A Little Prayer' and written by Burt Bacharach for Dionne Warwick, features The Steeles on background performing in full gospel glory.  Even though the very nature of this tune is contemporary, it takes on a soulful gospel tinge here.  

The music arrangements can often sound a bit generic and standard.  There are exceptional tracks that really stand out.  Both of the Prince tracks make a huge impact on the ears.  The first song, 'And How' features a funky guitar punctuating throughout and a deep bass groove happening throughout.  The Steeles once again add backup maintaining that gospel feel.  'Skip 2 My U My Darling' is a more urban sounding track with some delightful organ adding the church vibe.  'Here It Is' has a light, pop beat and has a lot of potential as a chart single.  I really enjoy the tune and I think she makes a great attempt at the Top 40 sound with this one.

'Calling You' is probably the most startling of all the songs on this record.  It's stunning.  Both versions are dramatic and intense.  They allow Steele to really cut loose and show her vocal chops.  It's breathtaking.  The haunting tune was used in the "Baghdad Cafe" film and garnered Steele a lot of attention when it was released.  By itself, this track might make the purchase of either version of this album worth the money.  Wow.

'Good Foot' is a rousing number that should be sung by every church choir!  It's exciting and full of energy.  Another stunning performance here.  I'm not as enthused about the rest of the material on this disc, but I do give her credit for making this a great disc.  Even if you're only buying the disc for a couple of songs, she delivers!

For collectors of Prince, this is the most rare version of this album and hard to come by because it was only released in France.  It's also the only place you can find these two Prince songs.  If you're lucky enough to find it, buy it.  It's a must have.

My final words:  AN AMAZING RECORD FROM AN INCREDIBLE VOCALIST.

JEVETTA STEELE - HERE IT IS
01. Say A Little Prayer For You
02. Baby, Are You?
03. And How
04. You're Gonna Love Me
05. Here It Is
06. Calling You
07. In This Man's World
08. Good Foot
09. Skip 2 My U My Darling
10. Where Do We Go From Here?
11. Love Will Follow

BROTHER JULES - THE REMIX E.P.

Brother Jules was Prince's personal DJ and close friend.  Jules would perform DJ sets prior to Prince live concerts and at parties he would host at Paisley Park.  Jules is also preparing to release a double album of Prince mixes.  He describes them as some of the mixes he'd put together at the start of Prince shows.

This particular E.P. was sold at the Prince Tribute Concert last month in Minneapolis.  Brother Jules sold the left over copies online and I was fortunate to get one.  The disc is essentially one 32 minute mix track.  It's made up of the following Prince songs:  '1000 X's & O's', 'Freaks On This Side', 'Joint 2 Joint', 'Poompoom', 'She's Always In My Hair', 'Mad Sex', 'Push It Up!', 'Big Fun' and 'If I Was Your Girlfriend'.

I gotta admit, if I were to choose my favorite Prince songs to remix, most of these tracks would end up on my list.  For deep cuts, he's picked some real gems and I think die-hard fans will love this little collection.  It's groovy and fun at the same time.

It comes in a plastic case with a front CD insert card and the CD.  That's slightly disappointing, but I'll live with it.  This is one item I'm utterly amazed and grateful to have in my collection.

Contact Brother Jules on Facebook if you want a copy and pray he still has some available.  My final words:  CREATES EXCITEMENT FOR THE FULL REMIX EXPERIENCE ALBUM!!!  EXCELLENT MIX

BROTHER JULES - THE REMIX E.P.
01. Brother Jules Remix

TRANCEMODE EXPRESS - 1.01 A TRANCE TRIBUTE TO DEPECHE MODE

I was really into Depeche Mode when I ran across this little gem of a release...  And I sorta mean that sarcastically.  I found it in a Blockbuster that sold music on Maryland Parkway in Las Vegas back in the 90's.  I remember thinking, "Wow, a tribute????"  I paid full price for this record.  I later picked up a sequel release, "2.01", but mostly because my OCD wanted to have the complete set.  

So...  Starting off with an intro not credited to a particular artist, you get some Eastern female vocalist scatting over a vague synth line that eventually becomes 'Strangelove'.  Kirk's cover of 'Behind The Wheel' uses a thin synth line to play the only recognizable portion of the original song.  The bass motif and some of the rhythm motifs are similar to the actual song, but they are played with such strange sounds the version sounds totally off.  It's not a great cover and it drones on for 7+ minutes.  Yikes.

Executor's cover of 'Nothing To Fear' is also rather lackluster.  They speed the beat up quite a bit, but it comes across weak and empty.  Delta Signal covers 'Oberkorn' listed on the jacket as 'Oeercorn'.  Of the tracks thus far, it's the best rendition.  Unfortunately, it gets bogged down by length.  All of the tracks thus far have clocked in over 6 minutes.

Next up is Audio Science and they actually have two covers on this record.  The first is 'Little 15' and they actually deliver an interesting track.  There's enough variation and change to make it interesting rather than just a drone.  The second cover they do is 'Strangelove'.  
The Scaras perform 'Get The Balance Right' and for some reason, I think this cover is exactly what trance should be.  They actually include vocals as well!  That's a huge plus.  Reverse Pulse covers 'Flexible' and it starts out sounding like the background music to a horror film.  There is a vocal track but it's deep in the mix and barely audible.  Ultravision is up next with 'The Things You Said'...  Not a track you could easily screw up.  Already deeply trance-like, all they had to do was play the song and keep a deep groove.  Instead, they speed it up and turn it into a tinkle.  Not happy.

Interfaith is up next with 'Fools' the Alan Wilder track.  Clocking in under 5 minutes, this is probably the most accessible of all the tracks on the album.  It's not a bad cover.  The final three tracks are mislabeled on the disc.  Track 10 is actually Latex Empire's cover of 'Master And Servant' while Audio Science's second cover, 'Strangelove' is 11.  Axis_01 finishes the disc with a 6 plus minute version of 'Pimpf'...  A song I think is already too long on the Depeche Mode album.  It's made virtually unbearable here.

Although this album credits different groups for covering these various songs, the reality is this is probably one artist who did an entire tribute album and just made up band names.  I've tried to look up these groups outside of this release and none of them have produced or released anything else.  If you have any information on these bands, please correct me and let me know.  Right now, I'm thinking some dude in a recording studio decided to cover his favorite DM tracks and produced this absurd record.

Some of the tracks have value, but overall, they sound weak and without any of the depth and soul of the original versions.  They are marginally thin and vacant.  I can't in good conscience recommend ever picking up this release.  I'm sorry.  I just can't.  

My final words:  A HUGE THUMBS DOWN FOR A TRIBUTE!

TRANCEMODE EXPRESS - 1.01 A TRANCE TRIBUTE TO DEPECHE MODE
01. Intro
02. Behind The Wheel - Kirk
03. Nothing To Fear - Executor
04. Obercorn - Delta Signal
05. Little 15 - Audio Science
06. Get The Balance Right - The Scaras
07. Flexible - Reverse Pulse
08. The Things You Said - Ultravision
09. Fools - Interfaith
10. Master And Servant - Latex Empire
11. Strangelove - Audio Science
12. Pimpf - Axis_01

FADED PAPER FIGURES - RELICS

I kinda stumbled across this group on youtube one day.  I was listening to some music and one of their songs came up next in rotation before I had the chance to move on to something else I wanted to hear.  Needless to say, I stuck around, listened to the song and immediately went to Discogs and ordered the CD.  

Although this group would probably be lumped in the electronic music genre, they're actually more like Little Dragon in the sense they combine synths with acoustic instruments and drums.  Little Dragon tends to be more jazz oriented, while Faded Paper Figures is more blues based traditional rock.

There was much cause for concern when I heard 'Not The End Of The World (Even As We Know It)'.  It's the third track on the album and seems to be a response to the song REM released back in the 80's, 'It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)'.  It even copies the vocal arrangement from the original.  I wasn't happy to see that as I would normally interpret songs like this as unimaginative and annoying.  It's just different enough to give it some credibility, but not by much.  However, the rest of the album is quite stellar and I'm very happy with it.

The first song that strikes me as utterly beautiful is 'Lost Stars'.  This song has the most wonderful melody and harmonizing.  It's truly magnificent.  However, it's not the best track on the album.  In my opinion there are two that are simply stunning.  The first is 'On The Line'.  The acoustic guitar on this track is absolutely perfect combined with the electronic keyboards and vocals.  There's a strong build that goes on just slightly too long towards the end of the song, but it resolves itself nicely and in the end, it's a great tune.

It's followed by what I consider to be the best song on the album and not surprisingly, the track I originally heard by the band is 'Spare Me'.  Oddly enough, this song strikes me in a number of ways.  I won't presume to know a lot about this group, but they have a few lines in this song that make me wonder if they were LDS and left the church at some point.  Living in Utah, you get a great deal of exposure to the church and its teachings.  You also get a lot of exposure to arguments for and against the church.  I recently read an argument against the church compiled by a gentleman and many of the points he brings up as he presents his case show up in this song.

The tune discusses pre-Columbian steel claimed by the LDS church to have existed in North American before it was brought over by the Europeans.  It also mentions the lack of geographical evidence for the cities and places mentioned in the Church's book of scripture, the Book Of Mormon with the line, "Geographically tied to some place you can't find, please, spare me".  They also mention the seer stones the founder of the LDS church used to translate the book from ancient gold plates they believe were given to the prophet from God.  But it's the chorus that really grabs my attention...

"You said some gorgeous things,
But only half the time
only half the time,
I lived your gorgeous dream,
For only half a life
only half a life"

It's this line more than any other that makes me believe this is a song written about losing your belief in your church and leaving that faith.  Although I believe it's referring specifically to Mormonism, you can interpret it with any loss of faith.

The rest of the album maintains the solid material using a male and female vocalist to interplay and create lovely harmonies.  I can't believe I didn't know this group before hearing that song.  A little online research has shown they have other albums out and I will start adding them to my collection as I think this band is wonderful!

So if you're looking for something new to sink your ears in, Faded Paper Figures may be just the swab you need to clean your aural ports.  My final words:  SPARKLING PIXIE DUST MUSIC YOU CAN FLY WITH!

FADED PAPER FIGURES - RELICS
01. Breathing
02. Wake Up Dead
03. Not The End Of The World (Even As We Know It)
04. Lost Stars
05. Fellaheen
06. On The Line
07. Spare Me
08. Who Will Save Us Now? 
09. Horizons Fall
10. Real Lies
11. What You See
12. Forked Paths