Just last month I posted the exclusive Musikexpress single of Depeche Mode's 'Ghosts again' on this blog. The single features one track and an etching of the DM logo on the other side. The (also German) magazine Rolling Stone decided to do a similar thing and include an exclusive Depeche Mode single with their current edition - but this time with a B-side. 'Never let me down again' became very popular recently when it was used in the HBO series The Last of Us - an irritating series for its repeated ads on TV for a channel I don't subscribe to.
And so I end up with two different singles of 'Ghosts again'. I like this song a lot, but the new album 'Memento mori' is a bit lacking in similarly appealing songs, in my humble opinion. But the band has delivered loads of great songs during their 40+ years, so I guess this album is a good enough epitaph - assuming that Dave and Martin won't continue after this one.
The new Depeche Mode album is called 'Memento mori' and it promises to be a dark affair. The lead single 'Ghosts again' certainly seems to point towards that, with a gloomy sound and serious lyrics. Undoubtedly the untimely death of Andy Fletcher has contributed to this. And so there's only two members now. I would think this album will also be Depeche Mode's last.
This single, featuring the new track and an etching of the DM logo on the other side, was offered free with the German magazine Musikexpress. I found out about this just recently, while the magazine was already sold out on the official website. I turned to other German sites to find a copy. I tried meine-Zeitschrift.de first, but they only offered postage within Germany. When I asked politely if they could send me a copy for increased postage costs, all I got was a reply that they didn't offer postage outside of Germany. Very well... so I found mein-Presseshop.de instead, and they sent me the magazine within a couple of days. You see, some German sites are useless, whereas other German sites are consumer-friendly.
My collection: 7" single no. 6911 Found: mein-Presseshop.de, received 14 March 2023 Tracks:'Ghosts again'
British magazine Record Mirror would give away 7" vinyl singles with their issues from time to time, sometimes containing exclusive content. These singles are being sold on the second hand market these days, for varying amounts. This copy was not too expensive, and since it contains two of my favourite artists, I quite liked to buy it.
The Pet Shop Boys offer their early track 'In the night', whereas Depeche Mode make an appearance with the album track 'Dressed in black'. Unfortunately the B-side of this EP contains nothing more than some random rapping over boring beats. You can't win them all.
The record busines has been very effective in eliminating itself in recent years. After the introduction of compact disc - which was a good move - they wiped out vinyl - which was a bad move - then wiped out the cd - bad move - and reintroduced vinyl - good move - but only for certain bands and usually not on the attractive 7" format.
This 'exclusive vinyl' is another baffling move. Given away with the German magazine Musik Express it was not on general sale - even though Depeche Mode have a rather impressive fanbase outside of Germany as well. Obviously those 7" singles now pop up on Ebay and Discogs for inflated prices. The only reason I got this copy is because the sleeve is slightly dented, which resulted in the price going down a bit. Sometimes I really wonder if record companies even want to make money anymore.
'Where's the revolution' is the lead track of Depeche Mode's most recent album 'Spirit', which was announced in the margin of a big press conference for a tour - another weird move. Thankfully the band managed to create a great album again after the rather disappointing 'Delta Machine' from five years ago.
My collection: 7" single no. 5844 Found: Discogs.com, received July 5, 2017 Cost: 6 euro Tracks: 'Where's the revolution' / 'Should be higher (live in Berlin)'
Attentive readers of this blog will have seen many entries about Depeche Mode, but one thing was still missing: the band's debut single. I never got round to buying a copy, didn't even know it was missing from my collection in fact. However, I have finally rectified this shortcoming.
Released on February 20, 1981, 'Dreaming of me' only reached number 57 in the UK singles chart and was subsequently not included on the band's debut album 'Speak and spell'. Exactly 30 years after 'Dreaming of me' was first released in the UK, a fan action tried to push the track back into the charts by
way of (legal) online downloads. The action failed except in Germany, where the
track entered the singles charts for the very first time at number 45
giving the band its 47th chart entry.
My collection: 7" single no. 5667
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 23, 2014
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Dreaming of me' / 'Ice machine'
'Master and servant' was Depeche Mode's 11th UK single and the second single from their album 'Some great reward'. The production and mixing process of "Master and Servant" are
remembered by Alan Wilder, Daniel Miller, and Gareth Jones, as among the
longest that Depeche Mode ever endured. One famous story about the song
includes a mixing duration of seven days, and after all the reworking
and final mastering of the mix, they realized they left the channel with
the snare drum muted during the last chorus.
Despite controversy surrounding the song, it still managed to reach number 9 in the UK singles chart.
The "Slavery Whip Mix" was the longest 12" Depeche Mode song at the time, with the outro being turned into a swing version of the refrain. This 12" disc, released in Germany, features a so-called 'marbled' vinyl in grey, white and brown.
My collection: 12" single no. 34 Found: Free record shop, Den Haag, 1986 Cost: 8 guilders Tracks: 'Master and servant (Slavery whip mix)' / '(Set me free) Remotivate me (Release mix)', 'Master and servant (voxless)'
'Leave in silence' is still one of my all time favourite Depeche Mode tracks, and this 12" single had a little to do with that. I was very impressed with the extended remix of this single, and the 'quieter' version that was included on the B-side of this 12" single added a dimension to the beauty of the track. I remember spending some hours re-mixing these mixes on my old tape recorder, using the excellent 'pause' buttons they used to have. One mix exceeded 10 minutes, if I remember correctly.
The instrumental 'Further excerpts from My secret garden' elaborates on the B-side of the 7" single and is another highlight in the band's catalogue. In my opinion this ranks among the best 12" singles they have released during their impressive 30 year career.
My collection: 12" single no. 17 Found: Free Record Shop, 1985 Cost: 8 guilders Tracks: 'Leave in silence (longer)' / 'Further excerpt from: My secret garden', 'Leave in silence (quieter)'
One of Depeche Mode's biggest hits was 'Enjoy the silence', released as the second single from their album 'Violator'. There were many different remixes of the track, released in as many different formats. The last remix to be released at the time was this one.
Entitled the 'Quad: Final mix', it was a remix of 15 minutes, released on cd-single and a 12" single, both containing just the one track. But it's a fascinating remix, going through a few 'movements', until reaching a rather desolate ending. The B-side of this disc features the DM logo from the sleeve, etched in.
My collection: 12" single no. 94 Found: Record fair, 1992 Cost: 20 guilders Tracks: 'Enjoy the silence (Quad: final mix)'
'Just can't get enough' was Depeche Mode's third single release, back in September 1981. It was the final single to be written by founder member Vince Clarke, who would leave the band in December 1981. The song was included on the band's first album, 'Speak and spell', which was released a month after the single.
The single reached number 8 on the UK singles chart. It also became the band's first (and biggest) hit in Australia, reaching number 4.
My collection: 7" single no. 5220 Found: Discogs.com, received November 1, 2011 Cost: 2 euro Tracks: 'Just can't get enough' / 'Any second now'
I never bought the 7" single of Depeche Mode's 'Master and servant', and I only found this out a couple of months ago. Therefore it's a lot of fun to find this single for a very reasonable price.
The overtly sexual, SM-themed lyrics of 'Master and servant' - complete with synthesized whip-and-chain sound effects - reportedly got the song banned by many radio stations in the United States. The song narrowly avoided a radio ban by the BBC as well, and might have been banned if the one BBC staffer who wanted to ban the record had not been away on holiday at the time the other staffers voted on whether to add the single to their playlist. Despite all this controversy, the single reached number 6 in the UK singles chart.
My collection: 7" single no. 4937 Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, October 8, 2010 Cost: 1 euro Tracks: 'Master and servant' / '(Set me free) Remotivate me'
Martin Gore wrote 'In your room', a tense and atmospheric track on Depeche Mode's 1993 album 'Songs of faith and devotion'. It was released as the fourth and final single from that album in a remixed version. The 'Zephyr mix', as it was called, includes music completely redone by Butch Vig of Nirvana fame.
The single reached number 8 in the UK singles chart and number 40 in Australia. It achieved its biggest success in Sweden, where the single peaked at number 2. 'In your room' was the last Depeche Mode single to be released on 7" vinyl, until the format was re-used in the Noughties.
My collection: 7" single no. 2404 Found: Wreckastow, Rotterdam, 1994 Cost: 6 guilders Tracks: 'In your room (Zephyr mix)' / 'Higher love (Adrenaline mix)'
'Walking in my shoes' was the second single taken from Depeche Mode's 1993 album 'Songs of faith and devotion'. The single version of the song was a remixed version of the album version. The sound has been made more noisy and dirty, especially the drums in the verse, and the intro has been shortened.
The single reached number 14 in the UK singles chart and number 69 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. This pressing of the single was made in Germany. 'Walking in my shoes' was the first Depeche Mode single not to have a commercial 7" release in the UK.
My collection: 7" single no. 1932 Found: Vienna, July 6, 1993 Cost: 55 Schilling Tracks: 'Walking in my shoes' / 'My joy'
Was this Depeche Mode, or a heavy metal band? This was the question that bothered many listeners when the first single from their Depeche Mode's album 'Songs of faith and devotion' was released in early 1993. 'I feel you' sounded rough and tough, with a tormented Dave Gahan screaming his lungs out. He still had some drug-fuelled nightmares to go, but on this single, it sounded like he was already going through them.
On the cover of this single, there are four symbols, each representing a member. To tell which member it is, there's a number on the right-corner of each symbol, which is that band member's birthdate, or you can match the symbols up with the symbols on the cover of the album, which overlap a picture of that band member.
My collection: 7" single no. 1936 Found: Musik Box, Vienna, July 12, 1993 Cost: 30 Schilling Tracks: 'I feel you' / 'One carress'
'World in my eyes' was the fourth and final single from Depeche Mode's 1989 album 'Violator', released in September 1990. The two B-sides are both mixes, according to the tracklisting, but since no 'regular' version of these two tracks exist, one can assume that these are the 'regular' versions.
The single was less successful than its predecessors from the album, peaking at number 17 in the UK singles chart but only at number 52 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
My collection: 7" single no. 1322 Found: HMV, London, October 16, 1990 Cost: 2 pounds Tracks: 'World in my eyes' / 'Happiest girl (Jack mix)', 'Sea of sin (Tonal mix)'
'Policy of truth' was the third single from Depeche Mode's 1989 album 'Violator', released in May 1990. The song was slightly remixed and extended for its single release, becoming slower than the album version. An introduction was added, Martin Gore's vocals were more prominent, and the sounds at the end were modified.
The single reached number 16 in the UK singles chart and number 15 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
My collection: 7" single no. 1248 Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, June 16, 1990 Cost: 6 guilders Tracks: 'Policy of truth' / 'Kaleid'
When 'Enjoy the silence' was written by Martin Gore, he intended it to be a slow-paced ballad in C minor; the demo featured a harmonium with Gore singing. Fellow band member Alan Wilder saw hit potential in the track, and composed an upbeat tempo and structure for the song. Despite initial resistance from songwriter Gore, who felt the spirit of the song was not suited to an upbeat track, the rest of the group liked it. After some self-described 'sulking', Gore came around and added more to the embryonic fast version together with producer Mark 'Flood' Ellis, notably the guitar riff heard throughout. Within hours of recording the track, the band was convinced they had a hit single on their hands.
When released as a single, 'Enjoy the silence' became Depeche Mode's most successful song. It reached number 8 in the Dutch Top 40, number 6 in the UK singles chart and went top ten in dozens of other countries. The song was released with several remixes on several formats, most notably the 'Quad:Final mix', clocking in at 15 minutes.
My collection: 7" single no. 1168 Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1990 Cost: 6 guilders Tracks: 'Enjoy the silence' / 'Memphisto'
Besides the regular version of the single of 'Personal Jesus' by Depeche Mode, this limited edition was also released in the autumn of 1989. It features a gatefold sleeve with a booklet featuring four photographs (each of the band members with a naked woman) and two tracks on the B-side. The acoustic version of 'Personal Jesus' is of particular interest.
Whilst not the first Depeche Mode song to feature guitar parts ('Behind the wheel' and their cover of 'Route 66' featured a guitar; 'Love in itself' featured an acoustic guitar), it was the first time a guitar was used as a dominant instrument in a Depeche Mode song.
My collection: 7" single no. 1197 Found: Ter Meulen, Rotterdam, March 23, 1990 Cost: 6 guilders Tracks: 'Personal Jesus' / 'Dangerous (Hazchemix edit)', 'Personal Jesus (Acoustic)'
Depeche Mode released 'Personal Jesus' in the autumn of 1989 as the first single from their album 'Violator'. According to Martin Gore, the song was inspired by the book 'Elvis and me' by Priscilla Presley: 'It's a song about being a Jesus for somebody else, someone to give you hope and care. It's about how Elvis was her man and her mentor and how often that happens in love relationships; how everybody's heart is like a god in some way, and that's not a very balanced view of someone, is it?'
My collection: 7" single no. 1067 Found: HMV, London, October 18, 1989 Cost: 2 pounds Tracks: 'Personal Jesus' / 'Dangerous'
'Little 15' barely made it onto the album 'Music for the masses' and was never intended to become a single. However, the French record label insisted they release it, and so it still happened. Copies of the single did make it to the UK on import, however, giving the band a minor chart placing, as it peaked at number 60. In Germany, the single was a bigger hit, peaking at number 16, in Austria it reached number 25 and in Switzerland it peaked at number 18.
The B-side is a beautiful instrumental performed by Alan Wilder entitled 'Stjärna' (mislabelled 'Stjarna'), which is Swedish for 'star', written by Martin Gore.
My collection: 7" single no. 642 Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, July 23, 1988 Cost: 6 guilders Tracks: 'Little 15' / 'Stjarna'
'Never let me down again' was released as the second single from Depeche Mode's 1987 album 'Music for the masses'. The single's cover art features a fragment of a Soviet map showing the northern part of Russia adjacent to the Arctic Ocean.
The single reached number 22 in the UK singles chart, but in Germany it peaked at number 2, while it was also a top 10 hit in most other European countries. In the Netherlands, like many other Depeche Mode singles, 'Never let me down again' was ignored.
My collection: 7" single no. 906 Found: Parkpop, Den Haag, June 25, 1989 Cost: 2 guilders Tracks: 'Never let me down again' / 'Pleasure little treasure'
