Category Archives: Musically Inclined

Rock The Discount: 10% off at Fashion Rocks!

It’s always nice to start of the year with a discount! If you’ve checked through my posts, I have two of them mentioning a talented Swiss designer named Idil Vice (see posts here and here). She is one of my favorite designers because she takes the rock t-shirt to the next level by putting those kind of iconic images on not just shirts, but on dresses, skirts, pants, jackets and sweaters. Her designs have been seen on celebs such as Gwen Stefani and Kelly Osbourne.

I’m so excited because I have some of my own items from Idil coming soon, which I will be featuring in a future pictorial. In the meantime, she has graciously given my readers a 10% storewide discount at her online store, Fashion Rocks (idilvice.com).

Just use the code nowrocks2 when it asks for any coupons or codes to receive your discount, which will be good until February 14, 2011. There are so many awesome artists featured, including a few of my favorites like Depeche Mode, Joy Division and The English Beat (pictured above). If you don’t happen to see your favorite idol on Fashion Rocks, you can also request it!

Rock in the new year with some fantastic, one-of-a-kind fashion!

All You Need is Now & a Bit of Before: Duran Duran’s New Album

On December 21, 2010, Duran Duran dropped their new album entitled All You Need is Now. The last Duran Duran album, Red Carpet Massacre, spawned one of my all time favorite songs Nite-Runner, and the concert was just as fantastic. The concert was full of their classics, songs off the newest album and included a stunning rendition of The Normal’s Warm Leatherette (which Alan Wilder also included in his most recent concert). The fact that it fell on my 38th birthday back in 2008 just added to the overall excitement.

Since I enjoyed Red Carpet Massacre, I definitely had certain expectations for this new album. I was very anxious to hear the evolution of the Duran Duran sound. Are they going to continue on with the RCM sound, or maybe go back a little to Astronaut? I started to read the reviews before I listened to the album myself, and so many out there say that this album really dips far back and recalls the Duran Duran of old. And you know what, they’re right. I think Duran Duran hit the target when they teamed up with producer/DJ Mark Ronson.

“We all wanted to get a little bit more experimental with this record. We wanted to reconnect with fans, on the territory on which the band, and Mark Ronson who is the producer, felt we should own. And that was this kind of modern synth, dance, experimental, pop music,” (Simon) Le Bon told Reuters.

from ABC News article “Duran Duran Goes Forward on New Album by Going Back“

Some reviews say that this new endeavor sounds like the Rio album, but I think it fluctuates between the first self titled white album and Seven and the Ragged Tiger. If there is a song that sounds like it would be taken directly off of the Rio album, it would be Runaway Runaway. It’s so happy and bright that you can almost call it Rio Part 2. I do hear their more current vibe in Leave a Light On, which really reminds me of Falling Down or Ordinary World.

But when I listen to the songs Blame The Machines and Being Followed, I hear twinges of Faster Than Light and Sound of Thunder. I hear I Take the Dice and Crimes of Passion in the title track All You Need is Now and Girl Panic!. I miss this Duran Duran sound. This is what I fell in love with back in the 80’s and I’m glad that they decided to reach back and recapture that sound that they crafted so well.

All in all, I really love this new album. This album will definitely get heavy rotation in my iPod and in my car. Cheers to Duran Duran for knowing that you can still move forward even if you look back a little for inspiration.

Careless Memories

Objects, places and even clothing can stir up a lot of memories. For some reason, striped shirts and Oxford flats always remind me of Duran Duran in their early days (except they had white jazz Oxfords). I could never find those shoes back then in white, so I always wore Vans or Keds when I was trying to dress like them.

Duran Duran had such style and they still do today. I consider them one of the best dressed bands of the 80’s (Spandau Ballet is another band that comes to mind). They were one of my favorite bands during the early part of my teens, until I discovered Depeche Mode (and everything shifted). But when I think of impeccable suits and luxe in the 80’s, I always think of Duran Duran.

We found these electrical boxes painted as Rubik’s Cubes while driving on the way home from work one day. I thought it very appropriate since I felt that I was channeling early 80’s Duran Duran with my outfit.

Outfit: Old Navy “Prep Coat” and skinny black cargo pants; The Limited striped shirt; Jeffrey Campbell canvas Oxfords; Burberry sunglasses; Tiffany & Co necklace

Photos by Deon Chen, except for the Duran Duran photo (source unknown)

Adventures in Boy Band Land

With O-Town at Knotts Berry Farm 2001

My husband was backing up our computer one night and was talking about how many pictures we had saved on our laptop, which was really taking over some space. I ended up looking at some of those pictures and came across some old pictures from back in 2001…

How many of you out there remember a show called “Making The Band” back when it was on ABC? This is long before the P-Diddy version currently on MTV. If you do, you’ll recall that a boy band called O-Town was born out of that show.

Now, I pondered on how much I would divulge about my adventures in boy band land, especially since I am so very much more a Depeche Mode fan. But I think I should just embrace my time in that world because it was actually a lot of fun.

My sister and I started watching the show because there was much hype about the fact that it was basically a made for TV version of *Nsync. At the time, I know it reminded me of when Beatles fans were upset when the Monkees hit prime time (a whole decade before I was born). The premise was the same as “Real World” and actually was the predecessor to “American Idol”: potential candidates tried out for the band by auditioning and submitting videos. The final 10 actually lived in the house together, went through eliminations until the final five were picked. The final five were as follows: Ashley Parker Angel, Jacob Underwood, Trevor Penick, Eric-Michael Estrada, and Ikaika Kahoana. Due to family issues and differences with the band members, Ikaika was later replaced by Dan Miller.

As with many reality shows, “Making The Band” built a following, and we followed right along with it. We went to appearances and concerts. I created a Yahoo Group dedicated to the guys, which somehow had it’s own following. Soon, the Yahoo Group wasn’t enough to contain my creativity in the way I wanted to present the information I had, so I created a website.

I made sure to create a site that was anything but the typical fan site. A graphic designer friend created all the images for the site after I bought the domain name, and soon the phenomenon that was Destination O-Town came into being (see the flier image). I had a staff that I affectionately named the Destination Crew, later abbreviated as the D-Crew. We were fans from all over the world, including my sister. We really hit the ground running and passed out fliers at concerts and events. Due to a few contacts in the entertainment industry and contact with family members of the band by different D-Crew staff, the guys in O-Town knew us by name and often mentioned our site during their radio and TV appearances, which always increased our traffic by thousands. We were invited backstage often by their families, and at one show Ashley Angel himself saved meet and greet passes for me and my friends.

Whenever we attended a concert or event, we covered it on our site and we became the next best O-Town resource to the official site. Their management and record label recognized us, so we always had exclusive interviews, pictures and news stories because I could guarantee the authenticity. My site appeared in domestic and international pop magazines and I was even interviewed by Ladies Home Journal because I was a fan over 30. Our most prized feature was “D-Crew Radio” which was a radio graphic that you could “play” and hear exclusive interviews with the band, their crew and their families. We even had a mini promotional spots where the band themselves would say “Hi, We’re O-Town and you’re listening to D-Crew Radio on Destinationotown.com!” As our sites’ popularity grew, I personally would receive gifts from fans (both in person and by mail). I even had a difficult time attending concerts and events because fans would recognize me and my crew and bombard us with questions and requests to meet the guys.

Wow, that was a lot of memories that just came flooding through! I have some friendships that remained from the whole experience: one of my crew members remains a good friend today and was a bridesmaid in my wedding; I keep in touch with a great gal who worked on their tour crew; and I even still have contact with one of their mothers. It was an insane time in my life, but through the craziness, I had great fun. It’s amazing the memories a few pictures can trigger.

Confirmed: Alan Wilder to Remix a Song on the New Depeche Mode Remix Album

This update is from Side-Line.com (article dated Nov 13 2010). Very exciting!

Alan Wilder to remix Depeche Mode track for new remix album

Side-Line has received positive confirmation that Alan Wilder (Recoil and ex-Depeche Mode) is indeed to remix a Depeche Mode track for a forthcoming Depeche Mode remix-abum, planned for 2011. First launched as a mere rumour, we received solid info that the remix is indeed a fact. In related news, Vince Clarke from Erasure fame tweeted back in October that he had done a “Behind The Wheel” remix. Which could mean that the upcoming Depeche Mode remix album will be the first ever ‘reunion’ CD so to speak featuring all 5 (ex)-members of Depeche Mode, one way or another.

According to Depechemode.de Wilder would have picked a track from the band’s current release “Sounds of the Universe” with “In chains” being the final choice.

(Photo taken at the M-Theory Records signing on 10.23.2010)

Too Good to be True: Will Alan Wilder Remix Depeche Mode?

I saw this on depeche-mode.com (a site called HOME, not the official site), and I really hope it’s true (the post is dated Nov 5 2010):

Alan Wilder remixes Depeche Mode *updated*

Alan Wilder joins Vince Clarke on the list of people who’ve done remixes for the forthcoming Depeche Mode remix album, tentatively set for release early next year. The two Mode legends’ involvement signal a very interesting project is in the works. Also rumoured to be included in the project are ~~Yeasayer~~The Yeah Yeah Yeahs!, Brandon Flowers and Arcade Fire. More details should be trickling through in the coming weeks.

(Photo taken at the M-Theory Records signing on 10.23.2010)

My Favorite Mode: The B Sides

I realized that I didn’t continue the “My Favorite Mode” series with B-Sides, rarities and my top (insert number here) all-time Depeche Mode song list. I still haven’t decided how long my top song list will be yet. I thought 20 at first, but I may go top 25. We shall see!

In the meantime, I have finally thought about my list of favorite Depeche Mode B-Sides. What I love about my favorite band is that there is no shortage of little song treasures and surprises that come in the form of an additional song on a CD, 45 or 12 inch single. Sometimes I wonder why these B-Sides weren’t on the album or singles, because they are so fantastic (maybe they didn’t fit due to the overall theme and cohesiveness of the album). Whatever the case, it’s always nice that they still put out these extra song tracks. It makes waiting for the next album a little more tolerable.

I really did want to include nearly all their B-Sides, but I kept it down to ones that were absolutely what are the best of the best in my eyes.

(Pictures are in the same order as the list, going from left to right. Click on each for a larger image. All images are courtesy of Depmod.com)

Shout! – I first heard this song in concert without knowing it was not on the “Speak and Spell” album. It was only later that I found out that it was on the B-Side of “New Life”. Would this sound be considered Calypso? So many of their early songs were so good and catchy, and this is one of them.

Now, This is Fun – Definitely an early Martin song, so the lyrics are a little confusing. Either way, it’s just a cute song.

Love in Itself 4/Fools – I cannot get enough of this rendition of “Love in Itself” from “Construction Time Again”, which includes a simple drum machine, acoustic guitar and jazz piano. I call it “The Lounge Version”. I immediately learned this version on piano rather than the original (which reminds me that I need to go back and revisit it). If you ever get a chance to listen to this song, it will make you look at those Mode boys in a different light.

“Fools” is a song by Alan Wilder that was also on the B-Side of the 12 in single. It’s much brighter than “Two Minute Warning” or “The Landscape is Changing”, so I wonder if that’s why those songs made it to “Construction Time Again” and not this one.

In Your Memory – Another Wilder song, the B-Side to People are People. I’m biased, what can I say.

(Set Me Free) Remotivate Me – This B-Side to “Master & Servant” is one of the best Depeche Mode songs out there. It’s danceable, fun and I just can’t help but like how catchy it is.

But Not Tonight – Yes, this is on the US version of “Black Celebration” and yes it was released as a single in the US, but this was originally just a B-Side to “Stripped” and does not appear on the UK version of the album. The extended version gets my vote for a B-Side favorite. This is such a feel good song and sounds great while driving in a car with all of the windows rolled down. A bonus is that it appeared on the soundtrack of that 80’s classic “Modern Girls”. Yes, I’m being facetious. Only about “Modern Girls”.

Dangerous/Personal Jesus (Acoustic) – The acoustic version sounds like it belongs in a soundtrack to some kind of Western or road movie. “Dangerous” is just a good song.

Happiest Girl/Sea of Sin – Two great songs on the B-Side of “World In My Eyes”. My favorite lines from each song (respectively): “Wanted to feel the joy/Flow between our lips/Wanted to feel the joy/Flow between our hips” and “It gets better and better/As it gets wetter and wetter”. It’s a little cheesy when read out loud sans instrumentation. But with the music, it’s just ingenious.

Surrender – I had the pleasure of seeing this song performed live when I went to the Exciter Tour back on August 14, 2001 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. I remember being the only one in my section beyond excited to hear this song live. I stood up and sang every word. Out. Loud.

This song has some of the best lyrics Martin Gore ever penned. This is a song that is not only a favorite B-Side, but one of my favorite Depeche Mode songs of all time.

Shackled like an animal
Chained to my desires
Just another sacrifice
To love’s eternal fight
Tame me with your tenderness
And break my brittle heart
Easily and elegantly
Tear my world apart

I’m still indulging this need to feed my Depeche Mode hunger, so I hope you again forgive the intermission. My last two installments in the next couple of weeks will be my favorite rarities that I own (this includes hard to find items and 12 inch mixes), as well a list of my all time favorite Depeche Mode songs.

Coat of the Week: Mad for Plaid

My husband bought me this cute little jacket a couple of years ago. Now that it’s finally a bit colder, I’m starting to layer a bit more. He bought it when I was pregnant, so it’s got a little bit of a swing to it. Because of this and because it’s lighter than it looks, it makes for a great layering piece. I’m going to stock up on more tights and lighter long and short sleeve solid t-shirts to fit snugly under some of my dresses and cardigans.

I also just recently found my iPod and started listening to it again (it was lost in all of the shuffling of items in our bedroom). I also let my son take a listen, too and I think he may want his own little music listening device! I bought a very cool pair of retro-looking headphones that look a bit like my husband’s that he uses as a professional DJ (except mine are smaller and come in three interchangeable colors). As a tribute to my find, I’ve also included a list of artists of one of my favorite iPod playlists called “Electronic”.

ATB
Bedrock
Blancmange
Blank & Jones
Book of Love
Camouflage
Cruxshadows
Depeche Mode
Einsturzende Neubuten
Erasure
Fad Gadget
Heaven 17
Human League
Kraftwerk
Leather Strip
New Order
Nizer Ebb
OMD
Paul Van Dyk
Pet Shop Boys
The Beloved
Yaz

Standout favorites (that aren’t Depeche Mode):

“Tainted Love (2XS Remix) by Soft Cell – I consider it a drum and bass version of the song, maybe even speed garage. Either way, it’s a fantastic version of the song.

“I Want Candy (Razed in Black Mix)” by Bow Wow Wow – If you like Razed in Black, you will absolutely love this version. It’s got a heavier, driving beat that puts of the otherwise usually poppy version of this song on it’s ear.

“Lie to Me” by Depeche Mode, but re-done by Razed in Black – It’s always interesting to hear how another artist would interpret your favorite artist, and this does not disappoint.

“The Great Commandment” by Camouflage – When I heard this track for the first time, I was surprised at how much it sounded like Depeche Mode. “That Smiling Face” is my all time favorite by Camouflage, but a little too slow for this playlist.

I was obsessed with making playlists when I first got my iPod and iTunes. I know my iPod is a bit old, but it has all of my honeymoon pictures from Europe from our computer that crashed two years ago and quite of bit of music that I ripped from my CD collection. I haven’t figured out how to download them without completely wiping out the iPod and losing them all. Hopefully I can find a good program transfer them. The downside is that I can’t upload anything new either. I may just have to buy a new iPod to keep making the kinds of playlists I want.

(Jacket, Full Tilt; Retro Stereo Headphones with decorative plates in three colors, Auvio)

My Favorite Mode – The Tour Edition

Now that the phone and internet situation has been corrected at home (I bumped into the AT&T guy on the way to work), I feel whole again. This is when I wonder, “What did we ever do before the internet?” But I digress…

I’ve been really thinking about what my favorite Depeche Mode shows have been. Most of my favorites were when they were still four members in the band, and the most recent have been the solo tours. All images of tour programmes are from depmod.com (see the “Listen to This” blogroll), one of the most comprehensive Depeche Mode discography/collectors sites I’ve ever come across. Ever since I’ve been on the internet, they are my source for everything Depeche Mode (other than the official site). If you are anywhere near a Depeche Mode fan, you must check out depmod.com. Your socks will be knocked off. Plus if you’re like me, you will truly realize there is a lot more that you don’t have in your collection. Also, all dates listed are for the concert date I attended in San Diego.

Note: I have the set lists from every concert I’ve seen up until the Devotional Tour because I would religiously write down every song during the concert. This is why I’ve included the set lists for the first three of my favorite concerts. I have since stopped doing that because I can no longer see that well in the dark, and I’m just plain lazy. It’s amazing what you have the tolerance for in your teens to your early 20’s. The only list I am unsure of the order (with the exception of the encore songs) is the Some Great Reward Tour.

Some Great Reward Tour – April 1, 1985

I have mentioned previously that this was the first concert I had seen by Depeche Mode, and have since discovered that it was their first appearance in San Diego. I truly feel blessed to have seen this concert knowing that information. A couple of funny notes about this show: my friend Eileen and I had not purchased any of their albums yet prior to this show, so we thought “See You” was “Sing You” and “Boys Say Go” was “DE-PECHE MODE!”. I’m pretty sure we sounded absolutely silly to all the die-hard fans around us, but hey, we were 15-years-old at the time. Needless to say we each got our parents to purchase all of their previously released albums so that we can catch up. I think Depeche Mode knew there were many of us out there who were in the same boat because the album “Catching Up With Depeche Mode” soon followed.

I am forever glad that we went to the SGR tour because we got to hear songs live that I never heard again in concert, as you can see by the set list.

Set list:

Master and Servant (instrumental intro)
Something to Do
Two Minute Warning
Puppets
If You Want
People Are People
Leave in Silence
New Life
Shame
Somebody
Ice Machine
Lie to Me
Blasphemous Rumours
Told You So
Master and Servant
Photographic
Everything Counts
See You
Boys Say Go
The Meaning of Love

Encores:
Shout!
Just Can’t Get Enough

Black Celebration Tour – July 11, 1986

This was the tour where we followed the tour bus from the Sports Arena to the…wait for it…Travelodge across the street. I’m sure they have upgraded their hotel stays since those days, but that’s where they were back in 1986. I have pictures of their tour bus, which was the closest I ever got to any member of Depeche Mode until I got to meet Alan Wilder last week. I also remember the first song and the lasting effect of the dropped curtain. It was “Black Celebration” and if you are familiar with the song, you know that the song starts off very slow. During this slow beginning, the curtains were still up, so we only saw shadows of the band behind it. When the lyrics “I look to you…” were sung with music in full force behind it, the curtain dropped and the band was revealed to a screaming crowd. I still feel the crescendo between the first note to the dropping of the curtain to this day.

I also really enjoyed seeing Book of Love live, who opened for Depeche Mode for the US leg of the tour (I am unsure if they opened up for any other shows). Their self-titled album was a staple in my CD player for months after seeing them live.

Set List:

Christmas Island
Black Celebration
A Question of Time
Fly on the Windscreen
Shake the Disease
Leave in Silence
It’s Called a Heart
Everything Counts
A Question of Lust
Blasphemous Rumors
New Dress
Stripped
Something to Do
Master and Servant
Photographic
People are People

Encores:
Boys Say Go
Just Can’t Get Enough
More Than a Party

World Violation Tour – July 28, 1990

Of the three dates they were here for this tour, I only went to the first show (a friend of mine went to two dates). Another bonus was that I won tickets to the show and sold the tickets that I bought before. I also recall someone saying that they went to the Fashion Valley Mall and saw Martin Gore and Andy Fletcher shopping one of the days they were here. Depeche Mode, shopping? In my city? Where was I when this was happening?

Shocking that I didn’t pick the Music for the Masses as one of my favorite tours, and it’s only because of the sad memories of not going to the Rose Bowl concert (still a very sore spot for me). Truly, I liked this concert because it is one of my all time favorite albums. I also really loved the images of the band dressed as cowboys and that some of those images were actually funny in nature. The highlight of the show was seeing “World in my Eyes” and “Halo” live.

I’ve always regarded Depeche Mode as “my band” because I didn’t follow the crowd when I discovered them (like Duran Duran). I felt for a long time like they were my little discovery, and would share them when I decided to. But after the Wherehouse store incident, there was no escaping that the boys were on the map, and three sold out shows in San Diego just proved to everyone that Depeche Mode were no longer some obscure band. They were on the charts and violating the world, in a city near you.

Set List:

World in My Eyes
Halo
Shake the Disease
Everything Counts
Master and Servant
Never Let Me Down Again
Waiting for the Night
I Want You Now
World Full of Nothing
Clean
Stripped
Policy of Truth
Enjoy the Silence
Strangelove
Personal Jesus

Encores:
Black Celebration
Question of Time
Behind the Wheel
Route 66

The Singles Tour – December 15, 1998

Because I did not go to the Exotic Tour or the Ultra Parties (neither came to San Diego, but I should have gone to the Irvine Meadows show), the first concert I went to where I saw the band as three was the Singles Tour. I went with my friend Angi, and we had a hard time in the beginning of the show with a few guys behind us who just kept chanting like it was a soccer game. They finally stopped a few songs in, which was such a relief.

I have to say I was quite apprehensive seeing the band live without Alan Wilder. For years he was my favorite, and after five concerts, you get used to looking forward to seeing him with the rest of the guys. But I was surprised at how much I enjoyed myself and was looking forward to more Depeche Mode albums and tours with the three left. Alan kept putting out Recoil music, so at least he was still around, even if he wasn’t with them. I really missed not seeing Depeche Mode live. It had been five years since the Devotional Tour, so this was a welcome sight.

Paper Monsters Tour, David Gahan – August 21, 2003

My sister and I went to this concert not knowing exactly what to expect. I think it’s because it was Depeche Mode’s front man, the voice of the band, on tour without anyone else that we recognize. How could Dave be up there withtout Martin or Fletch? No matter how we felt about a tour without his band mates, we would not miss this for the world.

I liked the single “Dirty Sticky Floors” and thought the rest of the album was pretty good. I knew that Dave would definitely infuse Depeche Mode songs in there, so we were not surprised when he closed with a song or two. I just remember my jaw dropping when he sang a bit from a song that I have always thought he would be great at because his voice is so similar to Ian McCulloch, which is “Lips Like Sugar” by Echo and the Bunnymen. When the words came out of Dave’s mouth, my sister and I looked at each other in disbelief. Easily the highlight of the show for me.

A Strange Hour, Recoil – October 23, 2010

Of course I would pick this as a favorite show, simply because it had been 17 years since I have seen Alan Wilder live with Depeche Mode, or live at all. If you’ve seen my “Strange Hours” post, you will know exactly how I felt about the concert and the whole experience of meeting him, so I won’t repeat it all here again (just click the link for my post on Anthology’s blog). Suffice it to say that sitting in a club with my sister watching Alan Wilder in a very intimate setting has made up for the fact that the Tour of the Universe concert date was canceled last year in San Diego. Hands down.

I hope you enjoyed this portion of “My Favorite Mode”. After this weekend, I will post my favorite B-Sides and rarities, then a list of my all time favorite Depeche Mode songs. I just haven’t decided how long the list will be yet!

My Favorite Mode

Our internet is still very intermittent at home (due to flooded phone lines causing our DSL to act up), so my post about cape jackets will have to wait until the repairs to our lines happen later this week. I’m on my little Nokia Booklet 3G with an LG wireless modem, and it doesn’t have any kind of photo editing program, so my ability to post a nifty pictorial is very limited. What I will do is stay on my Depeche Mode/Alan Wilder high and post my all time favorite albums, songs, tours and rarities.

Favorite album: Some Great Reward

For all the reasons I’ve stated before, this is still by far my absolute favorite album. This album solidified me as a fan, and provided the soundtrack that justified all my reasons for feeling different at an age when conformity was forefront. It also marked the first time I had seen the band live.

No other album juxtaposes the angst of personal religious struggle with sadomasochism like “Some Great Reward”. The lyrics have some of the sexiest lines, and some of the most ironic. The album also showcases the beginnings of how they started mastering their industrial yet fluid sound, which really was very metallic on “Construction Time Again” but became more organic with “Some Great Reward”. I have an interview were they said that they would just walk around outside the studio recording sounds and manipulating them before running them through their synthesizers.

One of the songs that sort of hit me was the beautiful ballad “Somebody”. The haunting acoustic piano with the street background noise only enhance the irony of the words. The lyrics are quite sentimental and lovely, until the very end of the song:

But when I’m asleep
I want somebody
Who will put their arms around me
And kiss me tenderly
Though things like this
Make me sick
In a case like this
I’ll get away with it

As I got older, the words of all of their songs started to really take on new meanings, only because I really started to understand exactly what they meant (I was a very naive 14-year-old). Here are my favorite lines from various songs:

It’s a lot like life
This play between the sheets
With you on top and me underneath
Forget all about equality
Let’s play master and servant

So lie to me
But do it with sincerity
Make me listen
Just for a minute
Make me think
There’s some truth in it

I don’t want to start
Any blasphemous rumours
But I think that God’s
Got a sick sense of humour
And when I die
I expect to find Him laughing

Of course a line from “If You Want”, the only song on the album penned by Alan Wilder, became the quote that I would use time and time again:

Let tomorrow and today
Bring a life of ecstasy

Funny how that at the age of 14 this album became a defining musical moment in my life. Was I really that complex at that time? I’d like to think so.

Favorite Song: World In My Eyes

I have many favorite songs from my favorite band, all of which would require its own top 20 list. But when someone asks me to define what I think the “Depeche Mode” sound is, I don’t ask them to listen to “Enjoy the Silence” or “Personal Jesus”. I don’t even ask them to listen to anything from “Some Great Reward” because that was just the beginning of their ever evolving sound. I think the song that is quintessentially Depeche Mode is the song “World in my Eyes”. Another very sultry song, it comes from their most popular album to date, “Violator”. All of the songs on the album again juxtaposition religious overtones next to very sexual undertones. The reason I think it’s the most “Depeche Mode” sounding song of their repertoire is because of the overall production, the rhythmic beat and the layering of sounds along with very seductive lyrics. It’s upbeat yet dark, all at the same time. Dave Gahan had truly honed his soothing voice by this album, so this song is just dripping with pure sensuality. The best part is that you can dance to it.

As it is time that I tend to my son who is having trouble sleeping, I will tackle some of my other favorites in the next few posts. Good night!

Next: Favorite B Sides, Rarities, and tours