Fashion. Music. Family. Life.
I’ve got a few deals to share from my inbox. The Bona Drag one is a bit late and ends tomorrow. The Neiman Marcus Last Call coupon starts tomorrow. The Rock & Republic Warehouse Sale picture does say San Diego. But if you click on the picture, the information on the site shows upcoming events in Dallas, San Diego and San Francisco.
Take advantage of a deal or two, or three…you know you want to! (Click on each picture for a link to the site.)
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.
I get asked quite a bit where I do my shopping for my son. I bought the cute little Burberry shirt at Bloomies over a year ago (on sale, not for the price pictured). I nearly bought him Diesel jeans that same day (also on sale), then changed my mind. At the time, I thought, “How CUTE! I love Burberry and the prices are a slightly less expensive than clothing for me, so I can dress him in brand names all the time!”
Now that I’ve been a mother for over a year, I see how prices add up quickly for my little one.
So really, how practical is getting high-end brand names for kids? Yes, the clothing is very well made and the styles emulate that of the adults, so the allure to dress your child in the higher end fashions is too tempting. I’ve always said that if I had a daughter that I would have to take on another job just to supplement our wardrobes.
With the way kids grow in these early years, it’s impossible for me to justify purchasing something that is so high cost because it is also something that comes at such a high turnover. Believe me, with the awesome styles out there, I would love to dress my son the way Brad and Angelina dress their kids. But Dominic has already gone through 3 pairs of Converse in his 21 months of existence, not to mention dress shoes and flip-flops or sandals. If he’s going through five pairs of shoes every three months, the cost adds up. And for any family of modest to medium means, it’s just not practical.
Parents should understand and know that there is plenty of great affordable fashion out there for our little ones. The second picture is a recent one from my great aunt’s birthday party. Both outfits for my son and my niece were from H&M and both outfits (including shoes, socks and tights) were a total of $65. Both kids looked fantastic and stylish at a fraction of the cost.
Just as I’m creative with my wardrobe, I’m also as creative with my son’s clothing. I even had to go so far to get him a custom-made Joy Division shirt (seen here, it was only $12 and so worth it). For the clothes that he wears every day, I shop at places like Old Navy, Crazy 8, H&M, A Children’s Place, Gymboree and Pumpkin Patch, but I make sure to be smart about it.
One of my favorite places to get kids clothing is at Target. They have the coolest little t-shirts at prices from $5 to $10. Dominic wears a Run DMC t-shirt from Target and I always get stopped by people asking where did I get that cute little shirt (which was only $5.99). My son is growing at a seemingly exponential rate (he’s predicted to be 6’1″ as an adult because my husband is 6’4″), so the price range is completely pocket-book friendly.
Just to give you an idea of how often Dominic goes through clothing, this is a list of how many times I had to make a sweep of his clothing (which I’m always donating):
I purged a total of a year’s worth of clothing because I was trying to keep up with his growth spurts. Kids are also not the cleanest during those early months, so I tried to have as many onesies available to keep the washings down to one time per week, rather than several times weekly. When you have to purge clothing so often, it really does feel better to give up $5 shirts than $40 ones every 2 to 3 months.
I want my son to have the best of everything that my husband and I have to offer. I’m realizing and learning all the time as a new mother, that cute and stylish things can be found everywhere, that won’t break the bank. I am a self-proclaimed fashionista and I love clothing. As I make smart investments in the things I buy for myself, I will always make smart investments in my son, where it counts the most. So I need to be practical and realize that I need to rely on my creativity when it comes to dressing him. My true investment for him will be the time I spend with him and my unconditional love.
I wore my little swallow dress from Cotton On today with these platform sandals because it was unusually warm for November here in San Diego. But I added little touches that made the outfit more fitting for fall: a cardigan, a wool hat, and dark tights. I’m also wearing one of my new cameos, too. Along with the little bits of tan and brass, the cameo made the outfit feel very vintage, even though the dress was brand new (as of yesterday!).
Outfit: Cotton On Karoline swallow dress; H&M belt; Urban Outfitters mens cardigan; Pierre Hardy for Gap shoes; Rafe purse; Poppie Jones wool hat; vintage cameo; Target tights; Burberry sunglasses
Photos by Deon Chen
I did a little bit of shopping, both in person and online in the last week: I used the discount code given to my readers by Lulus.com to pick up a few items before the code expired; my cameos came in from my recent eBay purchase; and I went to my local mall to pick up some really cute affordable dresses from Cotton On. Oh, and I did throw in a pair of shoes (of course!).
I’m gravitating towards easy sweaters and simple dresses in cute patterns (I’m in love with the bird print dress from Cotton On). Keeping things simple will allow me to do the layering that I want, it makes it less bulky under any of the coats and jackets that I’ll be sporting all through the fall and winter, and it will make it easier to accessorize.
(Click on the pictures for links to the items, except for the Chung dress and the Sasha Bootie.)
I voted today, did you?
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)
Well, not really but I like the title of that Ministry song. Here are some images from this past week and weekend that are all things Halloween. The first three below are images from work. One is my team’s winning submission to our company’s pumpkin carving contest. A couple of my direct reports found an image of a pumpkin as a burger, so they ran with the idea by getting all of the In-N-Out accessories to make it truly unique. The second and third pictures are what my husband I wore to work on Friday (I’m in my goth girl outfit again, and Deon is “V for Vendetta”).
These last few pictures are of Halloween night and going “Trick or Treating” with my sister’s family and our kids. My sister, her husband and daughter were dressed as Super Mario Bros (don’t they look awesome?). It was nice to see that our neighbors had an awesome haunted garden. At first my son didn’t want to go in. When his cousin joined him, he practically ran in. There is a great picture of Dominic and Mei-Lin watching a mechanical bride and groom sing “I Got You Babe”.
All in all, it was fun to see our kids go out for the first time together down the very same street we used to go down as kids every Halloween. Hope everyone had a great weekend as well!
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!
Since the internet at home is still a very unreliable thing (and because my husband is out playing softball for the company team, so I’m left to tend to our son), I’m just going to do a quick post of a couple of pictures of my son’s costume for Halloween. He’s going to be DJ Lance Rock. This little get-up cracked us up all day today. He didn’t want to take it off, so I think we found the perfect costume (the second picture is him running because it was time to put the outfit away until Saturday). Gotta love “Yo Gabba Gabba!”
