As promised, here are my pictures from #ModeMay, a photo-a-day challenge on Instagram from DepecheMode.com (original post here). I’m posting just day 1 through 16 first, then the last half afterwards. All items pictured are from my personal collection. Enjoy!
May 1st: Speak & Spell (top picture); May 2nd: A Broken Frame
May 3rd: Construction Time Again
May 4th: Some Great Reward (autographed by Alan Wilder)
Last month, the folks at DepecheMode.com held an Instagram photo-a-day challenge called #ModeMay. Each day, fans were asked to post a picture with the theme of the challenge of the day. Later that night, DepecheMode.com would re-post their favorite fan image. I almost didn’t participate, because I found out about it on Day 2 of the challenge and had to catch up. I will post all of my pictures on two separate posts this week, but here is the exciting news: Two of my images were chosen! Words could not express the excitement I felt to have my simple pictures chosen by DepecheMode.com, especially since all of the images were from my personal collection. Oh, and a very happy belated birthday to Alan Wilder, who turned 55 yesterday. Hope you all had a great weekend!
Here is the first of two images that were chosen. Black Celebration was the theme, and I made the last minute decision to just post all of my records from that album. About two hours later, my picture was reposted!
I floated between creative pictures, and straightforward pictures of my collection. For this day, I recruited my son and my niece to emulate the shadow image on the cover of the single “World In My Eyes”. It ended up being the second of my images to be chosen!
It’s time to wrap up the “January Record A Day” Instagram photo project with records 22 through 31. I’m already into week one of the “February Record A Day”, and I’m finding it a little bit tougher than last month’s because I’m having to really dig for items like a re-press or marble colored vinyl, but I’m definitely up for the challenge. Cheers and have a great weekend!
(Top Photo) Day 22: Double LP – “20/20” by Dilated Peoples. Another from the hubby’s collection.
Day 23: Red colored record – German import of “Never Let Me Down” by Depeche Mode.
Day 24: Favorite Record Friday – “All I Need is Everything” by Aztec Camera. Such a wonderful & happy song!
Day 25: Rainy day record – “Rio” by Duran Duran. I can listen to this album during any kind of weather!
Day 26: I don’t own any vinyl that’s split color. So here is my sister’s OMD dual color picture disc in pink & blue for the song “Locomotion”.
Day 27: Album on classic black vinyl – “Mistrial” by Lou Reed. My husband bought a bunch on boxes filled with records, not knowing what was inside. There were a few gems & this was one of them.
Day 28: More than 2 colors – “New Sensation” picture disc by INXS.
Day 29: 1st record I bought – “That’s Rock n Roll” by Shaun Cassidy. I was 7 & my sister was 4 when she drew all over it in red crayon!
Day 30: Any album before the 80s – Mott The Hoople “Greatest Hits”, from my hubby’s collection. I think this is from 1977.
Day 31: Any record you want – “Cookin’ on the Roof” by Roman Holiday. Finally found this at Amoeba Hollywood a couple of years ago. “Don’t Try to Stop it” & “Stand By” are my favorites!
What I love about this “record a day” photo project on Instagram is that it really allows me to become reacquainted with my collection and to really explore my husband’s collection. Here is a recap of days 13 through 21, enjoy!
(Top photo) Day 13: Splattered – “Stripped” by Depeche Mode. My first colored vinyl (when I was just 16)!
Day 14: Record from the used bin – “Live and Let Dance” by The Untouchables. Got it for a dollar!
Day 15: An album from high school – “The Circus” by Erasure (1987, I was 17). Also saw them in concert in high school, too!
Day 16: Live album – Depeche Mode, Live at Crocs Night Club, recorded 1981.
Day 17: Most recent purchase – Sub Pop 1000. Isn’t it cool?!
Day 18: Record that was a gift – The Police 4 track 12 inch single for “Wrapped Around Your Finger”. It was a Christmas present from my friend back in the 80s.
Day 19: Album from the 90s – “Family Values Fall Tour ’98”. From my husband’s record collection. He’s a deejay, so you can imagine our combined vinyl collection is quite large!
Day 20: Any black artist. Another from my husband’s collection. “1999” by Prince.
Day 21: Artist’s debut album – “Speak & Spell” by Depeche Mode. This is the UK version. I have the US one as well, without “I Sometimes Wish I Was Dead”. Any Second Now trivia: This is the album with the song that became the title of my blog.
Here is another recap of the “record a day” photo project I’m participating in on Instagram. Have I mentioned just how much I’m loving this?!
Collage 1 (top photo, clockwise from the top left): 1) Day 5: Compilation/soundtrack – I bought “The Exposed 2” compilation because of The Hitmen & OMD. The Hitmen was a group Alan Wilder was once in; 2) Day 6: Picture Disc – “Fantastic Day” by Haircut 100. This is from my sister’s collection (which is at my house); 3) Day 7: Any 7 inch – Oblivious by Aztec Camera, one of my faves; 4) Day 8: An album from the 80’s – “Mange Tout” by Blancmange from 1984.
Collage 2: Day 9: Transparent colored record -“Closer” by Joy Division, purchased from Third Eye Record Shop during Record Store Day last year (post here).
Day 10: Any 10 inch – “Backwards and Forwards” by Aztec Camera. I thought I lost this!
Day 11: Collection of an artist – My largest vinyl collection is by far that of Depeche Mode. These are just the singles (not yet pictured are my 12 inch records, albums and special editions).
Day 12: Artist that starts with J – Japan. “Gentlemen Take Polaroids” is my favorite song by them.
Last week, I discovered a cool Instagram “photo a day” project. I was posting a picture of one of my many Depeche Mode records, with the hashtag #vinyl and #record, and received a like from Noble Record Store (a record store on ebay). After checking out some their pictures, I found a list for the January Record A Day that started on the forums of The Vinyl Collective, a community for vinyl collectors. I love this photo a day project because it allows me to share my vinyl collection, and see the collections of many record enthusiasts out there.
If you’re a collector of vinyl, join in the fun by following the themes above and hastagging #januaryrecordaday on Instagram. Hopefully, they carry this on throughout the year! I’ll post recaps throughout the month. In the meantime, below are my first four days of photos. Cheers!
Clockwise from the left: 1) Any record you want: “Love in Itself” by Depeche Mode, 5 track 12″ single, numbered limited edition with texture and goldfoil sleeve, signed by Alan Wilder; 2) Guilty pleasure: “When Will I Be Famous” 12″ single by Bros; 3) Colored record: Some Great Reward by Depeche Mode, import from Germany in grey vinyl, signed by Alan Wilder; 4) “Nite Romantics” by Duran Duran, import from Japan
I thought I would just close out this week with one last Depeche Mode bit, while I’m still on a concert high from their show this past Sunday. In a post last week, I took a picture with some of my Depeche Mode concert ticket stubs (original post here). Well, I decided to scan all of the ticket stubs that I could locate, which makes me a bit sad because I’m usually so diligent about keeping all of my ticket stubs. I’ve been to nine Depeche Mode tours (although I attended two shows of the Exciter Tour). Not pictured are my stubs for the Devotional Tour (November 16, 1993), Exciter Tour (August 11, 2001 and either August 14 or 15, 2001) and Touring the Angel (November 19th, 2005) ticket stubs. I also attended Dave Gahan’s Paper Monster tour and Recoil with Alan Wilder. I’ve only missed one tour ever, and that was the Tour of The Universe (August 14th, 2009), due to cancellation. I have the unused tickets for that tour as well, although it may be lost with the others.
Lastly, I’ve also included the very first newsletter I received when I joined Depeche Mode’s fan club, known back then as The Depeche Mode Info Service (I joined in 1986 and hand wrote the date on the newsletter). When a new member joined, you had to send six self-addressed stamped envelopes, and you were sent a simple tri-folded newsletter all about Depeche Mode. It then turned into a mini-magazine and other goodies would come with the subscription, such as post cards and flexi discs (as seen in my post here). I kept the subscription through the Violator album, then I stopped subscribing. But I do have the newsletter where the Info Service held a contest to change the name, and the final choice was the Bong Magazine (I’m unsure if it’s still being produced). It’s always fun to go back and look at those, because it was initially run by Dave Gahan’s then girlfriend and now ex-wife, Jo Bailey. Once their fan base grew, it then turned into the magazine format. I’m sure this shows you the depth of my love of Depeche Mode, but I’m sure you had no doubt about that, right?
I know I have other posts to put up of events that I’ve attended. Before I post those, I must indulge a little more in my love of Depeche Mode, as I have just seen them in concert over the weekend at The Sleep Train Amphitheatre in Chula Vista through Live Nation. That long awaited night was more than worth the wait, because it has been eight years since I have seen them live. I went with my husband, my sister and her husband. We then met up with my best friend Janice, and friends Angi and Suzanne, and we all sat together on the lawn. Eileen, who saw Depeche Mode with me for the first time back in 1985, was also supposed to attend, but she couldn’t make it due to work obligations. When did we grow up? I also got to see my friends Shirley, Rene, Tifany and Merrick (he is pictured below in the third shot), and I want to say hi to Suki, Kirsten and Suzi, who I didn’t get to see, but I who I know were there. I love that so many people I know share the same love of such an influential band.
When we arrived at the gig, my sister and I left our men to “jump” the long line by making $10 donations each to the Sleep Train Foster Kids charity program. This allowed us to get some good real estate in front of the lawn area. Unfortunately, we happened to be right behind a speaker post, making picture capturing challenging, but still doable. Crystal Castles opened up, and my husband described them as Garbage, but darker. I can see why they toured with Depeche Mode, as they definitely are in the same genre of music. I’m afraid that I was way too anxious about Depeche Mode to fully pay attention, so I won’t attempt to review their performance. I’ll have to give them a listen when I’m off of my Depeche Mode high.
As it started to darken, I felt my anxiety rise. And the moment the lights went out and the first few notes and lights began to emerge, I leapt up from my seat and lunged forward. Everyone laughed as they have never seen me move so quickly. I think I scared my poor husband, thinking he had to save me from falling down to the walkway below. Although I knew I was in full control of all of my faculties, I felt my heart nearly beat out of its chest hearing my all time favorite band live again.
I enjoyed every second of this concert, because I am a fan in every sense of the word. I have loved this band for more than half my life, and I felt I have been with them through everything. I can assign a Depeche Mode song to every important event in my life and create a soundtrack that would describe the very essence of who I am, and where I have been. This is why I wanted my husband to attend this show with me because he is a part of the soundtrack of my life. If you ask my son who my favorite band is, he will tell you resoundingly that it is Depeche Mode. Their music has permeated every part of my existence, down to the name of my blog.
It really is difficult to choose any one favorite part, but if I was made to choose, I would say hearing But Not Tonight live was amazing (I think Janice enjoyed what we called the porn intro to Personal Jesus, and my sister enjoyed Black Celebration because of memories of the “curtain drop” and A Question of Time because Dave brought back his spinning from days of old). I have always enjoyed that song, specially the extended version, and I even bought the soundtrack to Modern Girls just because that song is in the movie. It really summed up everything I felt that night, because there wasn’t a night quite like that night.
My first concert was the Some Great Reward tour, and the evolution of their show is quite astounding. My husband and I watched The World We Live In And Live In Hamburg video cassette yesterday (yes, you read that right) and we just marveled at just how young they were, and I was when I saw them in concert so long ago. They played to half of The Sports Arena back then and it was sold out. Here they are now, larger than life, still selling out, but bigger venues. They sold out The Rose Bowl at their beginning of their ascend in 1988, and look at them 25 years later.
In reviews I have read, and opinions I have heard about the song choice, I feel like I should step in here and remind those who are more casual fans that I think omission of the incredibly popular older songs like People Are People, Strangelove, Everything Counts and Master and Servant were by design. Their song library is 23 albums deep. How can you possibly fit years of hits into a two-hour set without including your most current music? You can’t. If you have been along for the ride as long as I have, you would have heard songs live that you will never hear again, and I think that’s how it’s meant to be (check out my post about some of the shows I have attended and the set lists from those concerts to see what I mean). They’ve been around, they’ve played it all, and now they’re going to play what they want to, in the style they choose. Enjoy it while you can.
My husband said he enjoyed the concert because he got to hear his two favorite songs, Policy of Truth and Enjoy the Silence, but also because he has never attended a fully sold out show. During Never Let Me Down Again, he was stunned at the sheer volume of people following Dave Gahan, knowing exactly when to sway their arms (I explained this is because of the 101 concert). He truly was impressed, and was very glad we experienced this together. I have included the set list below from Setlist.fm, and also the video I recorded of But Not Tonight. I know this isn’t quite a concert review, but more of the experience of a true fan, expressing how happy I was to see my band. In the words of Martin Gore, I felt like I was home.
The week has arrived where I can now count down the days to when I will see Depeche Mode in concert. I feel like it’s been ages since I saw them live, and that’s only because they had to cancel their San Diego date back in 2009 due to Dave Gahan’s strained throat. Although the following year meant that I got to meet Alan Wilder (posts here and here), I still longed to see my all time favorite band in concert. In “preparation” for the concert, I have surrounded myself with everything Depeche Mode. Delta Machine has only left my car CD player a few times to listen to First Wave on Sirius XM and Cy Curnin’s latest album. Currently I have Violator playing, and I’m probably going to pop in Black Celebration, Some Great Reward, or a greatest hits album at some point this week. Even as I type this, the excitement is rising in me, higher and higher. I’m sure there’s no doubt about my fandom (most of my post titles are either songs or lyrics of Depeche Mode songs). Still, I’m just going indulge myself a little more until Sunday and put up this gratuitous post about my love for Depeche Mode. How much do I love the boys from Basildon? It’s all in the name…of my blog!
One of my favorite dresses by Idil Vice (original outfit post here). You can purchase your own from Idil Vice here!
I entered a contest on KROQ recently to win tickets for one of their sold out LA shows. Contestants had to prove their fandom by submitting photos with old ticket stubs, the older the better! I’m holding a few Depeche Mode ticket stubs from concerts I attended over the years, and below is a close up of the oldest one. Check out the date: April 1, 1985. In the picture above, I’m wearing the shirt I bought at that concert.
This is one of two Depeche Mode shirts I bought for our son. Soon, my husband will have one, too!
These last few pictures are tidbits from my personal collection. This is the “Live at Crocs” on 12 inch vinyl.
“Dreaming of Me” 7 inch single.
“A Broken Frame”, the full album on vinyl.
“The World We Live In and Live in Hamburg” on VHS.
“Strange” and “Strange Too” on VHS; “Strangelove” 7 and 12 inch; “A Strange Hour in Budapest” on DVD and USB.
I’m still putting together some posts for next week. In the interim, I thought I’d post about a cool event happening this weekend: The 2013 Depeche Mode Convention at The Avalon in Hollywood. Had I known about this earlier, I would most definitely be there on Sunday. But alas, my lack of knowledge of the event has put me at a sad disadvantage, and I must just report about it, in hopes that other Depeche Mode enthusiasts can attend. The illustrious DJ extraordinaire, Richard Blade, will be hosting and the ultimate Depeche Mode tribute band, Strangelove, will be performing. I have yet to see Strangelove live, but I vow to see them soon…and maybe feature them with an interview on my blog? One can only hope! Fans, get hyped up before Depeche Mode embarks on their US tour, and attend this fun event!
“So Cy, have you ever been to a Depeche Mode convention?” Funny you should ask…I may have been to a couple. Have a great weekend!
(Top photo courtesy of MusicConventions.com. Photos 2 & 3 are from my personal collection.)
