Depeche Mode full catalog on 180g vinyl

I'm planning to get the old cds too as long as they are 3 to 5€ affairs.

Ironically DM was one of those bands I discovered on vinyl right from the get go when my father brought home this record with a wrapped swan on the cover. I knew this from his magazines and from the window display in a local record store and I followed the band until the early 90's. When I had reached the stage where you (I?) feel the need to free and distance yourself from your formative years. And music that suddenly seems "uncool". Missed a lot of fantastic albums that way.

But "Ultra" got me back in. At least as lurker on the fringes. Still I can't really stand U2

 

The interesting thing, A Broken Frame was pretty much left alone. Full dynamics are left intact on the 24-48, CD/SACD and LP

 

Got the EU "Some Great Reward" today, a local store has them for 17,90€

Once again: Very good. Enjoyable!

Could somebody please clear up this DM reissue mess for me? As I understand it there is remaster vinyl from 2007, 2014 and 2016. Plus the Music On Vinyl reissues? And all use the same master? With some US 2007 pressings of poor quality and an "Ultra" that is sonically great but prone to skip?

Do they all come in those absolutely splendid gatefolds? I'm a little bit tempted to buy the full set, the early ones because of the gatefolds and "Exciter" because of the different back sleeve. And let's face it: Nothing wrong with having this catalogue twice.

It's admirable that Mute didn't go down the oh so fashionable modern "box set" path but opted for affordable individual releases.

 

I have so many copies for these individual albums that i skipped the MoV and the recent Sony reissues (at least until now) but from what i know:

2007 Mute
2014 MoV
2016 Sony/Legacy

Gatefold sleeves for all of the 3 reissues/same mastering
The 2014 MoV LPs were released with resealable plastic sleeves.

So don't expect many differences here.

I haven't played most of my remasters on Vinyl for years but soundwise they were pretty good,i think (try Construction Time Again with good headphones,sounds splendid). I wasn't too impressed with the pressing quality though,some were good while others could've been better. Finally ended up buying several copies for some of the albums. Just to be clear,i'm talking about the 2007 European releases. The only US Rhino release among the remaster bunch that i own is Black Celebration and it is still sealed.

 

No idea if AKG K 702 is good enough for ya but the new "Construction Time Again" sounds just like 1983. Those effects are exactly as I remembered them, the voices in "Told You So" for example. In direct comparison to my West German original the EU 2016 vinyl holds itself down well

The only thing that doesn't make sense is that this title - same series and country as my "Some Great Reward" and "Songs Of Faith And Devotion" - comes in a black polyliner. While the other two were housed in those horrible cardboard inners. Record companies and their logic "logic"


To whom it may concern: "Construction Time" is an album that - for me at last - makes now more sense than it did in 1983. Back then it seemed weird. DM had obviously familiarised with Einstürzende Neubauten or Throbbing Gristle and the popfactor was reduced but.... it was totally unclear what it had been replaced with. And is "And Then..." the first appearance of a guitar on a DM album?????

 

AKG 702 should be good enough.

The WG INT 146.807 always sounded nice. I found the Remaster LP a little bit fuller and more detailed but both are excellent,IMO. Need to revisit the 2007.

The European 2007 LPs all had cardboard inner sleeves. Looks good but they easily leave scratches and scuffs on the vinyl.

I still like CTA a lot. The industrial approach,the sampling,the weird sounds (the odd percussion on Pipeline for example) and the whole production was a big step forward. That Gareth Jones started to work with the band was certainly very helpful too. And last not least: Alan had finally arrived.

Martin also played acoustic guitar on Love In Itself.

In case someone is interested in reading more about that important period in the band’s history: 1983

Finally as you mentioned Told You So: That one worked out live really well. Shame it was ditched long ago.

 

Still think it was a big mistake to let Alan go. Because of songwriting credits. I'm no U2 fan but that "written by U2" saves a lot of troubles. Larry Mullen Jr may not write songs but he's a big part of U2s sound.

 

I think there were several factors that finally lead to the split. That Alan had the feeling that his immense input wasn't appreciated as much as it should have been is certainly one if not the most important factor. The 1995 section of the biography i linked above sheds more light on this.

 

That's the only "thing" about DM I don't get. Why MLG apparently finds it so hard to acknowledge key contributions to "his" songs. Like lead vocals. Or sonics.

 

Edit: "...contributions to 'his' songs by people not called Andy Fletcher"

 

Ahh, so that's where the Blasphemous Rumours single sourced it from

 

The Blasphemous Rumours single used a live version from Liverpool. The one above is from Hamburg. The whole concert was filmed and released on VHS (The World We Live In And Live In Hamburg).

 

Man they sound identical, except for the crowd noise from Liverpool!
Thanks for the info Marc

 

Got Ultra today. Lovely record.

 

As well as a Laserdisc, which can be used as the source of a not-so-bad rip .

 

Unfortunately not too many have the equipment to play Laserdiscs (and they are expensive nowadays). The concert is also available on several unofficial DVDs but an official digital release would be nice.

 

Oh yes, but unfortunately it looks like they don't want to explore their past, especially the pre-1986 stuff...

(Fortunately, it's nice when you know someone who's ripped the Japanese Laserdisc )

 

What i would like to have: Decent remastered reissues of the studio albums with one or two bonus discs for Rarities and stuff for each album. Nicely packaged with extensive liner notes (the Pet Shop Boys Further Listening reissues show how this should be done). Maybe someday...

 

My girlfriend gave me the new "Delta Machine" reissue on vinyl. After listening to it properly for the first time it makes much more sense than the million times I
had to endure have heard it in her car. I actually don't get all the negative comments, typical late period album, obsessed with details/ textures/ subtleties but definitely not bad at all. Now I definitely need "SOTU" too.

Question: Is this new "Delta Machine" remastered? According to the ever reliable Discogs the only difference to a 2013 pressing is an added "MK" in the deadwax. Do these two editions sound the same?????

 

All three Hillier albums sound better to me on LP, with SOTU being the one that shocked me the most!

 

Well, I never had problems with "PTA" - which I had on vinyl and liked since 2005 - but "SOTU" and "DM" appeared samey and underwhelming on my girlfriends cds.

For "SOTU" I'm definitely after a 2008 pressing.

 

FWIW, the 5.1 mixes of SOTU and Delta Machine breathe a lot more than the regular CDs.

I actually only listen to a stereo downmix of these (of course, the mix is a bit different then... the LP might offer a better source for the regular mix).

Here's Soft Touch / Raw Nerve, between the standard CD and my 5.1 downmix. No need to say which is which...

 

PTA was revelatory from a sonics standpoint because the cd is mastered horribly, but my appreciation for all the analog synths on SOTU rose after hearing the LP!

 

I haven't tried doing a down mix on mine for this one. I tried with a Talking Heads 5.1 and the down sounded way off

 

Is there a difference between SOTU original pressings and the reissues? I have the original US release.