Depeche Mode - Song By Song/Album By Album Discussion Thread.

Stripped.
Best single they have ever done.
5/5

 

I am baffled at the exceedingly positive response to this song. It’s...fine. I wouldn’t mind hearing on tour occasionally, but I’m not even sure I’d consider it in the top half of BC. I feel like I’m missing whatever everyone else is hearing. At this point, I’d happily have the band retire this and A Question of Time.

 

I'll also add: when I first saw DM live on the Devotional Tour, I'd not yet explored BC or MFTM--a pretty serious gap in my knowledge of the band at the time. So when they first played Stripped, I had no idea what it was, and at first I actually thought it was Enjoy the Silence. The melodic synth pad/strings line sounded suspiciously like the melody the sort of "choir" patch plays in Enjoy the Silence. I've sort of associated the two songs ever since.

 

I kind of agree : it's a really, really good song and easily a DM classic, but, and there's always a but.. I've seen DM a lot over the years (averaging around 4 times a tour for the past twenty years), and they always play it, so I've kind of got a bit numb to it over time - especially when other songs I really haven't heard live enough are ignored for decades on end. I've simply heard it too many times live now - first world problems - and if, say, I saw Star Wars in the cinema four times every year, no matter how much I love Star Wars, it wouldn't have the same effect on the 30th viewing as it would the first. Same with Stripped and AQOT. (Though the live version of that from 1994 is incredible).

 

As just one alternative, I was delighted on the occasions they brought out the title track from BC. On the Exciter Tour, that was pretty much the highlight of the whole show. Likewise, Fly on the Windscreen is another treat, on the rare occasion they choose to play it. Maybe it's just a case of absence making them more appealing, but I legitimately prefer either of those tracks to the ones they continuously bring out. At this point, I just kind of see Stripped as a plodding dirge, and it appears to be a bit of a break for Dave, who lets the audience carry the chorus.

 

Stripped - I'm going to add my voice to the minority. This is not one of my favorite songs that DM has done. It's well composed and arranged and there's nothing wrong lyrically as Martin is finding his songwriting strength that he will exploit moving forward. As a single and even on the album, it's simply not one of my favorites and one I can easily skip and not miss.

Musically, I don't find much memorable about this one either, aside from the vehicle starting up to open the number.

 

shake the disease.

one of the more impressive non-album songs from depeche mode.
i remember seeing the single in my record store, and knew right away it was depeche mode.

they use the 'man' icongraphy quite a bit on their sleeves. this one was more artistic, and rough.
and had a dark vibe to it.

it is a very haunting melody and very moody and atmospheric.
i love the song, and the remixes are great too.

shortly afterward, ended up finding the limited edition 12 inch with
more mixes on it, and got that too.
====================================
lots of cool releases, basically 2 x 12 inches, cd singles, cassette singles, and more..

heres the german red 7 inch:
Depeche Mode – Shake The Disease (1985, Red Transparent, Vinyl)


the german 12 inch gray marbled one:
Depeche Mode – Shake The Disease (Remixed Extended Version) (1985, Grey Marbled, Vinyl)


french cassette single:
Depeche Mode – Shake The Disease (1985, Cassette)



==========================
ratings :
shake the disease(single) 5/5
shake the disease(extended) 5/5
shake the disease (edit the shake) 5/5

later
-1

 

flexible,

i ask myself, is it a sin...

but i do really like this song. its so different from their usual style and sound.
it has a really catch chorus, and the primitive drum beats on the original version.

the remix is much more synthy.

i think they were just having a lot of fun with this song, so it wasn't to be taken too
seriously.

the limited edition cover:

the US CD single with some of the mixes:


the german cd-single of the limited one:
Depeche Mode – Shake The Disease (1990, CD)


rating
===================
flexible(single) 5/5
flexible(remixed extended) 5/5
flexible(pre-deportation mix) 5/5


later
-1

 

its called a heart,

there's something beating here inside my body.
and yes, thats what this song does to me.

i feel this is a more a return to the 'classic' depeche mode sound of in between
construction time again, and some great reward, but with newer enhanced synth sounds.

loved seeing a new single come out so quickly right after 'shake the disease' came out,
and again, the new style of rough artwork, and aesthetic was appealing to me.

sure, the lyrics are light and bouncy, and it was the polar opposite of the brooding single
preceding this. it was lets get back in the clubs and back on the charts again. i think it
worked really well, especially with all the cool remixes.

especially here in the US, where we got our own set of exclusive mixes..

the limited edition 2x12 had some wacky mixes on the 2nd disc.
the first was just a duplicate of the regular mixes, which was odd.

especially including a 'slow mix' which was a return to novelty mixes.
the other tracks were more interesting.

==================
the uk 7 inch, came with a poster


here's the german 7 inch red single:


the first 12 inch was also released as blue vinyl in germany:


the limited edition came as a 2x12 inch, which was interesting:
Depeche Mode – It's Called A Heart / Fly On The Windscreen (1985, Vinyl)

Depeche Mode ‎– It's Called A Heart / Fly On The Windscreen
Label:
Mute ‎– D 12 BONG 9
Format:
2 × Vinyl, 12", 45 RPM, Single, Limited Edition, Special Edition
Country:
UK
Released:
1985
Genre:
Electronic
Style:
Synth-pop, New Wave

TracklistShow Credits
A It's Called A Heart (Extended) 7:20
B Fly On The Windscreen (Extended) 7:50
C It's Called A Heart (Slow Mix) 4:49
D Fly On The Windscreen (Death Mix) 5:06
Total Time: 25:05

there was a very rare french cassette single:
Depeche Mode – It's Called A Heart (1985, Cassette)


the US exclusive 12 inch:
Depeche Mode – It's Called A Heart (1986, Vinyl)
Depeche Mode ‎– It's Called A Heart
Label:
Sire ‎– 0-20402, Mute ‎– 9 20402-0 A
Format:
Vinyl, 12", 45 RPM, Maxi-Single, Special Edition
Country:
US
Released:
22 Jan 1986
Genre:
Electronic
Style:
Synth-pop

TracklistShow Credits
A1 It's Called A Heart (Emotion Remix) 6:48
A2 It's Called A Heart (Emotion Dub) 5:33
B3 Flexible (Deportation Mix) 4:38
B4 It's Called A Heart (Single Version) 3:48
Total Time: 20:47

=================
ratings:
-----------
its called a heart(single) 5/5
its called a heart(extended) 5/5
its called a heart(slow mix) 3/5
its called a heart(emotion remix) 5/5
its called a heart(emotion dub) 5/5

later
-1

 

fly on the windscreen,

death is everywhere, and so begins their descent into the darkest industrial
sounding era, and tracks that they would release. and going into 'black celebration'.

i'm not the biggest fan of this song, but it is interesting in its development, and the
way it become a song on the album that was coming out.

to me, it's fairly average, but the mixes make it much more interesting.

as noted before, its the b-side of 'its called a heart', so it's a definitive
counterpart of that song.

if you got all the singles of that, you have all the mixes.
---------------------
the limited edition had the 'death mix':
Depeche Mode – It's Called A Heart / Fly On The Windscreen (1985, Vinyl)


Depeche Mode ‎– It's Called A Heart / Fly On The Windscreen
Label:
Mute ‎– D 12 BONG 9
Format:
2 × Vinyl, 12", 45 RPM, Single, Limited Edition, Special Edition
Country:
UK
Released:
1985
Genre:
Electronic
Style:
Synth-pop, New Wave

TracklistShow Credits
A It's Called A Heart (Extended) 7:20
B Fly On The Windscreen (Extended) 7:50
C It's Called A Heart (Slow Mix) 4:49
D Fly On The Windscreen (Death Mix) 5:06
Total Time: 25:05

there was a gatefold version:
Depeche Mode – It's Called A Heart / Fly On The Windscreen (1985, Gatefold Sleeve, Vinyl)



------------
ratings
-----------
fly on the windscreen(single) 2/5
fly on the windscreen(extended) 3/5
fly on the windscreen(death mix) 4/5

later
-1

 

stripped,

let me see you stripped down to the bone,
an excellent opener, and one of the best opening singles from the band, in what to me
was to be their last great album.

black celebration would be the last of their 'concept' albums, with a coherent theme and sound to it.
sure, they would try many, many more times. but there would be various degrees of sucess, commercial
and artistic.

i loved seeing the stripped single out, and the multitude of tracks on it, and the little musical interludes:
---------------
not too many special releases, and no limited version either, which was odd...
the german red 7 inch:
Depeche Mode – Stripped (1986, Red, Vinyl)




the UK 12 inch embossed sleeve (like the album):
Depeche Mode – Stripped (Highland Mix) (1986, Embossed, Vinyl)


Depeche Mode ‎– Stripped (Highland Mix)
Label:
Mute ‎– 12 BONG 10
Format:
Vinyl, 12", 45 RPM, Single, Embossed
Country:
UK
Released:
08 Mar 1986
Genre:
Electronic
Style:
Synth-pop

TracklistShow Credits
A1 Stripped (Highland Mix) 6:41
A2 But Not Tonight (Extended Remix) 5:10
B1 Breathing In Fumes 6:05
B2 Fly On The Windscreen (Quiet Mix) 4:23
B3 Black Day 2:36
Total Time: 24:55

the french cassette single:
Depeche Mode – Stripped (1986, Cassette)



the german Blue marbled 12 inch:
Depeche Mode – Stripped (Highland Mix) (1987, Blue Marbled, Vinyl)



the much rare white 12 inch:
Depeche Mode – Stripped (Highland Mix) (1987, White, Vinyl)



----------
ratings:
--------------------------
stripped (single) 5/5
stripped(highland mix) 5/5

breathing in fumes 5/5
black day 3/5
fly on the windscreen(quiet mix) 3/5

but not tonight will be discussed later on.

later
-1

 

Stripped....

Brilliant synths, I like the single version with a couple of small changes.
Highland Mix - the definition of an extended version.
The devotional mix was superb, the live mix, vocals and the visuals all contributed to a fantastic experience.

 

I'm also in the 'Stripped' is a good song, but not an absolute classic camp. I think it's a very good, solid, song. But, to my ears, nowhere near classic level. The hook line 'let me see you stripped down to the bone' is good. Overall the song is more serious and has more depth than much of what had gone before, and was DM really establishing themselves.

The arrangement and sounds are good. The engine loop that forms the rhythm is good, and hasn't dated in my opinion. The synths all combine to create a very good, and again not dated to my ears, arrangement full of its own hooks.

But, not an absolutely classic.

3.8/5

 

Flies on the Windscreen: a modern homage to the literary tradition of pastoral seduction poetry.

It's basically a line-for-line remake of Marlowe's "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love".

Perfect in every way.

 

Stripped

For me this would be in their top five songs they ever did and is a perfect execution of a great song. The production is pure genius. The interesting car/motorbike samples used in a musically appropriate way is genius. The lyrics are fantastic and identifiable without being too obvious. Then the synth sounds! I love every sound used. They are all perfectly suited for the notes and phrases they are playing. I can’t imagine the song being improved in any way. I love the idea behind the song. To be 100% real, open, vulnerable, and honest with another person is an amazing experience. I’ve had it on a deep level a few times in my life and it was pure magic. I emotionally connect my own experiences to the message of the song when I hear it. My two favorite sounds/parts on the song are 1) the synth part that kicks in at 2:25 that goes approx D, E, A, B flat, C, F, C, F; and 2) the synth part that come in at the chorus and goes D, C, D, D......D, C, D, D, etc.

Stone cold classic. 5/5

 

As mentioned a couple of times elsewhere in the thread, Alan sold a lot of his obsolete and old equipment in 2011. Naturally, fans bought it up, and retrieved the data, samples, sound settings, and so on from the sales. This allows for fans to recreate instrumental mixes of Depeche songs from the archive. Speaking at the time, Alan said - "

"I spent many hours (days!) programming each member’s keyboards for the tours, painstakingly trying to recreate as accurately as possible the sounds we formulated and used on the records. The Emax was a perfect tool for the live re-creations. This collection covers most of my own sounds for the two tours, although I did play live drums on some songs. I tried all these out recently and discovered how much fun it is to work out the various parts we all used to play. I even found some guide sounds which weren’t actually performed live but were used to demonstrate parts to others. For example, I discovered some guide vocals for Condemnation which were sampled to help routine our girl backing vocalists during the rehearsals.

The Zip discs will work in any suitable Zip drive and connect to the Emax via a scuzi cable. Despite our best efforts, we were unable to transfer everything absolutely perfectly from the original floppies. The vast majority of sounds are fully [intact] but one or two have small corruptions at the end of notes. The good news is that, with a bit of careful editing, these glitches can be removed. (Thanks goes to Tom & Simon for their help)"

Here's a version of the 1988 tour arrangement of Stripped, played back on the touring platform (Emax) : if nobody minds, there's plenty more of these Emax versions available for the bands work until 1993.

Depeche Mode`s Stripped 88-version (Alan Wilder´s Emax setup used)

 

Coming next is But Not Tonight. For some reason, the bands label far preferred this to Stripped. Record companies, eh? What do they know? The song was included on the soundtrack to the film Modern Girls, and got a fair chunk of radio play, so the US label insisted on it being the lead track on the single release with Stripped as the double A-side.

The song wasn't played live until the 2013-14 Delta Machine Tour, where it was played at about half the shows as a piano number in Martin's solo spot, and a one-off appearance at the Hollywood Bowl in 2017. Martin chose to play after hearing a fan remix of the track in a piano arrangement.

Speaking in 2014, Fletch said : "It's a B-side from the 'Stripped' single. Apparently Martin heard a piano version of this song somewhere, and he loved it very much. He played it a couple of times in the studio, and we decided to include it in the set list. And by the way, we are amazed at how the audience reacts to it! It's great! And how everyone sings along at the end!""

In 2008, Alan was asked about it by a fan site : Exclusive interview with Alan Wilder « Home / a Depeche Mode website

Q: This one isn’t strictly speaking about just Depeche Mode, but I have a feeling the reply will be: Name 3 songs you regret getting involved in!
A: ‘It’s Called A Heart’, ‘Pleasure, Little Treasure’, ‘But Not Tonight’.

Alan's pretty harsh on some of the poppier, bouncier stuff. Shame really. I really like this, and it sounds like it could easily have been an A-side / continuation of the sound of the new songs for the Singles 81>85 album, though if that had happened, no doubt some of us would think that It's Called A Heart would be far too strong for B-side status. Anyway, the song was probably written and recorded after the sessions for the new material on the Singles LP and b-sides, I'd give this a good 4/5, it's a very good Depeche song, but it doesn't fit the mood and structure of the upcoming album.

Here's the video :

Depeche Mode - But Not Tonight - Vidéo Dailymotion

It's pretty good, and definitely superior B-side material,

 

Honestly, I really like "But Not Tonight"! It may not be a good representation of what DM does best, but it's one of my favorite songs of their's.
And because I like it so much, I much prefer the US version of Black Celebration, as it ends with that track (on a better, more hopeful - though not too hopeful - of a note than "New Dress" does). The reissues of the BC album are worthless to me, because they now drop But Not Tonight, so I ended up re-buying a mint original copy of the album instead.

 

But Not Tonight is a nice tune, and was a wonderful treat to hear them bring out from the vault on the Delta Machine tour. The piano arrangement was really affecting, and probably one of the best examples of Martin's "piano only" reinterpretations--though I still think a "full" version would have been great. The audience sing-along "Ohhh-ohhhhs" are delightful.

It might be incongruous with the band's soon-to-be permanent "dark" phase, but maybe that makes it all the more special. It makes a great "happy goth" tune. Or is that "goth happy" tune?

I, too, am used to this song being the final track on BC from the original American CD. Luckily, the remaster/expanded version sort of allows it to take that spot as track 1 of the bonus disc.

 

But Not Tonight is another one of those throw away DM songs that I would love to hear them do a full band version.

The sort of song you wish they would do now to be honest.

Always liked it 4.5/5

 

But Not Tonight

I'm pleased to see that others like this song. I've always liked it since I first bought the CD (which fortunately had it). The style is right back to A Broken Frame. If it had been on ABF then it would be one of the standout tracks and fit right in. Probably would have been a single.

Even if Alan didn't like the song, he did a good job on it. The arrangement is full of hooks - some of which at least are probably due to Alan.

This song shows that DM's move into darker sonic and lyrical territories wasn't through necessity. They could still bang out the simple catchy songs if they wanted to. BNT is really only a b-side, but Here is the House isn't a world away from it in terms of a simple poppy song.

4.4/5

 

But Not Tonight - I learned something new today. I never knew that this song wasn't on the original album as it was on the US Sire disc. Personally, I always thought it gave the last half of the album some much needed pep. On it's own, it's a decent song that is well arranged and layered but not spectacular. In that way, it's a lot like it's A-side companion and much of the forthcoming album really. Once Martin started to hit his stride with their dark material, songs like this really didn't hit as well as they did on prior albums. In a way, I understand why Martin began shying away from composing high BPM tunes.

 

But not tonight.

I love this track and most arrangements/mixes.

Shout out to Dominatrix - not sure where the actual video has gone but this remix IMO is brilliant.

Depeche Mode - But not Tonight (Dominatrix Remix) - YouTube

 

Here the US extended remix from the US 12".

 

Yeah, I'm not liking any of these other versions of BNT as much as the the regular album version. They actually make the song less interesting, IMO.