― MICHELINE, Monday, 8 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Dan Perry, Monday, 8 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 8 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
So classic. So perfectly classic.
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 8 December 2003 04:24 (twenty years ago) link
search: Some Great RewardViolator
― Aaron Grossman (aajjgg), Monday, 8 December 2003 04:32 (twenty years ago) link
― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 8 December 2003 04:34 (twenty years ago) link
― Aaron Grossman (aajjgg), Monday, 8 December 2003 04:36 (twenty years ago) link
― Kim (Kim), Monday, 8 December 2003 04:36 (twenty years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 8 December 2003 04:51 (twenty years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 8 December 2003 04:57 (twenty years ago) link
― Aaron Grossman (aajjgg), Monday, 8 December 2003 05:07 (twenty years ago) link
― J-rock (Julien Sandiford), Monday, 8 December 2003 08:03 (twenty years ago) link
― cinniblount (James Blount), Monday, 8 December 2003 08:58 (twenty years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 8 December 2003 14:41 (twenty years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 00:25 (nineteen years ago) link
― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 00:49 (nineteen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 00:52 (nineteen years ago) link
― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 03:36 (nineteen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 03:36 (nineteen years ago) link
The new Junior Boys actually reminds me a little of "A Broken Frame", one of my fav DM albums.
― kickitcricket (kickitcricket), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 03:42 (nineteen years ago) link
― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 03:45 (nineteen years ago) link
I've got that, it's great. Actually, Devotional was filmed in Frankfurt and Barcelona...
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 03:56 (nineteen years ago) link
I threw on Exciter a month ago, though, and couldn't get through it, which was sad, as I'd quite enjoyed it upon release. The 84-90 period seems to have aged the best, for my taste.
Ultra is definitely underrated.
― derrick (derrick), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 05:05 (nineteen years ago) link
I recently discovered the Thomas Brinkmann mix of "I Feel Loved" - wow. The original underwhelmed me though.
― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 05:07 (nineteen years ago) link
― frenchbloke (frenchbloke), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 07:42 (nineteen years ago) link
― derrick (derrick), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 08:04 (nineteen years ago) link
saw the devotional tour twice in 3 nights at birmingham and manchester. took my little sister to the latter (front row!) and she's honestly never been the same since. that tour had the greatest opening to a gig i've ever seen or heard of.
it was only later that people realised what had actually been going on backstage each night, and the likes of Q mag would start calling it 'the most debauched tour of all time'.
the singles 86-98 dvd box has the best extras ever (EPK stuff)by the way y'all.
― piscesboy, Tuesday, 10 August 2004 10:04 (nineteen years ago) link
― derrick (derrick), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 10:18 (nineteen years ago) link
― thomas, Tuesday, 10 August 2004 11:10 (nineteen years ago) link
― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 22:04 (nineteen years ago) link
― Kim (Kim), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 22:59 (nineteen years ago) link
― J-rock (Julien Sandiford), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 02:32 (nineteen years ago) link
Definitely agreed there. I do love Exciter quite a bit but it would be really interesting to see another Simenon-produced album.
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 02:35 (nineteen years ago) link
― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 12:36 (nineteen years ago) link
― Wooden (Wooden), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 12:37 (nineteen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 12 August 2004 22:20 (nineteen years ago) link
"Depeche Mode is one of the most influential groups of our time", says Mike Shinoda on one of his favourite bands, "Their music is an inspiration to me, and I am excited for our fans to hear my take on one of my favourite Depeche Mode songs."
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 12 August 2004 22:27 (nineteen years ago) link
― J-rock (Julien Sandiford), Friday, 13 August 2004 04:53 (nineteen years ago) link
― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Friday, 13 August 2004 07:32 (nineteen years ago) link
I'm a bit dissapointed that the unreleased Markus Schulz remix of "I Feel Loved" is not on that 3CD. It's a hell of a lot better than that Danny Tenaglia version. So everybody, off to soulseek!!
― Siegbran (eofor), Friday, 13 August 2004 11:30 (nineteen years ago) link
Even if it's just that, I'll be intrigued to hear the end results. Now about this Schulz remix on slsk which say if you were signed on to anytime soon we might be able to find somewhere in a folder that might be yours... ;-)
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 13 August 2004 11:47 (nineteen years ago) link
― Siegbran (eofor), Friday, 13 August 2004 11:57 (nineteen years ago) link
― philip sherburne (philip sherburne), Saturday, 14 August 2004 03:17 (nineteen years ago) link
However, the LFO mix on the re-released single will go a long way toward earning my forgiveness. That, and because it's one of the greatest songs ever written.
― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Saturday, 14 August 2004 06:18 (nineteen years ago) link
― tricky disco, Saturday, 14 August 2004 10:53 (nineteen years ago) link
― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Saturday, 14 August 2004 13:40 (nineteen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 14 August 2004 14:02 (nineteen years ago) link
fletch reminds me of paul morley from the art of noise anyways they dominated the 80s and lost me after violator!
― xzanfar, Thursday, 26 May 2022 20:26 (one year ago) link
Can hardly believe it ... I'm in shock. What a tragedy. RIP Fletch.
― NoTimeBeforeTime, Thursday, 26 May 2022 21:02 (one year ago) link
My friend's doing an all DM video TwitchStream this evening starting at 6:00 CST.
https://m.twitch.tv/VJBigSuit
― an icon of a worried-looking, long-haired, bespectacled man (C. Grisso/McCain), Thursday, 26 May 2022 22:26 (one year ago) link
Such terrible news. I've been pretty lukewarm to what the band's been doing this past decade but I hope they can still continue now, they've made it clear that he was an important part of the band. RIP Fletch
― Vinnie, Thursday, 26 May 2022 23:18 (one year ago) link
I mean I hate to be blunt but there's a part of me that feels that the band is over. The 'lukewarm water' joke from Spinal Tap has a real place in small group dynamics and he was, as a friend said, the 'peacemaker' between Gahan and Gore over time. If they do continue, well, stranger has happened -- I mean I still can't believe the Who barely skipped a beat after Entwistle died -- but personally I don't think we're seeing Depeche again, and I'm glad I have seen them so many times already.
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 26 May 2022 23:22 (one year ago) link
This is a big one, RIP
― Bee OK, Friday, 27 May 2022 01:00 (one year ago) link
RIP Fletch, a true inspiration for all of us normie goths <3
― Roz, Friday, 27 May 2022 01:48 (one year ago) link
RIP Andy. I don't know much about his creative input in DM but speaking as a fan, his goofy joy up there dancing and playing keys was always an important and welcome counterweight to the earnest brooding of the rest of the band.
― Chyiv Kyiv (Fetchboy), Friday, 27 May 2022 05:11 (one year ago) link
Also, his name was the password to my first email account
― Chyiv Kyiv (Fetchboy), Friday, 27 May 2022 05:12 (one year ago) link
Fletchboy
― Yul Brynner film festival on Channel 48... (sic), Friday, 27 May 2022 05:13 (one year ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYg8OcT_vhc
― xzanfar, Friday, 27 May 2022 13:22 (one year ago) link
I grew up near Basildon. It is an absolute shithole. Full of petty, mindless violence. Tories everywhere. Some of the scariest nights of my life were in my younger days when I would (stupidly) meet friends there for drinks. The fact that anything of note came out of there is truly miraculous.
― Position Position, Friday, 27 May 2022 13:29 (one year ago) link
I used to run the websites for the band Client and Fletch's Toast Hawaii label and do lots of other web/graphics odds and ends about 20 years ago (that terrible pineapple logo was mine). He was a such a nice man, and I was absolutely awed how, despite being a massive star, he was so enthusiastic to get a bit DIY with it all, flying economy with the band to do gigs, DJing in little basement clubs (which I occasionally helped with) and indeed having a kid in his late teens run his web operation with a cracked copy of Dreamweaver. He even DJed a student gig I put on at my uni, which blows my mind in retrospect. Absolutely top bloke and, as others have observed, 100% the secret weapon for DM's longevity. I'd hoped to run into him again some day. So sad he's gone.
― bamboohouses, Friday, 27 May 2022 13:37 (one year ago) link
it would be weird for DM to continue as a duo, but maybe Wilder will come back? That said I don't know what their apptetite aand interest is for even continuing.
― akm, Friday, 27 May 2022 14:51 (one year ago) link
if clark came back too that would be kinda interesting as the 3 could battle it out and dave as usual just sings along!
― xzanfar, Friday, 27 May 2022 15:15 (one year ago) link
Man, I really don't think any of that will happen.
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 27 May 2022 17:32 (one year ago) link
Nope. I’m pretty sure that’s it for DM. At most one could imagine a Gahan/Gore project à la Songs for Drella but not sure either for them would see any sense in that.
― licorice oratorio (baaderonixx), Friday, 27 May 2022 18:02 (one year ago) link
I had some thoughts.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/66972756
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 27 May 2022 18:50 (one year ago) link
I don't know, bands don't break up anymore. Heck, New Order kept going without Peter Hook, and he was absolutely key to their sound. I could see DM doing a farewell tour, though.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 27 May 2022 20:41 (one year ago) link
alan is magical and they were the best with him and he has the best solo material too as i was not impressed with martins solo material and i never have been a fan of anything of vinces so alan and dave could have something very special together!
― xzanfar, Friday, 27 May 2022 20:41 (one year ago) link
the last martin gore solo album is really good
― akm, Friday, 27 May 2022 21:04 (one year ago) link
Great piece, Ned. Thank you
― I am using your worlds, Friday, 27 May 2022 21:20 (one year ago) link
You're welcome.
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 27 May 2022 21:36 (one year ago) link
I had to do some further thoughts and processing, and I wrote this:
https://theshfl.com/guide/depeche-mode
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 31 May 2022 18:54 (one year ago) link
Great piece. I am at best a surface level fan (the sonic textures are frequently fantastic, the lyrics and vocals ...less to my taste) but am listening to Ultra this afternoon.
― but also fuck you (unperson), Tuesday, 31 May 2022 19:16 (one year ago) link
Yeah, thanks for that Ned! It's been years since I listened to a Recoil album and am enjoying digging back in now. Also, somehow VCMG had slipped my radar so I'm very excited to check it out.
― Chyiv Kyiv (Fetchboy), Tuesday, 31 May 2022 19:21 (one year ago) link
It’s a bit of a monster, that VCMG album, definitely not what anyone was expecting. Ultra was the first album I relistened to after last week’s news, when it was late and I had space to think. It’s always been an excellent late night album. Thanks to you both.
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 31 May 2022 19:35 (one year ago) link
VCMG bangs, it's fantastic
Greatly enjoyed that writeup and was surprised to see at least one solo Gore release I don't remember ever hearing about before
― castanuts (DJP), Wednesday, 1 June 2022 15:55 (one year ago) link
A terrific piece, Ned.
never have been a fan of anything of vinces
whaaaat -- not even Yazoo? If you say, "Alison Moyet makes them worthwhile," then sure.
― Malevolent Arugula (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 1 June 2022 16:23 (one year ago) link
Thanks again. It is a little weird realizing Ultra is 25 years old now.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 1 June 2022 16:46 (one year ago) link
This VCMG album is great.
Considering how much I like Depeche Mode (I'm pretty sure they were my first "favorite band"), it's weird that I never checked out any of the side projects, I guess this is what I'm doing in the next couple of weeks.
― silverfish, Wednesday, 1 June 2022 18:15 (one year ago) link
What's interesting about the side projects is that while on the one hand you can tell they're all from Depeche one way or another, even Wilder, on the other even if you added up all the parts it still wouldn't be Depeche -- there's enough individuality down all the paths over time, and there's a different kind of synthesis when they all work together (admittedly long gone in the case of Wilder).
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 1 June 2022 18:34 (one year ago) link
whaaaat -- not even Yazoo?
Just to note, you won't be able to debate that question, as the person you're responding to has been perma-banned.
― Vast Halo, Wednesday, 1 June 2022 19:09 (one year ago) link
All I know is that I find the encore performance of "Everything Counts" in "101" oddly moving. There's the bittersweet song itself, there's the exultant celebration of conquering America, there's their youth, the singalong, Dave just listening, all that together I just find so weirdly touching.
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 4 June 2022 01:10 (one year ago) link
Dave and Martin have released a statement. Fletch’s passing was due to an aortic dissection, and was completely sudden and (hopefully) painless. https://www.stereogum.com/2191550/depeche-mode-andy-fletcher-death-statement/news/
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 27 June 2022 19:51 (one year ago) link
"I used to run the websites for the band Client and Fletch's Toast Hawaii label and do lots of other web/graphics odds and ends about 20 years ago (that terrible pineapple logo was mine)."
This prompted me to look up Toast Hawaii's website from twenty years ago and it's, er, very nostalgic: https://web.archive.org/web/20030621222322/https://www.toasthawaii.com/
Actually I was expecting a Flash-laden monstrosity, but it's subtler than that (optimised for 1024 pixels wide, centred, seemingly made with vanilla HTML). It would have been technically old-fashioned at the time but it works and I can still click on some of the links.
Judging by the DJ schedule page Andrew Fletcher spent March-July 2004 DJing in Milan, Florence, Istanbul, London, Athens, Tenerife, Olten, Vincenza, Buenos Aires, Barcelona, and Nuremberg. You can't say he wasted his life.
What did I do in 2004? Looking through my emails I see I bought a Daytek P818 Multi-region DVD, with Dolby Digital and the possibility of 5.1 surround output with the appropriate speakers. I think it's fair to say that Andrew Fletcher had the better lifestyle.
― Ashley Pomeroy, Monday, 27 June 2022 21:52 (one year ago) link
Oh yeah, I was coding everything by hand. Don't think I was even using CSS or anything, just doing everything the long way. Super old-fashioned (their needs were modest!) but it did the job.
― bamboohouses, Tuesday, 28 June 2022 13:45 (one year ago) link
The album/tour rumors are bubbling up and then this got posted just now
pic.twitter.com/x78oPTvXBN— Depeche Mode (@depechemode) September 27, 2022
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 27 September 2022 20:22 (one year ago) link
Misread that as April next year (American). Glad to see them carrying on, but if it's a new album I guess it's been in the works for some time
― Vinnie, Wednesday, 28 September 2022 00:44 (one year ago) link
This is the longest they've ever gone between albums, isn't it?
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 28 September 2022 02:27 (one year ago) link
They broke their album every four years chain last year yes :(
― you can see me from westbury white horse, Wednesday, 28 September 2022 02:41 (one year ago) link
Album and tour in March.https://www.depechemode.com/Memento Mori sure says it all.
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 4 October 2022 12:34 (one year ago) link
Could have called it "Inevitabilis."
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 4 October 2022 13:23 (one year ago) link
jesus christ these tickets are expensive, but I bit the bullet anyway.
― akm, Thursday, 6 October 2022 17:57 (one year ago) link
Yep, same here, but $120 is not that bad versus what I paid last time, if admittedly closer.
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 6 October 2022 20:10 (one year ago) link
mine were $255 but I perhaps went for better seats than yours. TM did say they'd be doing demand pricing, which I hate. Anyway, I've only seen DM once before (on that last tour) and it was so good and I regret missing all their other ones so much, had to do it.
― akm, Thursday, 6 October 2022 21:26 (one year ago) link
Hey, can't blame ya!
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 6 October 2022 22:24 (one year ago) link
While we wait, new EP featuring Mr. Gahan.
https://kurtuenala.bandcamp.com/album/manuscript
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 17 November 2022 15:47 (one year ago) link
Said EP I posted about above released today.
― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 17 December 2022 00:42 (one year ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f094kd6Y4aA
― MaresNest, Sunday, 28 January 2024 11:58 (three months ago) link