Love It Or Shove It
[Sounds, 11th March 1989. Words: Sam King. Picture: Anton Corbijn.]
DEPECHE MODE “101” (Mute STUMM 101) ***
I have to declare an interest here. I’ve been a serious Depressed Toad fan for ages, but even I have to admit that the live sphere is not their forte.
Here they’re static – three men confined to their samplers with only the whirling, tumbling Dave Gahan to afford them any excitement. And this is the problem that dogs their new 101 film (of which this is the soundtrack).
The problem is not the material. Martin Gore’s songs are extraordinary, hugely effective slices of electropop, that blend his deceptive pop sensibility with a strange, often perverse outlook on life. Indeed, Depeche Mode go out of their way to try and build some excitement into the proceedings, filling their music with unusual and elegant sounds and samples, which go some way towards eliminating the essential tedium of the live experience.
Rather it’s the sequence of songs. There’s no feeling of growth, of development, nothing to make “Stripped” (one of Gore’s most eloquent lust songs), which begins side two, more of a peak than “Behind The Wheel” from side one. Nothing that makes “Grabbing Hands" [1], the final track, a climactic ending to the set. Above all there’s nothing that really gives you the feeling of actually having been there.
It’s something of which Depeche Mode are well aware, and while the line “Though my views may be wrong / They may even be perverted” (“Somebody”) may show us where Gore’s mind is, the lyric “You know my weaknesses / I never tried to hide them” (“The Things You Said”) seems to be the key here.
Beautifully packaged, with an inclusive booklet of snaps from the event, “101” is above all a fan’s LP, its 17 tracks all available in better condition elsewhere. The film’s genius may have been to take a busload of kids across America on a real rock’n’roll orgy rather than focusing solely on the band. Here there are no such safety nets, no diversions, and what you see (or hear) is what you get.
Depressed Toad – warts and all. [2]
[Sounds, 11th March 1989. Words: Sam King. Picture: Anton Corbijn.]
DEPECHE MODE “101” (Mute STUMM 101) ***
I have to declare an interest here. I’ve been a serious Depressed Toad fan for ages, but even I have to admit that the live sphere is not their forte.
Here they’re static – three men confined to their samplers with only the whirling, tumbling Dave Gahan to afford them any excitement. And this is the problem that dogs their new 101 film (of which this is the soundtrack).
The problem is not the material. Martin Gore’s songs are extraordinary, hugely effective slices of electropop, that blend his deceptive pop sensibility with a strange, often perverse outlook on life. Indeed, Depeche Mode go out of their way to try and build some excitement into the proceedings, filling their music with unusual and elegant sounds and samples, which go some way towards eliminating the essential tedium of the live experience.
Rather it’s the sequence of songs. There’s no feeling of growth, of development, nothing to make “Stripped” (one of Gore’s most eloquent lust songs), which begins side two, more of a peak than “Behind The Wheel” from side one. Nothing that makes “Grabbing Hands" [1], the final track, a climactic ending to the set. Above all there’s nothing that really gives you the feeling of actually having been there.
It’s something of which Depeche Mode are well aware, and while the line “Though my views may be wrong / They may even be perverted” (“Somebody”) may show us where Gore’s mind is, the lyric “You know my weaknesses / I never tried to hide them” (“The Things You Said”) seems to be the key here.
Beautifully packaged, with an inclusive booklet of snaps from the event, “101” is above all a fan’s LP, its 17 tracks all available in better condition elsewhere. The film’s genius may have been to take a busload of kids across America on a real rock’n’roll orgy rather than focusing solely on the band. Here there are no such safety nets, no diversions, and what you see (or hear) is what you get.
Depressed Toad – warts and all. [2]
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