Music for the Masses (Deluxe Edition CD+DVD)

Depeche Mode

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 6, 2006)
• Original Release Date: June 6, 2006
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Rhino / Wea
• ASIN: B000ESSTKG
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #63,397 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

• This item is part of The Depeche Mode Collector's Edition CD/SACD+DVD Series.

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Never Let Me Down Again

2. Things You Said

3. Strangelove

4. Sacred

5. Little 15

6. Behind the Wheel

7. I Want You Now

8. To Have and to Hold

9. Nothing

10. Pimpf

Disc: 2

1. Never Let Me Down Again [5.1 Stereo]

2. Things You Said [5.1 Stereo]

3. Strangelove [5.1 Stereo]

4. Sacred [5.1 Stereo]

5. Little 15 [5.1 Stereo]

6. Behind the Wheel [5.1 Stereo]

7. I Want You Now [5.1 Stereo]

8. To Have and to Hold [5.1 Stereo]

9. Nothing [5.1 Stereo]

10. Pimpf [5.1 Stereo]

See all 20 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Rooted in the U.K.’s late ‘70s New Romantic movement, Depeche Mode formed in 1980, and the pioneering, synthesizer-based sound created by the founding partnership of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Vince Clarke, and Andrew Fletcher went on to establish them as one of the most successful alt-rock groups ever. These electro-pop superstars loomed as large as cult heroes as they did as commercial heavies, and their wealth of singles and signature tracks ranged from energetic dance grooves to dramatic, moody, and industrial-tinged masterpieces. Depeche’s originality of vision weathered personnel shifts and personal turmoil, influencing modern rock and synth-pop on a global level. As the band continues to tour, record and build on its legacy a quarter-century down the road, Rhino begins its restoration of their classic catalogue with the CD + DVD reissue of this landmark album.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars DON'T Ditch Your Old CD! This Is Not The TOTAL Experience You Grew Up With, August 12, 2006

By	Lance Ehlers (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Wow. I'm really surprised that I'm going to be the first person to mention this: The thing which makes this reissue disappointing for me is that every incarnation of this album up to this point (well, maybe not on vinyl) flowed from Pimpf straight into the pseudo "bonus" tracks "Agent Orange," "Never Let Down Again (Aggro Mix)," "To Have And To Hold (Spanish Taster)" and "Pleasure Little Treasure." Now, the album ends with "Pimpf." If over the years you've listened to this album 10,000 times like I have, you're going to feel a bit cheated, like you aren't getting the whole album. Those kind-of-kind-of-not bonus tracks have always felt like an integral part of this album. "Agent Orange" and "Pleasure Little Treasure" are now seated at the kids' table, pushed into their own, separate little section along with some additional B-sides on the DVD. You have to navigate around on the DVD menu to access them. It seems particularly weird to regard "Pleasure Little Treasure" as a "bonus" track, given that it was one of the first cuts from the album to be pushed as a single. And sadly, "To Have And To Hold" and the Aggro mix of "Never Let Me Down Again" are nowhere to be found.

The sound mix is great, as is the documentary, but you really should approach this reissue as something to complement one of your favorite albums, not as a replacement for it.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Remaster not as impressive as others, June 29, 2006

By	Matthew Davidson (Cambridge MA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I ordered the import SACD version (shakes fist at Rhino) I guess US audiences do not merit the SACD release. Shrug. Regardless, I'd like to comment on the sound quality of Music for the Masses.

First of all, true remasters take the 2-track master, bring it into a mastering studio, and work from there. Don't expect a remix from the multitrack, although the 5.1 mixes obviously have to be remixed from the multitrack, unless they take the ultra cheap way out and synthesize a surround mix out of the 2-track master. Anyway, I'm not commenting on the surround mix. This is strictly about the stereo remaster.

With today's mastering technology, working on something that is 20 years old noticeably improves the sound quality - regardless of delivery format, CD, SACD, whatever. You're going to hear the difference. The Violator and Speak & Spell remasters benefitted from the remastering. Music for the Masses... not so much. I don't think this is the fault of the mastering engineer, I suspect this is simply the best they could do with the material. Overall, and I'm speculating here, it sounds like early digital. Somewhere along the signal path it sounds like it has been irrevocably committed to an early digital technology.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of digital recording, but some early systems really didn't sound so great, and this is a big reason why digital adopted an early reputation of sounding rather harsh. This release really sounds like that kind of technology in the original recording, and if that is the case, all the mastering kung-fu in the world isn't going to make it sound appreciably better.

"Never Let Me Down Again" should sound huge. It doesn't. It sounds pinched. And flat. Some of the quieter songs revel more detail. You can hear the reverb on the kick drum of "The Things You Said" more clearly, for example. Every sample edge is clear on "I Want You Now", due to the increased average level. It is the 'big' songs that seem to suffer: "Strangelove" sounds pretty much as it did before, but with less dynamic range, and less punch.

I'm really looking forward to Black Celebration, which I feel is Depeche Mode's worst-mastered album. However, from my experience with other remasters from that era, I'm afraid the quieter details, like reverb, will become overwhelming when mastered to today's standards. A new stereo remix is really warranted under those circumstances.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great reissue for Depeche Mode fans, June 7, 2006

By	Eric Edelin (Baltimore, Maryland USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

These three reissues are packaged and priced very similarly to The Cure's reissues that are being released; meaning that the sound quality is very much improved over the original cd issues, the packaging is top-notch, and the bonus material is worth the "deluxe edition" price.

Disc one is the original album, remastered with a very warm sound instead of being harsh and overly-loud. The most notable sound improvement is the closing instrumental, 'Pimpf'. That track, much like minimalist classical, is about repetition off of a theme, so each entrance comes in clearly and overall sounds a lot more dynamic. 'Behind The Wheel' and 'Never Let Me Down Again' sound a lot more dynamic and powerful with these new remasters, where the aforementioned 'Pimpf' and 'I Want You Now' (complete with sampled breathing sound effects from real people and an accordion being improperly played) allow their subtle intracacies to show.

Instead of opting for a second disc of rare outtakes, live material, and demos, disc two is a dvd filled with material (such as a documentaries, 5.1 mixes, and strangely, the b-sides).

The choice to not reissue the catalogue in chronological order makes me wonder if the other albums will be released in this same fashion; also like The Cure reissues, will there be single disc counterparts to be released shortly after these expanded versions?