Search - Depeche Mode :: Sounds of the Universe Deluxe Box Set (3 CDs/DVD/2 Books)

More beep for your buck: a good collection by DM

Michael J. Sheldon | Fair Oaks, CA | 04/22/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Every time a new DM record comes out, I get that warm, comfortable feeling that for a moment, everything is okay. Kind of like with U2. And like U2, they've put out new music that covers a span of styles and moods from throughout their long and storied career. "Sounds of the Universe" is far from breaking any new ground, but it's still a great record. You have to laud them for treading the line between familiar and derivative; fortunately they lean to the former. "Sounds" at one point reminds me of the old, old days and the next, a seeming leftover from "Playing the Angel." The hardest thing for a veteran band nowadays is retaining relevance; a band can come out with a new disc as an excuse to do a tour. The disc does poorly, gets minimal airplay, but cleans up on the road. (Think: the Rolling Stones.) DM is still relevant by giving us music that's different yet comforting. And they do it without sounding too retro or kitschy. Radiohead has been criticized for being all beeps and bloops the last few years but has made a distinct sound out of it and fans now love and expect it. DM can't be catching onto that "retro" sound because, simply, they helped create the damn thing.



I won't bother with dissecting each and every song and its lyrical meaning. That's up to you. But I will tell you that overall, it's an entertaining and moving album. "Sounds" is meant for longtime and/or serious fans, as there's not much here for today's rapid-fire churned out internet-downloadable junk that'll be forgotten next week. And thank God for that. I want something I won't be tired of a year from now.



All of this leads me to explain why (or why not) the uber-box set is worth buying. I bought it for the b-sides, re-mixes, and demos. They're easy to listen to and moody (DM wouldn't have it any other way, would they?) without being of the "ugh...b-sides..." persuasion. Sometimes B-sides are better than the album, but they just don't fit flow with the other tracks. Intrinsically they are wonderful to hear. (The Cure's "Halo" is a perfect example.) Think of deleted scenes on DVDs: almost all of us have watched one and said "Why'd they take that out? That was awesome!" Well, they were good but just didn't work in the bigger picture.



The B's presented here, like the main disc, seem to span the stylistic breadth of DM's career. Case in point: "Oh Well" sounded to me like it came from the "Violator" sessions but got lost like car keys, only to be found later and rejoiced. The re-mixes are not the typical upbeat, dance-y technotripe that so many CD singles contain; these are just as moody and atmospheric as the originals, albeit longer and a bit trippier. Like any good proper re-mix, they contain elements of the original for familiarity's sake but sound, for lack of a better term, different. The re-mix of "Jezebel" slithers its way into an electronic version of a snake charming backdrop. I liked it just as much as the original.



I'm a sucker for any group that puts out a disc of demos, old versions, remakes, etc. They're fun from a serious fan's perspective of seeing how songs start and evolve to become the polished track we all come to know and love. It all started with the Beatles and now it seems everybody's aping the concept. Why DM? One could accuse them of just filling out a box set with leftovers and rough tracks. I said this box set was intended for superfans. That's why I plunked down $80 for it.



To be honest, I didn't consider the DVD of videos and making of, or the two books when purchasing it. The books feel like they belong on a coffee table to impress guests, with photos by longtime chronicler Anton Corbijn. I perused, was impressed with the artistic value, and promptly put them back in the box. There have been so many "making of" books, videos, pamphlets, kabuki plays, and papyrus scrolls relating to modern music that nothing's new here. It's just DM. The one funny highlight I got out of them was seeing how closely Martin Gore resembles the guy who played J.F. Sebastian in "Blade Runner."



The most important thing to consider in buying this box set is simple: do you want to throw down the chunk of change to get b-sides, re-mixes, and documentation? It's not about their value, really. At first I fooled myself into thinking I could wait until they put out the same set sans books and DVD. Then I realized I was too impatient for that and dove in. I'm glad I did, because like I said the music is totally worth it. I just wish they could have been a wee more compact about the packaging. I need the free space for the next fan-friendly box set they release."

Great Box Set

Christopher Provencal | Ontario, Canada | 04/23/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Great album. The album keeps much of the darker sound of their later albums, but has the vintage electronic sound of their earlier stuff. It really shows that they went out of their way to get a bunch of retro electronic equipment (the box set even includes a picture showing all the stuff Gore got of ebay).



The bonus songs included on disk 2 are amazing as well, many should be album tracks. They include more trakcs sung by Martin Gore (Jezebel is the only song fronted by Gore on the main album).



The quality of the boxset is outstanding. The box itself is made from heavy-gauge cardboard stock and is rock solid, finished with foil lettering/graphic. Everything fits tightly into the box, so I was at first tempted to turn it upside down to get the stuff out. But they include little ribbons that secure to the bottom of the box that snake through the items. You just pull up on those to get the stuff out. Small detail, but it just goes to show the care they put into it.



The pins are indeed enamel, have a nice quality luster, and were made exclusively for the boxset. There are "5 art cards", interpretations of the Songs Of The Universe logo by various artists in a sealed envelope. The 5 cards are a random sample out of a total set of 14. If you're a completionist, you're going to be annoyed at having to track the rest of the cards down.

"

My first original

S. Bogdan | Bucharest, Romania | 05/25/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've spent my whole childhood and teenage years listening to Depeche Mode. I knew all the lyrics by heart, I was collecting tapes with remixes and fake t-shirts with the Violator logo. We were all very poor and the music was the reason to gather and dream of seeing the world in their eyes...



By the way, I live in Romania.



The times are different now. But Depeche Mode kept that special place in my heart. Being now able to order an original box with DM books, discs and cards was like returning to a time when a song was more important than everything else. I returned back in time, to feelings that truly matter.



That's what this box did for me."