Just the same Old Show, on my Radio
 

On my Sterry erry O this fine Saturday:

Add N to X - Add insult to Injury ( album), Plug me in, and Metal Fingers In My Body ( singles)

Have you SEEN the videos these people make?

Oi Vey!

Also: Soundtrack to Baraka ( AWESOME FILM)
" A challenge, a warning, a gift, a blessing "
A documentary, if one must classify it. Devoid of narration or prescribed comment. Depicting some of the most staggeringly beautiful images of our planet juxtaposed with some staggeringly eye opening images of us as a species, shot on 70mm film by some AWESOME cameramen and directors, and accompanied by the sounds of the earth, and the music of people of the earth.

Get the DVD, get the soundtrack. You WILL NOT BE DISSAPOINTED!

"Ghost in the machine" Kenji Kawai ( another soundtrack CD, another GREAT film, if you like Animé)

"Mix tape Vol1" by DJ Yoda - HilARIOUS UK Scrath DJ

"Solid Air" John Martyn - mellow US 70's foppishness

"Pink Moon" Nick Drake - mellow UK 70's foppishness

"Hard Hands" Ray Barretto - Try in vain to avoid dancing

"Gold against the Soul" Manic Street Preachers - Frenzied

"Dub gone crazy" King Tubby - Cool dub reggae

MM

saw dm in july as well... that was a pretty good song...

the ending to personal jesus far surpasses the ending to enjoy the silence... think about it... personal jesus *could* have ended worse... enjoy the silence takes the cake for "fucking sucky ending"... observe:

enjoy the silence ending: "enjoy the siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiilence"

now. imagine if personal jesus had ended like this: "personal jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesus"

see? :)

"sweetest perfeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeection"

ugh. that's the worst ending on a song EVER. notice how they didn't do that when they played it live in july? notice how it's off the end of ets on the best of cd? :)

"Pink Moon" was used in a US ad for VWs recently, and extremely effectively I think. It caused sales of the album to suddenly go top 10 on Amazon, unless I'm, you know, wrong.

Re: Just the same Old Show, on my Radio
 

Never seen their videos, but I own "On the Wires of Our Nerves." There is another person here on the list who is a fan of them...damn if I can't remember who right now.

At Meriweather? We considered going to that show, but didn't have the extra cash. Rho was skeptical of going there in the first place due to the poor acoustics at Meriweather.

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the ending to personal jesus far surpasses the ending to enjoy the silence... think about it... personal jesus *could* have ended worse... enjoy the silence takes the cake for "fucking sucky ending"... observe: enjoy the silence ending: "enjoy the siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiilence"

Oh, that's not what I was referring to. I was referring to the instrumental pieces at the end of each song. I like the "single" ending of "Personal Jesus" better than the album version. But I like the spooky voices at the end of the album version of "ETS."

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ugh. that's the worst ending on a song EVER. notice how they didn't do that when they played it live in july? notice how it's off the end of ets on the best of cd? :)

Well, yeah, b/c the single version of "ETS" just did the fade. Generally, I tend to prefer the album versions of their singles (e.g. "Strangelove," "Useless"), but for some reason, the single versions of the Violator singles were better...with the exception of "World in My Eyes." The album version is great. (Although the remixes on the single are great as well.)

I've been in a depeche "mood" this weekend...
 

Music for the Masses: Fucking brilliant. Enough said.

Songs of Faith and Devotion Live: I love this album, but when I watch the "Devotional" video and see Dave all strung out looking like hell, I'm amazed that he was still able to sing so well.

"Personal Jesus" single: The acoustic version of this is brilliant..."Dangerous" is a great b-side as well.

"World in My Eyes" single: For some reason, the "Oil Tank Mix" reminds me of playing Sonic 2 on Genesis. Strange...

"Walking in My Shoes" single: This is the last DM single I can remember getting extensive radio airplay. The remixes on this one are great (particularly the "Grungy Gonads Mix" and the "Ambient Whale Mix"). "My Joy" is another fine b-side...shit, DM could make a double-CD of their b-sides alone.

"Little 15" single: Originally only released as a single in France. One of my favorite DM songs. The instrumentals on this one are also brilliant--"Stjarna" (Swedish for "star") and Alan Wilder's version of "Moonlight Sonata." Or as my mother used to call it, "That damned funeral dirge."

Oldies night once again. Tonight it's Supertramp, various stuff downloaded. A lot of their stuff, looking back, is just goofy. And then some of it really works.

yeah, merriweather. it's not a great place to go see a show... but hey man, depeche mode... saw nails there too... still sounded great... and moby... he was fuggen LOUD...

let's see... pearl jam "vitalogy" playing on the computer cd-rom right now... hehe... "satan's bed" :)

I actually have been digging into very 80s, dusty old vinyl. Elvis Costello- Imperial Bedroom. Took me by surprise how much I liked hearing this forgotten album. Human Hands is just a great song. I ditched alot of records as I was moving often and they are wicked heavy. Some I just couldnt toss, scratches and all. Sentimental fool.

OK..Goofy Song Alert...
 

Group was 'Art Phag' - Song was - 'I wanna play golf, Bitch!' ... a sick sort of funny song...


I've got to dig that one up.

Not really a quality tune and the lp cover was hand decorated (desecrated).

Its the definition of 'Free Expression - but why that?'

Now If Radio Shack only had needles to fit my Optimus Prime (TM) turn table.


Cheers....

Another weekend, more CDs to play
 

Jamiroquai: A Funk Odyssey--Wearing the shit out of this CD...it's great!

Pantera: Vulgar Display of Power--Pantera was one of the few bands that survived the 1992 Death of Heavy Metal...no pretentiousness, no make up, just smack-the-shit-out-of-you riffs and vocals that are half-singable, but more like screaming at you.

the biggest problem with pantera is that phil anselmo is a fucking drunk. i'll agree that VDOP is a great album, but that's the last really good one i've heard from them. furthermore, phil SUCKED live when i saw them last year. he fucking mumbled through the songs and talked shit the whole time.

"IN TURNNNNNN... YRMAKINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGSSSSSSSS... FUGGINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNHSTYLE"

ugh. the band was great, but he fucking SUCKED. i felt thoroughly cheated.

Now THAT wouldn't surprise me. But you wouldn't catch me at a Pantera show to save my soul. :)

But I disagree on their album collection. Far Beyond Driven and The Great Southern Trendkill are excellent albums, especially the latter (which is probably my favorite). I don't own Reinventing the Steel, but from what I've heard, it doesn't sound bad.

There's a hard rock-metal station in Springfield, Illinois--WQLZ (92.1 FM I believe). When I used to drive between St. Louis and Chicago, it would be the buffer station between the two cities. (I would listen to it after the Point in St. Louis faded and before I could pick up Q101 from Chicago.) And on two particular instances, they played songs that a) I never thought I'd hear on the radio and b) That are just great metal songs. One time it was Metallica's "The Thing that Should Not Be." The second time was Pantera's "Cemetary Gates." Nothing like driving through the hell that is central Illinois, smoking cigarettes, drinking Dr. Pepper, and banging my head like it's 1990. :)

Don't get me wrong - they're decent albums. But, I find VDOP to be better. Maybe that's just me. "Hollow" is a great way to end an album. Overall, I just find it to be a more satisfying CD. I think I still have the tape of it I bought when I was 10. Hehe.

When I said it was the last really good one I've heard from them, what I meant was this: they have failed to really do anything new. It's not that the songs sound the same necessarily - I can easily distinguish them. But it's like "Okay, let's do a metal song!" and that's all. Maybe I expected more. I also think the quality of the songs has gone down since VDOP. Just not quite up to par with CFH and VDOP. Maybe that's just me though.

As for seeing them live... it's even worse than Metallica! Imagine a bunch of DRUNK, SUNBURNED, SHIRTLESS SWEATY REDNECKS. But I dig the music, so I go anyway. Imagine me, standing in khakis and a button-up plaid shirt with Doc Martens and 2 3/4 feet of hair, in the middle of this crowd. I don't fit. And I'll probably never go see Pantera again, just 'cause I can't assume that Phil will actually put on a decent show for the people that pay him. Ugh. Like I said, thoroughly disappointed.

I can't agree with that. TGST was a departure compared to their first 3 albums. It had more melody...and you could actually UNDERSTAND what Phil was saying! Trying to understand what Phil was saying is like trying to decipher what Al Jourgensen is singing on a Ministry album. ;)

I love CFH, but to be honest, that's probably my least favorite Pantera record. It could be b/c the production could have been better on it--too much of a glaze. I like Terry Date as a producer, but that first album...I dunno.

You can't deny though dham that "Good Friends and a Bottle of Pills" is one of the most fucked up songs ever. Heh...

The beat marches on...
 

Portishead: Portishead--Some turd from one of my previous jobs took my live CD...bastard! In any case, this is a great (and overlooked...at least Stateside) CD. Beth Gibbons's voice is haunting. While the "trip-hop" sound is still present from their first record, Dummy, this record has more of a smoky jazz feel to it.

Radio Iodine: Tiny Warnings--Not to take away from the great Frank Zappa, but this is probably one of the best bands that nobody has heard of. A mid-90s take on guitar-based industrial. Two female vocalists. Produced by John Fryar (Depeche Mode, Stabbing Westward). I remember when their major-label debut came out in the summer of 1997...I was so hopeful of another St. Louis band breaking out into the big time. Unfortunately, they broke up a short time later.

Machines of Loving Grace: Concentration--A friend of mine, who knew I was a fan of Skinny Puppy and Ministry, recommended these guys back in late 1993. Great CD...don't know what happened to them after Gilt came out in 1995.

What about the old favorites...

(emphasis on the word 'old')

I've been paritial to Strauss (all of them), Debussy, and Tchosfsky (mangled name).

Any other waltzing fools (Strauss fans) out there...?

Sadly, I own no classical CDs, although I like various classical works. The closest I have to a classic composition is Depeche Mode's version of "Moonlight Sonata."

For some reason, I want a copy of Gershwin's "An American in Paris."

I'm afraid my classical CDs are pretty dusty. I will put Mozarts piano sonatas on when the mood strikes.

This morning its wall to wall Cowboy Junkies,... at least until the Mrs gets sick of it.

"Progressive Rock"
 

Dream Theater

These guys are (mostly) from NYC... and quite good. A full metal band, very lush and lyrical. www.dreamtheater.net

Pearl Jam

album="Yield" right now. PJ has always had lyrics that made sense to me, even those I don't like.

Pink Floyd

"Dark Side of the Moon"!

...and yeah, if you get the feeling that lyrics are important...

Now that you mention it, I really like the Gershwin tune....

An excellent choice....

(Thanks)

sa

Re: "Progressive Rock"
 

I haven't listened to them in years, but I used to dig them. A good prog rock band in the vein of Rush.

Around early 1992, my group of friends in high school would toss around all these "new bands" we were hearing about.

One friend: "Man, you have to check out this band Nirvana! They're really loud...and you can't understand their words!"

Me: "Oh man, check out this band Soundgarden! The lead singer just wails!"

Another friend: "You have got to hear this band Pearl Jam...they're like the next Zeppelin!"

Ah...those were good times.

I remember buying that CD...it was CD #200 in my collection as a matter of fact. I used to love listening to that CD half-crocked.

Their greatest hits collection was #2 on the US albums chart this week...after Miss Spears and in front of the King of Pop. Not bad for a band that hasn't put out a studio record in 6 years, and is considered a "dinosaur band" by some. Bah!

Because you have to have tunes on a roadtrip...
 

Most of the stuff I took has been in regular rotation on my CD player lately...

Anthrax: Sound of White Noise
Jamiroquai: A Funk Odyssey
The Reverend Horton Heat: Holy Roller
Terence Trent D'Arby: Vibrator
Depeche Mode: The Singles 81>85 (note: The re-released 1998 version)
Depeche Mode: Exciter
Ozomatli: Embrace the Chaos
A Perfect Circle: Mer de Noms
Depeche Mode: Music for the Masses
Earth Wind & Fire: Greatest Hits
Limp Bizkit: Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water

What's funny is, we have shitty stereos at home. I mean, they're okay, but nothing that I'd write home to my mom about. But I was really impressed with how good some of them sounded on the car stereo. I really need to get the car stereo in our own car fixed now...

Oysterhead!

Why was I not copied on the memo! Holy Christ on a sandwich, they're on HBO right now, Stewart Copeland [ex-Police and all-around genius], Les Claypool [Primus] and Trey Anastasio [Phish]. As a power trio. Oh this is just too much!

You know...they were mentioned on "Providence" last night...long story, but I distinctly remember the kids listening to Oysterhead.

These are in the stereo now:

Cold - 13 Ways To Bleed On Stage

Tenacious D - self-title

Kottonmouth Kings - Hidden Stash II: The Kream of the Krop

Santana - Supernatural

Staind - Dysfunction

If you took up my earlier recommendation and listened to Kottonmouth's debut album, pick up HS2. It's pretty damn good.

Pimpingly,

~Mike

alright. here it is. i am listening to

Guns N' Roses - Use Your Illusion I & II

yes, yes. didn't everyone forget about guns n' roses?

well, these are two damn fine albums. Use Your Illusion I is more hard-rock oriented - a good album to listen to on a drive or when you're pissed off. Use Your Illusion II is more melodic and mature; great album any time.

Current song: Perfect Crime.

awwwwwwwwwwwwwww yeah. :)

P.S. - I think Nirvana killed GN'R. Whatchoo think?

I strongly disagree. GnR could have easily survived the Grunge Revolt, as Van Halen, Megadeth, Metallica, and Pantera did. Axl self-destructed...basically got rid of the entire band. Still can't settle on a lineup. Got a reported $10 million advance to make "Chinese Democracy"...and Lord knows if we'll ever see that record.

Although, I really think it started with the 1991 riot in St. Louis...

Really like Axles cover of that Bond tune. GnR should have weathered grunge.

Last night, I slipped Joe Jacksons Live in New York into the cd player. Had to grab the wife, Fools in Love etc.. This is my first cd of Joes but I've got some good stuff on vinyl sitting oh so quietly in a box, in a corner of an old granary, an old rodent infested granary .... That is just wrong.

Ah, my friend. "Ah".

One could argue that Axl's self-destructive nature really fleshed itself out as he realized that Guns N' Roses' popularity was slipping due to the onslaught of grunge. The riot was definitely a big thing. I was only 10 or 11 at the time, so I remember very little of the specifics (and will go read up on them now), but they definitely could have weathered that had they continued to produce quality music.

I think the biggest problem was the departure of Izzy Stradlin. Besides writing &singing the best Guns N' Roses song ever (14 Years, if you're curious :) ), he was, simply, a staple of the band. He might not have been as visible as Slash or Axl, but he was equally important. The best songwriter for the band, a good singer anyway, good rhythm guitars... losing him was a tremendous blow.

I really think this all started though with Nirvana and grunge music in general. GN'R was at the top of the world and saw it being taken from them. Shit, Metallica wasn't even as big as GN'R in '91. Axl realized they were in for a big fall and hit the bottom.

That's my opinion, anyway.

P.S. - Tony and I owning the boards today. What's up with that?

Well, certainly. The 2 "Use Your Illusion" albums didn't come out until 3 months after the riots. But "The Spaghetti Incident?" Ummm...no.

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I think the biggest problem was the departure of Izzy Stradlin.

Definitely a blow. Gilby Clarke wasn't bad though. I think they could have dealt with his departure...but when all you have left is Axl...that's a whole new band.

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I really think this all started though with Nirvana and grunge music in general. GN'R was at the top of the world and saw it being taken from them. Shit, Metallica wasn't even as big as GN'R in '91. Axl realized they were in for a big fall and hit the bottom.

I dunno, dham. Metallica was about as huge as GnR that late summer and fall...the Black album came out a month before the "Use Your Illusion" albums.

I wonder how much of a factor drugs were in his downfall...

Gilby Clarke wasn't bad, but he wasn't writing great songs either.

The Spaghetti Incident is still a joke between my friends and I. :)

As far as the timing and whatnot... you're right, Metallica was pretty big, but they weren't a household name... Guns N' Roses was infamous *and* famous... everyone knew who they were. Axl is a bit of a prima donna and I think that had a good bit to do with it. Like I said, I think he was just absolutely astounded that people were moving away from GN'R to Nirvana/grunge. Got really pissed off and fell down.

Rush--Counterparts: A return to a more "rocking" version of Rush. Overall, a good CD.

Depeche Mode--The Singles 86>98: 21 great songs from the Black Celebration album forward. God I love Mode!

Rammstein - Sehnsucht

good shit. One version even has a cover of "Stripped" - awww yeah.

There was a bit of debate over their version of "Stripped" when the "For the Masses" tribute album came out. At the time it came out, I wouldn't touch the CD for I found it to be vile...but I did laugh over "Stripped." Although I have mellowed towards the CD, I still think their version is hilarious. Quite a few hardcore DM fans freaked over it. Of course, quite a few hardcore DM fans are electronic music puristic foo-foos from Europe.

Sycamore--President, Erasure Anti-fan Club

Their cover rules. Face it :)

Also... Trent was supposed to do a version of "Personal Jesus" for the tribute album... I bet that would have made it allllllll better :)

I don't think Trent could have saved that record. It DID have some great covers (The Cure doing "World in My Eyes," The Pumpkins doing "NLMDA," Gus Gus doing "Mounument"), but in the end, it was just another tribute album...although not as bad as "Encomium."

Hehe.

Well. I woulda bought it just for Trent. As it is, I listened to the tracks, really only dug Rammstein's "Stripped" and left it at that. But just imagine a Nine Inch Nails "Personal Jesus"... it woulda ruled :)

because I like music...that's why!
 

Nitzer Ebb--Ebbhead and Big Hit: It's a shame that Bon Harris and Doug McCarthy lost it after 1995. I'm also ashamed that I wasn't a fan of this band while they were big (1986-1996). For some real fun listening, check out That Total Age.

The Reverend Horton Heat--Liquor in the Front: Produced by Al Jourgensen (of Ministry). The best fucking Reverend album you can buy. I have seen this guy in concert 7 times...and he just puts on a phenomenal show!

Killing In The Name Of - You know who this is.

Hi, I'm new.

I thought it was Marilyn Manson that was supposed to do the "Personal Jesus" cover on the DM tribute album...

*shrugs*

Oh, and how do I get into this Erasure anti-fan club? ;)

I personally don't mind their music much, but I hate it when my friends think Depeche Mode sucks because of "Just Can't Get Enough". Ugh.

Welcome!

There were actually a lot of bands that wanted on that DM tribute album, but couldn't do it for one reason or another. The most prominent one that comes to mind is the Foo Fighters.

Speaking of Brian Warner, have you heard his cover of Soft Cell's "Tainted Love" yet?

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Oh, and how do I get into this Erasure anti-fan club? ;)

*laughs* I don't really run it anymore. Its heyday was in 1998, after the release of "Cowboy." At one time, I actually made and sent membership certificates. :)

Having met so many people through DM fansites, chat rooms, etc. from 1997-99, there are quite a few DM fans that also adore Erasure. Of course, the fact that Vince Clarke was a founding member of DM doesn't hurt either. When I started the EAFC, a lot of people thought it was funny...people could appreciate the humor. But the die-hard Erasure fans and electro-music purists were howling over it...they were actually offended. Heh...

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I personally don't mind their music much, but I hate it when my friends think Depeche Mode sucks because of "Just Can't Get Enough". Ugh.

Remember when they used that song in the Gap commercials last year? A lot of fans were livid over it. And the band's response: The song was written by a former member of the group. It kept DM from looking like "sellouts." ;)

I don't mind "Just Can't Get Enough," but as a whole, it was on their first record, which was primarily written by Vince Clarke. And quite frankly, "Speak & Spell" is their worst record.

At the same time, I won't take away from Vince Clarke. He IS a good songwriter...an innovator in the electronic music field. Some of his stuff with Erasure is alright, and I liked Yaz(oo). But he is just beating that shit into the ground now.

Incidentally, for a good laugh, check out his mid-80s project, The Assembly. They released one single on Mute UK--"Never Never."

Agreed. I think someone else mentioned this earlier, but they really didn't start making anything worthwhile until "Construction Time Again", and nothing amazing until "Black Celebration".

I'll hafta track down that "Tainted Love" cover. Sounds interesting. Have you heard his cover of Bowie's "Golden Years"?

I wouldn't necessarily say that. CTA is a great album, as is "Some Great Reward." DM have always been ahead of their time. The only DM albums that I don't think are absolutely great are "Speak & Spell," "A Broken Frame," and "Ultra." But, there are good excuses for those 3--"S&S" was mostly Vince, plus it was their first album. "A Broken Frame" was thrown together quickly after Vince's departure, and was Martin Gore's first real attempt at songwriting. And part of "Ultra" was recorded while Dave Gahan was still a smack daddy.

A lot of folks have called "Exciter" a follow-up of sorts to "Black Celebration." Both are fantastic albums, although it took me a while to warm up to "Exciter." In fact, the 3rd single from "Exciter," "Freelove," finally comes out here in the States on Tuesday (it's been out in the UK for a month now). And $10 says I'm going to go over to Tower Records on Roosevelt Blvd. in NE Philadelphia on Tuesday, and the stupid clerk is going to go, "Who?" "What?" "Ummm...I don't know." At least when I go to the one on South Street, the clerks know what the fuck I'm talking about.

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I'll hafta track down that "Tainted Love" cover. Sounds interesting. Have you heard his cover of Bowie's "Golden Years"?

No...I didn't know he had even covered a Bowie song. Interesting...

Depeche Mode--The Singles: 81>85 (the original 1985 British version): I've never quite understood why there are different versions of certain records, depending on what continent you reside. In the States, this album was released as essentially two albums--People Are People and Catching Up With Depeche Mode. Thankfully, DM decided to re-master the album, and it was released in its proper form here in the States 3 years ago. I happened to pick up an import copy of the original in a Blockbuster Music one night--rather cheap too (less than $20). Some of the early singles are quirky, but many of them will easily jog the memory of a 80s music fanatic.

Although DM are from the suburbs of London, their main fan base has been rooted here in the States since the mid-80s. They have never been overly liked by the British press. As examples:

When referring to the single "Love, In Itself," a writer from the magazine Sounds said: "Another big hit, and nothing short of driving a rusty meathook through David Gahan's malformed cranium will prevent it." Ouch!

When referring to the single "Get the Balance Right," a writer from the magazine Time Out said: "I have often wondered why God bothered with Depeche Mode."

Incidentally, these quotes are in the liner notes of the CD.

Ouch.

Luckily, the guys in Depeche Mode are now about 80 and can take this criticism without even flinching :)

anyway... I'm listening to

Guns N' Roses - Shotgun Blues. :)

Next on will be Tool - Undertow

Hey! I like "Love, In Itself"! It would be my favorite early DM single if it weren't for "Everything Counts"...

Was it a "big hit" like the 'Sounds' guy said?

Actually, it's one of their lower charting UK hits--went as high as 21. I like that song though. There is a jazzy version of it on the single (called "Love, In Itself 4") which makes Dave sound like a lounge singer.

I'm just surprised that after 20 years, they have never had a #1 single on either side of the pond. I think their highest charting hit here in the States was "Enjoy the Silence" (#6). In the UK, it was "Barrel of a Gun" (#2).

Seeing that "Enjoy the Silence" is their best song ever (especially after getting rid of that GOD DAMN FUCKING AWFUL PIECE OF SHIT ORIGINAL ENDING), that would make sense. :)

I seem to remember "Personal Jesus" doing pretty well too, but I was young then and could be misremembering...

If I remember correctly, DM have only had 5 Top 40 singles in the US since 1980.

--People Are People (1984): top 20
--Personal Jesus (1990): top 20. The biggest selling 12" single in Warner Bros. Records history.
--Enjoy the Silence (1990): Highest charting single in the US
--Policy of Truth (1990): top 20
--I Feel You (1993): First single off SOFAD. DM are one of only 7 British bands to debut an album at #1 in the US Billboard Top 200 (that of course being SOFAD). I believe "I Feel You" went as high as #38...it went Gold (over 500K shipped). Ironically though, 2 of the 3 members of DM now reside permanently in the US. Dave Gahan has since the early 90s.

15 albums (in the US). 5 Gold records (over 500,000 copies shipped), including their most recent release, "Exciter." 5 platinum records (over 1 million shipped), one of the them (Violator) over 3 million. 10 million albums plus in the US alone. A largely sold-out US tour 11 years past their "prime." Not bad for a band that gets little airplay on radio here.

Jesus...I am such a Mode whore.

That has got to be the sickest fucking thing I have ever seen. :)

Nah, just kidding. I'm a retardedly big Nine Inch Nails fan, so it's all good.

That's a neat little tidbit about Personal Jesus. What's the number, do you know?

Also... notice how 3 of those are off Violator. Which is their best album man :) though "Music for the Masses" is pretty tight too. I just don't see how you can argue that though :)

"Sweetest Perfect" has always been one of my favorites. I would think it would do well if it had been released as a single, but I could be wrong. Gotta wonder why Enjoy The Silence never made it to #1 though... what a great song.

And since I'm babbling about Mode again...
 

Depeche Mode--"Freelove" single: Just came out in the States Tuesday. Finally got my mitts on it today. First off, this damned thing cost $9. Granted, I got it at FYE (which is a ripoff), but it was covered by a gift certificate I got from there. Secondly, it seems like everyone is raising the price of CD maxi-singles to $8 now. It has been $5.99 or $6.99 for so long now.

In any case, this is one of their best single releases. I'd say in the Top 5 (out of the 35 or so they've released). It features a great remix of the song by Flood (NIN, Smashing Pumpkins, and of course, DM). But the best damned remix on here is the one done by DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill. Think of Cypress Hill's "Rock Superstar" mixed with DM. It is the "hardest" DM song I have ever heard. The purists are probably shitting on themselves, but it just kicks ass! There is also a b-side called "Zenstation," which is rather off the wall, and reminds me a bit of their 1982 b-side "Oberkorn." There are also 2 other remixes of "Freelove" and one of "Zenstation," which are also good.

Afraid I don't...the single is certified Gold. 12-inch singles are still rather popular in the club circuit, so I'd say it probably sold about 50,000-100,000 in that vein.

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Also... notice how 3 of those are off Violator. Which is their best album man :) though "Music for the Masses" is pretty tight too. I just don't see how you can argue that though :)

DM was simply unstoppable from 1984 to 1994. One great record after another. I tend to lean more towards MFTM being their best.

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"Sweetest Perfect" has always been one of my favorites. I would think it would do well if it had been released as a single, but I could be wrong. Gotta wonder why Enjoy The Silence never made it to #1 though... what a great song.

American musical tastes would be my response to your last statement. They're so fucking fickle. I can think of at least 2 singles that SHOULD have hit the Top 40 easily ("Home" and the new one). Most American music listeners probably think DM died off 10 years ago.

They actually made a promo video for "Halo." I have never seen it, but that is one of my 10 favorite DM songs, and I'm sure it kicked ass. ESPECIALLY if Anton Corbijn did it.

Man. How did I leave off the "ion" ? Sweetest Perfect. ha :)

I'd say MFTM and Violator are their two best, but I have to give the edge to Violator. To me, it's more listenable. Well. Without that fucking awful ending to ETS, anyway. :)

P.S. - have I mentioned how much I hate the original ending to Enjoy the Silence? :)

Jamiroquai--Synkronized: I'm not sure why I failed to buy this CD when it came out 2 years ago. But I finally bought it (via a gift certificate). Great CD. I can see that the progression from the funk-disco sound started with this CD. I want to put Jay Kay and Stevie Wonder side-by-side singing, just to see how many people get thrown off.

Incubus - Morning View. The new album. Pretty good. It hasn't grown on me like Make Yourself did, and it seems to lack the all-out goodness of S.C.I.E.N.C.E., but maybe I'm just biased. Anyway, it's definitely enjoyable and worth every penny you shell out for it (as long as it isn't more than 1,500 pennies or so). It's more laid-back and soft than anything else they've done. I guess it's all about whatever mood you're in. Anyway, I've seen them four times in the last year and a half, and I'll probably go see them another four in the coming 18 months. What I'm saying is, it's good enough that I'd pay to see it live, and you should go buy it too. :)

Danzig--4: I believe that Glenn Danzig is truly evil. Word around the campfire is that he is a complete asshole. Nevertheless, Glenn Danzig has been there, done that...from the Misfits to Samhain to Danzig. I think Danzig were underappreciated at first b/c they were considered "metal." But their biggest success actually came during the grunge era. 4 (released in late 1994) is probably the most diverse Danzig album, and the last featuring the original lineup. The production and use of keyboards on this album are damned near perfect, giving the album a nice sinister feel. The first line on the album, from the song "Brand New God," says it all: "I am a walking screaming hell."

For quite some time, I entertained notions of the Battle of Hate...where you gathered the most sinister characters in music and let them out-hate each other. The original lineup was Glenn Danzig, Henry Rollins, Al Jourgensen (of Ministry), and Trent Reznor (of Nine Inch Nails). I later added Doug McCarthy (of Nitzer Ebb) to the mix. I think Rollins or Al would take it. Glenn is too much of an oaf, and Trent is too much of a weenie (Sorry Dham). Doug could pull it off, but he really can't hold a candle to Rollins or Al Jourgensen. Al would probably take it in the end...he's been around way too long, done too many outlandish things...makes Rollins look like a choir boy.

I guess I'm a little late in joining this fray, but...

NP - "Merchant, Natalie - Tigerlily - 09 - Jealousy"

I've got >100 CDs of .ogg files here at work, so who knows what'll be on next. :-)

Speaking of DM:

I'm surprised that everyone's looked over "Songs of Faith and Devotion". (Maybe I shouldn't be?) I like "Condemnation" and my girlfriend really likes "One Caress". (My friend's wife likes that song too, but I'll never see her appreciation for it though. :) )

For the Battle of Hate: I think that Rage Agains the Machine's Zach de la Roche couldn't be left out. He'd get his ass handed to him in a split second, but the guy's got a lot of rage.

dhamsaic: Gotta agree with your large fan-ness of Trent Reznor! Woo! He comes off as pretty screwed up, but coming from his neck of the woods, I can see why.

NP - "Amos, Tori - Under the Pink - 04 - Past the Mission"

Mmm.... Sweet goddess...

"Past the Mission" is a great song. Especially with Trent singing in the background. hehe

Still Incubusing it up. It's all good though. Currently listening to "Mexico", which has quickly become one of my favorite songs on the CD.