Depeche Mode - Black Celebration (Dts) (Dig)
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CD Details
Artist: Depeche ModeEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2007-03-20
Music Label: Rhino
Soundtracks:
- Black Celebration
- Fly On The Windscreen-Final
- A Question Of Lust
- Sometimes
- It Doesn't Matter Two
- A Question Of Time
- Stripped
- Here Is The House
- World Full Of Nothing
- Dressed In Black
- New Dress
Music reviews of Black Celebration (Dts) (Dig)
Music Review: Could've Been A Perfect BC Remaster...But Not Tonight
Rating: 4 Stars
Black Celebration is one of the finest Depeche Mode albums ever to have been made (second only to Violator in my opinion). Their fifth original studio release brought the band to a whole nother level of musical genius and stature, disposing of the new romantic phase of their career and focusing on the much darker tones of the Euro gothic scene in the mid 1980s. This comes as no surprise when one learns that Martin Gore, at the time, had recently left Basildon and purchased a flat in Berlin, where he was living in Germany, soaking up all the late night clubs and cultural decadence surrounding him. His writing reflected this as a result. Gone were much of the lighter sweeter aspects found on Some Great Reward, which were replaced by more raw and darkly honest subject matter (life is pain), that had only scratched the surface, previously, with songs like "Blasphemous Rumours."
The opening title track (and subsequent name of the album) sets the tone, with a deeply seductive and foreboding message, that gives each listener their own anthem of celebrated darkness, with lead singer, Dave Gahan, at the top of his game (one of DM's finest). The song continues, without fading out, right into the next classic piece, "Fly On The Windscreen," another excellent song about the promise of death and living amongst all the anarchy and chaos that life has to offer. Again, without fading out, the music continues into the second single off of the album: "A Question Of Lust." Sung by Martin, who delivers a well crafted and melancholily vulnerable performance, this is Mr. Gore at his absolute best, conveying the complexities and the emotional resonance of relationships on a simple yet highly effective level. These three songs all together are reason enough to praise this album, but they're only the tip of the iceberg. This is also the only Depeche Mode studio album where Martin Gore performs more than just one or two tracks like he does on all the rest. Along with A Question Of Lust, we get a total of four lead vocal tracks by Gore: "Sometimes" (similar in some ways to Somebody, from Some Great Reward, but much more somber, with an echoing effect), "It Doesn't Matter Two" (an effectively dark sequel to SGR's "It Doesn't Matter," replacing romance for melancholy) & "World Full Of Nothing" (which explores the emptiness of physical relationships that have no real emotional core...yet still mean something), show a much more multilayered side to Martin's musical and vocal talents, previously unseen. Other classic tunes, like the mesmerizing "Stripped" (the first single off of the album), "Here Is The House" (which was performed live only one time, during the BC tour), "Dressed In Black" (showcasing Dave Gahan at his most seductively brilliant), and the fast-paced/crowd pleasing "A Question Of Time" (the third single off the album, that'll have you toe tapping to the beat in no time) turn Black Celebration into the bonnafied classic masterpiece it rightfully deserves to be identified as.
Unfortunately, this Remastered edition suffers from not giving many of the fans from different regions (including North America) the version they grew up with and consider to be the complete album. You see, the original UK LP of Black Celebration ended with the song, "New Dress," a very dark and bleak piece that takes stabs at societies vanities as well as the many sick and twisted shortcomings we evoke amongst ourselves (i.e., murder, famine, etc.). After listening to the entire album and having it end with this song, you can't help but fall into a state of melancholy (or "depressed mode" as it were), which is fine if that's where you want to go. But the US version offered a different solution. Unlike the UK version, the US release ended, instead, with the track, "But Not Tonight," a song about hope and redemption. Purists will of course scoff that it was never intended to become the final number on the album, and was only recorded as the B-side to the "Stripped" single. Many also view it as "too positive" a song, that doesn't quite fit with the rest of the album ideology (kind of like the theatrical cut of Blade Runner with the tacked on happy ending). Since all of these Remastered editions are taken from the original UK versions, what you get here is the UK release of Black Celebration which omits "But Not Tonight" and ends the album with "New Dress." So if you grew up with "But Not Tonight" ending the album, the way many of us here in the states did, you probably will be very disappointed with this Remastered release, as it feels very incomplete without it.
Reprise Records and Rhino really should've Remastered the US version of Black Celebration to please everybody, instead of just giving us the same UK version that was also already released in England and Europe. In addition to "But Not Tonight" being left off of this Remastered album, there are also some other odd and subtle differences. A loud clicking sound can be heard at the beginning of "Stripped" (which is not heard on the original US version). Also, the opening riff from "A Question Of Time" is played just once instead of twice, like the way it is on the original US release. "But Not Tonight" is not completely discarded. It can be found on the Bonus Tracks section of the DVD. The version included is the original 7" single mix. The US album version is very similar to the 7" single mix, but it has a cleaner, thinner sound and less reverb. These simple changes make a huge difference and the song is better for it. It should have been included on here as well. Such a shame it's been treated this way.
Also on the Bonus Tracks section of the DVD are some additional B-sides: "Breathing In Fumes" (a sort of extended sidebar to "Stripped"), "Black Day" (another Martin Gore lead vocal using lyrics from "Black Celebration"), and the memorable instrumental, "Christmas Island," as well as some live tracks from the BC tour concert in Birmingham. "Shake The Disease" (which could've easily been used for this album) and "It's Called A Heart" (originally taken from The Singles 81>85/Catching Up With Depeche Mode albums) are also present, along with their B-sides: "Flexible," and the original version of "Fly On The Windscreen." As with all other Remastered DM releases, you also get the short film - Depeche Mode 1986: "The Songs Aren't Good Enough, There Aren't Any Singles And It'll Never Get Played On The Radio." It's another enjoyable look back at a very important era in DM's career history, with interviews by the band members and others involved in the making of the album. The DVD also boasts impressive 5.1 Surround Sound and Hi-Res Stereo mixes that improve the sound quality, compared to the original release (though there are probably purists out there who will say it could have been done even more effectively) and the Remastered CD itself is also an audio improvement. But, for me at least, the loss of But Not Tonight, from the end of the album, really takes its toll on the overall experience of this Remastered release, which is tarnished as a result.
While we're all entitled to our own opinions, I gotta say that there is merit in having this track included at the end. Besides many of us growing up with But Not Tonight at the end of the album, much of the importance of the song (in my opinion at least) also comes down to how you want to feel after you've listened to the entire album as a whole. For me, But Not Tonight is like a light at the end of a very dark tunnel. While life may seem hopeless and out of control at times, there is still some good in this world to look forward to. When you listen to this song after experiencing all of the darkness and pain that comes before it, you can't help but feel a sense of calming relief. A sense of hope for the future. Pessimists will dismiss all of this to be sure, but it still won't change the fact that this is a very strong and powerful song that many still love and admire to this day, especially here in the US where it even became a single on vinyl.
Again, with this Remastered release, many fans (more so in the US) will be disappointed with the changes made to one of their all-time favorite Depeche Mode albums, which is still a Masterpiece, and a tremendous and powerful experience nonetheless. Hopefully, someday, the US album editions will receive the same remastered treatment as their UK counterparts. It's just a question of time.
Black Celebration (Remastered) - "A Brief...Period...Of Rejoicing" - Daniel Miller
Stay Devoted!
"To Celebrate The Fact That We've Seen The Back Of Another Black Day." - M.L.Gore
Description of Black Celebration (Dts) (Dig)
1984's BLACK CELEBRATION is an emotionally intense, anthemic masterpiece that introduced the classics "Stripped," "A Question Of Time," "Fly On The Windscreen," and the title track. DVD boasts three songs recorded "Live In Birmingham 1986" plus eight more bonus tracks including alternate versions of "Shake The Disease," "Flexible," "Fly On The Windscreen," and "It's Called A Heart." Also includes the DVD film Depeche Mode 1986: The Songs Aren't Good Enough, There Aren't Any Singles And It'll Never Get Played On The Radio. DVD, Album in 5.1 & Hi-Res Stereo.Alternative Rock CDs
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