Depeche Mode Live In Berlin (2014) [2xcd+2xdvd]

The second box set of Depeche Mode singles, reissued on CD for the first time, picks up with "Get the Balance Right," the band's third single following the departure of original songwriter Vince Clarke and the considerably edgier Martin L. Gore's elevation to the fore. Necessarily, his earliest efforts (included on the first box) echoed the pure poppiness of Clarke's work; here, the emphasis is on the period of transition that dragged Depeche Mode from an apparently transient teenybop sensation to the darker, harsher, and above all adventurous electro pioneers whose longevity is now a matter of history. Via "Everything Counts," "Love in Itself," "People Are People," "Master and Servant," and "Blasphemous Rumours," by the time you reach the end of the box, Depeche Mode is unrecognizable from the combo who opened it…

The fourth, fifth, and sixth box sets dedicated to compiling all of Depeche Mode's single releases were put out in 2004, 13 years after the first three originally appeared. All of these sets provide a convenience for hardcore fans since they provide each single in its own slim jewel case. Needless to say, those who bought the original singles as they were released will be flustered once again. The fifth set, covering 1990 through 1994, includes the "Policy of Truth," "World in My Eyes," "I Feel You," "Walking in My Shoes," "Condemnation," and "In Your Room" singles. As usual, numerous live excerpts are provided, and remix duties are performed by the likes of Butch Vig, Brian Eno, François Kevorkian, Portishead, Jon Marsh, and William Orbit.

The full addition of Alan Wilder to Depeche Mode's lineup created a perfect troika that would last another 11 years, as the combination of Martin Gore's songwriting, Wilder's arranging, and David Gahan's singing and live star power resulted in an ever more compelling series of albums and singles. Construction Time Again, the new lineup's first full effort, is a bit hit and miss nonetheless, but when it does hit, it does so perfectly. Right from the album's first song, "Love, In Itself," something is clearly up; Depeche never sounded quite so thick with its sound before, with synths arranged into a mini-orchestra/horn section and real piano and acoustic guitar spliced in at strategic points. Two tracks later, "Pipeline" offers the first clear hint of an increasing industrial influence (the bandmembers were early fans of Einstürzende Neubauten), with clattering metal samples and oddly chain gang-like lyrics and vocals…

Deluxe three disc (two CDs + DVD) edition of this live release from the Van Der Graaf Generator leader containing the Berlin 1992 concert on two CDs plus a DVD featuring the very same performance…