G’s Top Reissues of the Decade

Posted by The G on December 20, 2009 under G Reviews | 3 Comments to Read

G's top reissues of the decade.

G's top reissues of the decade.

The period of 2000-2009 saw the re-release of some of the greatest music of all time, packaged with superior sound, deluxe liner notes and bonus tracks.  After the jump, see my thoughts on the greatest reissues of the decade.

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G’s Top 9 Albums of 2009

Posted by The G on December 1, 2009 under G Reviews | 6 Comments to Read

G's Top 9 albums of 2009

G's Top 9 albums of 2009

I can’t believe the year 2009 is almost over.  December marks the time to look back on the high and low lights of the year we are about to finish. 

2009 was a pretty lackluster year for music and it seems that each year gets worse, but never fear – I was still able to come up with my favorite 9 albums of 2009.  I’ll take them row by row as pictured above.  Read my thoughts after the jump.

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Depeche Mode Remasters

Posted by The G on August 31, 2009 under G Reviews | 2 Comments to Read

Martin Gore and Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode.  Photo by G.

Martin Gore and Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode. Photo by G.

If you are a Depeche Mode fan, you need to pick up the 2006 remasters.  Each album from “Speak and Spell” through “Exciter” has been remastered – as disc one and disc 2 features a DVD with the entire album in 5.1 surround sound, all the b-sides from that album and documentaries about each record.

I watched all of the documentaries this weekend, as I’d never seen them before and I was blown away by how cool they are.  Each documentary runs from 30 minutes to 1 hour in length and there are interviews with all band members, recording engineers, producers, video directors and you’ll see live clips, rehearsal footage and clips of most videos from the album.

Here’s some fun facts that I learned watching these documentaries:

- Martin Gore recorded “Somebody” completely naked.

- The Pet Shop Boys opened for Depeche Mode at their infamous “101″ concert at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California

- The band hate their songs “People are People” and “It’s Called A Heart,” so they refuse to play them live.

- Ironically, during the mixing of the song “Get The Balance Right,” they had a hard time getting the balance right.

- Depeche Mode recorded their albums and then after the fact participated in B-Side sessions for each record.

- Most of the album “Ultra” was recorded with Dave Gahan completely addicted to heroin and Martin Gore was drunk during most recording sessions for his vocals.

- “Fly on the Windscreen” was nearly a single, but the label decided to change it as the first word of the song was “death.”  In retaliation, the band reused this b-side as an album track on “Black Celebration.”

-When Alan Wilder left the band (after the Songs of Faith and Devotion Tour), he had to tell Dave Gahan via fax as Dave was too messed up on heroin to answer his phone.

-Dave Gahan thinks his best vocal of all time is on the song “Condemnation.”

There were so many more great stories, so I urge you to pick these up if you are in a Depeche Mode.

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The Next Depeche Mode Single is….

Posted by The G on August 25, 2009 under Artsy Fartsy | Be the First to Comment

Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode.  Photo by G.

Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode. Photo by G.

“Fragile Tension.”  No word on formats and tracklists yet, but when I know, you’ll be the 2,000th to know!  :)

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Depeche Mode Tour – Back on Track

Posted by The G on August 16, 2009 under The G Spot | Be the First to Comment

Dave Gahan.  Photo by G.

Dave Gahan. Photo by G.

According to Depeche Mode’s official website, their Tour of the Universe is back on track and lead singer Dave Gahan is up to performing again.  After performing in New York last week, lead singer Dave Gahan strained his voice and was forced to cancel several shows.

Their tour resumes tonight at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California and I hope all my friends that are there have as great a time as I did when Depeche Mode played New York City.

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