Depeche Mode - Songs of Faith and Devotion

EMI Import SACD+DVD (PAL/Region 0) pressing.Songs Of Faith & Devotion, an explosive Billboardr #1 album when it was released in '93, continued the band's winning streak and introduced the Top 40 smash 'I Feel You.' Also features the classic tracks 'Condemnation,' 'Walking In My Shoes,' and 'In Your Room,' the focal point of the album's blend of the personal and the spiritual. DVD delivers eight additional tracks including 'My Joy' and seven remixes including the Paris Mix of 'Condemnation,' the Zephyr Mix of 'In Your Room,' and the Life's Too Short Mix of 'I Feel You.' New DVD film Depeche Mode 1991-94: We Were Going To Live Together, Record Together And It Was Going To Be Wonderful chronicles the band around the time of this massive album and also features recent footage looking back. Album Description

5 stars for the original album, 2 stars for the packaging effort

In my opinion, SOFAD is Depeche Mode's best album. Many don't feel that way, but this album grabbed me when I was a teenager and has never let go. (yes, I had heard Violator and Music For the Masses before I heard this) I also think it has aged better than any other DM album. So 5 stars for the album itself.

So why the 2 star rating?

Reason 1. The remastering on the original album is sub par - I can barely hear an improvement. To be honest, I think all they did was turn up the treble on it, maybe its just my ears

Reason 2. B-sides on the DVD? What were they thinking? I'm sure you could find some complicated program online to rip the b-sides for your ipod(Fair Use, they should look into it) But its not worth the trouble

Reason 3. The DVD was interesting, but it just seems like a depressing 20 minutes of the band and producers whining about how the album turned out and how they couldn't get along

The 5.1, its alright, but that wasn't the big reason I bought it. I'm just glad I bought it used, so I paid a fraction of the new asking price. At least now I know not to waste my money on the rest of the remasters, just doesn't seem to be worth it. Shame on them for putting out such a bad product (though it is still better than the Talking Heads fiasco from a few years ago)



October 22, 2007

Great, pleasure new experience

What the previuos reviewer expect from a reissue? This one it is a perfect reissue: stunning package, awesome sound, interviews, new songs, bonus, different type od sound (sacd, DTS, Dolby). I just can't understand how someone could rate this item as 1 star. October 18, 2007

Without Doubt - Their Finest Moment

With this release DM finally became the truly sleazy sweaty rock band they always secretly desired to be (or at least frontman Dave Gahan did). For the followers of DM through their career this album certinaly came as a shock - it certainly did to me. But when you work through the initial resistance this album shows itself to be a truly memorable achievement. Whilst Violator saw DM master their skills and cement their position as the masters of electronic rock, this recording showed them pushing the envelope. From I Feel You's screeching guitars and pulsating energy (check out the Afghan Swamp Surgery mix on Maxi CD for a super treatment of this song!) to the stripped back Condemnation Depeche Mode moved into areas no one would have thought. Apparently recorded under extremely tense conditions with addictions and works stresses - the tensions seem to emanate from the album. The production on a DM album has never been so good and Alan Wilder's departure is sorely missed. This album clearly showed the manic obsession the guy applied to all DM productions. Every track is different and every track shows a different side to the band from the classic synth warmth of songs such as Walking in My Shoes and Higher Love to the electro frenzy of Rush and then to the soulful Get Right With Me and the super sexy In Your Room. This album shimmers, rocks, grinds and crunches. As a long time fan and owner of all their CDs - this is the CD I always come back to me when I want to release some tension. A True Classic.
Remastered Editon sounds even better - but look for the version with the documentary for some revelaing insight into the making of the album. June 29, 2007

Huge disappointment

First off, the main reason I have purchased all of these Depeche Mode special editions is primarily for the 5.1 surround mix. Being a huge fan of Depeche Mode and surround-sound music in general, the idea of remixing their music for this format seemed like a natural fit. And one listen to Violator proves that point beyond a reasonable doubt. I also appreciate the care that went into producing each set - with bonus tracks, videos, documentaries, etc. These definitely feel like truly special editions, unlike other sets where you get one disc with a cd on one side and dvd on the other. As a side note, I have to agree with Bob from LA - there is NO reason the bonus tracks should only be available on the DVD, but I wouldn't go so far as to suggest a multi-channel, dvd-only edition.

Anyway, getting back to SOFAD, my primary complaint with this set is that the 5.1 mix is completely off. After being blown away by the surround mixes for Violator, MFTM, and Some Great Reward, I had high expectations for this set as SOFAD is my favorite DM album. Unfortunately, whoever worked on this project (Alan Wilder?) either rushed through the project or was asleep at the mixing board. The bass on the opening track itself should be very deep and present, but instead, the whole song seems to get lost in the top end with very little midrange or subwoofer presence. There isn't much difference in the remaining tracks, again as if the idea of surround was an afterthought. I could go on, but this is sadly just a lost opportunity. Let's hope they don't miss the boat with Ultra. February 5, 2007

What happened here? Are they deaf?

Gotta say, this was my first DM CD back in the 90's (yes, I was a late bloomer for DM I'm afraid). However, I fell in love with the original mix and after listening to this new 'revision', the mix has suffered greatly. Honestly one of the worst 5.1 mixes I've ever heard. I love the idea of surround mixing and listening to music in surround (Queen's 'A Night at the Opera' is the best example), but right from the get go "I feel you" had to be one of the worst excuses for 5.1 mixing I've ever heard. You would think for a band that really embraced technology they would have done a better job here, but no such luck I'm afraid. I am going to see if I can return this. Shame on you DM, you really let me down here. January 24, 2007

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