As a drummer myself, I find Alan's drumming really underrated. It's sad that the camera crew on the SoFaD tour didn't focus on him as much as they should have. The fact that he learned the drums in about 6 months leading up to the tour is astonishing and something that he should be very proud of. I started drumming in February and have played 4 gigs already (steadily increasing the difficulty). I love Alan's drumming but it's a bit too subtle at times. There's not that many fills, but honestly that's what DM needs. A non complicated drummer.
I think, the main element in DM when Alan Wilder was a member it was: Concept The DM concept was flawless: Obscurity, deep and memorable lyrics, catchy melodies, great sound design, amazing visuals (thanks to Anton)... The fact that the drumming in Devotional Tour worked it´s because Alan never pretended to change the band´s concept, no, he even added some flavor to the main concept, his drumming was an attempt to bring some new emotions to the live act, but never touched the main DM concept. His drumming was powerful, a little "robotic", but human, not warm, not a virtuoso, just a human being doing a computer´s job to bring some refreshing tones to the original concept. I talked with Alan once (after a Recoil gig) and he told me that "the whole Devotional concept was developed to look huge and epic, like the space or the high ceiling of a cathedral". Another element in the Devotional formula was the grunge influence all over the world, Dave wanted to do and look something more "grungy" on stage, the drum set added some of that 90´s grungy feeling to the show.
I was there. In Copenhagen. Seeing and hearing and experiencing (the crowd) when A. Wilder opened «I Feel You» on live drums. Magic - nothing less. Best DM concert ever!! I remember going home thinking «This cannot be beaten», feeling awe, touched by something divine as well as being scared I would actually be right (on my own terms/expectations). Unfortunately I was (in my world), but I am so glad I got to experience this!!
It's always good to see musicians geeking out about your favorite band! Your various examples in this video show why Alan Wilder's talent can never be replaced.
Richard C: Hello again my friend !! Good to hear from you again !! Glad to see you are becoming a regular viewer of the channel and thank you for your constant interactions !! Cheers, V :-)
Really disagree, I mean your comments are very down on the band imo. There is great music on both eras to be had. It's not my intention to cause you any offence I've been a fan from start to present. Best wishes, Joanna
Hi from Italy! I am very glad to have subscribed to your channel, that looks promising for future topics. This is Alessandro, a fan since the true beginning and not missing a DM tour since the 1984 Some Great Reward Tour. I subscribe your point of view about the fitting / unfitting of Christian Eigner's drums on current Depeche's live tracks. Being amazed by Alan's drums performance in the Devotional Tour (and before in the genial percussions played on the World Violation Tour, especially on Clean and Personal Jesus), I welcomed the introduction of a live drummer in The SIngles Tour. Actually, on his debut tour, Christian was very diligent and respectful towards the original patterns, so that DM did maintain (in my opinion) their imprinting of an electronic band, even on stage. But starting from the Exciter Tour, once Eigner had passed his "trial period" ;-), and surely encouraged by Dave, he became more and more invasive so that today I think he is an authentic war machine and the real engine that drives the whole live performance of the band, but at the same this creates some difficulties in my perception: 1) Recent studio album sounds are always very different from live performances', so that I often wonder if I am listening to Depeche Mode on stage or to a Tribute Band: Exciter, Playing the Angel, Sounds of the Universe etc still use programmed drums and clean patterns, but Eigner overplays on them, often exagerating and adding beats and beats and beats. 2) songs "B" in your category often have breaks that made them unforgettable: Enjoy the Silence, Personal Jesus, NLMDA... Here, Christian's weapons perform at their worst, often destroying the magic of the Aggro and other breaks by using bongos, toms, crashes and snare rolls that turn those masterpieces in a carnival: listen and compare ;-) . Of course, "muscles" are an explicit request by Mr. Gahan, but these are the moments when I feel away from today's Depeche Mode "style" and even a little bit embarassed, because they lose in elegance, class and sound integrity. 3) songs where Eigner's drumming doesn't fit at all... one above all: Black Celebration, played downtempo and so misleading to lose most of its atmosphere. But also Strangelove, Master and Servant (terrible), Fly on the Windscreen... Same arguments apply to Peter Gordeno... I realize I miss the "Start the Tape" era... :-( Great video, I am looking forward to watching the next releases. Greetings from Milan
Alessandro Musumeci: Ciao Amico !! WOW !! What an awesomely detailed comment !! Thank you so much for taking the time to go into so much detail !! You are bang on the buck and I totally agree with you everything you said!! Yep I do think that Eigner really does overplay it!! I know he is trying to improvise and be expressive and "in the moment" , the problem is that it does detract from the vibe and the feel of the music. Agreed , I did not like the half speed tempo he played on Black Celebration , nor the mad and crazy drumming on Enjoy the silence. Stripped also sounds flat with those live drums as they cannot compare to the menacing aggressive drums on the original backing track !! I agree with you that the "Start the tape" era was best!! Keep following the channel for much more to come !! All the best to you my friend !! :-)
I think DM had the balance right (pun intended) on the SOFAD tour. Eigner's drumming is too over the top and "heavy metal" for me, too much double bass drum and more cymbals than are necessary.
I totally agree with you in so many levels and observations. I also feel the last great DM live tour was SOFAD. Mind blowing at that time. Alan Wilder is a great drummer and mainly the groove master to all the previous DM songs. He drummed straight to the song, serving the song and more than anything groovy as hell. I've been to the recent shows and get so frustrated when the drum fills get in the way of a deep electronic groove. There are times I just want to slap the drummer... I can't stand him in the older classics. At times the songs sound like a crappy cover band is doing the music. Electronica does not do well to improvisation of random drums without a locked grove.
bongo4unme: You are so right my friend!! Thank you for your comment !! Your explanation is bang on the buck!! Yes I agree with you that the electronic groove is ruined by the excessive drum fills and improvisation. Wilder respected what the song needed and was not an egotistical drummer. I hope you continue to follow my channel and I promise you there is some really interesting material coming soon !! V :-)
Totally agree with you. Great work! A reason why Never Let Me Down works well with real drums is that the studio version used John Bonham sampled drums being a real rock drummer.
I am less interested in Depeche Mode since they changed their sound with live drumming in concerts. Also lost abit of my interest since Alan Wilder left....... but still a fan, but not buying any new cds, glad we have youtube
I don't know if anyone's mentioned this before because there are so many comments to read. But Alan plays on the beat, and Christian plays behind the beat.
You have somed up how I feel about Depeche Mode, My Favourite Albums are all the Alan Wilder ones with SOFAD being the peak. I still like what they are doing but it is a bit meh and the live drums do not work on every track when I see them now. I also believe the miss Alan's sound production skills, some of ther tracks when played live now have lost that epic sound Stripped to me being one of the ones I have noticed especially
Again, talking about topics and thoughts, i have anytime when i listen to Depeche Mode. Neither the live drums, nor the way Peter Gordeno is playing the keyboards are matching the Depeche Mode sound i fell in love with. After Alan's departure, in feels like they forgot their niche in electronic music history. They forgot the DM formula, and transformed into a standard synth-rock band, that performs the music of Depeche Mode. Recoil carry the spirit of DM, much more noticeably than the remaining members do.
I still look forward to new albums then seeing them live. Just the way I feel xx By the way I subscribed a few days ago and really like your posts, Cheers x
Great discussion. Ultimately it was the band that said the main reason to have a drummer was to have the interaction and feel the energy, which in my mind is integral for them to deliver the show they want to.
The Devotional Tour drums used triggers as well as live drums. You can hear the timbre layering on the snare, and now they don't seem to use that although I have seen an Ableton video featuring the current drummer who explains his drum/sound set up.
I think that DM are accepting their age more now, especially Dave and Martin's approaches to vocals, rather than trying to recapture the past. There was a toned-down studio outtake of 'Stories of Old' on the 'Sounds of the Universe' album bonus materials with Dave singing more joyfully and smoothly, while Martin had his Southern twangy guitar licks (with Fletch as the synth master, lol) that showed a more organic and soulful feel to the DM sound. I really believe that an album of such a stripped-down sound would resonate with the band and the fans. One can dream
I just added a comment saying exactly the same thing on the Peter Gordeno video. I never realised that you had already created this video that echoes all of my frustration.
Old DM is the inspiration for the project my co-writer and I now have. It's a pleasure to program drums and rehearse in my living room without disturbing the landlady next door. Plus I think part of the synth pop sound has been the lack of cymbals and very minimal hat. Now imagine a DM with Wildner and Clarke!!! Where can we hear your work though?
Well I remember when they went to drums where Dave Gahan talked about he said that during touring actual acoustic drums he said it's more it's more realistic and more livable than using a drum machine. I actually liked the Violator tour using no drummer and using a drum machine even back in the day of 101 in before that they're using auto tape and it was beautiful. Personally I love the setup of the Violator tour without a drummer it was just a cool background scene it was a great stage setup and yes when they did the Faith and Devotion tour was also a great set-up as well in fact it was even more catchy because they had a two-story stage and the Violator tour had more about a lower section and then to high-rise sections and then to lower sections. If we can just go back in time to 1990 and watch it allover again I'd love that. The Violator tour was just incredible and the fact that the music was just so beautiful, i never thought Depeche Mode could write something so beautiful that gave them this such popularity image during the Violator tour. Also I don't know why they didn't spend more money videotaping like it did the 101 tour but on the Violator tour there was video tapes than personal fan videotapes on TH-cam the quality is so so but why didn't Depeche Mode videotape the Violator tour when they are all young and Dave's voice and Martin Gore's voice. it seemed like when they videotaped and made a music video of world in my eyes that was like something they made of a video when they should have done the entire tour or at least one concert so we could listen to it live recorded back then.
I'm so glad I'm not alone on Alan Wilder. Depeche Mode lost something when he left. Also, REM were never the same after Bill Berry left. Berry wasn't just that drummer in the background. He also could play guitar, piano and sang backing vocals. Plus he was good at pricking egos in the band. I think Wilder was a no nonsense kind of guy that Depeche Mode needed.
Hi....I agree with you. Add some more examples: In "World in my eyes", I still prefer drum machine than live drums. I personally think that track is more stronger with eletronic drums. As you mentioned on "I Feel You", personally talking, "In your Room" is other good example how the devotional's live drums working better.
Dude, you don't have to justify having an opinion; it's healthy to express how you feel and encourages debate. DM lost their way a long time ago and never truly recovered from AW's departure. Good video - looking forward to seeing more.
Personally speaking to the drum mixing, I actually prefer the more modern snare sound. To me, it's how loud in the mix the cymbals are. On the SoF&D clip, the snare pops out at you. On the latter clip, the drums are the predominant instrument. Absolutely love your channel, can't wait to see what you've got to come.
I was looking for some technical review about DM with AW for so long, ty, I loved this video and the other one. One more subscriber here. Greetings from Brazil.
MelRen Freder: Greetings to you in Brazil my friend!! Thank you so much for your kind words and thank you for subscribing!! I can assure you that some more technical and informative reviews about Depeche Mode are coming soon!! V :-)
MelRen Fruer: Hello to you there in Brazil my friend and thank you for subscribing !! I promise you there is a lot more to come so be sure to follow the channel!! V :-)
Oh yes! An in depth review of each DM album! Could you talk a bit more about the different soudscapes. For example, 'Clean' is quite peculiar and mesmerizing. Excellent channel, Keep it up! Cheers from Canada.
Hi.I'm a new subscriber.i first watched the video on Fletch and I really enjoyed your input.I'm catching up the other vids and I have to say I agree almost 100% on what you say and play.I've been a DM fan for about 30 years.thanks again.from Robert.J.Garscadden.
15:15 by this point, I already knew what you're getting at, and my heart already started racing just by listening to your story unfolding as if I was there😭 15:52 oh my gosh THE BEST moment of the entire concert, wasn't it? I can only imagine the goosebumps and the heart skipping wow how I wish I was there! I can't agree with you more on everything you said, and no, we're not biased lol As always, thank you so much and happy new year!
On the devotional tour with Alan Wilder, I thought they married everything brilliantly. Some songs Alan played drums and other songs were programmed. For me, that was their creative peak, drumming wise.
Hi, just discovered the channel I love it just subscribed. I first saw DM live in London in November 1984 on Some Great Reward. I love your brutal honesty about the band then and now. I think from Exciter to Spirit, the output is average. Keep up the good work!
Hi Vaughn, love your fireside chat approach. Looking forward to the breakdown of the albums. But, I think we all know what happens after SOFD🤣, well maybe Ultra.
Enjoy your in depth analysis. I am an old DM fan. Clearly your ear for each part is very well honed and I want to say you have a knack for teasing apart the sounds. I was not as refined a music listener when I started listening to DM in the eighties. I can appreciate the subtleties more now. Keep at it - and while I may not always agree with you - you are doing a great job!
Paolo Torres: Thank you for your kind words and it's a pleasure for me to talk on this subject. Keep following the channel for more videos on DM. V :-)
i agree kind of with you. to me the actual i feel you drums don't show the power they did 1993/1994. but also their is older tracks like a question of time wich i can't imagine these days without live drumming, cause that drive is incredible. they could even play live drums to tracks like love in itself or and then, cause the machine beat is with volume and sounds "kind" of a live-snare. but of course there is songs wich are not in need. everything counts by the way had the best time on the devotional tour to me. playing it like those days it would work with drums.
Yeah, I think the drums are over-done now. Like you, I think on some songs that actually works well. But I really liked Alan's straightforward drumming style on SOFAD.
Leah McConnel: Thank you for your comment. Yes I agree, Christian seems to overdo it at times and Alan's drumming on SOFAD was perfect for the band and their sound!! V :-)
Inspector Gadget : Thank you for your kind words and yes, I will certainly do a video in which I discuss the technicalities of Depeche Mode's live set up and I will give a special shout and a mention to you on the channel for recommending it!! Keep watching the channel!! Thank you matey !! V :-)
LemnzestManatee: Hello my friend and I am glad you enjoyed the video!! Thank you so much for sharing it , I am so grateful to you !! Keep watching the channel, there is a lot more to come !! V :-)
Hey Vaughn, really interesting matter as usual. I really love talking about everything DM. Well... I understand your point and I agree, the sounds on SOFAD was way better. But I'm ok with live drumming. I'm also a musician (keyboards of course ! lol / guitar / bass). I'm certainly more "roots" than you. I love rock too. Oddly, I'm not too much into electronic music despite being a DM fan. I think most of the electronic music really miss the point of what DM did/is doing (I said most, not all ;) lol). Anyway, that's another story (claps on my hand / hen sound ... lol). Really I'm fine with either live drumming or sequencers. But sure, it brings something different to the songs. So I get it when people hate it. May be that's my french hedonism (or should I say epicurean to be less naughty ? LOL) but I really like new experiences and taking things in different ways. So DM with drums ? ok, let's see that. DM with more jazzy/piano bar play ? OK... why not ? lol. IMHO, the thing that I really dislike now is that they don't really rearrange the songs for the concerts... It's always the same stuff and the same backtracks... NO surprises (Radiohead someone ? Claps on my hand... hen sound... LOL)... Hopefully, Martin makes some interesting acoustics songs (but it also tends to be always the sames with time). When will they propose another live version of Enjoy The Silence for example ? It's the same since Exciter (or may be even the singles tour) !!! Oh yeah... Martin changed the riff or the sound at the end of the song, but it's really disappointing. Alan made AWESOME live arrangements and backtracks... They really lost that ! (may be that can be another subject to debate my friend ;)...). Take care.
YES!YOU ABSOLUTELY 100% RIGHT!THE ORDINARY IS PURELY BETTER THAN THE AFTER,AND YOUR DESCRIPTION AT THE LAST IS PERFECT EXPLAINED FOR THEM,CHANGE FOR THEIRS IS GOING TO WORSE,MAYBE I'M WRONG!
Vox hello to you my friend and to your wife !! I was born in Klerksdorp and grew up in a small mining town called Stilfontein. This was hundreds of years ago!!😂😂😂V
Omg you attended the Devotional tour!!!! I’m so unbearably jealous aaaaaaa I wasn’t even born then 😂 I think you are making a perfect point. Recently I got to perform Just can’t get enough at one of my university concerts and for some reason we went for the live drums. And it was so different... never mind the fact that the synth player got many sounds “wrong” ahaha And now I understand why do the modern shows of DM not appeal as much. Thank you!
Mary Fedotova hi!! You weren’t even born when I attended THE DEVOTIONAL TOUR. You make me feel so old !!😂😂😂 Thank you for a well written and detailed post!! V 👍😎
Not a professional drummer- but played back in the day, sounds like a mid to high tom is what Alan was using with his right hand in conjunction with the snare in the left and they took that out in the later version. I prefer the original. I agree that SOFaD tour was epic! Chills from the opening sequence. I’m suspecting that the current drummer switched it up a bit so that ‘he’ didn’t sound that way...could be head tuning, or mic placement, but its just not the same. Side note: I was standing right in front of Alan in the front row during that whole concert just after meeting them backstage. We met Alan, Martin and Fletch first, then after they left Dave came in. Now looking back I can foresee the bands turmoil. Wish they could have worked it out, but I’d rather have something instead of nothing. Alan’s choice. I used to troll around his recoil message board back in the day- just to thank him for all his work and influence.
Again another great interesting and informative video.. the drumming is like chalk and cheese. Alans sound and style and passion shines through. The other drummer could be any session musician. Thanks for your thoughts and insights.
Love these vids, just found them. For me Alan's drumming is raw which really fitted songs, faith & devotion. It would of been interesting to see how it could of gone on from there if Alan had not left. When he left the band sound has changed. Chris took on the drums & for me I love his drumming. For me again a similar situation to New Order when Peter Hook left them. I was lucky to be at Cyrstal Palace 1993 (my 1st), I've enjoyed concert since. Singles tour was probably my favourite.
I’ve followed and collected DM since around 82, and although I still buy their music, can’t get the live drums on stage sound to harsh and does not fit half the early songs. I also preferred their ‘clean’ synth sound as opposed gritty overdrive sound they took on and continued with after Violator.
Hi there from Germany! I’m a huge fan since 1986 and what made me a fan was that, thx to Alan, they always sounded different. He was the sound engineer who not only gave dM a unique sound on the albums, but also live. Since he left the band, their albums dropped from incredible to ok or good. Live they dropped from perfect to crap. Sorry to say that in this way, but this is how I feel about it. Problem is there’s no one responsible to update older tracks to the current album sound. If I’d had to say something in the band, I’d contracted the album producer to do updated remixes of older songs which gonna be played live, so they fit in to the rest of the current album tour. They got pretty boring sounding live and terribly mixed. One thing is that Dave took years to use in-ear monitors so he can control better his singing instead of shouting against stage speakers. Last tour was his best since the Singles tour. So it’s nice to see he seems to have read critics and looking for a way to do better. But still he’s far away from his singing skills before 1994. Next problem of the strange live sound is what you also said. The original sounds are often replaced by some new sound coming from the Virus. In the 80’s or 90’s they replaced also some sounds, but those sounds fitted to the music. The last tours (2001-2018) not only strange sounds were used, but also played to kill the song. Gordeno tends to jam, like you noticed as well, way too much. Makes songs like Enjoy the silence, Never let me down again or I feel you just to run away. A feeling I never had when Alan was in the band. Next problem is Eigner’s drumming. He might be a good drummer, but maybe too good and egocentric for a band like dM. His playing destroys a lot of the “cold” or “straight” charm of a rhythm of the original recording. Congas and Toms aren’t what dm need live on stage. It ruins their sound! Alan used just a basic drum kit and only on songs it made sense. It’s a horror to hear the same drum kit on every song. Alan spend HOURS of creating unique sounds and dM kills them today by bad drum kits used on stage. 80% of their catalogue is not meant to be played with a classic rock drum kit. World in my eyes, Policy of truth, Stripped, Precious, It’s no good, etc... so many songs which live from their original drum samples created back in their time. Destroyed tour by tour. And the solution would be so easy! Give Eigner synth drums. So every song would feature the original sounds and the live performance would be 200% better than they do sound since Alan left. The last tour a small synth drum kit was used on classic tracks like World in my eyes which was already a step to the better but I wish they’d replace the drum kit completely for a synth kit with pads and other cool looking stuff where Eigner could show his skills but using original sounds. Besides the digital mixing on Ableton is not helping the band to sound good. Compared to the devotional tour, the sounds feel all like stand alone samples and not mixed in harmony to sound as one song. Lot of important melodies or sounds can hardly be heard, especially on Walking in my shoes or Personal Jesus. I really don’t know how they give their “go” for live DVDs which are sounding worse than a Devotional Tour Video or even 101. Especially having in mind how much production and mastering tools have improved over the last two decades. I still like most of their new studio work, but live it’s not a must have anymore. Unfortunately.
WOW an AWESOME POST!! Thank you so much for taking the time to contribute to this Alex my friend and greetings to you there in Germany !! Germany had a HUGE influence on Depeche Mode of course and the sound of their "Some Great Reward" album!! Dm have always said how Germany has a special place in there hearts and how the German concerts are particularly magical with HUGE ENERGY!! Alex I would like to welcome you to this like minded community!! I would all like to tell you ( and you are the first to know this ) that I will be doing a special series on German pioneers of electronic music From Alphaville, Kraftwerk , Camouflage to Modern Talking to discuss the HUGE impact that Germany has had on electronic music and poop culture !! Speak to you soon my friend !! V:-)
You’re very welcome. I really enjoyed a lot your videos and thoughts. Mostly I think totally the same like you. And I thank you very much for sharing this thoughts to the public. One thing I can share with you is that I spoke to Alan after his solo tour in Cologne. He just had played in London with dM “Somebody” on the piano. I asked him if he liked how the band sounds live without him, cause I think it’s hurts to hear them like this. He looked up to me, saw in my eyes for a second and said: yes it hurts, a lot... 🤷🏻♂️
I already struggled when Martin left the keyboards and picked up the guitar. I don‘t like the live drumming of Cristian although he is a great drummer. For my liking he overplays it and it is too strong. I like Alans drumming on the devotional tour very much on songs such as „Rush“. He has a great feeling for sounds and improved the live versions where suitable. I am a purist and prefer the classic line up with the startimg 4 featuring Martin, Alan and Fletch on Keyboards and Dave in front. Stefan x
Hi Vaughn, I totally get your point on the three categories and agree it is a good way of sorting the songs up related to live drumming need. But I would go further and be more strict, in particular the songs from the Violator album have been way too "beaten down" for my taste, so to speak. Personal Jesus is a given live drum song, but that is it for me. I think my wet dream is a 30-year celebration tour of Violator with all tracks in succession and as close to original electronic sound as possible...
What added to my annoyance of the new frilly drum video is the awful space-saucer stage kits.... man! Also, can’t wait for the album reviews! Your channel is like our own personal black celebration of this monstrous band! I’m here for all of it!!!
Rob Grossi hello my friend !! I am so happy to read your kind comments !! You are very welcome here in this tribe!! Many many more DM videos to come !! V 😎👍
Piano & Keyboard Artist looking forward to seeing more! Your excited description of the opening to the Devotional tour is the tie that binds all of us around the world 👌😬. I remember having goose “bumps” too (as we call it here in N.America!)
Rob Grossi Goose bumps here across the pond too my friend!! I look forward to chatting to you soon on the next video !! Lots of love to you there in The USA!!😎👍V
Piano & Keyboard Artist ... same, it’s very cool that you take the tine to respond to comments... although that’ll change once you hit 1 million suns 😜. You said goose flesh in the video, so I thought the saying might be different but i guess not, ha ha! - Your Canadian friend 😉. Catch you later!!!
Rob Grossi hello again my Canadian friend ( not American my apologies 😁). Yes I am trying to remain as hands on as I can and I feel everyone deserves a reply!! I love your optimism of 1 million subscribers and thank you for the faith you have in this channel !! Speak to you again soon!! V😎👍
Totally agree about the drumming. Wilders drumming on I Feel You sounds raw and dirty where as the new sound is a lot more watered down and doesn’t fit the song
Marc Cartledge thank you for your comment and I am glad you can see what I am getting at!! I’ve always felt that Christian despite his talent is ill suited to DM. DM have such a specific sound and applying a Generic rock drumming approach is not what is needed for DM’s sound . 😎👍V
Vaughn, I respect your personal impressions and opinion about the Devotional tour and what it means to you. I have the same with the Black Celebration tour from 1986, which was my first time seeing DM live (in Hamburg). And I saw them again for MFTM, Violator, and then again for the Exciter tour. And yes, it also took me about ten years to understand and feel the genius of the SOFAD album and the songs on it. But, seriously, the Devotional concert film is so depressing to watch! It starts with the stage design, which separated and distanced Dave from the rest of the band so, so much. Dave himself is so obviously high on a ton of drugs (he already was during the Violator tour, which really put me off when I saw them in Hamburg - he did way to much of that "oh yeah" yelling and his voice was already quite bad at the time), then seeing Martin having to sing several of the songs that Dave would (apparently just barely managed to) sing on the album, and even Alan playing drums right next to Dave, but not having the faintest connection with each other (see th-cam.com/video/NSu3CIa7lS4/w-d-xo.html) - this is really the all time low of the DM w/ Alan era. There is no excitement, no fun, no joy, just dreadfulness and pity. But yes, I do agree that Christian's drumming does not fit DM. And it is tough to see this, because they were the soundtrack to my life throughout the entire 1980s, when I was a teenager.
Outland TV correct !! Yes I saw them live in 2017 too. I would not go as far as saying it was a bad drum sound but it’s certainly not on par with the drum sound that Gary Numan has .😎V
As a drummer I like both drum sounds. I'm not sure about the "drum sound" itself from the 2 different versions you played, but there was likely something done from the kit to what the audience hears on Alan's version (to achieve that sound), where-as Christian is more an acoustic drum sound although he does have hybrid parts and triggers samples. But I do agree that the live drums don't always work especially as you mentioned on the earlier tracks.
Completly agree with you, not all songs should have live drums, actually back in the day, seeing Alan sitting at the drumms was something special, Alan would do it on special occasions, but they were done properly, not bland and flat like it is now, nothing against Eigner, hes terrific, but he overdones it, and bottom line DM doesnt needs a live drummer in all songs, it only needs Alan. Just love your content, amazingly interesting stuff, do please continue, i subscribed and im gonna share and talk to my friends about it
I saw a Depeche Mode tribute band which was very good with no drummer. Made me miss the old days with the drum machine. I wish they would go back to the drum machine!
You're right about keyboard and synth being more prominent when the 70's transitioned into the 80's, but unfortunately it was not taken seriously. Going slightly off topic, I remember when Duran Duran came onto the music scene, almost everyone dismissed them as just another good-looking boy band, but another reason for this is because the sound of keyboard plays quite a distinctive part of their music, and by featuring keyboard quite prominently in a traditional band lineup, a lot of people weren't ready for it. Anyway, back to your comparison of Alan's drumming to Christian's drumming, Christian is too rocky for Depeche Mode. As you have said, Alan's drumming is more industrial, more calculated, which is better suited to their sound.
Angela Hon-Fuego hello again!! Everything you have said there is 100% spot on!! A very good comparison you used there with Duran Duran !! Yes and you are exactly right in saying that Christian is a Rock Drummer . He is brilliant but not ideal for DM!! Appreciate your interactions !! V😎👍
Dear Vaughn. You are completely right, except that "Enjoy the silence" i to me is clearly a category C song ment for drum machine. I think live drums is destroying that song. In 1990 I learned the purpose of drum machines, and it was 3 songs that did that for me: "World in my eyes", "Enjoy the silence" and "So hard" (the latter by Pet Shop Boys). These songs taught me that drum machines is an instrument in its own right. And after that I accepted electronic music and started to buy Kraftwerk records and so on (New Order, Erasure, Depeche Mode ...). (And then I also accepted drum machines - when used well - in rock and mainstream pop - like the Tina Turner track "Foreign affair" (with Mark Knopfler on guitar). When the difference between live drums and drum machine is clear, I like both.) So to me "Enjoy the silence" needs that smooth metronomic feel. By the way: I was there in Copenhagen in 1994, and it was one of the best concerts ever. I totally had the same experience!
Martin Lund thank you for your kind comments!! Wow I can’t believe you were at the Copenhagen convert!! That was the best filmed DM performance ever !! I’m glad to have you on the channel my friend !! V😎👍V
@@VaughnGeorge, I was so amazed by the stage-design that I draw it for my little sister when I got home. To me the climax - as I remenber it - was Alan Wilders first dry and hard hits on the drums. But the key-thing to me is that he stopped again, and only drummed on 5-6 tracks. And I think it should have stayed that way in their performances ever since - maybe 10 tracks, but not more. One more thing: I grabbed some kind of "newspaper" in the back of the forum, and there I learned about other DM-like bands. Due to that I also have cd's with "De/Vision" and "Mesh". Do you know these? (Maybe you should dedicate a program to these DM-fan-like bands). Both De/Vision and Mesh have qualities and sometimes very beautiful compositions, but they need most of al a good singer and secondly a more original sound - at least in comparisation with DM. (Last thing: Since i am a professional proof reader (in danish), linguistic nerd (in danish) and expert in correct danish, I have a hard time knowing my written english is not even close to "okay". Therefore I must excuse my rather bad writing skills in english, which potentially is destructive to your language. I know that, but I also know that I am understandable, and that might be enough here in this context. :-)
I was at the gig of that 2nd clip of 'I Feel You' you used! Hyde Park, Wireless 2006. Only DM gig I've ever been to. Was great. But yes, agree the drumming did sound better on the Devotional clip.
It's always nice to meet another fellow music nerd, who deconstructs the pointless details of individual songs. I much appreciate your videos, and share your opinion on Alan's importance. I've picked apart their songs, to find the individual details. Sometimes you're wrong, but I'll forgive that, you're just a young lad, but a very talented one. Thank you for feeding my nerdism.
Alan Wilder didn't just massage the sound of DM's studio albums, but he was also in charge of the live sound during and after a recorded concert, Devotional especially. DM to date have not bothered to over produce the sound of their live output, be it audio or video since Ultra. Listen to the live recordings of the b-side tracks to Home and Useless CD singles. (I believe it was the Adrenalin Village promotion night for Ultra). Not only do they over dub Dave's voice, (for obvious reasons) but they make sure that the drum sound amalgamates into the electronic sound. They no longer care about their sound. DM live from Crystal Palace 1993 was given to Radio 1 to put out a couple of weeks after the concert. If you listen to that show (or wathc it here on TH-cam) Dave's voice has been over-dubbed. I know this because I was there. It was Alan Wilder making sure that the sound was good enough for his listening and therefore good enough for the listeners ears. He was DM and he was massaging every little piece of information because he cared. Do DM care now? Of course they don't. I have said for years that Eigner should study every little accent, every fill in the elctronic drums did on a DM album and use drum triggers to get that exact sound. He only recently attempted this in the last tour with World in My Eyes. It took him long enough for that attempt! If you want to hate the people who want drums live on stage at DM gigs, then turn your attention to the stage / production / sound manager Kerry Hopwood. Not only him, but i'm afraid Dave Gahan. Dave has wanted a drummer in the band since he had Alan Wilder during Devotional. He apprently needs dynamics on stage. Who is to blame? Things change, people change, sounds change for better or for worse. It is an old moan, let it go piano and keyboard artist, Alan is never coming back and Dave Gahan loves his drummer.
Thank you for your thoughtful and incredibly informative message !! You are bang on the buck with everything you said mate!! Your argument makes perfect sense , especially the fact that Dave is a huge fan of the live drumming. Appreciate your comment . V :-)
Actually i love their live sound these days. It's more "organic" to me. I'm a long time DP fan and i love their old albums but their new take on the old songs made the songs fresh again. Just my opinion
juanmiguel abad It s not only your opinion it s also mine and I find their concert more pleasant to watch with a drummer. A Andrew Fletcher clapping is not enough for me. I also agree with the end of L12Bong statement. Alan is gone 20 years ago, the drummer is forever and as DM fans let s stop whinnying. Just move on.
What do you mean nobody loves Depeche Mode more than you do? I do!! LOL. Another great video (agree 100%), also love how passionate about DM you are. Subbed!
I seem to recall that Alan also drummed live on the SOFAD tour to challenge himself, as playing single finger samples (and the odd bit of piano) for 2 hours must get boring when you're that good a musician! The classic "3 keyboard" lineup is to me Depeche Mode. Great to have a bit of guitar and drums on a few tracks, but once you have a drummer on every song and Martin predominantly on guitar, it takes away something. I imagine Dave much prefers the current set up though.
I do agree that some songs work fine with live drumming like Personal Jesus but I would definitely put NLMDA in the C category. One of my all time DM favorites, it just doesn't do it live for me anymore because of the drumming.
Have to agree that live drums is not always necessary. However, i remember being slightly disappointed with the live drums sound and guitar tone for the Devotional live show. It was too far from the studio version for me. And the snare actually sounded weird with that echo effect live
As always, no disappointing video so far (just catching up on your back catalogue). Good substantial stuff. 👍 You're mentioning the sampled guitar on "Never let me down again" as (not verbatim but quite clear) kind of the first use of a guitar on a DM track. What about the guitar on "Love in Itself"? Not trying to be smart here knowing that you know what you're talking about... so I reckon there's a reason that you said so.
That JD800 looks great!! And well, Depeche Mode without ALAN WILDER is still a great band, But NOT the SUPER-MEGA and unique band that they used to be when Alan was part of it. No, not all their songs sound good with live drums, or they do if the right drummer is there like it happened in the Devotional/Exotic Tour. A "Rock" drummer doesn't fit that much to DM's songs. Anyway, I miss his input as a Keyboard player, arranger, producer, backing vocals, than just a drummer.
ANDRES77: Hello my friend !! Well spotted on my JD800!! Yes its in great condition and its working well !! I know its like nearly 30 years old but I still use it as a controller. Its obviously not as technically advanced as modern synths and controllers but I see is as my "MILLENNIUM FALCON" (Star Wars). I love the build quality and how I got my hands on this keyboard is another story of its own to which I will post a special video soon!! You are right in saying that a "rock drummer" is not what Depeche Mode need. We all miss Alan and I enjoy the discussion on the subject. Keep watching the channel , there is a lot more to come!! :-) V
I agree with Gary Walker on this one. They had the right “combination mix” of live drums and programmed drums by the time SOFAD was released. Using the live drums as samples sounds great. It’s too much now with Eigner. I find it hard to watch/listen to Never Let Me Down Again without the Drumulator sound. Same goes for Black Celebration and other tracks live.
The most interested things about DM drums world are in SOFAD Live drumming - LoopsLiveDrumming. Nowadays they're immersed on livedrumcing processed. The most headache and expensive workflow. but we now Dm are an a machine to make money to many people, manufacturers and designers of equipment included.
I believe at their age in life and their professional development that they want to be remembered as a rock ‘n’ roll group rather than a fringe group that use keyboards I agree with you the old Depeche Mode using keyboards was far superior the music was better they just seem as though they’ve lost a lot of that edge
The problem with having a drummer on the live set is that you can't usher him out now and then. If the stage was set with a turret and the drummer came on when he is needed and turned around for the classics? Problem is that everyone would boo whenever that happen.
I agree , however, I listened I feel you in the last tour and it was amazing!!!, waaaaay better than last 2 tours, but I admit I prefer the sound of Alan´s drum kit, however, if you listen to A question of time version in the exotic tour (with the Alan´s drums), that was terrible, it sounds better with Eigner´s kit. But of course, the rest of devotional-exotic tour era was fantastic, their best live tour, sounds, version, visuals, etc, etc, etc.
As for the sound: Eigners drums are triggert into Ableton live and so they can sound whatever they want to. For some reason the band seem to want to sound like this these days.
As a drummer myself, I find Alan's drumming really underrated. It's sad that the camera crew on the SoFaD tour didn't focus on him as much as they should have. The fact that he learned the drums in about 6 months leading up to the tour is astonishing and something that he should be very proud of. I started drumming in February and have played 4 gigs already (steadily increasing the difficulty). I love Alan's drumming but it's a bit too subtle at times. There's not that many fills, but honestly that's what DM needs. A non complicated drummer.
Thank you for you comments Fred!! VG:-)
That IS the point. NO FILLS in a DM song please, it's not a bloody carnival
I think, the main element in DM when Alan Wilder was a member it was: Concept
The DM concept was flawless: Obscurity, deep and memorable lyrics, catchy melodies, great sound design, amazing visuals (thanks to Anton)... The fact that the drumming in Devotional Tour worked it´s because Alan never pretended to change the band´s concept, no, he even added some flavor to the main concept, his drumming was an attempt to bring some new emotions to the live act, but never touched the main DM concept. His drumming was powerful, a little "robotic", but human, not warm, not a virtuoso, just a human being doing a computer´s job to bring some refreshing tones to the original concept.
I talked with Alan once (after a Recoil gig) and he told me that "the whole Devotional concept was developed to look huge and epic, like the space or the high ceiling of a cathedral". Another element in the Devotional formula was the grunge influence all over the world, Dave wanted to do and look something more "grungy" on stage, the drum set added some of that 90´s grungy feeling to the show.
Brilliantly stated !! Thank you !! V:-)
Yup. It was Dave who wanted live drums. Don't forget he was living in California. Heard grunge everyday.
Exactly!
Edgar Gonzalez sigh to have had a conversation with Alan about this ...
N'oubliez pas que alan a laissé tomber Dave au moment ou il était au plus mal
I Didn't Forget and I didn't Forgived ! That all there is !!
I was there. In Copenhagen. Seeing and hearing and experiencing (the crowd) when A. Wilder opened «I Feel You» on live drums. Magic - nothing less. Best DM concert ever!! I remember going home thinking «This cannot be beaten», feeling awe, touched by something divine as well as being scared I would actually be right (on my own terms/expectations). Unfortunately I was (in my world), but I am so glad I got to experience this!!
I was in Stockholm at their show there and it was as you said - magic.
It's always good to see musicians geeking out about your favorite band! Your various examples in this video show why Alan Wilder's talent can never be replaced.
Absolutely right you are my friend and thank you for your comment!! V :-)
Less is more :p
You are 100% right. This is exactly why we miss Alan Wilder’s touch to the band. Today the music is rubbish.
Richard C: Hello again my friend !! Good to hear from you again !! Glad to see you are becoming a regular viewer of the channel and thank you for your constant interactions !! Cheers, V :-)
Could you explain: "Today the music is rubbish." You don't mean DM, I hope?
Not rubbish, but it often sounds like a well polished demo
Really disagree, I mean your comments are very down on the band imo. There is great music on both eras to be had. It's not my intention to cause you any offence I've been a fan from start to present. Best wishes, Joanna
Hi from Italy! I am very glad to have subscribed to your channel, that looks promising for future topics.
This is Alessandro, a fan since the true beginning and not missing a DM tour since the 1984 Some Great Reward Tour.
I subscribe your point of view about the fitting / unfitting of Christian Eigner's drums on current Depeche's live tracks.
Being amazed by Alan's drums performance in the Devotional Tour (and before in the genial percussions played on the World Violation Tour, especially on Clean and Personal Jesus), I welcomed the introduction of a live drummer in The SIngles Tour.
Actually, on his debut tour, Christian was very diligent and respectful towards the original patterns, so that DM did maintain (in my opinion) their imprinting of an electronic band, even on stage.
But starting from the Exciter Tour, once Eigner had passed his "trial period" ;-), and surely encouraged by Dave, he became more and more invasive so that today I think he is an authentic war machine and the real engine that drives the whole live performance of the band, but at the same this creates some difficulties in my perception:
1) Recent studio album sounds are always very different from live performances', so that I often wonder if I am listening to Depeche Mode on stage or to a Tribute Band: Exciter, Playing the Angel, Sounds of the Universe etc still use programmed drums and clean patterns, but Eigner overplays on them, often exagerating and adding beats and beats and beats.
2) songs "B" in your category often have breaks that made them unforgettable: Enjoy the Silence, Personal Jesus, NLMDA... Here, Christian's weapons perform at their worst, often destroying the magic of the Aggro and other breaks by using bongos, toms, crashes and snare rolls that turn those masterpieces in a carnival: listen and compare ;-) . Of course, "muscles" are an explicit request by Mr. Gahan, but these are the moments when I feel away from today's Depeche Mode "style" and even a little bit embarassed, because they lose in elegance, class and sound integrity.
3) songs where Eigner's drumming doesn't fit at all... one above all: Black Celebration, played downtempo and so misleading to lose most of its atmosphere. But also Strangelove, Master and Servant (terrible), Fly on the Windscreen...
Same arguments apply to Peter Gordeno...
I realize I miss the "Start the Tape" era... :-(
Great video, I am looking forward to watching the next releases.
Greetings from Milan
Alessandro Musumeci: Ciao Amico !! WOW !! What an awesomely detailed comment !! Thank you so much for taking the time to go into so much detail !! You are bang on the buck and I totally agree with you everything you said!! Yep I do think that Eigner really does overplay it!! I know he is trying to improvise and be expressive and "in the moment" , the problem is that it does detract from the vibe and the feel of the music. Agreed , I did not like the half speed tempo he played on Black Celebration , nor the mad and crazy drumming on Enjoy the silence. Stripped also sounds flat with those live drums as they cannot compare to the menacing aggressive drums on the original backing track !! I agree with you that the "Start the tape" era was best!! Keep following the channel for much more to come !! All the best to you my friend !! :-)
I think DM had the balance right (pun intended) on the SOFAD tour. Eigner's drumming is too over the top and "heavy metal" for me, too much double bass drum and more cymbals than are necessary.
Absolutely right there Gary!! I totally agree with you! V :-)
"In your room" live on devotional tour is my favorite song. Incredible Toms Alan is playing there.
I totally agree with you in so many levels and observations. I also feel the last great DM live tour was SOFAD.
Mind blowing at that time. Alan Wilder is a great drummer and mainly the groove master to all the previous DM songs. He drummed straight to the song, serving the song and more than anything groovy as hell.
I've been to the recent shows and get so frustrated when the drum fills get in the way of a deep electronic groove.
There are times I just want to slap the drummer... I can't stand him in the older classics. At times the songs sound like a crappy cover band is doing the music.
Electronica does not do well to improvisation of random drums without a locked grove.
bongo4unme: You are so right my friend!! Thank you for your comment !! Your explanation is bang on the buck!! Yes I agree with you that the electronic groove is ruined by the excessive drum fills and improvisation. Wilder respected what the song needed and was not an egotistical drummer. I hope you continue to follow my channel and I promise you there is some really interesting material coming soon !! V :-)
Totally agree with you. Great work! A reason why Never Let Me Down works well with real drums is that the studio version used John Bonham sampled drums being a real rock drummer.
Love your channel! Been a Depeche Mode fan since the mid 80’s. Yes I totally agree, Alan Wilder was an asset that they lost. From Los Angeles, CA!
Hi Alan !! Thank you and welcome to the channel!! V:-)
I am less interested in Depeche Mode since they changed their sound with live drumming in concerts.
Also lost abit of my interest since Alan Wilder left....... but still a fan, but not buying any new cds, glad we have youtube
My feelings exactly!👌👍
The same situation for me
+1
So you are not listening to them since 1993.....
Hoy not a real fan
I don't know if anyone's mentioned this before because there are so many comments to read. But Alan plays on the beat, and Christian plays behind the beat.
I think it's only the snare that's behind, but great observation!
You have somed up how I feel about Depeche Mode, My Favourite Albums are all the Alan Wilder ones with SOFAD being the peak. I still like what they are doing but it is a bit meh and the live drums do not work on every track when I see them now. I also believe the miss Alan's sound production skills, some of ther tracks when played live now have lost that epic sound Stripped to me being one of the ones I have noticed especially
Again, talking about topics and thoughts, i have anytime when i listen to Depeche Mode. Neither the live drums, nor the way Peter Gordeno is playing the keyboards are matching the Depeche Mode sound i fell in love with. After Alan's departure, in feels like they forgot their niche in electronic music history. They forgot the DM formula, and transformed into a standard synth-rock band, that performs the music of Depeche Mode. Recoil carry the spirit of DM, much more noticeably than the remaining members do.
I agree that the live sound is now very GENERIC in the approach!! Thank you for your comment my friend!! V:-)
I still look forward to new albums then seeing them live. Just the way I feel xx
By the way I subscribed a few days ago and really like your posts, Cheers x
Great discussion. Ultimately it was the band that said the main reason to have a drummer was to have the interaction and feel the energy, which in my mind is integral for them to deliver the show they want to.
Holy Cow! I really look forward to your individual album reviews!
Cheers Dave!! V:-)
The Devotional Tour drums used triggers as well as live drums. You can hear the timbre layering on the snare, and now they don't seem to use that although I have seen an Ableton video featuring the current drummer who explains his drum/sound set up.
I think that DM are accepting their age more now, especially Dave and Martin's approaches to vocals, rather than trying to recapture the past. There was a toned-down studio outtake of 'Stories of Old' on the 'Sounds of the Universe' album bonus materials with Dave singing more joyfully and smoothly, while Martin had his Southern twangy guitar licks (with Fletch as the synth master, lol) that showed a more organic and soulful feel to the DM sound. I really believe that an album of such a stripped-down sound would resonate with the band and the fans. One can dream
You are right on the money there man!!
I just added a comment saying exactly the same thing on the Peter Gordeno video. I never realised that you had already created this video that echoes all of my frustration.
Christian Harris thank for watching and I appreciate your interactions my friend 👍😎V
Old DM is the inspiration for the project my co-writer and I now have. It's a pleasure to program drums and rehearse in my living room without disturbing the landlady next door. Plus I think part of the synth pop sound has been the lack of cymbals and very minimal hat. Now imagine a DM with Wildner and Clarke!!! Where can we hear your work though?
Well I remember when they went to drums where Dave Gahan talked about he said that during touring actual acoustic drums he said it's more it's more realistic and more livable than using a drum machine. I actually liked the Violator tour using no drummer and using a drum machine even back in the day of 101 in before that they're using auto tape and it was beautiful. Personally I love the setup of the Violator tour without a drummer it was just a cool background scene it was a great stage setup and yes when they did the Faith and Devotion tour was also a great set-up as well in fact it was even more catchy because they had a two-story stage and the Violator tour had more about a lower section and then to high-rise sections and then to lower sections. If we can just go back in time to 1990 and watch it allover again I'd love that. The Violator tour was just incredible and the fact that the music was just so beautiful, i never thought Depeche Mode could write something so beautiful that gave them this such popularity image during the Violator tour. Also I don't know why they didn't spend more money videotaping like it did the 101 tour but on the Violator tour there was video tapes than personal fan videotapes on TH-cam the quality is so so but why didn't Depeche Mode videotape the Violator tour when they are all young and Dave's voice and Martin Gore's voice. it seemed like when they videotaped and made a music video of world in my eyes that was like something they made of a video when they should have done the entire tour or at least one concert so we could listen to it live recorded back then.
Thank you for this well written and detail post!! Agreed!! V:-)
I'm so glad I'm not alone on Alan Wilder. Depeche Mode lost something when he left. Also, REM were never the same after Bill Berry left. Berry wasn't just that drummer in the background. He also could play guitar, piano and sang backing vocals. Plus he was good at pricking egos in the band. I think Wilder was a no nonsense kind of guy that Depeche Mode needed.
Michael my friend you are certainly not alone in this like minded community!! Welcome on board!! V:-)
Piano & Keyboard Artist Thanks! I was thinking that Alan was forgotten and lost to the mist of time. This is a great channel. Very informative!
@@michaelwilson2340thanks again and I will see you on the next video soon!! V:-)
Hi....I agree with you. Add some more examples:
In "World in my eyes", I still prefer drum machine than live drums. I personally think that track is more stronger with eletronic drums.
As you mentioned on "I Feel You", personally talking, "In your Room" is other good example how the devotional's live drums working better.
Dude, you don't have to justify having an opinion; it's healthy to express how you feel and encourages debate. DM lost their way a long time ago and never truly recovered from AW's departure. Good video - looking forward to seeing more.
Martin G thank you matey !! I hope you will subscribe and enjoy the rest of the videos here !! Thank you !! VG 😎👍🎹
the live drums in "Higher love-2013" were a mistake... to put it mildly
They really are!!
Personally speaking to the drum mixing, I actually prefer the more modern snare sound. To me, it's how loud in the mix the cymbals are. On the SoF&D clip, the snare pops out at you. On the latter clip, the drums are the predominant instrument. Absolutely love your channel, can't wait to see what you've got to come.
Brad Herr thanks bro!! Good to hear your perspective there on the drum mixing !! More to come soon !! V:-)
I was looking for some technical review about DM with AW for so long, ty, I loved this video and the other one. One more subscriber here.
Greetings from Brazil.
MelRen Freder: Greetings to you in Brazil my friend!! Thank you so much for your kind words and thank you for subscribing!! I can assure you that some more technical and informative reviews about Depeche Mode are coming soon!! V :-)
MelRen Fruer: Hello to you there in Brazil my friend and thank you for subscribing !! I promise you there is a lot more to come so be sure to follow the channel!! V :-)
Oh yes! An in depth review of each DM album! Could you talk a bit more about the different soudscapes. For example, 'Clean' is quite peculiar and mesmerizing. Excellent channel, Keep it up! Cheers from Canada.
Hi.I'm a new subscriber.i first watched the video on Fletch and I really enjoyed your input.I'm catching up the other vids and I have to say I agree almost 100% on what you say and play.I've been a DM fan for about 30 years.thanks again.from Robert.J.Garscadden.
15:15 by this point, I already knew what you're getting at, and my heart already started racing just by listening to your story unfolding as if I was there😭
15:52 oh my gosh THE BEST moment of the entire concert, wasn't it? I can only imagine the goosebumps and the heart skipping wow how I wish I was there!
I can't agree with you more on everything you said, and no, we're not biased lol
As always, thank you so much and happy new year!
Amazing. I was also at the Standard Bank Arena at the concert. One of my favourite concerts of all time.
Hey bro !! Nice to meet you !! V:-)
On the devotional tour with Alan Wilder, I thought they married everything brilliantly. Some songs Alan played drums and other songs were programmed. For me, that was their creative peak, drumming wise.
Hi, just discovered the channel I love it just subscribed. I first saw DM live in London in November 1984 on Some Great Reward. I love your brutal honesty about the band then and now. I think from Exciter to Spirit, the output is average. Keep up the good work!
Hello again Darren!! I promise to make the content worth your while so keep watching !! Cheers!! V -)
New subscriber. Been a Moder since 1986. Love your channel.
Strych Nyne if you’re a Mode fan then you’re a friend of mine !! Thank you so much bud and welcome on board !! V😎👍
Hi Vaughn, love your fireside chat approach. Looking forward to the breakdown of the albums. But, I think we all know what happens after SOFD🤣, well maybe Ultra.
Dieter hi matey !! You just may be right!! V:-)
Enjoy your in depth analysis. I am an old DM fan. Clearly your ear for each part is very well honed and I want to say you have a knack for teasing apart the sounds. I was not as refined a music listener when I started listening to DM in the eighties. I can appreciate the subtleties more now. Keep at it - and while I may not always agree with you - you are doing a great job!
Christopher !! Thank you so much my friend and welcome to the channel!! V:-)
Thanks a lot for share with us all your knowlodge and love for DM !!!
Paolo Torres: Thank you for your kind words and it's a pleasure for me to talk on this subject. Keep following the channel for more videos on DM. V :-)
@@VaughnGeorge Excelent :D!!!!!!
i agree kind of with you. to me the actual i feel you drums don't show the power they did 1993/1994.
but also their is older tracks like a question of time wich i can't imagine these days without live drumming,
cause that drive is incredible. they could even play live drums to tracks like love in itself or and then,
cause the machine beat is with volume and sounds "kind" of a live-snare. but of course there is songs wich are not in need.
everything counts by the way had the best time on the devotional tour to me. playing it like those days it would work with drums.
Yeah, I think the drums are over-done now. Like you, I think on some songs that actually works well. But I really liked Alan's straightforward drumming style on SOFAD.
Leah McConnel: Thank you for your comment. Yes I agree, Christian seems to overdo it at times and Alan's drumming on SOFAD was perfect for the band and their sound!! V :-)
Good video! Something to consider for future shows describe how much of Depeche Mode’s sets are live and how much is pre recorded
Inspector Gadget : Thank you for your kind words and yes, I will certainly do a video in which I discuss the technicalities of Depeche Mode's live set up and I will give a special shout and a mention to you on the channel for recommending it!! Keep watching the channel!! Thank you matey !! V :-)
They have always used lots of pre-programmed sounds on tour, no matter what tour you pick apart.
Can someone to show this video to Martin, Dave and Andy? Hahaha
HAHAHAHAHA yes please !! Thank ou mate!! V:-)
Very interesting and informed video!! I shared it in a Depeche Mode fan discord server. :D
LemnzestManatee: Hello my friend and I am glad you enjoyed the video!! Thank you so much for sharing it , I am so grateful to you !! Keep watching the channel, there is a lot more to come !! V :-)
Hey Vaughn, really interesting matter as usual. I really love talking about everything DM.
Well... I understand your point and I agree, the sounds on SOFAD was way better. But I'm ok with live drumming.
I'm also a musician (keyboards of course ! lol / guitar / bass). I'm certainly more "roots" than you. I love rock too. Oddly, I'm not too much into electronic music despite being a DM fan. I think most of the electronic music really miss the point of what DM did/is doing (I said most, not all ;) lol). Anyway, that's another story (claps on my hand / hen sound ... lol).
Really I'm fine with either live drumming or sequencers. But sure, it brings something different to the songs. So I get it when people hate it.
May be that's my french hedonism (or should I say epicurean to be less naughty ? LOL) but I really like new experiences and taking things in different ways. So DM with drums ? ok, let's see that. DM with more jazzy/piano bar play ? OK... why not ? lol.
IMHO, the thing that I really dislike now is that they don't really rearrange the songs for the concerts... It's always the same stuff and the same backtracks... NO surprises (Radiohead someone ? Claps on my hand... hen sound... LOL)... Hopefully, Martin makes some interesting acoustics songs (but it also tends to be always the sames with time). When will they propose another live version of Enjoy The Silence for example ? It's the same since Exciter (or may be even the singles tour) !!! Oh yeah... Martin changed the riff or the sound at the end of the song, but it's really disappointing.
Alan made AWESOME live arrangements and backtracks... They really lost that ! (may be that can be another subject to debate my friend ;)...).
Take care.
YES!YOU ABSOLUTELY 100% RIGHT!THE ORDINARY IS PURELY BETTER THAN THE AFTER,AND YOUR DESCRIPTION AT THE LAST IS PERFECT EXPLAINED FOR THEM,CHANGE FOR THEIRS IS GOING TO WORSE,MAYBE I'M WRONG!
Enjoying your videos, are you from South Africa or Zimbabwe?
Vox hello mate!! Was born in SA but I’ve lived in Uk most of my life !!v 😎👍
My wife was born in Zimbabwe moved to SA when a baby and now lived here for 20 years. she wondered where you were from. 😎👍🏻
Vox hello to you my friend and to your wife !! I was born in Klerksdorp and grew up in a small mining town called Stilfontein. This was hundreds of years ago!!😂😂😂V
Omg you attended the Devotional tour!!!! I’m so unbearably jealous aaaaaaa
I wasn’t even born then 😂
I think you are making a perfect point. Recently I got to perform Just can’t get enough at one of my university concerts and for some reason we went for the live drums. And it was so different... never mind the fact that the synth player got many sounds “wrong” ahaha
And now I understand why do the modern shows of DM not appeal as much. Thank you!
Mary Fedotova hi!! You weren’t even born when I attended THE DEVOTIONAL TOUR. You make me feel so old !!😂😂😂
Thank you for a well written and detailed post!! V 👍😎
Not a professional drummer- but played back in the day, sounds like a mid to high tom is what Alan was using with his right hand in conjunction with the snare in the left and they took that out in the later version. I prefer the original.
I agree that SOFaD tour was epic! Chills from the opening sequence. I’m suspecting that the current drummer switched it up a bit so that ‘he’ didn’t sound that way...could be head tuning, or mic placement, but its just not the same.
Side note: I was standing right in front of Alan in the front row during that whole concert just after meeting them backstage. We met Alan, Martin and Fletch first, then after they left Dave came in. Now looking back I can foresee the bands turmoil. Wish they could have worked it out, but I’d rather have something instead of nothing. Alan’s choice. I used to troll around his recoil message board back in the day- just to thank him for all his work and influence.
Bang on the buck with those comments !! Thank you !! V:-)
Again another great interesting and informative video.. the drumming is like chalk and cheese. Alans sound and style and passion shines through. The other drummer could be any session musician. Thanks for your thoughts and insights.
Thank you my friend for your kind words and I am glad you enjoyed the video !! V:-)
To quote her majesty the queen, "god bless you and all who sail in you'
Thank you bud!! V:-)
I would love to see you interview Flood!
Hell yeah!
Love these vids, just found them. For me Alan's drumming is raw which really fitted songs, faith & devotion. It would of been interesting to see how it could of gone on from there if Alan had not left. When he left the band sound has changed. Chris took on the drums & for me I love his drumming. For me again a similar situation to New Order when Peter Hook left them. I was lucky to be at Cyrstal Palace 1993 (my 1st), I've enjoyed concert since. Singles tour was probably my favourite.
I would like to see you review Italo-Disco / Italian POP from the early 80’s. UK bands like the Pet Shop Boys got inspired by Italian Pop
I’ve followed and collected DM since around 82, and although I still buy their music, can’t get the live drums on stage sound to harsh and does not fit half the early songs.
I also preferred their ‘clean’ synth sound as opposed gritty overdrive sound they took on and continued with after Violator.
18:24 Laughed so hard when this picture popped up ;)))
Hi there from Germany! I’m a huge fan since 1986 and what made me a fan was that, thx to Alan, they always sounded different. He was the sound engineer who not only gave dM a unique sound on the albums, but also live. Since he left the band, their albums dropped from incredible to ok or good. Live they dropped from perfect to crap. Sorry to say that in this way, but this is how I feel about it. Problem is there’s no one responsible to update older tracks to the current album sound. If I’d had to say something in the band, I’d contracted the album producer to do updated remixes of older songs which gonna be played live, so they fit in to the rest of the current album tour. They got pretty boring sounding live and terribly mixed. One thing is that Dave took years to use in-ear monitors so he can control better his singing instead of shouting against stage speakers. Last tour was his best since the Singles tour. So it’s nice to see he seems to have read critics and looking for a way to do better. But still he’s far away from his singing skills before 1994. Next problem of the strange live sound is what you also said. The original sounds are often replaced by some new sound coming from the Virus. In the 80’s or 90’s they replaced also some sounds, but those sounds fitted to the music. The last tours (2001-2018) not only strange sounds were used, but also played to kill the song. Gordeno tends to jam, like you noticed as well, way too much. Makes songs like Enjoy the silence, Never let me down again or I feel you just to run away. A feeling I never had when Alan was in the band. Next problem is Eigner’s drumming. He might be a good drummer, but maybe too good and egocentric for a band like dM. His playing destroys a lot of the “cold” or “straight” charm of a rhythm of the original recording. Congas and Toms aren’t what dm need live on stage. It ruins their sound! Alan used just a basic drum kit and only on songs it made sense. It’s a horror to hear the same drum kit on every song. Alan spend HOURS of creating unique sounds and dM kills them today by bad drum kits used on stage. 80% of their catalogue is not meant to be played with a classic rock drum kit. World in my eyes, Policy of truth, Stripped, Precious, It’s no good, etc... so many songs which live from their original drum samples created back in their time. Destroyed tour by tour. And the solution would be so easy! Give Eigner synth drums. So every song would feature the original sounds and the live performance would be 200% better than they do sound since Alan left. The last tour a small synth drum kit was used on classic tracks like World in my eyes which was already a step to the better but I wish they’d replace the drum kit completely for a synth kit with pads and other cool looking stuff where Eigner could show his skills but using original sounds.
Besides the digital mixing on Ableton is not helping the band to sound good. Compared to the devotional tour, the sounds feel all like stand alone samples and not mixed in harmony to sound as one song. Lot of important melodies or sounds can hardly be heard, especially on Walking in my shoes or Personal Jesus. I really don’t know how they give their “go” for live DVDs which are sounding worse than a Devotional Tour Video or even 101. Especially having in mind how much production and mastering tools have improved over the last two decades. I still like most of their new studio work, but live it’s not a must have anymore. Unfortunately.
WOW an AWESOME POST!! Thank you so much for taking the time to contribute to this Alex my friend and greetings to you there in Germany !!
Germany had a HUGE influence on Depeche Mode of course and the sound of their "Some Great Reward" album!! Dm have always said how Germany has a special place in there hearts and how the German concerts are particularly magical with HUGE ENERGY!! Alex I would like to welcome you to this like minded community!! I would all like to tell you ( and you are the first to know this ) that I will be doing a special series on German pioneers of electronic music From Alphaville, Kraftwerk , Camouflage to Modern Talking to discuss the HUGE impact that Germany has had on electronic music and poop culture !! Speak to you soon my friend !! V:-)
You’re very welcome. I really enjoyed a lot your videos and thoughts. Mostly I think totally the same like you. And I thank you very much for sharing this thoughts to the public.
One thing I can share with you is that I spoke to Alan after his solo tour in Cologne. He just had played in London with dM “Somebody” on the piano. I asked him if he liked how the band sounds live without him, cause I think it’s hurts to hear them like this. He looked up to me, saw in my eyes for a second and said: yes it hurts, a lot... 🤷🏻♂️
Alex Kvitta ich gebe sowas von Recht!!! (You’re right)
I went to the Durban concert and it was amazing
I was at the JHB on in Jan 1994!! V :-)
I already struggled when Martin left the keyboards and picked up the guitar. I don‘t like the live drumming of Cristian although he is a great drummer. For my liking he overplays it and it is too strong. I like Alans drumming on the devotional tour very much on songs such as „Rush“. He has a great feeling for sounds and improved the live versions where suitable.
I am a purist and prefer the classic line up with the startimg 4 featuring Martin, Alan and Fletch on Keyboards and Dave in front.
Stefan x
Cheers Stefan!! I agree, martin is playing far too much guitar these days !! V:-)
Very well said xx
Hi Vaughn, I totally get your point on the three categories and agree it is a good way of sorting the songs up related to live drumming need. But I would go further and be more strict, in particular the songs from the Violator album have been way too "beaten down" for my taste, so to speak. Personal Jesus is a given live drum song, but that is it for me. I think my wet dream is a 30-year celebration tour of Violator with all tracks in succession and as close to original electronic sound as possible...
Thank you Dennis!! WELL SAID !! V:-)
I love what u r doing . Great commentary!!!!!
Thank you so much my friend and I love having you on board!! V;-)
What added to my annoyance of the new frilly drum video is the awful space-saucer stage kits.... man!
Also, can’t wait for the album reviews! Your channel is like our own personal black celebration of this monstrous band! I’m here for all of it!!!
Rob Grossi hello my friend !! I am so happy to read your kind comments !! You are very welcome here in this tribe!! Many many more DM videos to come !! V 😎👍
Piano & Keyboard Artist looking forward to seeing more! Your excited description of the opening to the Devotional tour is the tie that binds all of us around the world 👌😬. I remember having goose “bumps” too (as we call it here in N.America!)
Rob Grossi Goose bumps here across the pond too my friend!! I look forward to chatting to you soon on the next video !! Lots of love to you there in The USA!!😎👍V
Piano & Keyboard Artist ... same, it’s very cool that you take the tine to respond to comments... although that’ll change once you hit 1 million suns 😜. You said goose flesh in the video, so I thought the saying might be different but i guess not, ha ha! - Your Canadian friend 😉. Catch you later!!!
Rob Grossi hello again my Canadian friend ( not American my apologies 😁). Yes I am trying to remain as hands on as I can and I feel everyone deserves a reply!! I love your optimism of 1 million subscribers and thank you for the faith you have in this channel !! Speak to you again soon!! V😎👍
Totally agree about the drumming. Wilders drumming on I Feel You sounds raw and dirty where as the new sound is a lot more watered down and doesn’t fit the song
Marc Cartledge thank you for your comment and I am glad you can see what I am getting at!! I’ve always felt that Christian despite his talent is ill suited to DM. DM have such a specific sound and applying a Generic rock drumming approach is not what is needed for DM’s sound . 😎👍V
Can you please make a Depeche Mode playlist? Love your DM videos, I am especially interested in how they produced music and their workflow.
Okay I've made note of that!! A good topic for discussion!! Thank you!! V:-)
Vaughn, I respect your personal impressions and opinion about the Devotional tour and what it means to you. I have the same with the Black Celebration tour from 1986, which was my first time seeing DM live (in Hamburg). And I saw them again for MFTM, Violator, and then again for the Exciter tour. And yes, it also took me about ten years to understand and feel the genius of the SOFAD album and the songs on it. But, seriously, the Devotional concert film is so depressing to watch! It starts with the stage design, which separated and distanced Dave from the rest of the band so, so much. Dave himself is so obviously high on a ton of drugs (he already was during the Violator tour, which really put me off when I saw them in Hamburg - he did way to much of that "oh yeah" yelling and his voice was already quite bad at the time), then seeing Martin having to sing several of the songs that Dave would (apparently just barely managed to) sing on the album, and even Alan playing drums right next to Dave, but not having the faintest connection with each other (see th-cam.com/video/NSu3CIa7lS4/w-d-xo.html) - this is really the all time low of the DM w/ Alan era. There is no excitement, no fun, no joy, just dreadfulness and pity. But yes, I do agree that Christian's drumming does not fit DM. And it is tough to see this, because they were the soundtrack to my life throughout the entire 1980s, when I was a teenager.
We saw them in Berlin last tour, and their past two tours and the snare and drums sounded fantastic. You're comparing two TH-cam videos here right?
Outland TV correct !! Yes I saw them live in 2017 too. I would not go as far as saying it was a bad drum sound but it’s certainly not on par with the drum sound that Gary Numan has .😎V
Exactly, mate☝️
As a drummer I like both drum sounds. I'm not sure about the "drum sound" itself from the 2 different versions you played, but there was likely something done from the kit to what the audience hears on Alan's version (to achieve that sound), where-as Christian is more an acoustic drum sound although he does have hybrid parts and triggers samples. But I do agree that the live drums don't always work especially as you mentioned on the earlier tracks.
Kevin Sommerville thank you and it’s great to hear then opinion of a drummer !! Great explanation thank you Sir!! VG👍🎹😎
Gr8 channel! Love it 😍
Love you too Azze!! Thank you!! V:-)
Completly agree with you, not all songs should have live drums, actually back in the day, seeing Alan sitting at the drumms was something special, Alan would do it on special occasions, but they were done properly, not bland and flat like it is now, nothing against Eigner, hes terrific, but he overdones it, and bottom line DM doesnt needs a live drummer in all songs, it only needs Alan.
Just love your content, amazingly interesting stuff, do please continue, i subscribed and im gonna share and talk to my friends about it
I saw a Depeche Mode tribute band which was very good with no drummer. Made me miss the old days with the drum machine. I wish they would go back to the drum machine!
I love Alan’s work and they electronic drums on their tours before the Singles tour. but I love Christian‘s Drums too.
You're right about keyboard and synth being more prominent when the 70's transitioned into the 80's, but unfortunately it was not taken seriously. Going slightly off topic, I remember when Duran Duran came onto the music scene, almost everyone dismissed them as just another good-looking boy band, but another reason for this is because the sound of keyboard plays quite a distinctive part of their music, and by featuring keyboard quite prominently in a traditional band lineup, a lot of people weren't ready for it. Anyway, back to your comparison of Alan's drumming to Christian's drumming, Christian is too rocky for Depeche Mode. As you have said, Alan's drumming is more industrial, more calculated, which is better suited to their sound.
Angela Hon-Fuego hello again!! Everything you have said there is 100% spot on!! A very good comparison you used there with Duran Duran !! Yes and you are exactly right in saying that Christian is a Rock Drummer . He is brilliant but not ideal for DM!! Appreciate your interactions !! V😎👍
Dear Vaughn. You are completely right, except that "Enjoy the silence" i to me is clearly a category C song ment for drum machine. I think live drums is destroying that song. In 1990 I learned the purpose of drum machines, and it was 3 songs that did that for me: "World in my eyes", "Enjoy the silence" and "So hard" (the latter by Pet Shop Boys). These songs taught me that drum machines is an instrument in its own right. And after that I accepted electronic music and started to buy Kraftwerk records and so on (New Order, Erasure, Depeche Mode ...). (And then I also accepted drum machines - when used well - in rock and mainstream pop - like the Tina Turner track "Foreign affair" (with Mark Knopfler on guitar). When the difference between live drums and drum machine is clear, I like both.) So to me "Enjoy the silence" needs that smooth metronomic feel. By the way: I was there in Copenhagen in 1994, and it was one of the best concerts ever. I totally had the same experience!
Martin Lund thank you for your kind comments!! Wow I can’t believe you were at the Copenhagen convert!! That was the best filmed DM performance ever !! I’m glad to have you on the channel my friend !! V😎👍V
@@VaughnGeorge, I was so amazed by the stage-design that I draw it for my little sister when I got home. To me the climax - as I remenber it - was Alan Wilders first dry and hard hits on the drums. But the key-thing to me is that he stopped again, and only drummed on 5-6 tracks. And I think it should have stayed that way in their performances ever since - maybe 10 tracks, but not more. One more thing: I grabbed some kind of "newspaper" in the back of the forum, and there I learned about other DM-like bands. Due to that I also have cd's with "De/Vision" and "Mesh". Do you know these? (Maybe you should dedicate a program to these DM-fan-like bands). Both De/Vision and Mesh have qualities and sometimes very beautiful compositions, but they need most of al a good singer and secondly a more original sound - at least in comparisation with DM. (Last thing: Since i am a professional proof reader (in danish), linguistic nerd (in danish) and expert in correct danish, I have a hard time knowing my written english is not even close to "okay". Therefore I must excuse my rather bad writing skills in english, which potentially is destructive to your language. I know that, but I also know that I am understandable, and that might be enough here in this context. :-)
Martin Lund my friend you have once again contributed great resources to this channel and I am so grateful to you !! V 😎👍
After watching them live with an actual drummer (Chritian Eigner) I think I prefer them live. The sound just comes alive with real drums.
you are SO wrong... no entendiste nada de lo que se explicó en el video...
Alan Wilder is the genius behind DM's success
I completely agree with everything !! Love your videos man! :)
Freezer - Trance Channel: Thanks again bro !! V :-)
This was a brilliant example with those drums. Oh, goose-flash too!
István Györgyi thank you for your comment my friend 👍
I was at the gig of that 2nd clip of 'I Feel You' you used! Hyde Park, Wireless 2006. Only DM gig I've ever been to. Was great. But yes, agree the drumming did sound better on the Devotional clip.
I agree, the sound is different. The snare doesn't have that snap when you hear it.
It's always nice to meet another fellow music nerd, who deconstructs the pointless details of individual songs. I much appreciate your videos, and share your opinion on Alan's importance. I've picked apart their songs, to find the individual details. Sometimes you're wrong, but I'll forgive that, you're just a young lad, but a very talented one. Thank you for feeding my nerdism.
Cheers Jonas !! I appreciate your kind words and I am happy to have you in this like minded community!! V:-)
Alan Wilder didn't just massage the sound of DM's studio albums, but he was also in charge of the live sound during and after a recorded concert, Devotional especially. DM to date have not bothered to over produce the sound of their live output, be it audio or video since Ultra. Listen to the live recordings of the b-side tracks to Home and Useless CD singles. (I believe it was the Adrenalin Village promotion night for Ultra). Not only do they over dub Dave's voice, (for obvious reasons) but they make sure that the drum sound amalgamates into the electronic sound. They no longer care about their sound. DM live from Crystal Palace 1993 was given to Radio 1 to put out a couple of weeks after the concert. If you listen to that show (or wathc it here on TH-cam) Dave's voice has been over-dubbed. I know this because I was there. It was Alan Wilder making sure that the sound was good enough for his listening and therefore good enough for the listeners ears. He was DM and he was massaging every little piece of information because he cared. Do DM care now? Of course they don't. I have said for years that Eigner should study every little accent, every fill in the elctronic drums did on a DM album and use drum triggers to get that exact sound. He only recently attempted this in the last tour with World in My Eyes. It took him long enough for that attempt!
If you want to hate the people who want drums live on stage at DM gigs, then turn your attention to the stage / production / sound manager Kerry Hopwood. Not only him, but i'm afraid Dave Gahan. Dave has wanted a drummer in the band since he had Alan Wilder during Devotional. He apprently needs dynamics on stage. Who is to blame? Things change, people change, sounds change for better or for worse. It is an old moan, let it go piano and keyboard artist, Alan is never coming back and Dave Gahan loves his drummer.
Thank you for your thoughtful and incredibly informative message !! You are bang on the buck with everything you said mate!! Your argument makes perfect sense , especially the fact that Dave is a huge fan of the live drumming. Appreciate your comment . V :-)
Actually i love their live sound these days. It's more "organic" to me. I'm a long time DP fan and i love their old albums but their new take on the old songs made the songs fresh again. Just my opinion
juanmiguel abad It s not only your opinion it s also mine and I find their concert more pleasant to watch with a drummer. A Andrew Fletcher clapping is not enough for me.
I also agree with the end of L12Bong statement. Alan is gone 20 years ago, the drummer is forever and as DM fans let s stop whinnying. Just move on.
What do you mean nobody loves Depeche Mode more than you do? I do!! LOL. Another great video (agree 100%), also love how passionate about DM you are. Subbed!
Thanks Alena !! Good to have you onboard !! VG:-)
You are absolutely RIGHT!
I seem to recall that Alan also drummed live on the SOFAD tour to challenge himself, as playing single finger samples (and the odd bit of piano) for 2 hours must get boring when you're that good a musician!
The classic "3 keyboard" lineup is to me Depeche Mode. Great to have a bit of guitar and drums on a few tracks, but once you have a drummer on every song and Martin predominantly on guitar, it takes away something. I imagine Dave much prefers the current set up though.
Your analysis is spot on !! VG:-)
I believe DM should go back to starting the tape and take out live drumming they were a synth pop band last time i remembered 😉
I totally do not agree! Live drums it is very good idea!
I do agree that some songs work fine with live drumming like Personal Jesus but I would definitely put NLMDA in the C category. One of my all time DM favorites, it just doesn't do it live for me anymore because of the drumming.
1993 Drum sound... thunder crack.
Now, Drum sound...book dropped on the floor.
A L A N
W I L D E R
Have to agree that live drums is not always necessary. However, i remember being slightly disappointed with the live drums sound and guitar tone for the Devotional live show. It was too far from the studio version for me. And the snare actually sounded weird with that echo effect live
Correct !! V:-)
As always, no disappointing video so far (just catching up on your back catalogue). Good substantial stuff. 👍
You're mentioning the sampled guitar on "Never let me down again" as (not verbatim but quite clear) kind of the first use of a guitar on a DM track. What about the guitar on "Love in Itself"? Not trying to be smart here knowing that you know what you're talking about... so I reckon there's a reason that you said so.
Standard Bank arena Johannesburg 1994... SOFAD I was there too 😁
Aha Roland!! What a gig it was!!
That JD800 looks great!!
And well,
Depeche Mode without ALAN WILDER is still a great band,
But NOT the SUPER-MEGA and unique band that they used to be when Alan was part of it.
No, not all their songs sound good with live drums, or they do if the right drummer is there like it happened in the Devotional/Exotic Tour.
A "Rock" drummer doesn't fit that much to DM's songs.
Anyway, I miss his input as a Keyboard player, arranger, producer, backing vocals, than just a drummer.
ANDRES77: Hello my friend !! Well spotted on my JD800!! Yes its in great condition and its working well !! I know its like nearly 30 years old but I still use it as a controller. Its obviously not as technically advanced as modern synths and controllers but I see is as my "MILLENNIUM FALCON" (Star Wars). I love the build quality and how I got my hands on this keyboard is another story of its own to which I will post a special video soon!! You are right in saying that a "rock drummer" is not what Depeche Mode need. We all miss Alan and I enjoy the discussion on the subject. Keep watching the channel , there is a lot more to come!! :-) V
I agree with Gary Walker on this one.
They had the right “combination mix” of live drums and programmed drums by the time SOFAD was released. Using the live drums as samples sounds great.
It’s too much now with Eigner. I find it hard to watch/listen to Never Let Me Down Again without the Drumulator sound. Same goes for Black Celebration and other tracks live.
Alan Wilder = Fantastic!!!
Alan Wilder DM FOREVER!!!🎵🎶🎵💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯
The most interested things about DM drums world are in SOFAD Live drumming - LoopsLiveDrumming. Nowadays they're immersed on livedrumcing processed. The most headache and expensive workflow. but we now Dm are an a machine to make money to many people, manufacturers and designers of equipment included.
I believe at their age in life and their professional development that they want to be remembered as a rock ‘n’ roll group rather than a fringe group that use keyboards I agree with you the old Depeche Mode using keyboards was far superior the music was better they just seem as though they’ve lost a lot of that edge
1993 live snare was EQ-ed waay better than what we heard in 2005 (Touring the Angel). 2005 snare sounded too weak, no middle freqs whatsoever.
Best snare sound ever !! V :-)
The problem with having a drummer on the live set is that you can't usher him out now and then. If the stage was set with a turret and the drummer came on when he is needed and turned around for the classics? Problem is that everyone would boo whenever that happen.
I agree on you with practicalities on this mater!! Thanks for commenting!! V;-)
I agree , however, I listened I feel you in the last tour and it was amazing!!!, waaaaay better than last 2 tours, but I admit I prefer the sound of Alan´s drum kit, however, if you listen to A question of time version in the exotic tour (with the Alan´s drums), that was terrible, it sounds better with Eigner´s kit. But of course, the rest of devotional-exotic tour era was fantastic, their best live tour, sounds, version, visuals, etc, etc, etc.
As for the sound: Eigners drums are triggert into Ableton live and so they can sound whatever they want to. For some reason the band seem to want to sound like this these days.
I can hear the difference. It was clean and now mudded up on the live drums. Makes a difference...
Chris Smith cheers my friend !! Yes the difference is as clear as day!! Welcome to the channel!! V👍😎
Saw DM during the Devotional tour here in Florida. It was a hot mess, but I loved it.