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Songs of Faith and Devotion

 
Album Review: Songs of Faith and Devotion
 
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Songs of Faith and Devotion

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  • Artist: Depeche Mode
  • Rating: StarStarStarStar
  • Release Date: March 23, 1993
  • Type: Lyrics are included with the album
  • Genre: Rock

Review

In between Violator and Songs of Faith and Devotion, a lot happened: Nirvana rewrote the ideas of what "alternative" was supposed to be, while Nine Inch Nails hit the airwaves as the most clearly Depeche-influenced new hit band around. In the meantime, the band went through some high-profile arguing as David Gahan turned into a long-haired, leather-clad rocker and pushed for a more guitar-oriented sound. Yet the odd thing about Songs of Faith and Devotion is that it sounds pretty much like a Depeche Mode album, only with some new sonic tricks courtesy of Alan Wilder and co-producer Flood. Perhaps even odder is the fact that it works incredibly well all the same. "I Feel You," opening with a screech of feedback, works its live drums well, but when the heavy synth bass kicks in with the wailing backing vocals, even most rockers might find it hard to compete. Martin Gore's lyrical bent, as per the title, ponders relationships through distinctly religious imagery; while the gambit is hardly new, on songs like the centerpiece "In Your Room," the combination of personal and spiritual love blends perfectly. Outside musicians appear for the first time, including female backing singers on a couple of tracks, most notably the gospel-flavored "Condemnation" and the uilleann pipes on "Judas," providing a lovely intro to the underrated song (later covered by Tricky). "Rush" is the biggest misstep, a too obvious sign that Nine Inch Nails was a recording-session favorite to unwind to. But with other numbers such as "Walking in My Shoes" and "The Mercy in You" to recommend it, Songs of Faith and Devotion continues the Depeche Mode winning streak. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
I Feel You Martin L. Gore Depeche Mode (4:35)
Walking in My Shoes Martin L. Gore Depeche Mode (5:35)
Condemnation Martin L. Gore Depeche Mode (3:20)
Mercy in You Martin L. Gore Depeche Mode (4:17)
Judas Martin L. Gore Depeche Mode (5:14)
In Your Room Martin L. Gore Depeche Mode (6:26)
Get Right With Me Depeche Mode (3:53)
Rush Martin L. Gore Depeche Mode (4:37)
One Caress Martin L. Gore Depeche Mode (3:32)
Higher Love Martin L. Gore Depeche Mode (5:57)

Credits

Depeche Mode (Producer), Depeche Mode (Main Performer), Depeche Mode (Mixing), Steve Lyon (Engineer), Shaun DeFeo (Engineer), Shaun DeFeo (Assistant Engineer), Chris Dickie (Engineer), Flood (Producer), Flood (Mixing), Andrew Fletcher (Band), Andrew Fletcher (Group), David Gahan (Band), David Gahan (Group), Martin L. Gore (Band), Martin L. Gore (Group), Steafan Hannigan (Uillean Pipes), Paul Kendall (Engineer), Basil Meade (Vocals), Mark "Spike" Stent (Mixing), Alan Wilder (Band), Alan Wilder (Group), Jeremy Wheatley (Assistant Engineer), Will Malone (Conductor), Will Malone (String Arrangements), Will Malone (String Conductor), Samantha Smith (Vocals), Anton Corbijn (Art Direction), Anton Corbijn (Visuals), Anton Corbijn (Sleeve Design), Kevin Metcalfe (Mastering), Daryl Bamonte (Production Coordination), Hildia Cambell (Vocals)
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Wikipedia: Songs of Faith and Devotion
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
Songs of Faith and Devotion
Songs of Faith and Devotion cover
Studio album by Depeche Mode
Released March 22, 1993 (1993-03-22)
Recorded February - December 1992
Genre Synth rock, Post-grunge, Alternative dance
Length 47:26
Label Mute
Sire/Reprise (US/Canada)
Producer Depeche Mode, Flood
Professional reviews
Depeche Mode chronology
Violator
(1990)		 Songs of Faith and Devotion
(1993)		 Ultra
(1997)
Singles from Songs of Faith and Devotion
  1. "I Feel You"
    Released: February 15, 1993
  2. "Walking in My Shoes"
    Released: April 26, 1993
  3. "Condemnation"
    Released: Septermber 13, 1993
  4. "In Your Room"
    Released: January 10, 1994

Songs of Faith and Devotion is the eighth studio album by Depeche Mode, first released in March 1993. The album incorporated more guitar textures than previous releases. Upon its release, Songs of Faith and Devotion reached #1 in both the UK and US album charts. The album was also the last one the band recorded with Alan Wilder. To support the album, Depeche Mode embarked on the eighteen-month Devotional Tour. As of April 2006, Songs of Faith and Devotion has sold 920,000 units in the United States.

All art for the album was directed by Anton Corbijn, which included photography and the front cover. The front cover is the only Depeche Mode studio album cover to feature the band.

Contents

2006 re-release

In 2006, Songs of Faith and Devotion was re-released with a bonus DVD. It was released as a part of the second wave of re-issues. (Along with A Broken Frame and Some Great Reward) The first CD was remastered and (except in the USA) was released on a CD/SACD hybrid. The bonus DVD includes the B-Side "My Joy" along with the Jazz Mix of "Death's Door" (similar to the original version) and several other remixes.

Also included was a 36 minute documentary on Songs of Faith and Devotion called Depeche Mode 91-94 (We Were Going To Live Together, Record Together And It Was Going To Be Wonderful) named after a quote from Alan Wilder on the potential of living in their Madrid-area recording studio. It features interviews with Depeche Mode (including Alan, who would leave the band shortly thereafter) and other important DM figures like Daniel Miller, Anton Corbijn and Daryl Bamonte. There is also footage from the movie Devotional and the music videos. The documentary mainly focuses on the extreme difficulty of recording the album, and the even more frustrating 14-month tour that followed.

It was released October 2, 2006 in the UK and October 3, 2006 in the US.

The remastered album was released on "deluxe" vinyl March 2, 2007 in Germany and March 5, 2007 internationally.

Track listing

All songs written by Martin L. Gore.

1993 release: Mute / Stumm 106 (UK)

  1. "I Feel You" – 4:35
  2. "Walking in My Shoes" – 5:35
  3. "Condemnation" – 3:20
  4. "Mercy in You" – 4:17
  5. "Judas" – 5:14
  6. "In Your Room" – 6:26
  7. "Get Right with Me" – 3:52
    "Interlude #4" – 0:59 (hidden song starting at 2:53)
  8. "Rush" – 4:37
  9. "One Caress" – 3:32
  10. "Higher Love" – 5:56
  • "Interlude #4" is an excerpt from the "Swamp Mix" of "I Feel You". It is often used to introduce the song when played live.
  • Easter egg: When you remove the black cover that holds the cd in place, underneath you'll find a photograph by Anton Corbijn, fittingly titled Dessous. (May not be valid for all versions)

2006 re-release: Mute / DM CD 8 (CD/SACD + DVD) / CDX STUMM 106 (CD/SACD)

  • Disc 1 is a hybrid SACD/CD with a multi-channel SACD layer.
  • Disc 2 is a DVD which includes "Songs of Faith and Devotion" in DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM Stereo plus bonus material
  1. "I Feel You" – 4:35
  2. "Walking in My Shoes" – 5:35
  3. "Condemnation" – 3:20
  4. "Mercy in You" – 4:17
  5. "Judas" – 5:14
  6. "In Your Room" – 6:26
  7. "Get Right with Me" – 3:32
  8. "Rush" – 4:37
  9. "One Caress" – 3:30
  10. "Higher Love" – 5:56

Bonus tracks (in DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, PCM Stereo)

  1. "My Joy" – 3:57
  2. "Condemnation (Paris Mix)" – 3:21
  3. "Death's Door (Jazz Mix)" – 6:38
  4. "In Your Room (Zephyr Mix)" – 4:50
  5. "I Feel You (Life's Too Short Mix)" – 8:35
  6. "Walking In My Shoes (Grungy Gonads Mix)" – 6:24
  7. "My Joy (Slowslide Mix)" – 5:11
  8. "In Your Room (Apex Mix)" – 6:43

Additional Material

  1. "Depeche Mode 91-94 (We Were Going to Live Together, Record Together and it Was Going to be Wonderful)" [36 Minute video]
  • All lead vocals by David Gahan except for "Judas", "One Caress" and "Death's Door (Jazz Mix)", sung by Martin Gore.

Singles

  1. "I Feel You"
  2. "Walking In My Shoes"
  3. "Condemnation" (Paris Mix)
  4. "In Your Room" (Zephyr Mix)

Personnel

  • Mark Ellis “Flood” - Production, mixing
  • Mark Stent - Mixing
  • Depeche Mode - Mixing
  • Steve Lyon, Chris Dickie, Paul Kendall - Engineering
  • Jeremy Wheatley, Mark Einstmann, Shaun de Feo, Volke Schneider - Assistance
  • Kevin Metcalfe - Mastering
  • Daryl Bamonte - Album coordination

Guest musicians:

  • Steafan Hannigan – Uillean pipes on "Judas"
  • Bazil Meade, Hildia Campbell, Samantha Smith – Additional vocals on "Get Right With Me"
  • Wil Malone – String arrangements and conducting on "One Caress"

Chart positions

Chart (1993) Peak
position		 Certification
Australian Albums Chart[1] 14
Austrian Albums Chart[2] 1
French Albums Chart[3] 1 2x Gold[4]
German Albums Chart[5] 1 Gold[6]
Netherlands Albums Chart[7] 18
Norwegian Albums Chart[1] 16
Swedish Albums Chart[8] 2
UK Albums Chart[9] 1 Gold[10]
US Billboard 200[11] 1 Platinum[12]

References

  1. ^ a b "Discography Depeche Mode". Australian-Charts.com. Retrieved 16 April 2009.
  2. ^ "Discographie Depeche Mode". AustrianCharts.at. Retrieved 5 May 2009.
  3. ^ "Depeche Mode Songs of Faith and Devotion chart. Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 5 May 2009.
  4. ^ "Depeche Mode Double Gold Certification". Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 5 May 2009.
  5. ^ "Suchergebnis". Charts-Surfer.de. Retrieved 16 April 2009. Note: User must define 'neuer suchbegriff' search parameter as "Depeche Mode".
  6. ^ "Gold/Platin-Datenbank". MusikIndustrie.de. Retrieved 16 April 2009. Note: User must define 'Sie können nach Titel, Jahr oder Interpret suchen' search parameter as "Depeche Mode".
  7. ^ "Discografie Depeche Mode". DutchCharts.nl. Retrieved 5 May 2009.
  8. ^ "Discography Depeche Mode". SwedishCharts.com. Retrieved 16 April 2009.
  9. ^ "Chart Stats: Depeche Mode". ChartStats.com. Retrieved 16 April 2009.
  10. ^ "Songs of Faith and Devotion UK gold certification". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 16 April 2009.
  11. ^ "Depeche Mode > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Retrieved 16 April 2009.
  12. ^ "Searchable Database". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 16 April 2009. Note: User must define 'Artist' search parameter as "Depeche Mode".


Preceded by
Unplugged by Eric Clapton		 Billboard 200 number-one album
April 10 - April 16, 1993		 Succeeded by
Get a Grip by Aerosmith
Preceded by
Their Greatest Hits by Hot Chocolate		 UK number one album
April 3, 1993 – April 9, 1993		 Succeeded by
Suede by Suede

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

Copyrights:

Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Songs of Faith and Devotion".  Read more

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