On The List: 1980s

We are back and proud to announce our newest book.  On The List:1980s.  Out now!!! In this book, we explore that totally awesome decade:  the 1980s.  Neon clothes, big hair, cassettes, fast cars, MTV, and all the great music from pop to rock to metal to rap to every paisley jangle pub punk out there.  It's available now and perfect for under the tree for that audiophile in your life.  Available now on Amazon.

Here are the 11 best quotes from people who have read the book:

1. "Most Excellent!" - Two wild musicians at the Circle K
2. "The sportos, the motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, wastoids, dweebies, dickheads - they all adore it." - High School Receptionist
3. "I feel the need...the need for this book!" - Naval Pilot
4. "Inconceivable!" - Some Guy who doesn't know what the word means
5. "It belongs in a museum." - An Archeologist
6. "Bitchin'" - kid hanging out back at the Gas N' Sip
7. "I came. I read. It kicks ass!" - Paranormal Expert
8. "If you read it, you will be happy." - Baseball player
9. "It's great.  Now you know...and knowing is half the battle." - Military Soldier
10. "I'll be back...to read this again and again." Robot from the future
11. "This goes to 11." - Metal guitarist

The 11 Best Songs By Depeche Mode of the 00s

Recently, Christopher Clemons of the Seattle Seahawks said that any NFL player who comes out and reveals that his is gay...that would be considered a selfish act.  This reminds me of a story from my childhood...

When I was in high school, one of my classmates noticed that I was listening to Depeche Mode on my walkman and teased me for being gay because I liked Depeche Mode. Unfortunately for him, I wasn't gay. His rationale was that everyone in the group Depeche Mode was gay...so therefore if I listened to them...then I was gay by association.  He teased me while wearing a Judas Priest t-shirt.  Recently, I heard through the grapevine that he's come out of the closet.  Exactly.

The 11 Best Songs By Depeche Mode of the 00s:

1. Precious (Playing The Angel)
2. In Sympathy (Sounds of the Universe)
3. Martyr (Best Of)
4. Suffer Well (Playing The Angel)
5. Lillian (Playing The Angel)
6. Light (Sounds of the Universe Deluxe Edition)
7. Fragile Tension (Sounds of the Universe)
8. Free (Precious Single)
9. Dream On (Exciter)
10. John The Revelator (Playing The Angel)
11. Perfect (Sounds of the Universe)

Buy Depeche Mode's new album, Delta Machine...now!

The 11 Most Anticipated Albums of 2013

I'll post the top 111 albums of 2012 on Friday.  So you still have time to get me your lists!!  Just send me your favorite albums of 2012 in the comment section.  Top 20...or whatever number of albums you liked.

With 2013 already .3% over, let's start looking ahead at what our year might look like musically...

This is a list of albums that have official release dates...or have been officially announced.  There might be a new Arcade Fire album, there might be a new Modest Mouse, there might be two new Beck albums...and we all know how long Kevin Shields takes to do anything so I'm not holding my breath about a new MBV album until 2015.  And honestly...why does everyone care so much about a new Cher album?

The 11 Most Anticipated Albums of 2013:

1. Phoenix (April)
2. Eminem (June)
3. Depeche Mode (March)
4. MGMT - MGMT (May)
5. Atoms for Peace - Amok (2/18)
6. Tegan & Sara - Heartthrob (1/29)
7. Kid Cudi - Indicud (March)
8. Natalie Maines - Mother (May)
9. Bad Religion - True North (1/22)
10. Ra Ra Riot - Beta Love (1/22)
11. Johnny Marr - The Messenger (1/26)

What albums did I leave off?  What are your most anticipated?

Buy the best of 2012 here!

The Unknown: The 11 Best Depeche Mode Bonus Remix Tracks.

Last week, Amazon ended its Affliates program for residents in California.  This came about from a new law signed by California Gov. Jerry Brown.  In crude terms, the new law put a new tax on retailers who were located in California.  Since Amazon had affiliates located in California under the new law that would make Amazon a "California" business and be susceptible to the new tax.  Therefore, Amazon ended its affiliates program to avoid being hit with the new tax.  It's a stupid law.  It probably hurts California more than it helps it.  Since the world is moving toward digital business, having affiliates programs only helps the California economy and their taxes, since all affiliates located in California have to pay taxes on their earnings.  With the lost earnings from Amazon, that's less taxes that will now be paid to the state.

With the limited quality releases this month, I'm going to catch up a bit on the releases I've missed or overlooked.

Though I love Depeche Mode, I can't say I'm thrilled about the massive amount of bonus tracks for their latest Remix compilation. Each retail affiliate was given certain bonus tracks that were only associated with their deluxe edition.  The total amount of bonus tracks tops out around 25 extra tracks on top of the already 37 tracks from the regular deluxe edition.  Some of the tracks can be bought individually...but others like the ten tracks from Beatport.com will cost you about $4 a piece.  So, if you want to get the additional 10 bonus tracks of dubs and instrumentals, you'll be shelling out $40 which is more than you would pay for the regular deluxe edition.  Of course, if you want to just by the Beatport deluxe edition, it's only a mere $78...and is oddly missing ten tracks that are readily available on the other editions.  I can't really figure out what DM's goal is on this one.  It's one thing to lure people into buying the album for a couple extra tracks.  But only the true fans are going to buy multiple editions.  Aren't the true devoted fans the ones you want to bribe to keep around?  Not the ones you want to gouge?  I did a heavy search and have picked up most of the bonus tracks and out of the 25, here are the ones I found the best bang for your buck.

Here are the 11 Best Depeche Mode Bonus Tracks from the new Remixes:

1.  The Sinnner in Me (Sixtoes Remix) - HMV Digital
2.  In Chains (Myer vs. Wilder Deconstruction) - Itunes
3.  The Sun and the Rainfall (Black Light Odyssey's Further Excerpts) - HMV Digital
4.  Personal Jesus (Sie Medway-Smith Dub) - Beatport
5.  In Chains (Tigerskin's No Sleep Alternative Remix) - Beatport
6.  Sister of Night (Ida Engberg's Giving Voice to The Flame) - Amazon Digital Edition
7.  The Sweetest Perfection (Phil Kieran Vocal Remix) - Amazon Digital Edition
8.  Suffer Well (M83 Instrumental) - Beatport
9.  Wrong (Trentemoller Club Remix Dub) - Beatport
10.  A Pain That I'm Used To (Jacques Le Cont Dub) - Beatport
11.  John The Revelator (UNKLE Dub) - Beatport

Buy Depeche Mode's Remixes 81-11...now!

The 11 Best Albums of 2009: 12-22 (Part 4)

I've noticed that my excitement for new releases is much lower than it used to be. When a new Pearl Jam album came out...I lined up at midnight at Tower Records just to be the first to buy it. I still go buy albums the day they come out...but it's usually a Tuesday ritual rather than a special treat. But this year...there were a few albums that got my juices going. The 4 unreleased Beck albums were quite nice since they were unavailable in a store. But these were given away for free. So, as cool as they were...anyone could get them. But there was another unreleased album that I got fanatic over. That would be the Sparklehorse/DangerMouse album...why? Because it was never available anywhere. Not to download. Not to buy. Getting a copy wasn't just exciting...it was like a treasure hunt. For those few days while I tracked down each song, I was excited over a new release since...as I had been when waiting in line at midnight.

New month means new $5 albums. Check out the store for the new Lady Gaga, 50 Cent, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Alec Ounsworth, Major Lazer, new Green Day, Wale, Dodos, My Morning Jacket, and a buttload of Christmas albums.

Here is the 11 Best Albums of 2009: 12-22 (Part 4):

12. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
13. Deer Tick - Born On Flag Day (Straight Into A Storm)
14. The Black Crowes - Before The Frost...Until the Freeze
15. The Dead Weather - Horehound
16. White Rabbits - It's Frightening
17. Tegan and Sara - Sainthood
18. Regina Spektor - FAR
19. Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse - Dark Night of the Soul (Revenge)
20. Pearl Jam - Backspacer
21. Depeche Mode - Sounds of the Universe
22. Magnolia Electric Co. - Josephine (Little Sad Eyes)

The 11 Best Depeche Mode Remixes

No band has had as much influence on the club scene as Depeche Mode. Back in the 80s...a remix meant either a longer version of a song or a slight mix of the levels with a cowbell thrown-in for fun. But DM turned remixing on its head by taking it to another level. They reinvented songs by changing the beats, the structures, even the lyrics. The Quad Mix of ETS is the breaking point of remixing in my opinion. They turned a 3-minute pop song into an orchestral number. That's a height all remixers should aim for.

In picking through the 200+ remixes of Depeche songs, I stuck to remixes rather than alternate versions of songs like the ETS Harmonium, the acoustic PJ, or the lounge version of Love in Itself. Though most of the best remixes have come in the later part of their career, without some of the brillant mixes from the early years...the newer remixes would have never been possible.

Here are the 11 Best Depeche Mode Remixes:

1. Enjoy the Silence (The Quad Final Mix)

2. World in My Eyes (Cicada Mix)

3. Photographic (Dub Mix) by Rex the Dog

4. Useless (Escape From Wherever: Parts 1 & 2)

5. Enjoy The Silence (Reinterpreted) by Mike Shinoda ft. Linkin Park

6. Policy of Truth (Capitol Mix)

7. Halo (Remix) by goldfrapp

8. Lilian (Robag Wruhme Slomochen Kikker)

9. Suffer Well (M83 Remix)

10. Get The Balance Right! (Combination Mix)

11. Nothing (Rock Mix) by Headcleaner

Sounds of the Universe is out now!!

The 11 Best Depeche Mode Songs of the 00s:

Okay, so it wasn't their best decade. But there are a couple of gems that hold up with some of their best material. No, not all of them...just a couple.


Here are The 11 Best Depeche Mode Songs of the 00s:


1. Precious (Playing the Angel)
2. Suffer Well (Playing the Angel)
3. Martyr (Best Of)
4. Free (Playing the Angel B-side)
5. Freelove (Exciter)
6. Lilian (Playing the Angel)
7. Shine (Exciter)
8. A Pain That I'm Used To (Playing the Angel)
9. When The Body Speaks (Exciter)
10. John The Revelator (Playing the Angel)
11. Goodnight Lovers (Exciter)


Last chance to buy the new Depeche album Sounds of the Universe for only $3.99.

The 11 Best Depeche Mode Songs of the 90s:

Though the new Depeche Mode came out this week...all anyone seems to be talking about is "torture." No one is upset that America engaged in torture tactics...they're angry that the government released paperwork that we used certain torture techniques. Now our enemies know our tactics and can prepare for it. Honestly, if anyone actually thinks that...you're an idiot. Even at our worst...our torture techniques pale in comparison to the terrorist techniques. If anything, they're not preparing for our torture...they're laughing at it. We may use "water boarding" which simulates drowning...but in the terrorist version instead of water, they use battery acid. We use sleep deprivation...they pour motor oil down your throat. We engage in something called "walling" where we throw suspects at a wall....they do something called "balling" where they cut off your balls. Face it, our tactics sucked. They wouldn't even make into the first draft of a "24" script. They wouldn't even convince a high school student to give up the name of a classmate who started a rumor...let alone break down a terrorist cell. Please...get some better tactics...then you can be offended.

Here are The 11 Best Depeche Mode Songs of the 90s:

1. Enjoy the Silence (Violator)
2. It's No Good (Ultra)
3. Policy of Truth (Violator)
4. Useless (Ultra)
5. Halo (Violator)
6. Sea of Sin (Violator B-Side)
7. Barrel of a Gun (Ultra)
8. Mercy In You (Songs of Faith and Devotion)
9. World In My Eyes (Violator)
10. Personal Jesus (Violator)
11. Walking in My Shoes (Songs of Faith and Devotion)

Buy Depeche Mode Sounds of the Universe now!! (only $3.99 to download from Amazon)

The 11 Best Depeche Mode Songs of the 80s:

After watching the Hall Of Fame ceremonies last week, it's left me wondering whose next? There are some obvious choices, which I listed a few days ago...but there are others who are less easy to tell. To me, Depeche Mode is a no-brainer. But whenever I bring them up in conversation, my friends give me smirks and pats on the head, like when you congratulate your kid for trying really hard. Is DM really an outrageous thought to make the Hall of Fame? Today's release is their 12th album. They've been selling out stadiums now for over 28 years. Countless big time artists cite them as a major influence. And not just bands who play $2 beer night at the local pub. I'm talking about the likes of Nine Inch Nails, Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead, Linkin Park, and The Killers.

As with most big time bands...hall of famers...I can't break down their entire career into one best of list. Great bands re-invent themselves decade-to-decade. As with Depeche Mode...their career has had many ups and down...I can't even remember how many times I've read they're breaking up and then re-uniting. But I think that's what the greats do. And if over the neext three days...with the countless amount of incredible songs...that doesn't convince you that this band should be invited to Cleveland...well then...you don't deserve to listen to music anymore.

Here are the 11 Best Depeche Mode Songs of the 80s:

1. But Not Tonight (Black Celebration)
2. Never Let Me Down (Music For The Masses)
3. Photographic (Speak and Spell)
4. Everything Counts (Construction Time Again)
5. Blasphemous Rumors (Some Great Reward)
6. Strangelove (Music For The Masses)
7. Somebody (Some Great Reward)
8. Stripped (Black Celebration)
9. Lie To Me (Some Great Reward)
10. Shake The Disease (Catching Up With DM)
11. Sacred (Music For The Masses)

Buy the new Depeche Mode album, Sounds of the Universe now!! (only $3.99)

The Unknown: Depeche Mode - Cheating The Devil

To some artists, B-sides are an art form. Some musicians put out B-sides like it was a second career. Take Morrissey, when this guy sneezes at least 3 b-sides come shooting out with all the mucus. Ryan Adams has been known to record b-side albums in his sleep. And Travis? Do these guy release regular albums anymore...or just b-sides? Other bands are more sparing with their material and fans may be lucky enough to be graced with one exclusive track per decade. There's a reason AC/DC skipped the "B" in their name.

Depeche Mode falls in the middle. On their best albums, DM has given fans upwards of 6 b-sides...but always mixing in instrumentals with their vocal tracks. They've always been a bigger "remix" band. And it's no suprise we saw a Depeche Mode remix album before a b-side album. So collecting all the b-sides together wasn't the hurdle it would be with most bands. There were enough tracks to split the Bees into two albums. Instead of going in order, I've opted to start with second album, which features some tracks you may not be familiar with.

That said...if you guys want more DM synth pop goodness...then you need to go out and buy the new album (Sounds of the Universe). Right now if you go through my Amazon store, you can buy it for $3.99. I mean seriously, how are you ever going to beat that price? If enough people download it...then I'll have no choice but to treat you to some more rare stuff.

Depeche Mode - Cheating the Devil

1. Dangerous

2. Happiest Girl

3. Sea Of Sin

4. My Joy

5. Death's Door

6. Only When I Lose Myself

7. Surrender

8. Dirt

9. Free

10. Better Days

11. Newborn

12. Martyr

Buy Depeche Mode's new album, Sounds of the Universe...now! (only $3.99 at my digital store)

The Best Non-Depeche Mode Songs by Depeche Mode Members

Halloween was much easier when you didn't have a kid. Sure it's more fun now...but I can't dress up like a serial killer when I have a 2-year-old daughter. That might actually be illegal in some states. I was going to be an evil clown...but even that will probably give her nightmares until her early teens. And if she has nightmares, that means I don't sleep. And it's not like my wife lets me eat the candy from Halloween anyway. I was allowed more candy when I was seven. Now if I eat more than a mini-snickers bar, I can't fit into my jeans. Life used to be so much better when I didn't know what a scale was.

The members of Depeche Mode are all growing up too. They are no longer the boy pop band from England. They are now full-fledged rock stars. How can you prove that: solo albums. Martin Gore has two, Alan Wilder (ex-member) has a bunch in his other band Recoil, even Alan Fletcher has an unreleased album (Toast Hawaii). This week, Dave Gahan released his second solo album, entitled Hourglass. It's a huge step forward from his first debut...maybe Gore will let him write a few more songs for the next DM album...

Here are the 11 Best Performances by Depeche Mode members outside of Depeche Mode:

1. Compulsion - Martin Gore (Counterfeit E.P.)
2. I Need You - Dave Gahan (Paper Monsters)
3. Dirty Stick Floors - Dave Gahan (Paper Monsters)
4. Reload - Dave Gahan (with Junkie XL)
5. Gone - Martin Gore (Counterfeit E.P.)
6. Coming Back To You - Martin Gore (Leonard Cohen Tribute Album)
7. In A Manner of Speaking - Martin Gore (Counterfeit E.P.)
8. Hold On - Dave Gahan (Paper Monsters)
9. Don't Look Back - Recoil (Liquid)
10. I Cast A Lonesome Shadow - Martin Gore (Counterfeit 2)
11. Last Breath - Recoil (Unsound Methods)

Buy Hourglass here and get a bonus DVD.

The 11 Best Depeche Mode Songs

In high school, you're surrounded by people who are popular, people who are sports stars, people who love drama, and people who disappear into the paint on the wall. When you're young and stoned out of your freaking gourd, you think that everyone you go to school with is going to go onto fame and fortune. The football QB will be playing for the Raiders someday, the President of the debate team will go onto Congress, the drama kids will get a spot in a hot indie movie. The truth is...none of this will ever happen. The QB will go onto sell real estate. The President of the debate team will likely become an overpriced lawyer who gets divorced annually, and the drama kids will either end up in rehab or teaching drama. Maybe...just maybe, the kid that everyone ignored may go onto some sort of success...developing the next big website or selling a screenplay to Spielberg.

Depeche Mode is that kid.

For years they were ignored, scoffed at, belittled and told that their 15 minutes of fame was 15 minutes past due. But 25 years later, they have remained as one of the premiere bands of the 1980s. Take that Richard Marx!!

Dave Gahan, lead singer of Depeche Mode (do I really have to say that?), is releasing his 2nd solo LP today. It's called Hourglass. If 25 years into your career, you get to release your 2nd solo CD...and there's still interest in what you're doing...well, that means you're doing something right. You don't hear people knocking each other down to get the new Loverboy CD (except for Walmart)....and Loverboy used to be huge. HUGE, I tell you.

Here are the 11 Best Depeche Mode Songs:

1. Enjoy The Silence (Violator)
2. It's No Good (Ultra)
3. But Not Tonight (Black Celebration)
4. Photographic (Speak and Spell)
5. Somebody (Some Great Reward)
6. Never Let Me Down (Music For The Masses)
7. Halo (Violator)
8. Shake the Disease (Catching Up With Depeche Mode)
9. Strangelove (Music For The Masses)
10. Walking in My Shoes (Songs of Faith and Devotion)
11. Sea of Sin (World in My Eyes B-side)

The 11 Best Depeche Mode Songs

In 1989, I worked for my high school's slide show presentation club. Yeah, it was cheesy but there was this really cute girl in the club I was trying to get friendly with. She turned out to be a crazy religious fanatic and now has seven kids and lives on a ranch in the middle of nowhere. But that's beside the point. At the end of the year, the club put on a presentation, featuring slides of all the students and activities of the school, set to music of the day. At midnight, 12 hours before we were set to display the presentation to the world, we sat at an impasse. What was to be our final song? On one side, a bunch of us wanted Depeche Mode's "Somebody." The rest of the club wanted Skid Row's "I Remember You." The teacher made the final decision. He chose Skid Row. His reasoning? He said when we look back 10 years from now...no one will know who Depeche Mode is. But Skid Row will still be around. Well, it's 15 years later and though Sebastian Bach's biggest audience is from his guest appearances on Gilmore Girls...Skid Row is a thing of the past. DM on the other hand, is considered one of the best artists of the 80s, if not one of the best alternative acts of all time. So much for the intelligence of high school teachers.

This week saw the release of a 1-disc career-spanding disc from DM. Though filled with some its most famous radio singles...the CD is glaringly missing some of their most classic tracks. No "Somebody"...the most played track from the 80s. No "Policy of Truth" the 4th more downloaded song from itunes and the highest billboard track for the band. No "Blasphemous Rumors." And they picked "See You" over "Dreaming of Me?" I guess there is no accounting for taste.

So here are the 11 Best Depeche Mode tracks:

1. Enjoy The Silence (Violator)
2. But Not Tonight (Black Celebration)
3. Photogrpahic (Speak and Spell)
4. Somebody (Some Great Reward)
5. Never Let Me Down (Music For The Masses)
6. It's No Good (Ultra)
7. Sea of Sin (Violator B-Side) MP3
8. Set Me Free (Master and Servant B-Side)
9. People Are People (Some Great Reward)
10. Policy of Truth (Violator)
11. Just Can't Get Enough (Speak and Spell)