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Could anyone recommend any Coceteau Twins songs/albums, I've heard some of their work and I really like them. Also, besides Black Celebration and their hits, any other good Depeche Mode recommendations?

If The Cure has 'Disintegration' then Cocteau Twins has 'Heaven Or Las Vegas' and Depeche Mode has 'Songs Of Faith And Devotion' (although 'Violator' comes really close).

The thing with Depeche Mode for me is that I believe that Martin Gore is a better singer than Dave Gahan, so many of the songs I like best tend to be sang by him.



This is Gahan's best vocal performance and one of their best songs for sure


Also quite a few of their early singles rule

Another beautiful song with Martin taking vocal duties

Cocteau Twins, I've never really liked them much.

I don't dislike them, but they're just "not bad" to me. I don't burst with excitement at the thought of them.

Depeche Mode, on the other hand... are best not mentioned in the same sentence as the Cocteau Twins.
More like in the same sentence as The Cure or David Bowie.
In fact, as much as I am a hardcore Cure fan... I'd say that I'm even more of a Depeche Mode fan.
And that's saying something.

In the following posts come a few gems.

From post #6 (the next after this) to post #31 (two pages away), these are a few Depeche Mode songs you might like.

-Photographic (Some Bizzare version). 1981. From the Some Bizzare compilation.
This is the first thing they ever released. Much punkier than the album version.

-Tora! Tora! Tora!. 1981. From the Speak & Spell album.
This is a Martin Gore song. Not all of Speak & Spell was written by Vince Clarke.
It is the darkest song on the album, and an indicator of what was to come.

-Oberkorn (It's A Small Town). 1982. B-side of The Meaning Of Love.
This is a case of a b-side being much much much better than the a-side. It could have been on Bowie's Low.
After Vince Clarke left Depeche Mode to create Yazoo, Depeche Mode were in a hurry to release a new album, so they had to resort to older, poppy songs Martin had written as a teenager (and which, to be honest, are not very good), because they had not enough new songs.
But oh how good were the new songs... this is one of them. If only they had given Martin a bit more time to write...

-Leave In Silence. 1982. From the A Broken Frame album.
The best song on the album by a mile. It should have been a hit. It wasn't. Because they were still marketed as a teenage boy band and this song is much better.
They stopped playing it live after the Black Celebration tour, although every now and then Martin still sings it live solo with piano, but the original version is a corker. I would gladly swap this by Enjoy The Silence in concerts.

-The Sun And The Rainfall. 1982. From the A Broken Frame album.
This is probably THE song that all hardcore Depeche Mode fans would like to see played live the most.
It's never been played live since 1982. A bit like The Cure and A Short Term Effect I suppose.

-Pipeline. 1983. From the Construction Time Again album.
This is simply one of the best electronic songs ever. And this is where Martin Gore made public that he is a fvcking genius as a songwriter and lyricist.
By the time they released this, they were doing things that no one else was doing, not even Kraftwerk.
Still unsurpassed in terms of creativity. Note that this is a blues!! Everything that makes Depeche Mode is within this song.

-Work Hard. 1983. B-side of Everything Counts.
This is written by both Martin Gore and Alan Wilder. It was one of the very few times they did write together.
The Berlin Depeche Mode trilogy (Construction Time Again, Some Great Reward, Black Celebration) is the "industrial" Depeche Mode period, and it is very obvious in this song.

-Fly On The Windscreen. 1985. B-side of It's Called A Heart. Later released in 1986 on the album Black Celebration.
It's astounding that this was the b-side. It's one of their darkest songs, lyrics-wise. But it has a very sexy sound.
It stands the test against most songs from Violator.

-Christmas Island. 1986. B-side of A Question Of Lust.
The last song that Martin Gore and Alan Wilder wrote together, and the best.
One of the three best Depeche Mode instrumentals.

-The Things You Said. 1987. From Music For The Masses.
To me, and to many, the best Depeche Mode song ever.
Simple, stark, elegant. This is a schoolbook example of what an extraordinary song is.
It is astounding that it wasn't a single. It still does get played on the radio because people ask it to be played.
It hadn't been played live since 1988.
When Martin sang it again live in 2018, people went absolutely crazy, crying, screaming, fainting...

-Pimpf. 1987. From Music For The Masses.
Their best instrumental (and a quite good classical piece if you ask me). This is a Martin Gore song.
And yes Anton Corbijn (Depeche Mode's Tim Pope) made a videoclip for it.

-Personal Jesus. 1989. A-side of the single of the same name. Later released on Violator (1990).
This is one of their five best songs. Famously covered by Johnny Cash and Marilyn Manson.

-Violator. 1990.
Their best album, and simply one of the five best albums of all time, and you pick the other four.
Yes, it is that good, every single song on it could/would/should have been a hit.
Only albums like Revolver, Ziggy Stardust, The Velvet Underground & Nico... and only a fistful more can compare.
This is Depeche Mode being touched by the Hand Of God.
So instead of one song, I'll put three.
That said, like other extraordinary albums (dunno, Disintegration or Pornography, perhaps?), it's best played from start to finish in one go.

a) Sweetest Perfection.




b) Waiting For The Night.




c) Clean.

-Death's Door. 1991. From Wim Wenders's "Until The End Of The World" movie soundtrack, later b-side of Condemnation.
This is perhaps an indicator of what was to come after Songs Of Faith And Devotion (certainly not on that album!).
Songs Of Faith And Devotion is not my favourite album. It is the last with Alan Wilder though.
I guess that Martin wanted Songs Of Faith And Devotion to sound more like this song, but Alan didn't want to.

-Ultra. 1997.
This is not the best Depeche Mode album, that's Violator. But it's my favourite Depeche Mode album.
If Disintegration has Pornography, then Violator has Ultra.
Robert Smith said that Pornography almost killed him.
Dave Gahan was clinically dead for a few minutes while recording Ultra.
For some strange reason, this album and David Bowie's Low are the only records I can listen to when I'm ill in bed.
So, like with Violator, I'll put three songs.
Although it's best listened from start to finish.

a) Useless.




b) Sister Of Night.
This is the song they were recording when Dave Gahan "died".




c) Freestate.

-When The Body Speaks. 2001. From the Exciter album.
This is Depeche Mode winking an eye to The Velvet Underground.

-Damaged People. 2005. From the Playing The Angel album.
Martin usually keeps the best songs for himself lately.
As time's gone by, he's musically less innovative, but at the same time, he has honed his songwriting.
His lyrics now are better than ever.

-The Darkest Star. 2005. From the Playing The Angel album.
...I said "Martin usually keeps his best songs for himself". Not the case here.

-Jezebel. 2009. From Sounds Of The Universe.
Many hardcore fans hate this song. I say they hate it because it's Depeche Mode.
Were this Nick Cave, they'd adore it. Sometimes people can't see the greatness.
But this is one of the songs Martin will be remembered for.
The first time I listened to this I was so impressed that almost fell from my chair. What a genius!!

-Ghost. 2009. Bonus track on the extended version of the Sounds Of The Universe album.
Most fans still don't understand why the hell this song didn't make it into the album... It could have been a single!!
Easily one of the very best of their latest songs.

-Slow. 2013. From the Delta Machine album.
This song was originally written for Songs Of Faith And Devotion, but it was rejected by Alan Wilder.
Sex drips from every crack of it.

-Always. 2013. Bonus track on the extended version of the Delta Machine album.
This reminds me of... I don't know. Brian Eno? Sparks? Peter Gabriel? Syd Barrett? Dunno, I just love it.

-The Child Inside. 2013. From the Delta Machine album.
Another one of Martin's great recent lyrics. And one hell of a blues too.

-Poison Heart. 2017. From the Spirit album.
This is a Dave Gahan lyric (music by Christian Eigner and Peter Gordeno). He keeps on improving his writing skills.
For now, this is his best.

-Poorman. 2017. From the Spirit album.
Great Martin lyrics here. The sound is wittier than it seems at first sight.

-Eternal. 2017. From the Spirit album.
The 1930's/1940's feel, the geiger counter, the... here I didn't fall from the chair, here I cried. GENIUS!!!

So here ends the series of posts, from post #6 to post #31 just above this one.

Hope you have enjoyed them.

There are other Depeche Mode songs, of course.
And other great artists.

Aaand, as an easter egg....

-Enjoy The Silence (harmonium version). 1990. B-side of Enjoy The Silence.
This is how Martin Gore originally composed the song. Could have fit in Pornography or Faith. It is a much darker song than people think.
But Alan Wilder had a different opinion about it. Still, Martin managed to get HIS version recorded and released.
I'm still undecided.

-I Feel You (demo). 2009. From the Sounds Of The Universe boxset.
Sung by Martin. It really, really feels like T-Rex.

-Surrender. 2009. I think this is an Easter Egg for the Exciter Tour video.
And it is the exact answer to the question "mum, what is glam rock?".
If this isn't glam, what else can be? Not even Ziggy...

Quote from: piggymirror on July 07, 2019, 06:35:32-Violator. 1990.
Their best album, and simply one of the five best albums of all time, and you pick the other four.
Yes, it is that good, every single song on it could/would/should have been a hit.
Only albums like Revolver, Ziggy Stardust, The Velvet Underground & Nico... and only a fistful more can compare.

It's a good album with somewhat dated late 80s sound.

Quote from: BiscuityBoyle on July 07, 2019, 22:18:22It's a good album with somewhat dated late 80s sound.

The same can be said of Ziggy Stardust.

A good album with somewhat dated 70's sound.

Yeah.

Whatever.

Oh Wow! Thank you piggymirror. I'm reading a book on Depeche Mode at the moment, So I'm finding out about how the group works... I have listened to Black Celebration, Speak and Spell, Violator, and I have just ordered some other albums on CD too. I also have heard the Coceteau Twins singles complitation album, (since I posted this question) and they're all really good! It's great to hear songs and hear bits of the Cure in them because The Cure are such a different band. Thank you! I'll give them all listen, and let you know what I think. (I was in London the past while, so I didn't get to have a listen just yet)

Quote from: the thread of a dream on July 08, 2019, 15:32:15Coceteau Twins

Cocteau Twins, not "Coceteau" Twins.

Quote from: piggymirror on July 08, 2019, 03:38:54

Quote from: BiscuityBoyle on July 07, 2019, 22:18:22It's a good album with somewhat dated late 80s sound.

The same can be said of Ziggy Stardust.

A good album with somewhat dated 70's sound.

I mean anything can be said, as witnessed by some of your assertions in this thread, but the tasteful electric/acoustic rock of Ziggy Stardust doesn't scream 70s the way Deep Purple's sound does, or the way the beat of Enjoy the Silence screams late 80s.

Anyway, since this thread is supposed to be about Depeche Mode and the Cocteau Twins, here are two beautiful songs by them.


Another great Martin Gore vocal:

Quote from: piggymirror on July 08, 2019, 15:35:37

Quote from: the thread of a dream on July 08, 2019, 15:32:15Coceteau Twins

Cocteau Twins, not "Coceteau" Twins.

I spelt it wrong the first time, and now my device likes to auto correct it to 'Coceteau' instead of 'Cocteau', Samsung tablets, am I right? There was a while there where it was correcting 'Robert' to 'Rubber'...