Depeche Mode - 1997-01.

From 1997-2001, Depeche Mode were recovering from a string of mishaps that would have made a lesser band go kaput. In the early 1990s, they lost Alan Wilder, their main musician, and Dave Gahan had a near fatal brush with drugs that put him in rehab. Through it all, they managed to weather both storms and release two studio albums (1997's Ultra" and 2001's "Exciter") that sold respectably. "The Singles 31-36" covers this era and it features six singles, along with their original b-side tracks and remixes that appeared on the American and European versions of the twelve inch singles. Standouts include the remixes of "It's No Good," the deep house makeover of 2001's "Dream On," the quiet elegance of "Only When I Lose Myself" (which appeared on their 86-98 singles collection), and their b-sides "Headstar" and "Surrender." The "Useless" CD has videos of the singles "It's No Good" and "Barrel of a Gun," which can be viewed on your PC or Mac.The liner notes don't say much; we just get a tracklisting of the songs and songwriting/production credits. One of the newer entries of the box set series, "The Singles 31-36" is worth a purchase for those looking to complete their collection of the Mode's singles.

head spin

a stunning and exhaustive collection of mixes that will leave your brain spinning for hours and hours.

Unreleased B.S.

So I think the cool thing about these box sets is that you don't have tto go out and buy both import CD's to get all the remixes and b-sides from the CD singles. But you also don't get the 12" mixes. Whats up with that???? There's a Deep Dish remix of "I Feel Loved" that was completely left out of this set. There are other songs as well. I can only assume that DM ran out of room for that stuff. Overall it's a worthy Box Set. I only hope they take a cue from the fans and release a 7th Box Set maybe full of rarities, unreleased tracks, semi-unofficial remixes (like all the Razormaid mixes!) And maybe even studio outtakes. I mean if the Beatles can do it...why can't DM?