To start off, Veruca Salt should hang their head in shame for the hack-job that they've done on 'Somebody'. This is one of those songs that no one should ever cover, no one will ever do as good of a job as Depeche Mode. The original features some beautiful piano and an extremely sensual and heartfelt vocal piece. This cover sounds like someone let a 3 year old play keyboard and the vocals sound like a cat in extreme pain. Skip this song.

Now, I like Rammstein; but a thick German accent doesn't work with the smooth musical stylings of Depeche Mode. It's much too harsh. Skip this one as well.

I was extremely excited when I saw that Smashing Pumpkins were on this CD. Then, when I heard the bland, emotionless version of "Never Let Me Down Again", I was disappointed.

Hearing Locust's disgusting version of 'Master And Servant' makes me want to put on a crushed red velvet suit and become a cheesy lounge singer. This one stinks.

Now, that we've gotten the really offensive songs out of the way, we'll work on the snoozers. Hooverphonic, Self, Rabbit In The Moon and Apollo Four Forty should have just stayed home instead of recording these smelly portions of Depeche Mode sacrilege. These songs have been more than worthy of the skip button on my CD player.

On the brighter side, Meat Beat Manifesto reworks 'Everything Counts' adding a more modern spin to it; spicing it up a bit. This one is a good track. A track I thought would be a brutal cover was Monster Magnet's cover of 'Black Celebration'. I'm not really a big fan of Monster Magnet, but they've done a pretty good job here, I'm almost impressed. And Gus Gus add a darker, moodier edge to 'Monument'. This one was a success as well.

One of the real big winners, are Deftones. They cover 'To Have And To Hold', a song in the same vein as 'Somebody' (but not quite as good). After hearing Deftones' version of Sade's 'No Ordinary Love', I was really unsure what to expect on this track. I was pleased when I heard the ultra heavy guitars kick in; sometimes it works and other times it doesn't, but here they fit perfectly. Chino's wanton vocals really add an aspect of longing that is so essential to a lot of Depeche Mode songs. Deftones have taken a great song and reworked it in their own style and it pays off... this songs rocks!

Failure also use some really heavy guitars to crank 'Enjoy The Silence' up a notch. Another example of totally reworking a song to fit your own style with success.

Another real bright spot on this album was Dishwalla's version of 'Policy Of Truth'. It is a much more subdued and darker version (thanks to the bassline and heavy guitars in the background) of this wonderful song.

God Lives Underwater turns the already killer 'Fly On The Windscreen' into a real smoker. They lay down some very heavy beats and inject some new life into this song.

The centerpiece of this CD is The Cure's version of 'World In My Eyes'. They have made this song about 10 times darker with some heavier bass and really intriguing sounds. If you've ever heard their version of Jimi Hendrix's 'Purple Haze' you'll understand why The Cure are stars at covering other bands' songs. They have burned this song to the ground and laid the foundation of the new version on it's ashes. It is great.

What you find here is a real mixed batch of songs, the good barely outweighing the bad. If you are anything like me, you'd better have the CD player remote control handy while listening to it though, so you can save yourself from hearing the eardrum bursting, slanderous hacks who have massacred some truly great songs. But, just enjoy the good covers and try not to dwell too long on the other songs.


Hit and Miss   April 8, 2004
 8 out of 16 found this review helpful

I am a Depeche Mode fan of the first degree, so it was only natural that I should pick up an album of covers from some pretty high-profile bands. And while there are some things for the DM fan to enjoy here, at least half of the CD is a waste of time and space.

Let's consider what was done right. The Cure and DM already have a major overlap in fan base, so I expected a good interpretation of "World in My Eyes" right off the bat. I was not disappointed; this version is more fast-paced and has almost an Arabian feel to it. Very cool and just as good as the original, in its own way. The Deftones' "To Have and to Hold" is creepy and morose, a perfect song choice to create a nexus between the bands. Chino Moreno's vocals here are less breathy than on some of his more recent albums such as White Pony, but the Deftones were still relatively new when this CD hit the shelves. I also was drawn to Gus Gus' take on "Monument", which is frankly a DM song I was not previously aware of (probably a B-side from the early days... DJs have a talent for digging up obscure early Depeche Mode stuff to show how far back their obsession really goes. Find Danny Tenaglia's remix of "I Feel Loved" for further evidence.) Between this track and their two remixes of "Only When I Lose Myself," I became a huge Gus Gus fan in no time. I like Hooverphonic's attempt at "Shake the Disease" very much, a sultry trip-hop reinvention with the same heavy heart as the original. Veruca Salt's retread of "Somebody" is not bad either, as the song already seems like it might come from a feminine perspective.

There are also some in-between efforts here that could have been so much better with just a few minor changes. Failure's take on "Enjoy the Silence" is initially stunning because it is a pretty effective acoustic interpretation of a totally synthesized song. Then the drums hit a little harder and suddenly you get whacked upside the head with a slab of distorted(...)guitar. All of this would work really well if it weren't for the vocals. This singer has a very whiney yet flat delivery that really disfigures what would otherwise be a pretty cool take on a well-known DM song. Same goes for Dishwalla's "Policy of Truth." Good sonic arrangements are ruined by a guy who sounds like he wants to be Michael Hutchence but is really pretty far off the mark.

The rest of these tracks just sound very odd and quite often get skipped. I have to admit, though, that Rammstein's "Stripped" is kind of addictive in its ridiculousness.

Worth buying if you're a deep DM fan and you don't mind skipping tracks to find the good covers.


You love those Rammstein vocals--they are sexy and HARD   July 15, 2004
 8 out of 13 found this review helpful

The only song on this compilation that sends shivers up me spine is Rammstein's version of "Stripped". It is powerful, lovely, strange, and glorious. It manifests the terror that I've always felt the original song merely implied. DM are a band replete with smoldering intensities. Their agonies are subtle and exquisite in their subtlty. Rammstein turns what seemed like a mere suggestion into a demand backed with the threat of real punishment.

Locust take the opposite approach on "Master and Servant" and come up with similar results. I've never been able to take the original vary seriously. It has always possessed a high camp value for me mostly because I've seen Martin in his chainmail. The song threatens something sinister and exciting but it never comes off for me. Now Locust turns a silly song into a wondeful lounge piece replete with alternating vocals between a male and female voice. The result is jarring and far more subversive than the original. Again, DM pose the threat. This is the promise.

The Cure turn "World in my Eyes" into a strange middle-eastern number. As usual, Robert's inflections are sublime. I get closer to swooning every time I hear it. It is starting to have a similar effect on me to the Rammstein track.

Monster Magnet articulate the rage that is implied in "Black Celebration". They also brings forth a tasty dose of machismo with the Phil Lynott/Thin Lizzy vocals that build in intensity over the course of the track. It is heavy, sexy and very direct. Somehow, I imagine that their "Black Celebration" is going to involve debilitating alcohol abuse and varioius criminal activities. The original made me wish desperately for a black mass held in the forest. Monster Magnet doesn't get that, but they've at least got naked sororiety sisters dancing about a fire and that is good enough.

The Deftones shoud have amended the title of their track to "To Have and to Hold (under the water). It is dark, supremely spooky and perfect for those long jaunts alone into the woods. It reminds me of Tool somewhat, and Metallica, oddly enough.

Of the rest of the bands, I like Gus Gus and the Smashing Pumpkins a bit. Dishwalla is alright but becomes less the more I hear it. The only tracks that are completely reprehensible are by Varuca Salt, Apollo 440, and Self. Skip those every time.

Overall, this compilation features tracks by several bands not intent on just copying the master. The result is a pretty good album overall.


Open your mind. This is something different.   January 3, 2000
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

If this review gets printed, it'll be on top of a number of negative responses. If you're a Depech Mode fan, you may not enjoy this cd. Unlike other "tributes", these artists aren't devoted to slavishly reproducing the exact same song that they're supposed to be praising, with all the artistry of Memorex. This album is daring, a kaleidoscope of sound. From the death metal of Rammstein to the techno-goofyness of Self to the pop sounds of Dishwalla and the tender voices of Veruca Salt, there's something different around every corner. This album isn't for everyone. It's just for people who love all kinds of music. Don't let others dictate your taste. Check it out for yourself.


Masses of Stuff...   December 14, 2000
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Depeche Mode aren't usually a band you see or hear much glorification about. But a career that has lasted almost 20 years speaks for itself, as the contributers to this tribute album certainly know. Having survived critical indifference (until Violator shut the critics up, then made them talk in 1990), numerous band member desertions and clinical death in the case of the magnificently gaunt frontman Dave Gahan, it's a small wonder Depeche Mode are still here. So it's pleasing to see that this tribute album doesn't just go for the well known tracks (thank God nobody's tried to improve upon Personal Jesus), but includes some choice cuts from their extensive back catalogue. Highlights of which are Gus Gus's "Monument", a darker version than DM's and in my opinion the better for it; Rabbit In The Moon's version of "Waiting for the Night" is pure delight, updating the trancey 1990 dark synth-pop to late 90's breakbeat, with heartbreaking vocals easily rivaling Martin Gore. The best track for me is God Lives Underwater's reworking of "Fly on the Windscreen", giving the track a harder, more rock edge compared to it's former keyboard-led incarnation. Surprisingly the tracks that let this album down are the ones covered by the more well known bands. Smashing Pumpkins version of "Never Let Me Down" is, frankly, at best a soothing mediocre pastiche, and at worst a lifeless stroll through the motions. Apollo Four-forty's rehash of "I Feel You" lacks the relentless pounding rhythm and intense vocal performance of the original, and surprisingly none of the tongue-in-cheek humour of Apollo Four-forty's other work shines through in this either. I can't decide whether Rammstein's version of "Stripped" is merely naively hysterical or plain trash- I just know it's stripped the original version of all it's sinister subtlety and replaced it with harsh grinding metal. Many of the tracks however have managed to encapsulate, if not emulate the sense of humour and spirit of experimentation in all of Depeche Modes work; Hooverphonic's "Shake The Disease" and Locust's "Master and Servant" are good examples. I'm not sure whether this is an album for hardcore Depeche Mode fans: you may not appreciate the different takes on your favourite songs. But for alternative music fans it is a must, if only for the sheer breadth of style represented here by artists such as The Cure, Monster Magnet and Meat Beat Manifesto.