When I was in junior high school, about the time this came out, Depeche Mode were *the* thing. Recently I fished this out of the darkest recesses of my closet and put it on for the first time in I don't know how many years. How interesting to hear the same music with very different ears!

When I was about 15 I came to develop a bias in favor of guitar-based music and against electronic music, so DM fell out of favor in my pantheon for quite some time, but rediscovering them now is quite a trip. Listening to Alan Wilder's beautiful orchestrations and countermelodies ("Shake The Disease", "Blasphemous Rumours", etc.) really makes me realize the possibilities inherent in keyboard-based music, which I never noticed way back in the day. The music is great, no doubts there. The 101 film (out of print), which I recently found on e-bay, is terrific too, although I'm a bit preoccupied with the fact that Andy Fletcher doesn't DO ANYTHING! Dave Gahan's stage act ("Alright! Hey! Ohhhhh!! I wanna hear everybody sing it!") seems somewhat overwrought to those of us into introverted indie-rock these days, so it seems funny now. Martin Gore's (who DM fans revere as a "poet") lyrics tend to be strikingly honest and direct, with a distinct touch of that certain adolescent, vaguely petty angst. What teenager entangled in the social web of his peers wouldn't relate to a song like "The Things You Said"? Depeche Mode's songs have a knack of being irresistibly melodic, true-to-life, and tenderly vulnerable. Put all these together, and you can begin to understand the rabid fanaticism which they inspired in so many people during this heyday in their career. It's documented on every second of this live album, and it's fun to share in it vicariously.

Memories still vivid in my mind. June 1988. A gloomy, hot, humid night..perfect setting for a DM concert. We get the pleasure of other acts: Wired, Thomas Dolby,OMD..they finish..but we want the MODE. and around 7;30pm...the crowd awaiting for the quartet to take the stage start getting impatient. What happens? The biggest FOOD FIGHT in concert history errupts. Hot dogs, buns, shoes and an assortment of snack bar goodies flying through the air. It subsides and.. Whats that? The lights are dimmed and PIMPF plays in the air. Ther intro finishes..then with 2 loud bangs.. a recognizable bass is heard.. 'Behind the Wheel' starts this night of black celebration. Then as the song plays we hear Dave with the first verse. He sings but where is he? We cant see the band as they are behind a massive curtain. Then swiftly the curtain drops! There they were. DM. Right in front of our waiting eyeballs. The 65000+, black clad, new wave crowd goes nuts. We lost it. Couple of the most most memorable highlights were when they performed 'Blaspehmous Rumours'. Anyone that was also there remembers. During the performance a dark clowd formed above the Rose Bowl, then a loud bang of thunder, and it rained on that hot June night..heres the eerie part..only for that song! Freaked the hell out of our crowd man. Then when they performed 'Never Let me DOwn", Dave had all 65000 pairs of arms moving side to side. I cant really describe what it was like. THe energy and the vibe was outrageous. Dave was feeding of the crowd. At one point he held his face and started crying. So much emotion for the band and us. Never again have I expereinced such a concert. In my mind and many others..one of the best in concert history. DM FOREVER.

June 8th, 1988. A day that will live in infamy for every Depeche Mode fan. The day that this masterful and truly influential band performed at the famed Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California during their legendary Music For The Masses tour. If there are truly defining moments in life, then this certainly was one of them for DM.

As the opening track PIMPF plays, the crowd begins to lose control and as soon as Behind The Wheel starts up, they've completely lost it. Dave, Martin, Andy, & Alan are all in top form, playing and performing with an intensity unmatched by any other.

Most bands never sound half as good live as they do in the studio. Depeche Mode make it look easy. With the live version of Stripped, DM take an already fantastic single and make it ten times better. Utilizing a mix of Stripped called the Highland Mix, the boys take the opening notes, and instead of cutting them off short as they had originally done, they hold them the full length, which changes the whole diameter of the piece, giving it this truly epic feel. The crowd noise only enhances the experience, giving you this feeling as if the entire world is there screaming and cheering. After Dave sings the first verse and chorus, he cries out defiantly, "Yeeeaaaaaaaggggghhhhh!!!!!!!" igniting the crowd and it is such a powerful moment to behold. I have heard Stripped performed many times, but never with the same strength, passion and veracity that was shown here. I only wish this live version had been released as a single because it truly deserves the status. It is a classic performance all its own.

Martin Gore, our loving curly blonde songwriter, performs three very memorable songs for this concert: Somebody, The Things You Said, and A Question of Lust. Somebody is a love song so honest, pure and forthright in its intentions that one is overcome by its emotional resonance. The live version gives this very intimate song a public feel as the crowd watches and cheers for Martin. As he sings "ten..der..lyyyyy", you know there isn't a dry eye on any teenage girl's face. It's quite interesting that Martin follows up Somebody with The Things You Said, a very melancholy song about betrayal and disappointment which is a complete contrast to Somebody. Later on, A Question of Lust is performed, which is another passionate piece by Martin that's as deep and tender as it is inordinately honest and sweet. All very beautifully performed by Mr. Gore.

"A Brief..Period..Of Rejoicing". The words spoken by Mute Records own Daniel Miller. The song: Black Celebration. A song so darkly gothic and pure, that one becomes lost in it's beautiful tranquility (and never wants to be found). This song speaks to us all, and when performed live, Dave is singing to the choir as it were. This live version from 101 is loved also for speeding up the pace of the song, giving it this added extra urgency. It's hard to believe that this piece never became a single.

Another standout moment from 101 is Never Let Me Down Again, a song written on the grand scale with much debate over it's subject matter (Drugs? Homosexuality? Or just Martin's experience at taking a plane trip with a friend?) 101 director D.A. Pennebaker assumes it's about drugs, but is he right? The band of course never comment. The 101 live version of Never Let Me Down Again is best remembered for Dave getting the crowd to wave their hands back and forth in the air during the instrumental sequence of the song, as if they were fields of wheat blowing in the wind.

Everything Counts, the final song performed, is the icing on the cake. This is one of the best pieces of music that Depeche Mode have ever used to close a concert. It's perfect because not only is it a tremendously powerful song all its own, but it involves the audience at the end. : "The grabbing hands, grab all they can! Everything Counts in large amounts!" over and over again in unison. A very bonding experience for both the band and the audience. After such a breathtaking performance of all these songs, it's hard to believe that the band had thought they had played badly when they left the stage. Very humbling. But it couldn't be further from the truth. 101 is truly a defining moment for Depeche Mode.

Now finally, all these years later since this epic event, 101 the concert has been digitally remastered as a Super Audio CD (SACD) in 5.1 Surround Sound & 2.0. The original 2.0 Stereo version is also included on this 2 disc set. You must have a SACD Player in order to listen to the concert in 5.1, otherwise it will just play in 2.0 Stereo. According to different sources there are errors on tracks 3, 4 and 5. The multi-channel playback does not work on these tracks. Still, a small price to pay to have this remastered 2CD in my opinion.

As a special bonus, the entire opening of PIMPF is included on Disc 2. A few minutes after Everything Counts ends, PIMPF begins. A wonderful treat. This SACD is the perfect companion to the 101 DVD and a nice addition to any Depeche Mode collection.

Keep Moding!

LCDStumm101 / 0724359470726

101 is grand live album and showed both fans and detractors that Depeche Mode had come a long way since their first concerts back in England. 101 was there 101st concert and it is a dandy of a show. Songs like master and servant, strange love and many others sound simply amazing and it proves that electronic music is not simply pressing some keys on a synth and that it requires real muisicans and trained vocalists. Dave Gahan sounds absolutely astounding on tracks such as Master and Servant and Everything Counts and Martin is no slouch himself. This is such a good live album and I will reccomend to anyone that likes good live music and for fans of Depeche Mode.

It would be easy to laugh contemptuously at the thought of a synth pop act releasing a live album (a double one, at that), but Depeche Mode have done so and pulled it off quite well. "101" is a recording of their famous concert at Pasadena, which elevated them to a full-blown live act capable of selling out at huge American venues. Rock purists will complain that these performances are too clean and efficient, but that's the reason why "101" works. Unlike other rock live albums, there's hardly any off-key singing or shrill, distracting noises. The Mode pulls off the recording like seasoned pros. I really liked the live rendition of the love ballad "Somebody," and the single "Strangelove" loses none of the bite of the original studio recording. Dave Gahan really gets the crowd roused during "Just Can't Get Enough" and "Question of Time," two energetic, upbeat numbers. But the CD hits its high point with their hit "Everything Counts," which eventually was released as a single. Quite frankly, I've heard better live albums, but "101" is sufficient evidence that electronic acts can hold their own on the stage just as well as their rock peers.