EARLY STEPS ON VINYL, ULTRA-RARE ALBUM VARIATIONS, A HOST OF TECHNICOLOUR TREASURES, LIVE AND LOUD, A BEAUTIFULLY BOXED-UP CAREER OF 12” TREASURES, OTHER ARTISTS’ TRIBUTES – AND SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF A FORMER BAND MEMBER’S EPIC COLLECTION OF HOLY GRAIL RELEASES…

RIK FLYNN

12” SINGLES SERIES (2018-19)

As with many of the bands that found themselves among synth-pop’s early vanguard, Depeche Mode have never been ones to shy away from the opportunity to utilise the 12” format to the full, and when in 2018 Sony announced it was to set in motion a classy series of box sets that would cover Depeche’s entire 12” single output from each album era, all deliciously repackaged, we couldn’t wait to get our hands on the lot of them.

Each box is themed around one album and contains all of the 12” singles from that record, remastered from the original master tapes and cut at the hallowed grounds of Abbey Road. Speak & Spell (which comes with a cool reproduction flexi disc) and A Broken Frame were the ones that kicked things off, with three heavyweight vinyls apiece; then came Construction Time Again and Some Great Reward, offering six vinyls to replicate the original UK 12s, plus limited edition 12s with their alternate mixes and live tracks. Most recently, Black Celebration (with five vinyls, including one originally put out as a cassette-only release in the UK) and Music For The Masses (seven vinyls) arrived in May this year – and they look excellent.