Depeche Mode – Sounds Of The Universe: IT’S HERE!!

The waiting is over! This morning, my postman delivered 2 packages for me. One was the CD+DVD version of Depeche Mode’s ‘Sounds Of The Universe’, the other was the Limited Deluxe Box Set of the same album :o)

And boy was it worth the wait.

I had already heard the album via legitimate streaming services and found the songs to be incredibly mature, sonically astounding and overall, a definite pinnacle of their recording history.

The box set, which is the most complete edition in terms of track count and other goodies (more on this later), gives us not only the 13 tracks from the standard release, but also 5 extra bonus tracks, all original works, plus a selection of remixes. That’s 2 CD’s worth, right there. CD 3 is full of demo’s, not just from the SOTU sessions, but from way back in the 80’s and 90’s. Some proper gems in here. Disc 4 is a DVD that contains the 18 new original tracks from SOTU in glorious 5.1 Dolby & DTS as well as two full length documentaries, a shorter film and the promo video for ‘Wrong’. Also included are 4 live studio session films where the band perform 4 songs live in the studio in one take.

Also included are two 84 page hardback books with lyrics and pictures by both Anton Corbijn and Ben Hillier/Daniel Miller, 2 enamel badges, two posters, 5 art cards, a panoramic studio picture and a certificate of authenticity.

All of this comes in a very sturdy box with foil decoration.

This is an incredibly well presented item that contains some amazing music. I have to say, the 5.1 mix is one of the best musical 5.1 mixes I have ever heard.

If you can’t stretch to the £60 for this box, I heartily recommend the CD+DVD version which gives you the the album plus 5 bonus tracks, 5.1 mix, short film and ‘Wrong’ promo for approx £13.