THE SINGLES

1 2 3

The Violator singles (Bongs 17-20) were the most successful string of maxi (12") singles ever released by anyone in US dance/club history. All four singles topped the US dance charts and each sold over 500,000 copies. The success of the Violator singles, the surge in popularity of the CD maxi-single format and the overwhelming demand for Depeche Mode CD singles created a huge opportunity for DM's German distributor, Intercord in late 1990. Just as World in My Eyes was slipping off the charts, Intercord decided to export their 1988 CD issues/reissues of DM's earlier singles, from Dreaming of Me to Everything Counts (live), to the US for fans discovering DM at the height of their success. Caught off guard by Intercord's exporting success, Mute would follow suit by exporting their UK CD singles from Strangelove to World in My Eyes causing the import craze that kept DM in demand throughout 1991.

In 1991 Mute Records released 3 box sets of most of Depeche Mode's earlier singles on CD. Only 30,000 of each box were printed in the US by Sire/Reprise; Mute did a significantly lower production run. In most cases the track listings are as the original CD singles, but in others they differ. These CD singles have now replaced the original (1986-88) releases and German Intercord exports, so from now on Depeche Mode import and 1992 individual Sire/Reprise digipak CD singles should have the below track listings and catalogue numbers (UK/Europe only). As an endnote, this year, Mute Bank has re-released the box sets with an undisclosed production run. The boxes are available from Mute Bank only.

THE SINGLES 1 2 3 4 5 6

(DMBX1)

1

(CD MUTE 13)

Dreaming Of Me
Ice Machine

2

(CD MUTE 14)

New Life remix
Shout
Shout rio mix

3

(CD MUTE 16)

Just Can't Get Enough
Any Second Now
Just Can't Get Enough schizo mix
Any Second Now altered

4

(CD MUTE 18)

See You extended
Now, This Is Fun
Now, This Is Fun extended

5

(CD MUTE 22)

The Meaning Of Love
Oberkorn (it's a small town)
The Meaning Of Love fairly odd mix
Oberkorn (it's a small town) development mix

6

(CD BONG 1)

Leave In Silence
Excerpt From My Secret Garden
Leave In Silence longer
Further Excerpts From: My Secret Garden
Leave In Silence quieter

THE SINGLES 7 8 9 10 11 12

(DMBX2)

7

(CD BONG 2)

Get The Balance Right
The Great Outdoors!
Get The Balance Right combination mix
Tora! Tora! Tora! LIVE

8

(CD BONG 3)

Everything Counts
Work Hard
Everything Counts in larger amounts
Work Hard east end remix

9

(CD BONG 4)

Love, In Itself 2
Fools
Love, In Itself 3
Fools bigger
Love, In Itself 4

10

(CD BONG 5)

People Are People
In Your Memory
People Are People different mix
In Your Memory slik mix

11

(CD BONG 6)

Master And Servant
(Set Me Free) Remotivate Me
Master And Servant slavery whip mix
(Set Me Free) Remotivate Me release mix
Master And Servant voxless

12

(CD BONG 7)

Blasphemous Rumours
Told You So LIVE
Somebody remix
Everything Counts LIVE

THE SINGLES 13 14 15 16 17 18

(DMBX 3)

13

(CD BONG 8)

Shake The Disease
Flexible
Shake The Disease remixed extended
Flexible remixed extended
Shake The Disease edit the shake
Something To Do metalmix

14

(CD BONG 9)

It's Called A Heart
Fly On The Windscreen
It's Called A Heart extended
Fly On The Windscreen extended
Fly On The Windscreen death mix

15

(CD BONG 10)

Stripped
But Not Tonight
Stripped highland mix
*But Not Tonight highland mix
Breathing In Fumes
Fly On The Windscreen quiet mix
Black Day

*The "Highland Mix" title is incorrect.
This is the same mix as the extended mix on 12 Bong 10

16

(CD BONG 11)

A Question Of Lust
Christmas Island
Christmas Island extended
People Are People LIVE
It Doesn't Matter Two intstrumental
A Question Of Lust minimal

17

(CD BONG 12)

A Question Of Time remix
Black Celebration LIVE
Something To Do LIVE
Stripped LIVE
More Than A Party LIVE
A Question Of Time extended remix
Black Celebration black tulip mix
*A Question of Time new town mix/live remix

*The last track is the same as the A-side of L12 BONG 12, and both songs were originally tracked seperately on the 1987 edition of L12 BONG 12.

18

(CD LITTLE 15)

Little 15
Stjarna
Sonata No.14 in C#m "Moonlight Sonata"

Note that the original "LCD BONG" CD singles (LCD Bongs 16-20, and XLCD Bong 18) have not been reissued. This is no doubt in keeping with the original "limitedness" of them. Some tracks have however been included on the new CD singles.

But what about that rumoured 4th box set that supposedly came out in 1992?

There were plans to release a 4th box set in early 1992.  This box would have included Strangelove, Never Let Me Down Again, Behind The Wheel, Everything Counts, Personal Jesus, and Enjoy the Silence.  One problem, Personal Jesus and Enjoy the Silence were worldwide hits with phenomenal sales figures.   Another problem was that the "...Masses" singles were major cult favourites with many rare mixes that remained unavailable on CD, even with the limited release of the Japanese X1 and X2.   These Masses singles ended up being the best selling and most desirable of any of the German Intercord exports unloaded in 1991.  The band did not feel it was right to milk the fans for a fourth box set with two singles they had already bought only one year ago.  But they also had to make reissues of those Masses singles to sate the demand of their fans.  WIth that in mind, Depeche scrapped all plans for a fourth box set and re-issued the Masses singles along with individual single reissues that was done after the third box set had been released.

Now there is a singles box set from Austria, with a production run of only 425 boxes, that contains all of the below singles in a gray painted wooden box with a painted rose (not a violator style rose) on the top of the box. On the inside lid there is a mirror, numbered out of 425 with the track listings on it. THIS IS A BOOTLEG. Whoever bootlegged it mixed up the British singles with the German ones. Also, the sleeves are printed on a fax type paper and are very flimsy.

PROMOS

Sire/Reprise released 2 2x12" promos and 2 CD promos of the box sets:

SELECTIONS 1+2
PRO-A-5192/PRO-CD-5192:

Dreaming Of Me
New Life (remix)
Just Can't Get Enough
Any Second Now
See You (extended)
Now, This Is Fun
The Meaning Of Love
Leave In Silence
My Secret Garden
Get The Balance Right
Tora! Tora! Tora! LIVE
Everything Counts
Love, In Itself
People Are People
Master And Servant
(Set Me Free) Remotivate Me
Somebody (remix)

SELECTIONS 3
PRO-A-5242/PRO-CD-5242:

Shake The Disease
Flexible
It's Called A Heart
Stripped
But Not Tonight
Black Day
Christmas Island
People Are People LIVE
It Doesn't Matter Two (instrumental)
A Question Of Time (remix)
Black Celebration LIVE
Something To Do LIVE
More Than A Party LIVE
Little 15
Stjarna
Sonata No.14 in C#m "Moonlight Sonata"

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