Playing the Angel
Occupation
- Dave Gahan
- Martin Gore
- Andrew Fletcher
Playing the Angel is the eleventh studio album by Depeche Mode. For the first time in the history of the band managed to Suffer Well, I Want It All and Nothing 's Impossible three of Dave Gahan written songs on the album. The album name comes from the song The Darkest Star. It says in the first stanza: " Oh you sad one / Playing the Angel / Is not so easy where you're from ."
The album was followed by an international tour Touring the Angel and in September 2006, the concert recordings Touring the Angel: Live in Milan.
Style
With this album the band has not reinvented, but went old ways. The musical style is based on several previous albums, starting with Black Celebration to Violator. The whole album is kept quite dark, pessimistic lyrics. Unlike its predecessor, Exciter, which is characterized by predominantly digital sounds, was placed emphasis on raw, analogue sounds with distortion and clipping at Playing the Angel.
Subtitles "pain and suffering in various tempos " ( " pain and suffering in various tempos " ) on the back of the cover and "pain and suffering in various countries" ( " pain and suffering in various countries " ) to memorabilia to tour form on the one hand the theme of the album, but on the other hand also play self-ironically on the image of the band.
Title list
The songs Suffer Well, I Want It All and Nothing 's Impossible has Dave Gahan wrote with Christian Eigner and Andrew Philpott, the other songs are from Martin Gore's spring. Macro and Damaged People sings Gore, the remaining songs Gahan. Introspectre is an instrumental piece.
Singles
The videos and Precious A Pain That I'm Used To have been shot by Uwe Flade.
For single A Pain That I'm Used To Goldfrapp contributed a remix.
Suffer Well is the first of Dave Gahan and thus since Just Can not Get Enough (1981 ), the first not written by Martin Gore Single of the band. The song was nominated for a Grammy in 2007.
John the Revelator / Lilian is by Blasphemous Rumours / Somebody second double A - side of the band. The song John the Revelator is inspired by an eponymous American Work Song. Lilian is the only single release, which was not played live by the band so far.
Setlist of the Touring the Angel 2005-2006
The first and second section of the tour:
- Damaged People
- Macro
- Somebody
- A Question of Lust
- Shake the Disease
- Leave in Silence
Third and fourth section of the tour:
- It Does not Matter Two
- Judas
- Blue Dress
- Nothing 's Impossible
- The Sinner in Me
- Shake the Disease
- Leave in Silence
- It Does not Matter Two
- Somebody
- Photographic
- Just Can not Get Enough
Trivia
- The cover of the album, designed by Anton Corbijn, the figure shows Mr. Feathers.
- The title Suffer Well was for the computer game The Sims 2: Open for Business recorded Simlish in the fictional language and offered as a free download. In addition, a video game graphics image was created.
- As a special for the fans of Depeche Mode have all the concerts of the second section of Touring the Angel ( April to July 2006) recorded and each offered as a limited CD package or Download ( Recording the Angel).