Why didn't they use the rare 1981 extended mix of "Dreaming Of Me" like on all other 12inches in this compilation series is beyond my imagination.https://www.discogs.com/Depeche-Mode-Dreaming-Of-Me/release/11438949

I didn't even know that existed - what a bizarre release... stranger still is the lofty ambition of the one person selling it at £30,000+ ahhaha

Apart from the idea being to faithfully replicate the original releases (yeah I know it was only on 7"), that 12" acetate is of unconfirmed legitimacy.I've never heard of an extended mix of Dreaming Of Me, and for it to exist only on a South African acetate is bizarre.It could be a tape splice edit some DJ did back in the day, granted, but an actual DM production?The jury's out.

I've heard the flexi mix of "I Sometimes Wish I Was Dead" on YouTube - it's a rip of the download in this box, and I'm convinced they've spliced the album version with the exclusive/unique sections from this alternate version, because the track vacillates between higher and lower quality. If that's the case, it's a cheap shot IMO - the entirety of that flexi mix is (on previously available, low quality mixes of the track) much warmer to my ears; which is why I think it's the album cut they're mixing it with (that one is much colder)... thoughts?

is there anybody who can grab King of the Flies wav, what is distributed as a mistake?as i know, only us release/codes contains this songthanks

well, i heard on one of DM forum, may originally left this among downloads as a mistake, but who knows..

It wasn't included with my Rhino download, where did you hear this?

As a german and a fan collector of all those german 12"es from INTERCORD, this box is a great addition to my collection. Dreaming Of Me was only available as 7" UK-Import and never a 12" and the later both had the cover of the 7" instead the 12" cover. Nice bonus with the poster and the flexi-disc. As it comes to sound, I first put on New Life and then compared it to my INTERCORD repressing from 1984 ... the old 12" is way much louder! Comparing the volume, Icemachine is clearly #1 here! I think the other boxes can't compare with this one, from a german collectors view! UK & german pressings just were alike!

Why the hell is the Rio mix of Shout compressed so much on the digital file?It's deafening, and a look at the file shows total brickwall!The other files show moderate clipping, but Shout (Rio mix) is extreme.WTF?

No thanks.Got the originals.Would be nice to have a commercial release of the Depeche instrumentals for broadcast professionals.https://www.discogs.com/Depeche-Mode-Depeche-Mode-Instrumentals/release/9359420

I received the box this weekend, I listened to them a lot and this is my review.The packaging, box and cover are impeccable. The vinyls too. The issue that worries me a little is "the sound". Yes, they sound good, but not as much as I expected. It has too much "digital flavor". Yes, it is a more open and more powerful sound, but, yes, it is "too powerful" and sometimes it feels a bit distorted. It completely lost that "analog" feeling of the original vinyls. Sometimes it sounds too bright, as if they had done a cutting with a 16 bit CD. But hey, for collectors and fans of the band like me is fine. But if you expect to buy them to be able to listen to an "audiofilic experience" better do not do it. The best? The download of "Sometimes I was ...", sounds very good (in fact, it's the first time we can all hear this song decently) and Ice Machine, sound very good. Dreaming of me sounds with a bit more power but quite digital like all the other themes. The intro of the Kick of New Life Remix sounds weak, totally different from the digital version that sounds much more powerful.In summary, the best of these editions are, 1- The boxes and covers and 2. your digital download in wav to 16 bits. Well, for fans like me it's fine. Haha.

This is a great box set. A lot of people complain about the price but 3 12" (one never released on a 12" before) as well as a Flexi remake? Not bad value for $55 + shipping. However, I can see people getting perturbed about this price when it comes to more unpopular releases, like Construction Time Again etc.

Can someone confirm that the Shout! (Rio Mix) is well 7.53 minutes long? On previous releases it was more like 7.33 long.

7:33 Since Rhino US can't seem to get their crap together I did my own transfers.

I'm wondering what will be next? If the LBong... will be released in the next boxes? or it will be just 'extracts'?(anyway I'm afraid the total price for all possible boxes will be rather big :)Why 12Mute013 have being made? This is NOT the original release (i mean 12 inches disc) while the flexy is included as 7 inches disc.. Strange decision..

Good question. There were only two "proper" singles released from Construction Time Again (Love In Itself & Everything Counts).My guess is that they'll include Get The Balance Right. It may irritate those who demand album-specific accuracy, but I'd rather that than have a 5x12" set including the three L12 live singles.Regarding Dreaming Of Me, I'm very happy indeed to have it and Ice Machine on 12". Great sound quality at last, instead of a crappy 7" pressing.Finally, is anyone having issues with the digital download on the Rhino (US copies) site?

According to Daniel Barassi who created these box sets, they are not remastered."I am working with Sony to pull every single tape that might be related to each single, evaluate which is the master (based on a lack of a fade out, 15 or 30 ips, if dolby was used, et cetera). I get the hi res digital files from Abbey Road, then do appropriate fade outs, repair edits, remove hum, or any other fixes, then those files are sent to the cutting people to make a lacquer. When the test pressings are made, I am then proofing the test pressings against the original 12" singles, to make sure they are identical. If it has anything to do with audio on this project, it's on me. Paul Taylor (Mute art guy since late 1990) is doing all the art." In Daniel's Instagram account post below, he clearly states these are not remastered. https://www.instagram.com/p/BlD1KcgDW1b/?taken-by=fishureprice" fishureprice@libeid there is no real "remastering". They are being made, from the analog masters, to exactly match the original 12" singles. I am going and taking out some hums and things from live recordings, otherwise these are being made to match the original 12" singles." The digital downloads are full 16 bit WAV files.

This is a real nice package. Very happy to have this singles collection from one of my favorite albums. The packaging is great, high quality artwork, polylined inner sleeves for each record, poster, Flexi disc and digital download. The records sound pretty good too. I don't have the original 12" singles but the music on these reissues sound a lot more open and more expansive than my original Speak & Spell album and the songs have a wider soundstage. However, it seems like you lose much of the original analog warmth on these cuts, sometimes the music can sound less focused and the electronics not as defined but that's not to say it sounds bad, just different. Still the drums are nice and punchy and there is a nice, thick low end. The music sounds full and dynamic and has an improved stereo image over the album tracks. Two of the discs had very minor warpage (GZ) and everything was free of surface noise except for Any Second Now which had really bad static running through the whole track. A well put together package. Only thing I wish is that the pressings were a little higher quality.

The original 12"s will always sound different - the originals were effectively remasters of the original tape as the cutting engineer and the equipment used for the original British releases all play a huge role in determining the final sound you hear. For example different issues of New Life (12 Mute 014) will sound different depending on whether you have the first pressing or reissue cut - with George Peckham ("Porky") doing the first and Tim Young ("TimTom") cutting the reissue (also used for the repress). Vinyl cutting is very much an art as well as technique and the sound you hear is Porky's preference or Tim Young's preference as each cutting engineer's personal preferences and equipment used for cutting are imprinted in the sound. This is why artists select a specific cutting engineer to do the cuts as they add their own magic to the sound. My box sets have not arrived yet, but I dare say these versions may sound closer to the original file in the same way that the original German Intercord 12"s always sounded cleaner to me (generally superior pressings), but lacked the punch heard in the UK 12"s in some cases. Personal Jesus being one example straight off the top of my head. My only concern is in the transparency of the de-humming and de-noising that Daniel did on the tape transfers. I hope that pro software such as those from CEDAR or iZotope was used. Even with these, it is possible to add audible artefacts if done too aggressively. I wish that half speed mastering was done to make these issues more desirable for the money. Perhaps coloured vinyl versions too? I would buy the albums again on vinyl if they were half-speed mastered at 45rpm!