Depeche Mode: Touring the Angel 9/26/06
 

Anyone pick this up yet? I didn't even know it was coming out until I happened to notice it while checking around on Amazon. I was going to just rent it but no one in my area has it and Blockbuster Online doesn't have it either. Amazon has it for $13.99, so I'll probably go ahead and get it there. I just was hoping to get some opinions first.

Wish i could give you an opinion.
I should have known better than preorder mine from CD-Wow ages ago as i just got the seemingly inevitable 'despatch delay' email saying it won't be shipped til 3rd Oct..Grrrrr!!!!

I hadn't heard about this but I was not impressed by the last album so I don't think i'll be getting it unless Netflix carries it. I may have to give the new album another chance.

Got this Monday and the 2 concert DVDs are in DTS.

There are 2 releases of this DVD.

1 DVD in a clear amaray case
2 DVD + 1 CD in a Digi-pack - 1st DVD is same as the 1 disc release (just the concert), the 2nd DVD is interviews, EPK, extras etc. and the CD is just a mix of the Playing the Angel tracks from the concert.

I bought the digi-pack yesterday and have only listened to the CD so far but am looking forward to the DVD tonight!

It figures. The one I saw at Amazon for $13.99 is the single disc.

It looks like Netflix has it, but no other rental places are carrying either version.

I saw Depeche Mode on the london night of this tour. One of the best nights I have ever had at a concert. Having waited years to see them live I saw them twice in 3 months.
They played some brilliant songs and in the second half they have a run of 4 classic songs (Personnal Jesus being my all time favourite).
Cannot wait to hear all this in DTS.

Totally forgot this was coming out. I'll have to scope out a deal and pick it up. Thanks for the bump.

You owe it to yourself to give "Playing the Angel" another chance. It is, the best thing they've done since "Violator". And even rivals that. Check out the review below from allmusic.com About the "Live in Milan" DVD, it's spectacular! You've never seen a concert film quite like this before. Depeche Mode already have four live concerts out on video and DVD ("Live in Hamberg", "101", "Devotional" and "Live in Paris"), so they needed to do something unique. And they did. The footage goes from color to black and white. Whiplash editing. Cameras from every angle including several from above. The people who made this did a beautiful beautiful job. And the sound will knock your socks off. Best songs are "Sinner in Me" and "Home".

Now, a review of "Playing the Angel":

Review by Andy Kellman
When Ultra was declared the best Depeche Mode album since Violator, those who said so must have forgotten about Songs of Faith and Devotion. When Exciter was declared the best Depeche Mode album since Violator, those who said so must have also forgotten about Songs of Faith and Devotion, in addition to having found a roundabout way of saying that it was merely better than Ultra. There's no doubt this time: Playing the Angel is both the band's best album since Violator and, more significantly, an album that is near Violator in stature. The biggest clue dropped by the band prior to its release was a quote from Dave Gahan, who said that being in Depeche Mode is better than it has been in 15 years. Some quick math reveals that Gahan was hinting at the Violator era, a time when the band's creativity and popularity peaked synchronously. It also turns out that this is a time as good as any other to be paying attention to the band. Playing the Angel lacks Songs of Faith and Devotion's end-to-end chest-beating, Ultra's grinding murk, and Exciter's desiccated patches. It takes the best qualities from those releases, combines them with a few subtle allusions to Violator — tiptoeing the border that separates retread from reinvention — and makes for a highly concentrated set of songs that all but demand to be heard in one uninterrupted shot. Gahan, still riding the confidence he gained as a songwriter from Paper Monsters, his 2003 solo debut, contributes three songs co-written with band associates Christian Eigner and Andrew Phillpott. Though none of them vie to be the album's centerpiece, it's apparent that the move wasn't a concession of desperation on anyone's part. The friendly competition seems to have kicked chief songwriter Martin Gore into high gear; he's in top form. Musically, a lot of analog gear was used, and it's apparent that the arrangements and extra sounds were less fussed over than they have been in the recent past. You get the sense that everything fell into place, as opposed to being forced or aimlessly manipulated. Despite the favoring of older gear, there's no other year in which any of the songs could've been made. Like the best Depeche Mode, almost everything on the album will make an initial wowing impact while remaining layered enough in subtle details to surprise and thrill with repeated listens. It is not the kind of album a 25-year-old band is supposed to make.

Rating: ****1/2 out of *****