Japan, the land of exquisite traditional beauty, serene natural landscapes, and as any music collector can attest to, some pretty dope releases. Marketing campaigns in Japan, as opposed to the West, need to be tweaked for the supremely particular, yet seemingly bananas, Japanese consumer. In terms of musical releases, this usually manifests itself in the following forms:
- Alternate titles
- Alternate cover designs
- Bonus tracks
- Promotional materials
- Off-the-wall what-the-fuckery
This article will look at the top 10 prime examples of these from the Depeche Mode catalogue. If you look at the Depeche Mode artist’s page on discogs.com and search for the word “Japan,” you will find 275 items. Filtering out all the unofficial things, here are the best ones you’ll want to keep an eye out for when shopping in Japan or online.
10) Speak & Spell – Alternate title: “New Life”
If you’ve ever traveled to a non-English speaking country and went to the movies, you’ve noticed that the titles often get changed. “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me” was switched to “Austin Powers Deluxe” in Japan. Same goes for albums at times. Why the title “Speak & Spell” was deemed unsuitable for the Japanese market remains a mystery, but they went with a more identifiable one, “New Life” (???????). Oddly, in the liner notes it is clearly called “Speak & Spell”, but right next to it in katakana it’s defaulted to “New Life.” You’ll also notice that Vince is “PNG” already as this wasn’t released in Japan until 1982.
9) Sounds of the Universe CD – Bonus track: Extended version of “Oh Well”
The price of CD album releases in Japan has hovered between $25 to $30 for decades due to an agreement between the big record stores such as Tower, HMV, etc. (Yes, they still exist here.) So, why would anyone buy the Japanese version when the import, or one you could find overseas, would be half the price? Bonus tracks. Historically, Depeche Mode albums did not follow suit for the most part. “Songs of Faith and Devotion” has the standard 10 tracks. Even one that could really use some, like “Exciter,” just has the basic track listing. Then suddenly, for a 2-album window, the DM marketing team caught wind of the trend in 2005. It started with “Playing the Angel” adding the b-side “Free” as an extra. But the one to get is the “Sounds of the Universe” CD with “Oh Well” added on. Not just the standard version from the “Wrong” single, but an extended 6-minute version which would later be found on the Deluxe Box Set.
8) Everything Counts 7? – Extended version of “Work Hard”
Another example of the “Japan Only” version-technique comes in the “Everything Counts” 7? single. With the standard version of “Work Hard” clocking in at around 4:23, this special version comes in at just over 5:30. Unless you’re paying attention to the time stamp on the label, you probably wouldn’t even have noticed it was anything different.
7) See You 7? – Alternate cover
The early Depeche Mode 7? singles often got treated to alternate covers or abbreviated titles. “Just Can’t Get Enough” gets a cover which is more akin to Speak & Spell and is clipped to “Can’t Get Enough” in katakana. “Get the Balance Right” is too much of a mouthful and is truncated to the utilitarian “Balance Right.” “See You” managed to keep all of its syllabary but gets a unique cover which includes Alan and “The Meaning of Love” as the b-side. Take that, “Now, This Is Fun!”
6) People Are People – Alternate title: “Collection” + Bonus track: “Master And Servant”
A rare combination here, let’s just change the title and add things to it while we’re at it. Not to be confused with the single which came out not long before, the compilation album “People Are People” transforms into a more apropos “Collection.” Sensing a lack of new tracks, someone tacked on “Master And Servant” after the 12? mix of Everything Counts. Side Note/Fun Fact: The original Korean versions of “Some Great Reward” dropped “Master And Servant” completely due to censorship.
5) X1 and X2 – Boxed sets
Remember the Singles box sets 1-> 3 that came out in November 1991? Chronologically curated, they presented the first 18 Depeche Mode singles in CD-single form. Had the good people at Alfa Records in Tokyo received insider info and beat them to the punch a half-year earlier with the legendary X1 and X2 boxed sets? Or, was the latter just a remedial knock off for those who can only think linearly? The Alfa release contains 8 CDs across 2 box sets. Each CD based on a theme (12? versions, live tracks, instrumentals, and b-sides). While the Singles box sets cut off at #18 (“Little 15”), the X1 and X2 include tracks up through “Enjoy The Silence.” Notable tracks in these that would not be available on CDs for some time are the “Are People People?” mix and “Get The Balance Right (Combination Mix (Cold End Version)),” which adds about 10 seconds on to the standard faded version. The inner jackets also include some of the most striking photos.
4) Violator CD – Bonus disc “Enjoy the Silence” CD single / Apology “Replacement CD”
Only in Japan could a record label screw up and in the wake of it, produce something even more coveted. As if “Violator” needed anything extra, Alfa records released a 2-CD version. The first was the album. The second was the “Enjoy The Silence” maxi-CD single with additional liner material including a calendar with the band members’ birthdays marked on it. But, the unthinkable happened! Track 2 on the bonus CD was mislabeled. It was not the “Hands And Feet Mix” of “Enjoy The Silence” at all, this was actually the “Ecstatic Dub”! Further compounding the confusion, Track 3 was not the “Ecstatic Dub,” but in fact the “Ecstatic Dub – Edit.” Who knows how many Alfa Records staffers committed ritual suicide after this snafu. Thankfully, and in typical Japanese fashion, Alfa Records issued an apology “replacement CD” for anyone who bought the original deeply flawed version.
3) World Violation – Promo 3? CD
Not So Fun Fact: The World Violation tour was the last time Depeche Mode came to Japan. Ever. That being said, they went out with a promotional bang with all the extra materials for Violator and related singles. Rarest among these is the 4 track 3? CD promotional release in the run-up to their fall ’90 shows. It includes the 4 singles, and the set list for the World Violation shows on the inner cover. If you thought recent show set lists were all too predictable, I invite you to do a deep dive into the stifling uniformity of the WV set lists (Martin songs aside).
2) Strangelove 7? – Floaty heads
This could easily be covered above in the alternate cover section, but this one deserves special attention. While the others used photographs which were already available, this 7? for Strangelove uses a uniquely Japanese aesthetic – the floaty heads. Used throughout Japanese marketing campaigns even to this day, the heads of our beloved Depeche Mode are decapitated and made to float in a sea of red and black. It is not ridiculously hard to find this, nor is it prohibitively expensive. But this does scream “Japanese!” more than any other item. Strange, indeed.
1) I Want You Now 3? CD & 7?
When one thinks of “Music For The Masses” and what singles would come from it, one immediately rushes to the standards such as “Strangelove,” “Never Let Me Down Again,” and… “I Want You Now”? Released in the weeks before their April ’88 dates in Japan, “I Want You Now” was released as a special DJ promo in 2 forms (with the obviously weaker “Behind the Wheel” as the b-side), a 7? and a 3? CD. Notable, the version of “I Want You Now” is edited down to about 3:15. There are copies available on discogs.com for well over $1,000 if you want them now.
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This article was originally published on Akavinyl.com. Please find the original post here.
