Depeche Mode - Songs Of Faith And Devotion Live (1993)

"Songs of Faith and Devotion Live" is Depeche Mode's live album recorded during their worldwide Devotional tour and was released on 6 December 1993.

The album, which featured performances mainly recorded in Liévin (France) with two other tracks recorded in Copenhagen (Denmark) and New Orleans, was a track by track live duplicate of the Songs of Faith and Devotion album, which was released earlier in 1993.

On the face of it the oddest release of Depeche Mode's career, and one of the oddest in rock ever a mere six months after the release of the original "Songs of Faith and Devotion", a track-for-track duplication of the album from the accompanying tour, culled from a variety of dates in Europe and America. Beyond the souvenir value, though, it's a question whether there's enough going on to warrant further investigation. Admittedly, the general strength of the album obviously matches the original, with top-flight songs for the most part, though falling apart a bit near the end. When it comes to the live presentation adding or taking away anything, it's a mixed bag. David Gahan, it later transpired, did this tour completely out of his head on life-threatening combinations of alcohol and illegal drugs while the various performances don't sound totally flawed, his voice feels distinctly more ragged throughout in comparison to the album "101", losing the more careful subtleties of the studio versions. Musically, while nearly everything matches the originals, various changes appear at points to counteract accusations of simply serving up preprogrammed songs without deviation, perhaps? Regardless, the striking, sweeping introduction to "Walking in My Shoes," with a ragged but right orchestral sample, and the wordless soul/gospel wails concluding "Condemnation" add to the songs' effect, while other songs like "I Feel You" and "In Your Room" have an extra oomph live.

 

01. "I Feel You"  - 7:11

02. "Walking in My Shoes"  - 6:41

03. "Condemnation"  - 3:56

04. "Mercy in You"  - 4:20

05. "Judas"  - 5:01

06. "In Your Room"  - 6:47

07. "Get Right with Me"  - 3:11

08. "Rush"  - 4:35

09. "One Caress"  - 3:35

10. "Higher Love"  - 7:30

Released:  6 December 1993

Recorded:  Live from: Copenhagen, Liévin, New Orleans

Genre:  Alternative Dance, Synthpop, Live

Length:  52:47

Label:  Mute Records

Producer:  Alan Wilder, Steve Lyon

Personnel

Martin Gore - vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, keyboards, synthesizer

David Gahan - vocals

Alan Wilder - keyboards, synthesizer, programming

Andrew Fletcher - keyboards, synthesizer

Hildia Campbell, Samantha Smith - background vocals

Samantha Smith, Basil Meade, Hildia Cambell - vocals

Steafan Hannigan - Uilleann pipe