Collector’s Editions continue this fall
Rhino’s Depeche Mode 12-inch vinyl singles project continues with the release of Playing The Angel | The 12″ Singles on November 11th.
Playing The Angel | The 12″ Singles, a collector’s edition deluxe box set, contains ten 12-inch vinyl discs presenting singles — “Precious,” “A Pain That I’m Used To,” “Suffer Well,” and “John The Revelator/Lilian” — alongside B-sides, remixes, instrumentals, dub versions, and other recordings contemporaneous to Depeche Mode’s 11th studio album, Playing The Angel, originally released in October 2005.
Playing The Angel | The 12″ Singles presents electrifying remixes of Depeche Mode originals, including a disc devoted to “The Darkest Star,” the track from which Playing The Angel derives its title. The tenth disc in the box is newly compiled for this collection, bringing together B-sides and mixes first released across CD and maxi-singles throughout the Playing The Angel campaign.
The first Depeche Mode album to be produced with Ben Hillier, Playing The Angel found the classic DM lineup (Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andrew Fletcher), 25 years into the band’s history, breaking open new sonic terrain with a raw, grittier sound bridging the cosmic spiritual connection between the primal roots of rock and throbbing 21st Century techno dance floors around the world. The Playing The Angel campaign continued Depeche Mode’s tradition of issuing monumental 12-inch singles to supplement and complement their album releases. Playing The Angel premiered essential new additions to the DM canon, including “Precious,” “A Pain That I’m Used To,” Suffer Well,” “John The Revelator,” “Lilian,” “The Darkest Star,” and more.
From their earliest days as a band, Depeche Mode have championed 12-inch vinyl, embracing the format’s singular power and potential for innovation. The 12-inch single allowed the band to explore new sonic possibilities while the tactile real-world beauty of physical packaging gave Depeche Mode room to develop their consistently sophisticated and commanding design aesthetic. Depeche Mode have used their singles discography as a means of offering fans the opportunity to enjoy left-field remixes, rare B-sides, standout concert performances and other exclusive delights.
Rhino released the first two box sets in the Depeche Mode 12-inch singles series — Speak & Spell | The Singles and A Broken Frame | The Singles — in August 2018, with the second batch — Construction Time Again | The 12″ Singles and Some Great Reward | The 12″ Singles — arriving in December 2018. Rhino released Depeche Mode’s Black Celebration | The 12″ Singles and Music For The Masses | The 12″ Singles on May 31, 2019. 2020 saw the release of Violator | The 12″ Singles in July and Songs of Faith and Devotion | The 12″ Singles in October. The ninth collection in the series, Ultra | The 12″ Singles, was released on September 27, 2021, with the tenth volume, Exciter | The 12″ Singles, arriving on June 10, 2022.
Each box set in the series contains the singles from each Depeche Mode album on audiophile-quality 12-inch vinyl, with audio mastered from the original tapes. The artwork for the exterior of each of the box sets draws on iconography inspired by the original releases, while the vinyl sleeves themselves feature the original single artwork.
The Depeche Mode 12″ Singles Series will continue over the coming years, with plans to release boxes containing the singles from each of the band’s albums in similar deluxe audiophile-grade collector’s editions.
