Depeche Mode - 101

Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest concert films of all time.
Review: I consider Depeche Mode's 101 to be one of the greatest concert films of all time, up there with "The Last Waltz" and "Stop Making Sense". I owned the original VHS release (as well as the CD), and had been waiting patiently for this to be released on DVD. I was not dissapointed. In addition to relieving the experience with a better sound and quality, you also get some great interviews. This DVD brought back some great memories of lost high school days.
Maybe the nostalgia clouts my review, but I do feel that those reviewers giving this DVD a low rating were not around when the film was first release. I actually get the feeling some feel it is a brand new release. The reason why this DVD could not be done in a "One Night in Paris" style is that it was released well over a dozen years before that concert!!! Plus, I find 101 so much more interesting. You get to see not just the concert (regardless of what the young'ems say, Depeche Mode were at the top of their game during the Music for the Masses tour) but also a glimpse into the lives of devoted DM fans, and just your normal everyday backstage stuff that goes on.
Normally, one would not expect "electronic" music to be particularly captivating live. Play the tape, dance around. However, Depeche Mode inject a vigor into their live performances that differentiates their live performances from their recorded output. This film is a great testament to that.

Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest concert films of all time.
Review: I consider Depeche Mode's 101 to be one of the greatest concert films of all time, up there with "The Last Waltz" and "Stop Making Sense". I owned the original VHS release (as well as the CD), and had been waiting patiently for this to be released on DVD. I was not dissapointed. In addition to relieving the experience with a better sound and quality, you also get some great interviews. This DVD brought back some great memories of lost high school days.
Maybe the nostalgia clouts my review, but I do feel that those reviewers giving this DVD a low rating were not around when the film was first release. I actually get the feeling some feel it is a brand new release. The reason why this DVD could not be done in a "One Night in Paris" style is that it was released well over a dozen years before that concert!!! Plus, I find 101 so much more interesting. You get to see not just the concert (regardless of what the young'ems say, Depeche Mode were at the top of their game during the Music for the Masses tour) but also a glimpse into the lives of devoted DM fans, and just your normal everyday backstage stuff that goes on.
Normally, one would not expect "electronic" music to be particularly captivating live. Play the tape, dance around. However, Depeche Mode inject a vigor into their live performances that differentiates their live performances from their recorded output. This film is a great testament to that.

Rating:
Summary: A very interesting on the road documentary
Review: I got fortune of seeing this on German TV twice within a month which was fantastic. This is compulsive watching as an on-the-road documentary of the band as they set up for their 101st gig at the Pasadena Rose Bowl.

Some may complain that there should have been a live video instead of what was given but I disagree. Live videos are somewhat boring as they don't really give you the feeling that is to be there live. Having said that I suppose it would have been a good memento for anyone that was there at the show. But this is just my opinion

However I do find my annoyances with it myself and that's mainly because of the sidetrack tale of a bunch of teenagers going to the gig and their teenage philosophies. It tends to be very dull and uninteresting and I don't really want to hear their views on fashion ( oh but Depeche Mode means fast fashion doesn't it ). Nevertheless you get a good quote out of one them who hates Guns'n'Roses who retitles them " Guns'n'Posers." I'm sure Axl wouldn't want to hear it but then given how he likes Depeche Mode and Pet Shop Boys - I'm sure he takes it as a compliment! Otherwise he would have had the lawyers round!

But we know that Dave is " not a f*cking wordsworth " and that Marty began a little obsession with country and western music which goes a long way into explaining why Johnny Cash must have covered Personal Jesus ( although hindsight is a beautiful thing ), Fletch is just there basically to hold them together and Alan reveals that even he cocks up on the keyboards so there's hope for us all. Nevertheless the tape rolls and the concert must go on and as is the way, the band played on

Rating:
Summary: A must for buy for any "real" Depeche Mode fan!!!
Review: I speak for all DM fans around the world when i say this, the band could put out a blank DVD with just their pictures on it and we would still buy it. When a opportunity like this arrives you jump on it. DVD's like this one will not be in print forever, so thats reason enough for me!! Long Live David, Martin and Fletch.

Rating:
Summary: Can't Wait
Review: I won my copy of this on VHS back in 1989. (I wasn't even old enough to legally own it, I was 14, and 101 was granted a 15 certificate in my native England)... It's one of my most treasured items as it's fully autographed by all four DM members.

But it's worn out from repeated viewing. So a DVD release is most welcome!

I don't mind the fact that the show is incomplete, the press release from it's makers even claims that they don't even know where the missing songs are. I think the inclusion of an uninterrupted version of what concert footage they have on the second disc should be regarded as a bonus, and not a given.

101 is not, and was never meant to be a concert movie. It's a documentary. It captures the band in a moment. It captures their audience (albeit a concentrated snapshop) in a moment.

And it's great.

Rating:
Summary: Nostalgia for the Masses
Review: My 101'st review is for 101. It was great seeing the boys again, transported back in time to perhaps the pinnacle of their bourgeoning careers. Only recently coming to DVD, 101 follows a group of 8 Depeche Mode fans across the country on bus after they won a promotional contest to participate. Ostensibly the first reality show, pre-dating MTV's insipid Real World series, we got to know a bit about the busmates against the backdrop of various shots of the band's performances as they made their way to their 101'st show at the Rose Bowl, CA in the summer of 1988. I graduated HS that year and Depeche Mode had been [and is] my favorite band since their Some Great Reward Album. It was fun nostalgia to be transported back to those days of halcyon youth. . The audio commentary from the band was entertaining, more so than the individual interviews on the second disc. I had a lot of favorites working in this movie, MftM is my favorite DM album, and we are once again reminded of the talent of Alan Wilder. It's interesting the little snippets that slip in about Alan [who declined to participate in the interviews or commentary], and about how Dave, who laughing states 'Look at Al, he's too cool for school' misses him. What would the output have been like beyond SoFAD if Alan had stayed. Ah well, at least out of the departure Recoil matured and bore fruit. Anyhow this was a feel good viewing, with lizard-like slicked back Fletch once more egging the fans on with his clapping technique. It gets added to the other DM DVDs in my collection, and I can highly recommend it for fans and newbies.

Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest Music DVD's ever
Review: Not only does Depeche mode have cool music videos, they also have spectacular concerts that are completely dinstict from other bands. Depeche mode's sequence of fame began in 1981 where they started off as an electronical band and then slowly fell into pop and then into rock and roll and then into their own realm of music genre procedeing ULTRA. Depeche Mode 101 is probably one of their most exciting and watchable video compositions. If your looking for Depeche mode music videos, this is not the DVD. You want to get the Depeche Mode 86>98 DVD. If your looking for old school Depeche Mode 81>86 then you want to get Depeche Mode Some Great Videos DVD. As for 101, if you get into Depeche Mode, you will eventually want to buy this. This is a great dvd that follows Depeche Mode concerts up until 1989 ending with their Music for The Masses album. 5 stars. One of the best Music DvDs next to REM - Parallel, and Pearl Jam - Live at the Garden.

Rating:
Summary: A must-Have DVD!!!
Review: Pay no mind to the previous review, as it appears NOT to be written by an actual DM fan... as any TRUE fan loves the "101" movie, and has watched it countless times (and will now watch it countless more). The coolest thing athing about this DVD release (in my opinion) is the soundtrack being remixed in 5.1 surround sound! This gives the concert that much more of a "live" feel to it. I am excited to see the new interviews with 3 of the "bus kids" as well. Listening to the commentary rocks, as Dave is one of the funniest guys around, and I could listen to him for days, as he tells stories quite well. While it would have been nice to hear Alan's take on the whole event as a bonus feature, he opted not to take part of this DVD release (though they DID ask him to be). As far as not getting the "Whole" concert as a bonus feature... BIG DEAL! The film "101" is the reason to watch this release (and includes at least snippets of all the songs performed). If they had decided to only put ONE of the whole songs performed it would have been a nice bonus, let alone getting to watch most of the concert (which is what we get). I think that was a very nice bonus to include on this release, and I can't believe people are complaining that they only get 87% of the whole concert instead of 100% (Hey, they could have given us 0%, you know). Buy this DVD today, and remember your roots!!! :)

Rating:
Summary: Still no complete 101 concert
Review: The content of this DVD has been subject of heated discussions since it was pre-announced. First of all, there is of course the old 101 film by DA Pennebaker. I can't really recommend it to anyone interested in the music of DM, as it's a kind of MTV style documentary with some song clippings thrown in. The film is rather unpopular with many DM fans as well, since Pennebaker (who said that he had not known the band in the first place) choose to create a freakshow of intoxicated fan imposers and embarrassing band statements. Don't expect to watch this twice. With most of the VHS backcatalogue still unavailable on DVD, one wonders why the record company did choose this film instead of Devotional Live or Live in Hamburg.

The second DVD contains a lot of bonus tracks that look good on the cover but disappoint bitterly. Many fans had hoped for a complete live concert, instead we got an old TV production created from some considerably shortened songs. Mute says that the concert was not filmed in its entirety, and looking at 101 I half believe that Pennebaker messed that up as well, but I suspect they just wanted a cheap cash cow and recycled the already released material. The only new material are interviews with some of the 'fans' from the film (I don't know how I survived without this) and the band, that is the three present members of the band, but not Alan Wilder, who gave the band the unique sound that made them superstars until he left in the 90s. (Edit: I have learned that he was asked but didn't want to participate.)

All in all this is for only for those who buy anything with DM written on it to complete their collection. For the rest there is still the 101 2CD with the great music to enjoy.

(Edit: And yes, I am a Depeche Mode fan, even though some other reviewers accuse me of spreading "Blasphemous Rumours". That's why I'm so sad that this DVD is rather neglecting and even mistreating the fine music of DM in favour of trivialities.
And I don't think that this reviews are meant as Who's the biggest fan-competitions, but to give some subjective but fact-based opinions for interested customers, helping them to make their own choice. )

Rating:
Summary: Fabulous trip back to the 80's
Review: These DVD's are great! This would have to be one of their greatest concerts ever. An absolute must for die hard DM fans - and anyone who wants to re-live the 80's!!