Depeche Mode - Strange / Strange Too (1988-1990)

[MifuneFan]

Rhino Records will be releasing Depeche Mode's Strange and Strange Too, a music video collection from Anton Corbijn on Blu-ray on December 8th. Full details of the release and restoration below.

https://www.amazon.com/Strange-Too-D...2C157&sr=1-117

https://store.rhino.com/en/rhino-sto...497829477.html

Rhino Records will release Depeche Mode's Strange/Strange Too (a much sought-after collection of music videos directed and filmed in Super 8 by Anton Corbijn) on Friday, December 8. Strange/Strange Too will be released through Rhino in the USA, Canada, and Mexico (where the title will be released worldwide through Sony Music Entertainment)

Previously available as individual titles in VHS and Laserdisc formats (now out-of-print and highly collectible), Strange (1988) and Strange Too (1990) are compilations of the provocative and visionary short films lensed by master photographer/director Anton Corbijn, in collaboration with Depeche Mode, to create a new visual iconography for the band and their music.

Available for the first time in DVD and Blu-ray configurations and as a single collection, Strange/Strange Too presents 11 Anton Corbijn/Depeche Mode music films, newly restored from original Super 8mm sources, alongside six previously unseen outtake "vignettes" from the DM archives. When assembling the final edits for Strange and Strange Too, Corbijn created a visual running order where the individual music videos are perceived as one continuous film, with additional interstitial content not seen in the original clips.

Read more..

[Show spoiler]
According to Depeche Mode: "Anton Corbijn's photography and art direction have played an indispensable part in the evolution of the Depeche Mode aesthetic. Strange and Strange Too are essential titles in both the Depeche Mode and Anton Corbijn catalogs and are the perfect exam-ple of Anton's unique ability to capture the spirit of DM on film."

The physical nature of Super 8 film means that the stock's rough and grainy quality becomes part of the finished film's inherent aesthetic, and Corbijn's mastery of Super 8 is a key element in Strange/Strange Too and the development of Depeche Mode's visual components. The film restoration underwent a rigorous process over the course of several years with the participation of personnel involved in making the original films, including Anton Corbijn. Because this Blu-ray/DVD release was created from the original Super 8 film stock, the final result may seemingly lack the visual clarity that modern viewers associate with contemporary HD 4k reproduction. In some occasions where the original footage had deteriorated too much, the next best source was used.

First released in 1988 as "Strange – A Black and White Mode by Anton Corbijn, "Strange fea-tured the first five Depeche Mode music clips directed by Anton Corbijn, who shot them mostly in black and white Super 8. Strange included the three main singles from Music for the Masses, the final Black Celebration single ("A Question of Time") and "Pimpf," the instrumental closing Music for the Masses.

Released in 1990, Strange Too (aka "Strange Too – Another Violation by Anton Corbijn") was shot in full-color, opening a visual/sonic palette for the director and the band as they explored songs from Violator plus bonus videos for "Halo" and "Clean."

The Strange/Strange Too DVD and Blu-ray configurations come in a digipack with a 16-page concertina booklet featuring photographs and new liner notes penned by Anton Corbijn.

"To be seen as 'strange' in a creative field is no bad thing as it probably means 'different', which I find is a very positive description of one's struggle to be just that. The idea to make this into a connected series of little films and fake interviews came late into the process of shooting these," wrote Corbijn. "I was shooting all the films myself on black/white Super 8 film. We put all this together on a shoestring budget; those were that kind of days. We have to look at these films in the light of us being young; we were experimenting and I am happy we were given that space at the time by Daniel Miller."

The Strange/Strange Too DVD and Blu-ray configurations come in a digipack with a 16-page concertina booklet featuring photographs and new liner notes penned by Anton Corbijn.



Strange/Strange Too
Track Lists

STRANGE
1. A Question of Time
2. Strangelove
3. Never Let Me Down Again
4. Behind the Wheel
5. Pimpf

Outtake vignettes:
1. Strangelove
2. Behind the Wheel
3. Behind the Wheel (Shep Pettibone Mix)

STRANGE TOO
1. Personal Jesus
2. Policy of Truth
3. Enjoy the Silence
4. Clean
5. Halo
6. World in My Eyes

Outtake vignettes:
1. Personal Jesus (Acoustic)
2. Policy of Truth
3. Policy of Truth (Trancentral Mix)

[un4gvn94538]

I've given up on this! Awesome news!

[sandman slim]

Instant preorder. Thanks!

[dr727]

KLF’s film anthology & AC’s Depeche video anthology released less than a month apart! It’s a helluva time to be alive!

[dr727]

LaserDisc artwork

STRANGE (A Black And White Mode By Anton Corbijn) [1988]






STRANGE TOO (Another Violation By Anton Corbijn) [1990]

[un4gvn94538]

Got rid of my vhs tapes years ago confident these would be released on blu-ray. What a long wait. Hope the cure staring at the sea the images gets released at some point.

[TheOneWithThePrize]

Time to upgrade my Strange Too LD!

[Toetke]

Originally Posted by sandman slim

Instant preorder. Thanks!

me too

[fteixeira]

Popped up on-sale at Amazon.

Anyone have the specs for the audio on this? Any surround formats? hi-res? I know little to nothing about this release.

[The80s]

So this is a film? Or clips? I’ve never heard of it before. But I like Depeche Mode so I went ahead and pre ordered. Great price.

[WaverBoy]

This is cool, although what I’m really wanting even more is a Blu-ray comp of all their videos up to and including the other (and superior IMO) video version of Strangelove, and they can throw in the complete uncut version of The World We Live In And Live In Hamburg ‘85 for good measure.

[BobbyMcGee]

Currently $13.99 on Amazon.

[dr727]

Originally Posted by The80s

So this is a film? Or clips? I’ve never heard of it before. But I like Depeche Mode so I went ahead and pre ordered. Great price.

Strange – A Black and White Mode by Anton Corbijn is the second music video compilation by Depeche Mode, featuring the first five Depeche Mode videos directed by Anton Corbijn, released in 1988. Corbijn shot the entire video album in Super 8.

The five videos are mostly in black and white, except for some random megaphones that were colored red. The compilation includes the three main singles for Music for the Masses, the final Black Celebration single "A Question of Time", and "Pimpf", the instrumental closer to Music for the Masses. The "Pimpf" video is currently exclusive to this release.




Strange Too – Another Violation by Anton Corbijn is the third music video compilation by Depeche Mode, featuring more videos directed by Anton Corbijn, released in 1990.

Unlike the previous video, Strange, all the videos are fully in color. There are six videos, all songs from the album Violator, released in the same year. There is one for each of the four singles, plus two bonus videos, for "Halo" and "Clean", exclusive to the release.

As with its predecessor, Corbijn shot all six videos in Super 8.



For those who aren’t aware, Anton Corbijn has been DM’s primary visualist/designer/etc for decades. An oversized art book of his work (DM by AC: 81-18) was released recently as well.

[dr727]

STRANGE Track List:

1. Question of Time
2. Strangelove
3. Never Let Me Down Again
4. Behind The Wheel
5. Pimpf

STRANGE TOO Track List:

1. Personal Jesus
2. Policy of Truth
3. Enjoy the Silence
4. Clean
5. Halo
6. World in My Eyes

Also, the Discogs entries include this note:
Contains long form versions of the videos, not found on later video releases.

[PowellPressburger]

Grabbed the Blu-Ray from my local record shop.
** they also had the DVD edition, which is in a slightly taller paper case, Blu is shorter**

when you pop in Blu-Ray - to toggle between Strange and Strange Too use Remote curser to move Right or Left.

image looks good to me. Nice and grainy at times which it should be. Audio sounds good to me.

the audio is LPCM 48k 24bit
no other audio options or subtitles
(except when they are used as part of the video)

some pics Case has a J-Card over the front cover

DP1.jpg

DP2.jpg

DPFront.jpg

DPInside.jpg

DPNotes.jpg

[PowellPressburger]

Originally Posted by dr727

Discogs entries include this note:
Contains long form versions of the videos, not found on later video releases.

Curious to hear from others who have owned the LD/s VHS to point out any differences, as the bonus material all seems short... The few I clicked on were only about a min or so each.

Unless they mean actual main video clips might be original versions etc.

I've never owned the LD's of VHS but I've seen some of the clips I think on the SACD / DVD Combo releases from years ago. ( I still love those SACDs!!)

Now if we can get the Longer 83 Min Cut of
The World We Live in and Live in Hamburg

as seen on the Japan Release https://www.lddb.com/laserdisc/19226...ive-in-Hamburg

I wish they would have filmed the Violator Tour - their logic was they did 101 and didn't think fans would want another tour... and Violator was so huge Just a shame it wasn't filmed. and of course the fact we don't have a full version of 101

[un4gvn94538]

Got rid of my VHS a long time ago. Watching it now it's been so long I don't remember if anything is different. But I'm Still Loving it. I'm also interested to know if there's anything different.

[un4gvn94538]

Having just finished watching the Blu-ray, all I can say is I want more.

[bilbofett]

Originally Posted by PowellPressburger

Curious to hear from others who have owned the LD/s VHS to point out any differences, as the bonus material all seems short... The few I clicked on were only about a min or so each.

Unless they mean actual main video clips might be original versions etc.

I've never owned the LD's of VHS but I've seen some of the clips I think on the SACD / DVD Combo releases from years ago. ( I still love those SACDs!!)

Now if we can get the Longer 83 Min Cut of
The World We Live in and Live in Hamburg

as seen on the Japan Release https://www.lddb.com/laserdisc/19226...ive-in-Hamburg


I wish they would have filmed the Violator Tour - their logic was they did 101 and didn't think fans would want another tour... and Violator was so huge Just a shame it wasn't filmed. and of course the fact we don't have a full version of 101

It was filmed and they used to post clips from it; a forum I belonged to asked for permission and was granted to post 1-2 clips from it, which I've seen; I still may have them bookmarked somewhere

[loxly]

arrived the other day, packaging leaves much to be desired. it is barely thicker than a disc.