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The year of grace 2003 saw Dave Gahan, the esteemed patron of Depeche Mode, make the arduous yet obvious decision to dive headfirst into a solo career. It was a decision that could only be met with agreement and full support: twenty years of a career with a major band that had reshaped the synth-electronic scene, a respectable handful of albums to their name (the latest, Exciter, released just two years prior), majestic tours extending from Pasadena to the Filaforum. A career that, despite paralysis and rumored breakups (precisely because of the frontman described here), always managed to recover the energy of its debut. And so, good Gahan, having overcome the post-overdose turmoil and the dark specters of Songs Of Faith And Devotion and Ultra, freed himself from his group's classic production, trying both to show valid songwriting and compositional skills (on par with his colleague Gore) and to surpass the traditional Depeche Mode sound boundaries.
The frantic search for an alternative to the exclusive synth device was confirmed as Gahan’s primary goal for his unique debut, for which he opted for a country-rock-instrumental orientation, successful only in part: the near "abnegation" of his origins certainly revealed a Dave who was anything but predictable and repetitive, but at the same time, caused a drastic decline in the vigor and "roughness" embodied by a true "stage animal" that screams, bucks, and moves the masses.
A widespread weakness (also vocal) characterizes much of the album: the very peaceful country-rock mix for Hold On, the ghostly gothic ambient experiment of A Little Piece, the soft and velvety instrumental lullaby of Stay coupled with the synth play that suddenly evolves into an offbeat rock-like breakdown in Goodbye.
Alongside this kind of sonic "relaxation" there are few but significant reminiscences of the ancient Depeche Mode ardor: the first single Dirty Sticky Floors seems to emulate, without overly inflating, the extraordinary electro-rock glories of It’s No Good (1997, ed.) as well as the intrinsic grime of Bottle Living that brings a sigh of relief to those shuddering at the news of a "purified" Gahan. Pleasant, finally, is the playful tender dance note of I Need You and the continued electronic-rock vibe in Hidden Houses.
An oscillating, immature yet simultaneously flavorful work, balancing between tradition and continuity, nostalgia, and future renewal. And even though Dave's maturation seems to have found a worthy continuation in the more rigorous and valid Hourglass, he will never be stripped of the atavistic label of the Depeche Mode "damned" mentor, from which he himself will have to extract precious lifeblood and continually renew it in a solo career sufficiently adequate to his heavy status.
Dave Gahan, Paper Monsters
Dirty Sticky Floors - Hold On - A Little Piece - Bottle Living - Black And Blue Again - Stay - I Need You - Bitter Apple - Hidden Houses - Goodbye.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
01 Dirty Sticky Floors (03:34)
Waiting for the last time
For my friend to change my mind
Waiting for the last drop
Seems like a long, long time
Maybe I should go back home
I'll sit and wait right by the phone
Praying over the porcelain throne
On my dirty sticky floor
Ask me what I want
Easy, that's just more
How long will I wait for you?
Twice as long as I did before
Standing in the freezing snow
Maybe you left I just don't know
I'll soon be lying on my own
On some dirty sticky floor
I hope no one can see me
The tinman says I'm doing fine
That lion ain't going to get me
See that gun right there - it's mine
I've painted a face where I burnt the floor
Now the face has become my devil's door
Laying in the back-room
On my dirty sticky floor
My dirty sticky
04 Bottle Living (03:33)
He's like a king without a crown
He wears it like a clown
Watch him disappear
I wish he would come down
So call before you drown
I won' t always be around
Living for the bottle
He's living for the bottle
He's a ship without a sail
He's not listening when you speak
Living for the bottle
He'll be sitting there all week
So call before you drown
I won't always be around
Living for the bottle
He's living for the bottle
Yeah
There's no light on in his eyes
How heavy are the lies
Just jump right out his skin
He'll take you for a ride
Living for the bottle
He's living for the bottle
So call before you drown
I won't always be around
A dog without a bite
Still looking for a fight
All in black
He won't be home tonight
Yeah
There's no light on in his eyes
How heavy are the lies
Just jump right out his skin
He'll take you for a ride
Living for the bottle
He's living for the bottle
I won't always be around
So call before you drown
07 I Need You (04:45)
I need you
I need you
I need you
I'm asking my friend
I need you again
Can you do something for me?
Time, it just past
We had some laughs
Maybe it's just about greed
You'll always need me much more than I need you
You'll always need me much more
You'll always need me much more than I need you
You'll always need me much more
I need you
I'll ask you again but I don't think you've changed
You never did nothing for me
I wonder sometimes if you're looking down
On everything that you see
With all of your gold
Stories all told
Some things just aren't meant to be
You live in the past
Shadows don't last
This time it's all about me
You'll always need me much more than I need you
You'll always need me much more
You'll always need me much more than I need you
You'll always need me much more
I need you
You'll always need me much more than I need you
I need you
You'll always need me much more
I need you
I need you
08 Bitter Apple (06:00)
Days long gone and lost hot nights
No crowded streets to walk tonight
Still the stars shine so bright
Don't need a coat, I'll be alright
Then you walked into my life
A halo bright with dark brown eyes
Just standing in her light
Remembered love again at night
Bitter apple, take a bite
(It's kind of wonderful)
Fallen star, you're mine tonight
(Strange but beautiful)
Bitter apple, take my life
(It's kind of wonderful)
If I close my eyes, you're mine tonight
Tonight
We laughed so hard it caused some pain
Two strangers standing in the rain
We smoked our cigarettes
(It's kind of wonderful)
Exchanging our regrets
(Strange but beautiful)
Bitter apple, take a bite
(It's kind of wonderful)
Fallen star, you're mine tonight
(Strange but beautiful)
Bitter apple, take my life
(It's kind of wonderful)
If I close my eyes, you're mine tonight
(Strange but beautiful)
Tonight
If I close my eyes, you're mine tonight
Tonight
If I close my eyes
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By Demo1069
If only he hadn’t!!
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