Depeche Mode - Rewind: 30 Years at the Edge (2011)

Depeche Mode was one of the most successful synth pop bands of the 80's and 90's.  From their humble beginnings in Basildon, England to having a number one album in the US and UK (Songs of Love and Devotion), Depeche Mode has been through it all.  I remember when the song Enjoy the Silence blew up and they used to show the video of singer Dave Gahan dressed like a king on MTV constantly and I HATED it.  I don't think I even paid attention to the song, I just hated the video.  And the band's name, which I thought was pronounced "Dep-ek Mode".  Of course now the song is one of my favorites of all time and I love Depeche Mode.  Unsurprisingly, this 2 DVD set was a must see.

Depeche Mode -Rewind: 30 Years at the Edge is a 2 disc set featuring two separate documentaries on the band.  The first (clocking in at an hour and a half) focuses on the most loved period of the band, the four album span of Black Celebration, Music for the Masses, Violator and Songs of Love and Devotion.  The documentary starts out with the band's formation all the way until they hit their peak.  The hour long second disc is a more broad overview of the band featuring interviews with old friends, producers, etc.

Documentaries don't get much better than this.  When a documentary focuses on a band I love and four albums that I love, there is little that can be done to make me not like it.  Rewind goes above and beyond to show video clips, interviews with not only those who worked with the band but other electronic musicians of the time (Gary Numan, Thomas Dolby, Andy McCluskey of OMD) to give the most in depth information possible.  Though not as strong as the first disc, disc 2 has some nice interviews and is more for casual fans of the band.  The one part that particularly stuck out in the second disc was the interview footage with Brian Griffin, the cover artist for several of the band's early albums where he explains how those brilliant covers came to be.  Overall, MVD has put out another brilliant documentary on an important band that is in-depth, fast paced and very entertaining.

RATING:  10/10