Not unlike his Stateside namesake Al, Martin Gore knows all about being number two. Having served as Depeche Mode's sole songwriter for two full decades (I know- weird), he appears more or less content with his role as the band's introverted mastermind; Dave Gahan, for his part of the bargain, gets the fame and the occasional overdose.
The game fashion solitaire. Gore's modesty, as it turns out, extends to his solo outings. It just so happens that his and Gahan's albums came out a mere month apart, which would normally trigger reams of tedious comparison-and-contrast between the band's 'brain' and its 'voice.' Luckily, Counterfeit 2 pre-empts any such discussion. It's a covers album.
That's right, the man decided to maneuver around his one universally acknowledged talent (songwriting), instead lending his thin and dull voice to eleven compositions by the likes of Nick Cave, Iggy Pop and even Kurt Weill. Moreover, he's not even doing it for the first time. That '2' in the title is not there for oddity's sake- it denotes a sequel: the first Counterfeit, an EP, came out back in 1989. This conceit is pretty disarming, you have to admit. For one thing, we can't accuse Gore of trying to sell records.
For another, Martin's got a decent taste in other people's music. I can imagine a worse way to spend an hour than listening to intelligently arranged, if antiseptic, versions of 'Oh My Love' and 'Candy Says'.
Overall, from its (genuinely?) self-deprecating title on down, Counterfeit 2 correctly presents itself as a box of hobbyish bric-a-brac for friends and completists. It is on that scale that we should judge it.
The one big surprise here: a version of David Essex's 'Stardust'. Less a cover than a rescue operation, Gore's take imbues a piece of glam nonsense with sadness and gravitas. Brian Eno's 'By This River' sounds most like a Depeche Mode song- circa Black Celebration no less- albeit with the obligatory 2K glitchy-twitchy production. This should shock no one, since Eno at his poppiest and DM at their most experimental are almost rubbing elbows (plus, he produced them.
Those searching for the inevitable big blunder, look no further than a pastiche of Nick Cave's crude epic 'Loverman'. Clearly infatuated with the original, Gore forsakes reinvention for impersonation. Picture Cave's trademark bombast ('There's a devil crawling on your floor.Give him more/ Give him more') and then imagine it issuing forth from Gore's genteel larynx. Needless to say, this is the longest song on the record, clocking in at 7:02. Elsewhere, a Nico cover ('Das Lied Vom Einsamen Mddchen') and a detour into Kurt Weill fakebook fare better than you would imagine: there was always a vague whiff of the cabaret about Depeche Mode. Now is probably the time to confess that one of my recurring adolescent fantasies was 'DM Unplugged', with candles, a string quartet, a Johnny Cash cameo on 'Personal Jesus', Gahan firmly seated in a Gothic chair, and a grinning Gore behind a baby grand.
I still think it's a great idea.
Boring stuff. Even the originals were that and the new versions won't help on them. Not bad but these songs don't suit to Martin Gore. Instrumentation is good but I don't know why the hell the distortion must be present in all Depeche Mode / Martin Gore related stuff? Some melody-tracks, drums, persuccions are disturbingly distorted (and the worst example is the Exciter). Some synth-usage is very nice here but despite of it, as a massive depeche fan, I doubt I will ever have a hunger for listening the Counterfeit 2 again. Although some might say this being pretentious hype or directed by the dictating contractual obligations to Mute, Martin Gore is a stunning artist a few rarely existed walking on this planet with such sensibility in song writing, especially here, in his second 'Counterfeit' series choosing eleven songs injected his own bits of fresh blood to arrange into beautiful minimal electronic soundscapes.
At times very close to endless beauties of David Sylvian and This Mortal Coil, 'Counterfeit 2' is songs written by legends definitely as if waiting for the right man to do them a decent cover. A collection of 'Other People's Songs', Erasure only dreamed of and sadly failed in the real world. With Martin, did we ever give any second thoughts? A record to be there for ages, not just this year's model of trendy covers. A masterpiece.
Martin L Gore Counterfeit
Counterfeit e.p. By Released June 12, 1989 ( 1989-06-12) Recorded, Length 24: 25 - STUMM67 and chronology Counterfeit e.p (1989) (2003) 2003 Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating Music Folio Counterfeit e.p.
Is the first solo recording by, the primary songwriter for the band. Released in 1989, Counterfeit is a six-song of, hence the name, implying that the songs were not written by Gore. Counterfeit was recorded during a band hiatus after recording and touring for the album; bandmate also recorded and released under the pseudonym during this period. Even though the release has the letters 'e.p.' In its title, issued it an album catalogue number (STUMM67). The German word for 'mute' is stumm. In France and Germany a promo single for 'In a Manner of Speaking' was released.
Contents. Track listing CD: Mute / CDSTUMM67 United Kingdom. 'Compulsion' – 5:26 (written and originally recorded by Joe Crow).
'In a Manner of Speaking' – 4:19 (written by, originally recorded by ). 'Smile in the Crowd' – 5:02 (written by, originally recorded by ). 'Gone' – 3:28 (written by Fellows/Glaisher/Peake/Bacon, originally recorded by ). ' – 3:02 (written by Ron Mael, originally recorded by ). ' – 2:48 (traditional) Credits.
Engineered by. Produced by Martin L. Gore and Rico Conning at, London See also. References.
Boring stuff. Even the originals were that and the new versions won't help on them.
Martin Gore Counterfeit Ep
Not bad but these songs don't suit to Martin Gore. Instrumentation is good but I don't know why the hell the distortion must be present in all Depeche Mode / Martin Gore related stuff? Some melody-tracks, drums, persuccions are disturbingly distorted (and the worst example is the Exciter). Some synth-usage is very nice here but despite of it, as a massive depeche fan, I doubt I will ever have a hunger for listening the Counterfeit 2 again. Although some might say this being pretentious hype or directed by the dictating contractual obligations to Mute, Martin Gore is a stunning artist a few rarely existed walking on this planet with such sensibility in song writing, especially here, in his second 'Counterfeit' series choosing eleven songs injected his own bits of fresh blood to arrange into beautiful minimal electronic soundscapes. At times very close to endless beauties of David Sylvian and This Mortal Coil, 'Counterfeit 2' is songs written by legends definitely as if waiting for the right man to do them a decent cover.
Martin L Gore
A collection of 'Other People's Songs', Erasure only dreamed of and sadly failed in the real world. With Martin, did we ever give any second thoughts? A record to be there for ages, not just this year's model of trendy covers. A masterpiece.