Saturday, July 7, 2012

...Back to Depeche Mode...As time went on I bought more and more back issue records.  My friend Ryan and I were totalyy into them.  I used to ride my bike to The Record PX in Fountain Valley CA -they were the closest and one of the best import record shops around.  I bought may of the early color vinyl pressings there. 

Pretty soon it was time for Music For the Masses...I was a Freshman in highschool, didn't really know anyone, but a new DM album was great company! Music for the Masses came out in Late September. I had the tape first and the Blue Vinyl second.  I saw Dm live on December 4th, 1987 at the Forum in LA.  It was a crazy rainy night.  I remember driving up to LA in my best friend's green VW rabbit....we broke down on the freeway...but were able to fix the problem and made it to the show....I don't really remember the show...I was too young to drink and naive for anything else....but I do know that I was in total fanatic awe of this band.  I remember watching with tears in my eyes how crazy it was that this group that I idolized was actually live in front of me...

During the next part of the year, singles would occassionally appear at the PX and we learned of the coding for them: BongXX and limited editions LBongXX and EXLBONGXX.  One of my treasures is a 10" vinyl of Behind the Wheel.  It is still in mint condition and has a sticker, postcard, and Iron On that came with it...it is numbered and extra limited edition...

...Then the morning came....on the way to school in Chris Henry's old Audi A4... the live announcement on KROQ...Depeche Mode were coming back to California for the final show of the tour at the Rose Bowl.  I was so estatic.... and tickets went on sale that Saturday....

..June 18, 1988 with a diverse line up including Thomas Dolby, Wire, The iteration of the Pet Shop Boys at the Time (Electronic) and DM.  I bought field seats.  It was a crazy magical day.  First off, I had my first driving lesson that morning, my friend Rob drove again to the show...we were 3/4 back on the field with 77000 people....and crazily, my seats were right behind my good friend and fellow fanatic Emmett Clark...I felt "that deep (what I called religious) feeling again and was high on life.  It was such a huge stage and venue and only the third or 4th concert I had seen.  I'll never forget seeing lightning in the sky during Blasphemous Rumors (At least I think so...) With abodon, I ran to get as close to the stage as I could....I got to maybe the 20th row and was out of my mind...dancing , singing, free.  It was a life changing event, everything from the parking on the golf course to the heat of the day to the giant food fight to the anticipation and show was larger that I could imagine life could be....
Surrounding Music for the Masses, DM had tons of airplay.  Mute kept us engaged by periodically dropping a remix or a single...and the Record PX started carrying used import material.

About this time, I began to invest my hard earned (retail men's clothing) money in stereo equipment.  First of course it was the Receiver and speakers and then a dual tape deck...

I'll never forget the announcement about 101 Live coming out!  Richard Blade played the first cuts on his afternoon show on KROQ...I had tears in my eyes as I heard Blasphemous Rumors...I taped it...I wonder if I could find it...101 came out in March 1989, it carried us to the release of Violator...the Wherehouse in store signing, to the next shows at the Universal Amphitheatre and tickets from Michael Jackson's body guard to Dodgers Stadium...

Friday, July 6, 2012

...Back to Depeche Mode...As time went on I bought more and more back issue records.  My friend Ryan and I were totalyy into them.  I used to ride my bike to The Record PX in Fountain Valley CA -they were the closest and one of the best import record shops around.  I bought may of the early color vinyl pressings there. 

Pretty soon it was time for Music For the Masses...I was a Freshman in high school, didn't really know anyone, but a new DM album was great company! Music for the Masses came out in Late September. I had the tape first and the Blue Vinyl second.  I saw DM live on December 4th, 1987 at the Forum in LA.  It was a crazy rainy night.  I remember driving up to LA in my best friend's green VW rabbit....we broke down on the freeway...but were able to fix the problem and made it to the show....I don't really remember the show...I was too young to drink and naive for anything else....but I do know that I was in total fanatic awe of this band.  I remember watching with tears in my eyes how crazy it was that this group that I idolized was actually live in front of me...

During the next part of the year, singles would occasionally appear at the PX and we learned of the coding for them: BongXX and limited editions LBongXX and EXLBONGXX.  One of my treasures is a 10" vinyl of Behind the Wheel.  It is still in mint condition and has a sticker, postcard, and Iron On that came with it...it is numbered and extra limited edition...

...Then the morning came....on the way to school in Chris Henry's old Audi A4... the live announcement on KROQ...Depeche Mode were coming back to California for the final show of the tour at the Rose Bowl.  I was so ecstatic.... and tickets went on sale that Saturday....

..June 18, 1988 with a diverse line up including Thomas Dolby, Wire, The iteration of the Pet Shop Boys at the Time (Electronic) and DM.  I bought field seats.  It was a crazy magical day.  First off, I had my first driving lesson that morning, my friend Rob drove again to the show...we were 3/4 back on the field with 77000 people....and crazily, my seats were right behind my good friend and fellow fanatic Emmett Clark...I felt "that deep (what I called religious) feeling again and was high on life.  It was such a huge stage and venue and only the third or 4th concert I had seen.  I'll never forget seeing lightning in the sky during Blasphemous Rumors (At least I think so...) With abandon, I ran to get as close to the stage as I could....I got to maybe the 20th row and was out of my mind...dancing , singing, free.  It was a life changing event, everything from the parking on the golf course to the heat of the day to the giant food fight to the anticipation and show was larger that I could imagine life could be....
Boy that was a hiatus!  Sorry I do feel bad for getting away from this.  Even though I am not writing every day, I am still living this adventure :0

Since March, I got a new job, secured seats for summer and fall shows (Duran Duran, Dave Matthews (Front row and Pit consecutive nights), and Madonna. My wife and I saw Coldplay from the Pool Circle at the Hollywood bowl -it was a great show and was fun to be literally next to Chris  Martin with the premier of "Fight for your right to Party" by the Beastie Boys....