Depeche Mode and Anton Corbijn are releasing the iconic music video compilations Strange and Strange Too on DVD for the first time, with the collection slated to drop on December 8. Where before these videos were only available on VHS and Laserdisc—and have since gone out of print—now they’re coming back with all new commentary and features, including never-before-seen content from the band.
Videos by American Songwriter
The collection features 11 music videos and 6 outtake vignettes, according to a release from Depeche Mode’s website. The videos were all directed by filmmaker Anton Corbijn, and the collection will feature all-new art and liner notes from Corbijn. Strange and Strange Too were separate compilations when they were initially released, but now they’ll all be together on DVD and Blu-Ray. The collection is available for pre-order on Depeche Mode’s online store.
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Strange (A Black and White Mode by Anton Corbijn) was initially released in 1988 and shot completely in black and white on Super 8. The videos included were for the singles “Strangelove,” “Never Let Me Down Again,” and “Behind the Wheel” from the 1987 album Music for the Masses, “A Question of Time” from the 1986 album Black Celebration, and the instrumental last song from Music for the Masses, “Pimpf.”
Strange Too (Another Violation by Anton Corbijn) was released in 1990 in full color. All the videos on Strange Too are for singles from the 1990 album Violator: “Personal Jesus,” “Policy of Truth,” “Enjoy the Silence,” and “World in My Eyes,” plus two bonus videos for “Halo” and “Clean.” Like Strange, this compilation was also shot entirely on Super 8.
“Anton Corbijn’s photography and art direction have played an indispensable part in the evolution of the Depeche Mode aesthetic,” the band wrote in a statement. “Strange and Strange Too are essential titles in both the Depeche Mode and Anton Corbijn catalogues, and are the perfect example of Anton’s unique ability to capture the spirit of DM on film.”
Corbijn has been instrumental in perfecting the aesthetic of bands like Depeche Mode and U2 for years, and his mastery and control of the Super 8 format is inherent in Strange/Strange Too. The new collection is remastered from the original footage, but there is a unique grain and texture to Super 8 film that makes itself part of the art. That signature look is impossible to edit out, so Strange/Strange Too will definitely keep the authenticity of its original format.
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