Demos & Studio Outtakes

This page contains streamable audio and information for most circulating demo or studio outtakes which have not yet been officially released. Demos are presented in chronological order by the album they are related to, then ordered as they appear on their original source, if known, and otherwise ordered according to the album's track listing. All songs are provided to stream in their entirety, if available. Note that this page does not include the demos which appear on the third disc of the Sounds Of The Universe box set, as these are officially released.

Download the compilation, with songs in lossless quality where available: Demos & Studio Outtakes/Download

Notes

For a listing of demos and tracks which are known to be fake, please see the Fake tracks subpage. Please note that the five-track 1980 demo tape that Robin Neale allegedly unearthed is most likely a fake. Read more information about his fake tapes here: Robin Neale's early tapes.

In addition to the demos and outtakes captured on this page, there are a variety of song demos that do not currently circulate. Demos that are known to exist include demo tapes for the albums Black Celebration and Violator (known by its working title "Perversion"). Martin Gore sings lead and backing vocals on all song demos included on these tapes. More information about these tapes can be found here and here, respectively.

In a Shunt Q&A, Alan Wilder explains how certain demos and outtakes came to be featured on bootlegs and, naturally, the internet:

I've been seeing demo versions of DM songs turn up on bootleg recordings and on the internet lately. Do you have any idea how these recordings got into the hands of the public? I would imagine that Martin would be reluctant to pass around tapes to just anyone. Were these stolen copies? Did he give them to his girlfriend? Were they copied by someone in the studio looking to make an extra buck?

Wilder: Copies of demos and rough mixes are made up for all sorts of people (from band members to record company people, video directors, collaborators etc.) and invariably end up in the hands of fans and bootleggers. There's not much you can do about it. I have never given away any of my copies of Martin's demos and yet I don't now possess all of them - where did they go?

According to Brat, the band's archivist, there is "[f]ar more than one CD['s worth]" of alternate versions in the band's vaults which do not circulate online.

Technical info

All tracks are encoded from lossless sources to 96kbps HE-AAC, or in the case of MP3 tracks, cut losslessly using mp3directcut. Only two WMA files from Svenner's demo page were re-encoded in order to be able to stream them on this page.

1980/1981 Speak & Spell era

Composition Of Sound demo tape

• Four tracks appeared on Composition Of Sound's first demo tape. Vince Clarke sings lead vocals, as Dave Gahan had not joined the band yet. A short snippet of each song can be found below. These snippets are the original files shared in this thread on depmod (registration required to view), courtesy of Recoil19.

On 13 July 2006, tobo27 on depmod.com's forums posted (edited for clarity):

"[I'm] currently reading a biography of[sic] Depeche Mode and it talks about the [first] Composition Of Sound demo that was recorded at the lower Wapping Conker company in Barking. It says that only a few tapes were made and none of the bandmembers[sic] now have it. Has this recording ever got out? The reason [I] ask is - [I've] got it. I recorded at the same studio a little while later (after it had moved to Romford) and mentioned to the engineer (a guy [named] Jerry Chapman [I] think) that [I] was into Depeche Mode. He told me that he had done their first demo before they changed [their] name and did me a cassette copy (charged me a fiver for it!). Just wondered what the rarity value is. I know that 'Photographic' and 'Television Set' are on it plus one or two other tracks. Any info would be appreciated."

The audio snippets below were posted after several posts of discussion, and tobo27 also said:

i can vouch for the authenticity of this 100%. I have had this tape from before DM hit the bigtime - there would have been no need to do a fake at that time.

...

its just a bog-standard old agfa c90 [90 minute cassette tape]. When the guy at the studio asked if i wanted a copy, i gave him a tape out of my car and he copied it on to that. I had to pick it up a couple of days later. Still charged me a fiver for it though!!

Interesting fact is that the lower wapping studio burnt down after it moved to romford so the original master tape probably got destroyed then.

...

im not sure [when the tape was recorded] but can find out as it was the same time that my band did a demo there. Ill ask a couple of the guys who were in the band then if they can remember. Would have been 1980-81

tobo27's final post in the thread was on 2 October 2006 and is quoted below. He has not visited the depmod.com forums since.

I have had loads of messages asking to buy copies of the demo but surely there must be an issue with copyright etc? Im not happy about it hitting ebay and someone making a fortune out of it which is what would happen if I put the full versions of the tracks online somewhere. Seems the best option is to just give you guys a taster and leave it at that. Sorry.

As an aside, i have now passed it on to Andy Fletcher and as soon as i get comments i will let you all know - i know there are some of you who doubt its authenticity!!

DM Live Wiki was able to contact tobo27 in late November 2018. tobo27 provided the digitized audio to Martin Gore and Andy Fletcher, and Andy confirmed this demo tape as legitimate. Because the audio is in the band's hands at this point, tobo27 understandably does not wish to share or sell the audio. The full lyrics to the unknown vocal song were also graciously provided to DM Live Wiki, seen below.

In this 'Making Music' magazine article from June 1986 which lists 16 facts about Depeche Mode, one "fact" is listed as follows: "The first demo was recorded after 3 months - 3 songs, including one which later became the theme music for 'Other Side Of The Tracks'." However, the two unknown tracks available below bear no resemblance to this theme song.

Television Set (demo)

• Television Set was a very popular song during Depeche Mode's 1981 tour. The track was written by Basildon musician Jason Knott, which explains why the song doesn't appear on any commercial Depeche Mode release. More information regarding the background of this song can be found on the song's page.

Unknown Instrumental (demo)

• Nothing is known of this track.

Unknown Track (demo)

• This song is believed to be titled 'Sunday Morning', a song claimed by some to have been played during the very early dates of the 1980 tour. The authenticity of this song as an early live-only track has yet to be confirmed by a member or associate of Depeche Mode.

Lyrics

Sunday Morning Two parts in my mind It's a late advice Turn quickly See his face dimly Drive my car distant now We traveled for miles and miles and miles Together, reunion Recapture, release Story in the paper Catch the late night news Even on the walls Dangerous meeting And the echoes of the voice See me through The woman holds the child in her hand The baby is dead and she doesn't know, hasn't heard She tries a life but this isn't living Wonder if the world will ever be still again Story in the paper Catch the late night news Even on the walls Dangerous meeting And the echoes of the voice See me through See me through See me through See me through See me through Two parts in my mind It's a late advice Turn quickly See his face dimly Drive my car distant now We traveled for miles and miles and miles Together, reunion Recapture, release Story in the paper Catch the late night news Even on the walls Dangerous meeting And the echoes of the voice See me through Songwriter: Unknown songwriter Publishing Information: No publishing information is currently available.

Let's Get Together (demo)

"Vince + Alison (Demo's)" demo cassette containing Let's Get Together - credit to Basildon: New Town - New Life

• This is a demo written by Vince Clarke long before he formed Depeche Mode. Vince is singing vocals. Depeche Mode has rehearsed this track, as seen in an episode of the ITV television program Twentieth Century Box (video is available at that wiki page). The footage of this rehearsal performance was filmed on June 23, 1981 at Blackwing Studios. The song was never performed live, and a full recording of the rehearsal performance is not available. The group Girl Authority covered the song as a single in 2007, and you can watch it on YouTube. More information regarding the background of this song, as well as transcribed lyrics, can be found on this song's wiki page.

Summer 1980 demo tape

Ice Machine (demo)

• Andrew Fletcher plays bass guitar on this demo. Dave sings "The ice machine, the ice machine" at the end of the song. He also does this at 1980-10-30 Bridge House, London, England, UK, but not at the next available concert with a recording at 1980-11-14 Technical College, Southend-On-Sea, Essex, England, UK or at any concert in the future.

Radio News (demo)

• This track was performed live during early dates of the 1980 tour; currently, the only known performance was at 1980-09-20 Crocs, Rayleigh, Essex, England, UK. Lyrics are available on the song's page.

Photographic (demo)

• The demo for this song sounds like a mix between the final album version and versions played live, and by extension the "Some Bizzare" version of the track.

Sometimes I Wish I Was Dead (Flexi-Pop Mix)

• This version of 'I Sometimes Wish I Was Dead' was originally found on a flexidisc that was bundled with Flexipop Magazine, issue #11, released on 1981-09-11. The track is referred to as "Sometimes I Wish I Was Dead" (swapping the positions of the first two words). The track has several differences from the album version, most notably the beginning and the middle sections. This mix was reissued in 2018 as part of the 12" singles vinyl boxsets, sourced directly from the master tape for significantly improved sound quality. The audio can be listened to from the official Depeche Mode YouTube account below:

1983 Construction Time Again era

Martin Gore 1983 home demos

The second generation tape that contains these tracks.

Martin Gore's home demos for 1983's Construction Time Again album. Tracks are ordered as they appear on the second-generation tape from which these tracks are sourced.

Told You So (demo)

• The second verse has a different lyric compared to the album version. It sounds like Martin sings "a gun to shoot the eyelet in the tall church spire" (it is very hard to understand that line, accuracy not guaranteed); the album version says "sights set higher than the tall church spire".

All By Themselves (demo)

• This demo is a very gloomy, depressing sounding song with subdued vocals which are difficult to comprehend. Lyrics are available on this song's page.

1984 Some Great Reward era

Lie To Me (demo)

• Martin's home demo for the song bears a strong resemblance to the album version.

Stories Of Old (studio outtake)

• A more basic sounding mix of the album version, lacking reverb and with different samples for percussion and some other sounds, but otherwise quite similar to the final album version. It seems to be a different vocal take as well. The speed seems a bit fast too, I'll correct that in the future.

Master And Servant (studio outtake)

• This outtake has some female backing vocals which are not present in the final album version. The vocals were contributed by Inga & Annette Humpe, a.k.a. Humpe Humpe. They were recording their debut album at Hansa Studios at the same time Depeche Mode were recording "Some Great Reward".

Alan Wilder's 1984 "Some Great Reward" demo tape

• Alan Wilder provided at least four demo tracks for Some Great Reward. You can click on any song title below to find lyrics.

If You Want (demo)

• The demo for If You Want has a very minor word transposition; in the final line of the song, the demo says "even though you still may not want to", while the album and live versions say "even though you may still not want to".

Alan has confirmed on Shunt Q&A that it is him singing on this demo:

Is that you singing the 'If You Want' demo?

Wilder: Yes. I sang on the original demo.

Until You've Sown The Seed (demo)

On another handwritten information sheet, a total of seven Alan demo tracks are mentioned, but my contact does not have a copy of this tape. I am unaware of any other genuine Alan Wilder demo tracks at this time. A photo of this info sheet is provided below.

• 

  The second generation tape that contains these tracks.

• 

  Handwritten information sheet detailing contents of the tape that contained these tracks.

• 

  Info sheet mentioning 7 Alan demo tracks.

1985-1986 Black Celebration era

Martin Gore 1985 home demos

"Martin Gore 1985 home demos" second generation cassette tape.

The first three tracks below are sourced from a second-generation tape labeled "Martin Gore 1985 home demos". The first two are the same demos that appear on the Black Celebration demo tape, detailed further below.

Shake The Disease (demo)

Martin's demo version of 'Shake The Disease' closely resembles the album version in terms of structure and overall sound. The second verse has some differing lyrics compared to the album version. The differences are italicized below:

Some people want to be
Permanently together
Lovers devoted
To each other forever
That's not what I mean
That's not for us
We want a different scene
But when I'm not there
In spirit I'll be there

There are a couple faithfully performed instrumental covers of this demo version. See the entry on the fake and misattributed tracks subpage.

Here Is The House (demo)

• Martin's demo has a different chorus vocal. Instead of "Body and soul come together, as we come closer together" as on the album version, the line in the demo is "Colors and shapes merge together, as we come closer together". Furthermore, the line "With or without words I'll confide everything" is instead "Without words I'll confide everything" on the demo.

I Love You Love Me Love (demo)

• This song appeared on the same tape as the above two tracks (and possibly the Black Celebration demo tape). I have read it to be rumored to have been recorded for Fletch as a birthday gift, but that rumor has yet to be confirmed. A more likely and credible explanation was given to me by an anonymous ex-label employee: he was told by a tour promoter that the track was Martin's catalyst for a solo cover album, essentially the inspiration for the first Counterfeit e.p., and was the first track set aside for the project. As this was told to my source a long time ago, I asked that he try and verify this information.

It's Called A Heart (studio outtake)

The second generation tape that contains outtakes of 'It's Called A Heart' and 'Fly On The Windscreen'.

• Other than the different intro and lack of reverb, this outtake is nearly identical to the single version.

Fly On The Windscreen (studio outtake)

• This outtake lacks the reverb found in the 'It's Called A Heart' single's B-side version, and also has different percussion samples. The first instance of the chorus on this outtake has the additional background synth line from the single version's later choruses, where the single version's first chorus does not contain the synth line.

World Full Of Nothing (alternate version)

• This version was uploaded to SoundCloud (file private/removed) as an "alternate" version with an additional background melody and some different samples. Audio clip is from Svenner's demo page.

Dressed In Black (Record Mirror version)

• This pre-release version of 'Dressed In Black' originally appeared on the 7" vinyl Record Mirror RM1 which was bundled with the 8 February 1986 issue of the UK magazine 'Record Mirror'. The most easily noticed difference is the castanets in the background during certain parts of the song (the excerpt below depicts this). This version of the song was re-released on the 2019 boxset MODE, sourced from the master tape and without the fade out that the original record has, and is no longer available to stream here as a result.

Christmas Island (Emulator II sequence)

• A sequence of 'Christmas Island' sourced from one of Alan Wilder's Emulator II floppy disks can be heard below. More information is on the page detailing the Emax samples from Alan's 2011 auction. This isn't strictly a demo or studio outtake, but perhaps it could be considered a rough studio mix.

If you listen closely below towards the end of Alan Wilder's Emulator II demonstration for Autoworld on 9 September 1987 in Brussels, it seems that this sequence was the one he played over.

Handwritten info sheet for the "Black Celebration" demo tape.

Black Celebration demo tape

According to the handwritten info sheet to the right, the Black Celebration demo tape contains the following tracks:

• 'Shake The Disease'
• 'Here Is The House'
• 'It Doesn't Matter Two'
• 'Sometimes'
• 'It's Called A Heart'
• 'But Not Tonight'
• 'Black Celebration'

The demos for 'Shake The Disease' and 'Here Is The House' that are available for streaming at the beginning of this section are the same versions as those featured on this demo tape. The accompanying info sheet describes the songs as having been recorded in January 1985 and 4-6-'85 (probably 4 June 1985, or possibly the range of April through June 1985), though there is some uncertainty surrounding these dates.

The demo for 'It's Called A Heart' is an uptempo recording featuring a basic percussion pattern and a "driving" main riff percolated by a series of staccato synth bass, bell, and melodic organ parts with double-tracked vocals. Notably, Martin Gore periodically sings a filtered "let me tell you" vocal at various points during the verses.

1987 Music For The Masses era

Guillaume Tell Studios 1987

All of the following outtakes are sourced from a low-generation (though poorly recorded) tape labeled "Guillaume Tell Studios 1987", transferred by the DM Live webmaster in October 2015. Quality is much improved compared to the previously bootleg-sourced copies which had insanely destructive noise reduction applied, though this tape has its own flaws such as strange volume fluctuations and brief distortion at the starts of some of the songs, probably the result of poor automatic gain control on a cassette deck sometime in the generation. Tracks are ordered as they appear on the tape itself.

"Guillaume Tell Studios 1987" low-generation cassette

Sacred (studio outtake)

• The most noteworthy difference is an additional synth line not present in the album version. Engineer Dave Bascombe said of this version in April 2020:

"[I would change] details on 'Sacred', because I'm never happy with that. I had a monitor mix on that which I think I lost. Actually, it did resurface online as a cassette mix I had done, and that was much more how it should have been, and I tried too hard on this mix. And I remember thinking, "I can't get all these parts", and I remember saying to Martin, "I think I might have leave out some of these parts", and he wasn't happy about that. I hadn't mixed it correctly, and I had emphasised certain things, and that was inexperience. I think now I would know that I had gone off on a tangent a lot easier. We didn't refer to rough mixes in those days. It was only after the event when I found this [monitor mix] that I thought "That's what it should have sounded like". It can't describe really what I don't like about it, but it's not as gritty and glam as it should have been. [The monitor mix] is the better mix, guys. We probably did it in five minutes."

I Want You Now (studio outtake)

• The outtake is significantly different from the album version; due to this fact, this version is sometimes thought to be a demo, but it is definitely an outtake.

Agent Orange (studio outtake)

• The outtake is nearly identical to the final version. The "SOS" Morse code at the end of the song is not present on the outtake.

Strangelove (studio outtake)

Martin's backing vocal "It's important" before the lines "Pain, will you return it / I won't say it again" is present on this outtake. It is not present on any officially released mix of 'Strangelove' other than the 1988 single releases, where it is present on the 'Hijack Mix' (a.k.a. the 'Tim Simenon / Mark Saunders Remix') and possibly others.

1989 Martin's Counterfeit e.p. era

The second generation tape containing 'Down In The Boondocks'.

Down In The Boondocks (Counterfeit e.p. outtake)

• Martin Gore covered this song for his first Counterfeit e.p. but it did not make the album. As Rico Conning (co-producer) recalls on his blog regarding the song:

"Martin's nifty guitar playing was a major revelation. He'd often turn away from the cranky computer, pick up his acoustic and launch into an Everly Brothers song, or even John Denver, and I'd happily join in on harmony. I managed to record one of these jams (without my harmonies), the old Billy Joe Royal classic Down In The Boondocks (written by Joe South). We thought this was great until Fletch came down for a visit and opined "sounds like bleedin' Dave Edmunds", so that killed that one. Somehow though it has found its way onto YouTube."

Michael Lyons, Andrew Fletcher's brother-in-law, stated on the Home forum:

"This track was fully completed as part of the project but Martin was unable to obtain the relevant permission for releasing it as part of counterfeit." "[This track was] originally recorded and included on the very early Mute studio tapes."

The version below is sourced from a second generation cassette copy (see right photo), and is likely the best sounding version you will hear unless the track is officially released in the future.

Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth (Flexidisc version/demo)

• A flexidisc attributed to Depeche Mode containing 'Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth' was sent to members of the official fan club around Christmas 1987, aptly named "Happy Christmas 87 From Depeche Mode". This is Martin's original demo version of the song. It differs somewhat from the version later released on Counterfeit e.p., but it sounds very similar to how the track was performed live during the final two legs of the 1987-1988 Music For The Masses tour. The backing sequence of this track, used during the tour, is available to listen to at 1987-1988 Music For The Masses tour backing tapes.

Alan Wilder was asked about this song and posted on Shunt Q&A:

In 1987 Depeche recorded the Sparks' track, 'Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth' for a special Christmas fan club flexi disc. This track has a rather minimalistic arrangement and anyone who listens to it may get the impression that the recording of this song was a 'one afternoon affair'. Could you please give me some details about it?

Wilder: I'm very vague about this one - can't recall anything about the recording. I suspect you to be right - we must have recorded it in the afternoon while I was thinking about the match in the evening :-)

On October 15, 2019, Daniel "BRAT" Barassi, Depeche Mode's archivist, confirmed on the Home forum that this version is Martin's original demo version. He also relays that the original master tape is unfortunately unaccounted for at this time.

Since this is Martin's original demo version, Alan likely had little to no involvement with producing this song for release on the flexi-disc, so that may explain why he doesn't remember anything about this song in the Q&A above. He was most likely later involved with producing the sequence of the song used during the Music For The Masses tour, however.

1989-1990 Violator era

"Perversion" demo tape

Handwritten info sheet for the "Perversion" demo tape.

According to the handwritten info sheet to the right, the "Perversion" demo tape reportedly contains the following tracks:

• Mother Me
• Enjoy The Silence
• Waiting For The Night To Fall [sic]
• World In My Eyes
• Halo
• Happiest Girl
• Sea Of Sin
• Blue Dress
• Personal Jesus
• Memphisto
• Sibeling

The demos of 'Enjoy The Silence', 'Memphisto', 'Sibeling', and 'Interlude No. 3' from "Perversion" circulate and are available to listen to in their entirety below. The studio outtake of 'Halo' found below this section is confirmed to be different than the version on the demo tape, but that is obvious because Dave is singing vocals on the outtake. The demo version has only Martin's vocals throughout.

Of 'Mother Me', Daryl Bamonte said: "I remember a track called 'Mother Me, Smother Me' that I believe was recorded for Violator, but didn't make the final cut for some reason. It was a really good song, but I don't think it was even used for a b-side."

An anonymous ex-label employee has the following track listing on his CD and DAT copies of the demo tape; the same tracks that are written on the info sheet are represented, only in a different running order, with the possible exception of Interlude No. 3 as it is not specifically mentioned on the info sheet.

1. Enjoy The Silence
2. World In My Eyes
3. Personal Jesus
4. Halo
5. Mother Me
6. Happiest Girl
7. Sea Of Sin
8. Waiting For The Night To Fall [sic]
9. Blue Dress
10. Memphisto
11. Sibeling
12. Interlude No. 3 (begins after the end of 'Sibeling')

Several of the songs have different lyrics compared to the album versions. Read detailed information about these changes at Lyric differences / "Perversion" demo tape differences.

The demos below are in circulation because they were apparently sold separately from the rest of the "Perversion" demo tape; see the hand-written info sheet to the right. While I borrowed the cassette containing 'Down In The Boondocks', the tape did not have any of the four tracks below written to be on that tape, and was labeled as only containing 'Down In The Boondocks'. Perhaps my contact received the four tracks below on a different tape, or simply did not opt to purchase those tracks at the time.

Handwritten info sheet for 'Down In The Boondocks' and these four "Perversion" demo tracks.

Enjoy The Silence (demo)

• The "Harmonium" mix of 'Enjoy The Silence' closely resembles this original demo version. That version of the track is basically a re-recorded version of this demo.

Interlude No. 3 (demo)

---

The second generation tape that contains the 'Halo' outtake.

Halo (studio outtake)

This studio outtake uses a different vocal take compared to the album version. Backing vocals are also not prominent and are difficult to hear. The whispers scattered throughout the song are also not present. The song's outro is more basic and lacks elements found in the album version.

'Love And Trust'

Dave Gahan told Rolling Stone France magazine about the first song that he wrote at the end at of the 1980s: "My first song, I wrote it a long time ago with a guy named Daryl [Bamonte]. It was called 'Love And Trust'. Frankly, it was not due to the group's lack of interest [that it was not released], I simply did not insist." There is no recording of this in circulation.

1995-1997 Ultra era

Barrel Of A Gun (studio outtake)

• This version of 'Barrel Of A Gun' is strikingly similar to the final album version, but has Martin singing lead vocals. This version was probably created as a vocal guide. There is also an instrumental break in the middle of the song not found in the album version. Additionally, Martin sings "everything I've done" instead of "when everything that I've done" as on the album version.

2001 Exciter era pre-release excerpts

35 to 50-second excerpts of each song from this album were made available on depechemode.com circa February 2001, prior to the album's release. The snippets appear to be from an unmastered copy of the album, with 'Freelove' having a noteworthy difference to the album version as there is no guitar heard in the snippet. All 14 excerpts are made available below, thanks to Home forum member Condemned.

Dream On

Intro:

Song excerpt:

Freelove

This excerpt is noteworthy because there is no guitar as heard on the album version. A shorter excerpt of this version is also heard in the video version of Exciter's electronic press kit at timestamp 7:15.

2005 Playing The Angel era

Dave Gahan had written 15 songs with Christian Eigner and Andrew Phillpott, which he presented to the band in November 2004. Only three of those songs would appear on Playing The Angel. In a 2007 interview, Dave Gahan said that when he started working on Hourglass, he was planning to revisit two songs that got rejected for Playing The Angel, in order to see if they could be on the Hourglass album, but he could no longer find the two demos. He said that the two songs were called 'Wait' and 'I'm Falling'.

2009 Sounds Of The Universe era

Hole To Feed (studio outtake)

• This version was leaked on 2 March 2009. This is an early, strongly synth-driven studio outtake of the track. The last verse does not have vocals; Dave instead hums the melody of what the vocals would sound like. It seems likely that the song's lyrics were still in development at the time of this recording's production. Transcribed lyrics of this version are below; there are some differences compared to the album version.

Lyrics

Hole To Feed We are here We can love We share something I'm sure that you mean the world to me When you get what you need There's no way of knowing What you'll get Is another hole to feed Your name was the one That was always chosen Your words and their kindness Have set me free Words can leave you Broken inside You'll have to decide I'm hanging on to my pride We are here We can love We share something I'm sure that you mean the world to me Shame has a hold That has kept us frozen You opened my eyes to a world That I could believe This world has left me Broken inside I'll have to decide I'm hanging on to my pride Words can leave you Broken inside You'll have to decide I'm hanging on to my pride We are here <melodious humming> This world can leave you Broken inside You'll have to decide I'm hanging on to my pride We are here We can love We share something I'm sure that you mean the world to me When you have what you need There's no way of knowing What comes next Is another hole to feed Songwriter: Dave Gahan, Christian Eigner, Andrew Phillpott Publishing Information: ©2009 Published by EMI Music Publishing Ltd licensed by JJSR Productions Inc. All rights reserved.

Fragile Tension (rough mix)

• This version was leaked on 11 February 2009. This rough mix is seemingly identical to the album version, although it is unmastered and the penultimate verse ("There's a dizzying feeling ...") lacks Martin's backing vocals.

Dave Gahan commented on this leaked mix (translated from Greek) to Lifo magazine:

"[T]his version of 'Fragile Tension' was a demo and leaked from MGMT, when we sent it to them to remix it. It was proven eventually. We send songs to many people to create remixes. We never send multi-tracks, but first versions of a song. Somebody from MGMT began to send the song here and there."

Martin Gore told Think-silly.com in March 2009:

"It feels very strange [to have work-in-progress versions of several album songs leaked], because there were some early versions too. [A] demo is like something you keep at home, and in theory only three people could access it. There is no way they would throw their work out like this. I suspect it was planned and they thought it was a good way to promote the album. The first song [that was leaked] was an early version of [the] monitor mix, and it sounded like it was recorded on the radio. The sound was so terrible that fans were complaining on the forum, saying 'Oh my God, is this the new album?' Luckily to this date not much damage has been done yet. It is normal to be curious about the new album. I understand there were fans out there waiting for our new work."

Come Back (studio outtake)

• This version was leaked on 2 March 2009. This is an early studio outtake of the track, quite different than the "demo" found on the third CD of the Sounds Of The Universe box set. Like 'Hole To Feed' above, it is primarily synth-driven. This is personally my favorite version of the track. Transcribed lyrics of this version are below; there are some differences compared to the album version.

Lyrics

Come Back Come back, come back to me I've been waiting here patiently Come back, come back to me I've been waiting here patiently I've been walking a thin white line Between love and hate I could use a little company A little kindness can go a long way Weeks turn into months Months turn into years Reaching the same conclusions Gathering up the fear Come back, come back to me I've been waiting here patiently I've been walking a thin white line Between love and hate I could use a little company A little kindness can go a long way Weeks turn into months Months turn into years Reaching the same conclusions Gathering up the fear Come back, come back to me I've been waiting here patiently Come back, come back to me I've been waiting here patiently Come back, come back to me I've been waiting here patiently Come back, come back to me Come back, come back to me Songwriter: Dave Gahan, Christian Eigner, Andrew Phillpott Publishing Information: ©2009 Published by EMI Music Publishing Ltd licensed by JJSR Productions Inc. All rights reserved.

2013 Delta Machine era

Complete copies of thirteen demos and two studio outtakes from the 2013 album Delta Machine surfaced in March 2023.

See more: Delta Machine demos