Demos & Studio Outtakes/Fake tracks

This section contains demos or songs which are commonly attributed to Depeche Mode or one of their solo members, but are really other artists' demos or songs. This is not necessarily an exhaustive list of fake demos and songs, but it tries to be.

There are also noteworthy fake reel tapes purporting to contain an early live recording and demos; see more: Robin Neale's early tapes.

Disco Hell

• This track is by Dafne and the Tenderspots, a band that Alan Wilder was a part of in 1979. He is co-credited along with the rest of that band for writing this track and he also has co-writing credits for the B-side, "I'm A Natural". This song isn't really "fake", just often not correctly credited to Dafne and the Tenderspots. For example, on a couple bootlegs, it's erroneously claimed as one of Alan's demos from 1981 and is presented in significantly worse quality also. Both "Disco Hell" and "I'm A Natural" are available below for your listening pleasure, sourced from an original pressing vinyl.

Disco Hell:

I'm A Natural:

Most hardcore Mode fans may have been exposed to this track via a lousy recording of what sounds like an American radio DJ poking fun at "Disco Hell" some time in 1985. It sounds like he played the vinyl at the wrong speed. You can listen to the best quality copy of that radio spot below:

From Shunt Q&A:

Not to humiliate you, but I just heard the Dafne and the Tenderspots tune 'Disco Hell' around the net and laughed my ass off. Was that YOU screaming "no soul..no rhythm"?

Alan: No I wasn't singing on that track, it was Graham [Smith] the guitarist. Anyway, if you think that was bad, you should hear some of the other songs (and no, I'm not lending you my copy) ;-)

Will The New Baby Grow

• This track is attributed to French Look (a band Martin was part of during 1980), but the actual song is "Will The New Baby" by Gammer & His Familiars. Appears on the Rarities Of Mode CD bootleg in dreadful quality. DM Live somehow ended up with this song on a cassette tape entitled DM Strange Cuts, which ironically has no Depeche Mode on it at all!

Nodisco (Instrumental)

• A very good instrumental claimed to be a demo is actually a cover done by the Italian duo Atrium, released as a B-side of another cover in 1985 on vinyl. A vocal version also exists and it was released along with this version.

Another instrumental cover of the track superbly and very faithfully done by Stripped Productions using recreated samples is available to listen to on YouTube.

Early live-only songs by "Coming Back To You"

In 1998, German musician George Lindt under the pseudonym Coming Back To You released a CD called Coming Back To You Present: A Tribute To Depeche Mode (And Others), which contains covers of six early live-only songs performed by Depeche Mode between 1980–1982. These songs are inaccurately labeled as Vince Clarke demos on some bootleg compilations. This CD was later reissued in 2006.

The back artwork states:

Between the years 1980 and 1982, Depeche Mode performed some tracks live that have never been officially released. Until now, these tracks have only been available on bootlegs of dubious quality. Many fans will never understand why these tracks have never been released. But now the time has come at last: COMING BACK TO YOU have covered these brilliant songs in the style of the early '80s. As far as we know, most of the original tracks were written by Vince Clarke, but at least one of the tracks was penned by Jason Knott, an old friend of Clarke's. At long last, studio-quality versions of early gems such as "Television Set" and "Addiction" are finally available. Also included are versions of "I Like It" (Gerry & The Pacemakers) and "The Price Of Love" (Everly Brothers), covers that Depeche Mode would occasionally perform live. An essential part of any fan's collection.

The music is exceptionally faithfully recreated; however, the lyrics are unfortunately inaccurate. I'd personally love to see these covers updated with accurate lyrics.

Short samples of each song are available for reference below:

• Television Set

• Addiction

• Reason Man

• Tomorrow's Dance

• I Like It

• The Price Of Love

I Like It

Source (Facebook login required)

An "unreleased demo tape track" uploaded on YouTube of "I Like It" is a fan-made recreation using isolated live vocals from 1982-03-06 Rockola, Madrid, Spain/Source 1. Daryl Bamonte has said on Facebook regarding "I Like It":

I definitely do not recall "ILI" ever being demoed, or even played live until 1982.

What Do I Get?

A YouTube video uploaded in 2011 called "What Do I Get?" is falsely attributed to Depeche Mode.

Wrathchild (Iron Maiden cover)

A YouTube video titled "Depeche Mode cover Iron Maiden – 'Wrathchild' (c.1981)" is inauthentic as it's not Dave Gahan or any other member of Depeche Mode singing vocals.

Maybe Me

A YouTube video of a purported unreleased track titled "Maybe Me" is falsely attributed to Depeche Mode. The track is actually "About You, About Me" by Heads Up Display, who eventually became Joy Machine. According to member Tim Heireth:

Ahhh! The never ending debate about this damn song! This song was written and released in 1991 by my first band Heads Up Display, as a cassette only release by a self-recorded and produced local band. In 1999 we released it on mp3.com on our Joy Machine page to give people a taste of our earlier work. When Exciter was about to be released, somebody leaked the album on Napster. To muddy the search, someone (not us, probably someone from their [Depeche Mode's] label) had the brilliant idea of falsely labeling a bunch of tracks that sounded similar to DM as b-sides for the album. This track and one of our Joy Machine songs, "Separate Ways", which we recorded in 1994, were among a good half dozen of songs that were "leaked". We got a lot of angry comments about riding coat tails [...].

Return To Oberkorn (Instrumental)

• An instrumental bearing some musical resemblance to "Oberkorn (It's A Small Town)", but it's not Depeche Mode. Appears on the Rarities Of Mode CD bootleg. The actual performer is unknown.

The Sun & The Rainfall (Instrumental)

• An instrumental cover made by the "Satellite" Fan Club in Milan, Italy and released exclusively as a promo vinyl for said fan club in 1987 appears on the Depeche Mode 79–82 CD bootleg in dreadful quality:

An incomplete version (missing the beginning) though much better sounding copy of the song also appears on the cassette tape compilation bootleg entitled Black Tulips, and is available to listen to here:

If somebody has a higher quality complete version, please contact us.

Transcanadian Track (Instrumental)

• Another instrumental attributed to Depeche Mode. Appears on the Rarities Of Mode CD bootleg. The actual performer is unknown.

Get The Balance Right (Instrumental)

• This is a fan-made instrumental cover version, not a real demo. There are many instrumental cover / "demo" versions of various songs, but this one is occasionally thought as genuine given its closeness in melody and overall sound to the real track. The actual performer is unknown.

Songs by Memorybank erroneously attributed to Alan Wilder

The Key To The Door cassette inlay, sourced from r/Lostwave post by Salt-Relative4386, photo obtained by gksvevo

Three songs by a group called "Memorybank" from an unreleased 7-song album recorded in the summer of 1987 called The Key To The Door have been erroneously attributed to Alan Wilder, claiming to be demos circa 1981. The song's titles are:

• Treadmill Of Time (also erroneously titled as "Treadmill Of Fire" on certain bootlegs)
• Here To Have Fun
• Chart Rundown

"Memorybank" consisted of Jonathan Lewis, Tim Addy, Simon Gorman, and Nik Lawrence. The Key To The Door contains 7 songs, and cassette copies of the album appear to include both the album version and instrumental versions of each song. Notably, a cover version of Depeche Mode's Photographic is included on the album, and according to band member Nik Lawrence, the cover is sung in French. A photograph of the album's inlay was provided by Tim Addy on September 20, 2024.

Poor quality copies of the three songs can be streamed below and include transcribed lyrics.

As of September 20, 2024, neither higher-quality copies of the songs nor any of the other songs from The Key To The Door have become available. According to Tim Addy, the original master 4-track tapes have been lost. The r/Lostwave subreddit is following up to determine if any cassette copies exist for preservation.

Treadmill Of Time

Lyrics

Treadmill Of Time I want to get off now I'm trying to learn how Why can't it just slow down? Slow right down Not sure of it all anymore Tied to the treadmill of time Climbing up an endless stair Slide with no reason or rhyme Headlong into who knows where There was once a time when everything was fine And water towers seemed living entities I believed in all kinds of absurdities How strange, the thoughts of innocence Times change, I've lost that hidden sense I want to get off now I'm trying to learn how Why can't it just slow down? Slow right down Not sure of it all anymore Hands on the clock face turn 'round Getting older, moving fast Sands in the hourglass fall down Letting go of times past There was once a dream I had in which it seemed A rose bush grew in the house where I used to live I suppose I know those are days I can't relive How true, the thoughts I've pushed aside Wish I knew they could simply be denied I've been waiting for I've been waiting for The key to the door The key to the door And freedom galore And freedom galore I seem to want more I seem to want more I've been waiting for I've been waiting for The key to the door The key to the door And freedom galore And freedom galore I seem to want more I seem to want more I want to get off now I'm trying to learn how Why can't it just slow down? I want to get off now I'm trying to learn how Why can't it just slow down? I want to get off now I'm trying to learn how Why can't it just slow down? Slow right down Not sure of it all anymore Not sure of it all anymore Songwriter: Jonathan Lewis Publishing Information: No publishing information available.

Here To Have Fun

Lyrics

Here To Have Fun Standing in a room People everywhere This will be my tomb If I don't come up for air Music hits the brain Heart and drums synchronized Driving me insane Reason has to compromise All the doors are locked All the clocks have stopped No escaping No evading No turning back You're here to have fun You're here to have fun I find it hard to bear Watching people dancing Girls with orange hair Who won't admit they can't sing They're being pulled around By a puppet master And falling to the ground 'Cause they can't go much faster All the girls and boys Playing with their toys Voice inside me Whispers quietly Go and join their game You're here to have fun Lose myself I want to lose myself Become mechanical Like everybody else I've got to switch myself To automatic mode How that's done I'd like to know I wish I could Lose myself Become mechanical Like everybody else I've got to switch myself To automatic mode How that's done I'd like to know I wish I could You're here to have fun You're here to have fun Standing in a room People everywhere This will be my tomb If I don't come up for air Music hits the brain Heart and drums synchronized Driving me insane Reason has to compromise All the doors are locked All the clocks have stopped No escaping No evading No turning back You're here to have fun Songwriter: Jonathan Lewis Publishing Information: No publishing information available.

Chart Rundown

Lyrics

Chart Rundown Thursday evening blues are here Simon says give a tired cheer And move your mouth to the ice cream tunes With fragile friends like party balloons Pop, there goes another song Three more minutes have elapsed and gone Fun served up on a paper plate Easily disposed at a later date The needle's stuck The needle's stuck The needle's- Nothing injected but money infected motives The needle's stuck Tuesday lunch time lottery show Says yes to soap and to music no Here today and gone tomorrow Washed away without the slightest sorrow Media circus of family troupes And gift-wrap perfectly symmetrical grooves From east to west and north to south Hear model music from the modeled mouth The needle's stuck The needle's stuck The needle's- Nothing injected but money infected motives The needle's stuck Remixing yesterday in the hope of molding today Follow up to one-time one-offs Wallow up to your ears in spin-offs Whatever became of music For just its own sake Pop, there goes another song Three more minutes have elapsed and gone Fun served up on a paper plate Easily disposed at a later date The needle's stuck The needle's stuck ... Nothing injected but money infected motives The needle's stuck The needle's stuck ... Nothing injected but money infected motives The needle's stuck The needle's stuck ... Nothing injected but money infected motives The needle's stuck The needle's stuck ... Nothing injected but money infected The needle's stuck The needle's stuck ... Nothing injected but money infected The needle's stuck The needle's stuck ... Nothing injected but money infected The needle's stuck The needle's stuck ... Nothing injected but money infected The needle's stuck The needle's stuck ... Nothing injected but money infected motives Songwriter: Jonathan Lewis Publishing Information: No publishing information available.

Postulate (Recoil)

• A track claimed to be "Postulate" by Recoil is actually "Clock Bird" by Minimal Compact. Appears on the Rarities Of Mode CD bootleg in dreadful quality.

Shake The Disease (Martin's Demo Version Instrumental)

• This is a very well made instrumental cover of Martin's original demo. It appears on the CD-R bootleg Shake The Disease (20 Years Edition). The remixer "Beyond" created this version back in 2005, and the streamable audio below is encoded from a lossless source.

• DX5 on YouTube also created a very good instrumental cover version: DX5 playing "Shake the Disease" (Martin Gore demo).

Black Celebration (Khoa Ho Version)

• This is Khoa Ho's piano cover of "Black Celebration", appearing on MODEified 1 – The Strangest Devotion. This is claimed to be Alan Wilder's demo on at least one bootleg, obviously false given that it doesn't sound like him and also for the fact that Martin was the one who wrote the song, so why would have Alan created a demo of it?

World Full Of Nothing

• This is a cover created by an unknown fan.

Mother Me / Monghi

• This song circulates as an instrumental track misattributed to Depeche Mode; it is truly "Monghi" by Vienna, originally released as the B-side of "Reste Avec Moi" by Odile. Appears on the Rarities Of Mode CD bootleg in dreadful quality. The real "Mother Me" demo features Martin on vocals and appears on the "Perversion" demo tape, but it does not circulate and its lyrics are not known. Alan reveals a bit of info on Shunt Q&A about this track:

The song you mentioned for 'Violator' called 'Mother Me', will you please give a description of what it sounded like, any possible lyrics, whether this song was ever actually recorded and who sang it, Dave or Martin?

Wilder: It sort of got started with some drums, bass [and] a couple of other parts but was shelved quite quickly. It was medium tempo and if I remember correctly it slipped into ⁷
₈ time signature for the chorus – oops. I think Dave [Gahan] would have sung it.

Alan also says in his editorial on Violator: "There was a song called 'Mother Me' which we also recorded during this period but never finished." Based on that quote, it can be inferred that a "work-in-progress" version of "Mother Me" exists in the vaults.

Furthermore, Daryl Bamonte said regarding this track: "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."

Dirty Alright Now

• A song claimed to be a Dave Gahan demo circa 1992. Appears on the Rarities Of Mode CD bootleg in poor quality. celestinocamcia positively identified this track in June 2020 as "Journey On The Nile" by Tunnelvision.

Take A Look At Me Now

• Another song erroneously claimed to be a Dave Gahan demo circa 1992. Appears on the Rarities Of Mode CD bootleg in poor quality. celestinocamcia positively identified this track in June 2020 as "I'm Gonna Cry" by Tunnelvision.

For Joanne

• A track claimed to be one of Dave's demos from 1992 is actually "Joanne" by Wall Of Voodoo. Appears on the Rarities Of Mode CD bootleg in dreadful quality.

Personal Jesus (Studio Rough)

From Svenner's demo page. This snippet just doesn't agree with the process of recording "Personal Jesus" as described by Flood in this video, and so is likely a falsification.

Sister Of Night (Demo)

• Martin singing over an acoustic guitar. This is a falsification that uses the isolated vocal track from the One Night In Paris DVD's center channel overlaid over someone playing guitar. Furthermore, DM Live is told by a reputable source that this is not what appears on the Ultra demo tape. Only this short 30-second snippet is available as an MP3; the track was speed-corrected and normalized, then encoded as WAV to prevent further quality loss.