Depeche Mode - Interview With S.O.F.A.D Engineer Steve Lyon

[@VaughnGeorge]

An in-depth interview with Depeche Mode's "Songs Of Faith And Devotion" Engineer Steve Lyon. See the Steve Lyon Geek Talk interview HERE: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3Pbqmedpd-ssLc

[@Reprodestruxion]

You should interview Bon Harris with an included streaming concert youtube.com/@bonharrisarts to talk about his programming and instruments as well as his work with “Charlie”

[@catmall]

Cevin keys sunday chats hes spoke wth bon and douglas on there own chats.the one wth douglas thy talk about depeche mode at the 39:43 mark. He mentions working wth alan.its easy to find..cevin key sunday chat douglas will do the trick :)

[@marguskiis7711]

The strange sound on "I Feel You" came straight from Martin`s demo.

[@ultramet]

3:48 He has the live Violator tour tapes! They exist!! One can only keep dreaming they will be officially released one day! Anyway 10/10 stars interview VG! Amazing content for us DM fans ❤

[@glezpik]

I can´t describe how magical this was, I always thought that Devotional Tour was a masterpiece of production, all those new arrangements, the little but significant details like the shuffling bass in Behind The Wheel, the new snare in Enjoy The Silence, the subtle but deep extra kick in Policy Of Truth, the Trip Hop version of I Want You Now, that amazing version of Everything Counts... Those were indeed the peak of the band´s musical journey. It´s kind of sad that the band really never achieved that innovative live sound again. Thank you for this piece of history.

[@stevebishop4659]

Im glad its not just me that notices those subtle yet awesome differences on the live tracks :) And Alan's re working of I Want You Now was incredible !!

[@glezpik]

@@stevebishop4659 Trip Hop at its best, inspiring, so ahead of their time.

[@vitasdb]

and the Hip-hop version of Fly on the Windscreen with the scratching noises, I love that one and I wish it existed in studio quality without the crowd sound

[@Victorcolongarcia]

And WORLD IN MY EYES? That’s the best version of the track ever!!! Also WALKING IN MY SHOES is for me the best version ever! I dont even understand how the final coda sounds on that version, what is happening there? Those 2 instrumentals are superb

[@junebaby166]

Great interview! Steve Lyon seems like such a nice guy. It's really heart-warming listening to him talk about his friend Alan and the way he calls him "Charlie" . My favourite part of the whole interview is at 1:00:47 when Vaughn says "I'm not going Alan Wilder fan boy here" and Steve replies "Please do". That's such a sweet thing of him to say.

[@blueroses7935]

Brilliant interview: I was captivated from beginning to end. I'm not a professional musician but thought Steve Lyon would be a good interviewee, and he certainly was. Also, I had no doubt about how much time and effort Alan put into these albums/tours, and that really came across here. It's bittersweet though: it felt emotional hearing Steve call him "Charlie" and talk about all the work they put in, while the other band members' dismissive attitude still makes me sad to this day, as does Alan's disappearance from music. 😔

[@tonycuroni]

this album and the live tour video is proof that magic exists in the world

[@sandracole5265]

I never realized just how much HARD work and planning is involved in putting together an album and tours. I thought bands just go into the studio sing and wham bam there's your album after a few hours. etc.

[@586101]

What a treat! Steve Lyon is such a knowledgeable and gracious soul. This interview was enlightening and served to underscore how crucially important Alan's role within the band was at the time. Kudos to you and the team Vaughn, thanks!

[@VaughnGeorge]

Glad you enjoyed it! and you are welcome! VG :-)

[@brody5211]

Who’s Alan , all I hear is Charlie ?.😊

[@586101]

@@brody5211 🤣

[@southmidlandsarea6975]

I thought Vaughn was going to make a break for it at the end with the “box of tricks”. An amazing interview - well done. Just confirms everything we knew already about Alan and why they will never sound that good again onstage. Thank you so much for sharing and how can we bribe Steve to get hold of those DATs 😅

[@antonblinov3583]

One of the most comprehensive restrospective interviews on SODAD to date. Thank you, Vaughn !

[@murrynathan]

For those of you who weren’t around at the time Nirvana had burst onto the scene and everything changed. Gun N Roses and all those metal bands became outdated overnight. They were replaced with Stone Temple Pilots, Sound Garden, etc. Metallica survived the metal purge. Anyhow, Grunge even ran alt bands like The Cure out of fashion for a time. It was all grunge all the time. This was also the time DM went back in the studio and another sparse sounding Violator would have sounded lame compared to the dirty guitars of the time. So SOFAD is DMs grunge album and it really fit the times. I Feel You could easily play alongside Sounds Like Teen Spirit on the radio. R. E. M. did the same as DM and put out their version of grunge and called it Monster. The whole album is nothing but feedback and it got great reviews.

[@ninawildr4207]

Agreed💯

[@lfr230]

Brilliant analysis

[@neilsun2521]

I guess it depends on what you're in to. Grunge meant nothing to me, personally. A lot of folks at my school did go through their 1 year Nirvana phase though.

[@murrynathan]

@@neilsun2521 Sounds like your school had lots of teen spirit!

[@Reprodestruxion]

You forget wax track and cleopatra, as well as shoegaze and indie til Suede arrived. Oh and trip hop, future sound of London, Aphex Twin, the orb, 808 state, Bomb the bass and such. NIN and Nitzer Ebb managed to ride this wave due to their association with Cleopatra and wax trax

[@victorvilchesf]

So... Steve worked and mixed several Violator tour shows and they were never used. He also have SBD tapes for reference of that tour and all the legs of the Devotional/Exotic Tour. He mixed several shows for the Devotional video but also for a double live album that never came to fruition and was trasformed to SOFAD Live. The 89-94 era of Depeche is full with so much material and mysticism that never cease to amaze me. Amazing interview Vaughn, you got a new subscriptor!

[@PD-nz5rk]

I understand Allan’s frustration more now then ever.

[@ChrisMarciniak-deepDESIGN]

I can't wait for the interview with Alan. It would be very interesting.

[@Reprodestruxion]

He’d have to kidnap Alan off of the street and into a Van or lorry to get that interview to happen

[@raytostado5268]

After watching this video, I can really understand why Alan left the band after the tour. All that work and Martin, Dave & Fletch took it for granted, along with the alcohol and drug use. What a damn shame

[@Deepwatermusic]

Brilliant interview. SOFAD is my favorite album...period.

[@DxModel219]

Thanks! This is so amazing… I had to constantly pause every 15mins and take a long break just to digest it all in. This interview is a journey and I can visualize and feel what he remembered… I’m at 53mins and taking another break. Will probably have to rewatch this a few times but this is so precious. Thank you again brothers!

[@VaughnGeorge]

You're welcome brother! VG :-)

[@cjp592]

I made it. Thank you for making this possible when I am awake. Love From California. 💕 SOFAD concert is the only concert I feel bad on missing because I love most of their songs. My parents made me too late. Some songs after SOFAD I can do without. Sorry. Plus I liked that vibe. I’m glad they went with that vibe. Thank you Alan Wilder and Flood. Now I will probably never ever see Alan tour with DM as a member.

[@VaughnGeorge]

Hello CJ! Thank you for your kind words! VG :-)

[@musiclove4635]

Brilliant interview VG. I always had a feeling that Alan worked tirelessly to hone Depeche Mode's sound. Thank you to Steve Lyon for sharing his insights on SOFAD.

[@DM_forever101]

Amazing interview, thanks for this 😊 SOFAD album is a one of very few reasons why I regret I am not older than I am now, because I would love to see live shows as much as possible. Magical period of DM history and certainly something what will be remembered for the decades

[@VaughnGeorge]

You are very welcome ! VG 😎🎹👍

[@shapemark]

Huge thank you for making and sharing this amazing interview!

[@VaughnGeorge]

My pleasure Mark! VG

[@solidnakehoho5106]

Its time to get the Alan/flood in there to get to the bottom of everything. Only one can wish. Thanks Vaughn for this great interview.

[@modeman69]

Thank you so much for this fantastic interview Vaughn 😊….. it was great knowing how this GREAT ALBUM was recorded !

[@ultramet]

Can we take a moment to recognize the monumental efforts Steve Lyon and Alan Wilder made to create such a musical masterpiece, as the band was literally imploding with life threatening issues. Usually, this doesn’t end well. In the end, they created one of the electronic music masterpieces of all time ❤🔥❤️. Think about it? How the hell do you follow up Violator? Well, they did and some!! 🔥🔥

[@perdanielsen132]

Absolutely amazing interview. Steve Lyon is such a nice guy. The only problem I have with this is that i keep asking my self again and again, how could Depeche Mode loose Alan Wilder for Gods sake??

[@brody5211]

He left of his own accord sadly , as their manager said Alan was extreme . I think Alan and The band have their regrets …

[@junebaby166]

​@@brody5211I don't quite agree with that. In the documentary "Oh well, that's the end of the band" Jonathan Kessler said he thought leaving the band was an extreme measure but that he had never seen Alan as an extreme kind of person. Maybe you want to look it up?

[@andywilliams6074]

Alan's resignation statement takes on a whole new meaning after watching this.

[@rylerking]

It’s been a while since I’ve commented here but it’s great to back!

[@sandracole5265]

Vaughn thank you so much for this video! I had no idea what went into making albums. I thought bands/singers just go in sing and it gets recorded! Its obviously takes a lot more work than anyone can ever imagine to produce an album. And the people that are behind that production are extremely talented individuals. Steve Lyon is a master of music production and what I love about him is that he's so down to earth and humble. You would never know walking past him in a coffee shop what this amazing talent has accomplished and he's behind some of the most memorable albums. Awesome video. You also have great interviewing skills Vaughn you know which questions to ask and you allow the guest to take it away. Some interviewers tend to be over bearing & don't let the guest speak etc. but not you. Good stuff!

[@VaughnGeorge]

Thank you Sandra!! I am glad you enjoyed the video! VG :-)

[@spootnik00]

1:00:30 Alan is such a workhorse he gave it his all to this band and never got the recognition he deserved

[@abhilashpanda5758]

Hardwork and smart work are two different things

[@DxModel219]

I’m at 53mins and I am already sensing how heavy of weight Alan had to carry. The rest of the band members seemed like they weren’t involved in the grind and production of SOFAD.

[@Nephilim-81]

Hey Vaughn. You spoil us immensely. So grateful for this. 😊

[@markplunkett5955]

Less than half way through and it’s one of your best videos Vaughn and crew. Priceless! 👏👏👏👏

[@Itsyaboy88]

Vaughn George is the man. He reminds me of my friend Gary I lost touched with.

[@thetempleofsound]

Thanks for the in depth DM diving! They were my first favorite band starting with New Life in the Vince Clark days. I was a deep fan until Black Celebration. I still have every album and 7" from this period. By Music for the Masses I'd become a Hippie Deadhead and forgot about DM. Then one day I'm in a record store and hear the most amazing sounds. Its a new Depeche Mode album, SOFAD. Bought it and fell in love all over, went to the show thinking they were still the undergroundish band I remembered and was blown away by what I experienced, what a show. It's funny because I thought I was kind of seeing a retro show at the time and now it has become a classic moment in music history. As an aside I was living in Charlottesville when I first found SOFAD and hanging out with an awesome local group of musicians just starting out calling themselves the Dave Mathews Band! What a great time, so much good music.

[@MuphyG]

Vaughn, congratulations to you and your team. What a great piece of work. That’s the sort of interview we like to hear and journalists never provide us with… Well done and thank you.

[@VaughnGeorge]

Thank you Juan!! I am glad you enjoyed it!! VG :-)

[@thesynthfloyd]

Vaughn, I can't thank you enough!❤

[@VaughnGeorge]

You are very welcome! VG :-)

[@MUSiC-world-20986]

My favourite Depeche Mode album. From production to sounds they used on it

[@patricksteffes6962]

Oh my gosh, prepping for the live shows sounds more stressful than the actual album production 48:46 Fascinating ❤ Exotic tour opener “Rush” was awesome!!

[@caravanningwithcharlie]

Thanks for doing these interviews. You are helping document the history of one of the worlds best bands.

[@tokyoskyline1752]

Thank you. A fascinating watch. They did perform One Caress at Crystal Palace and from memory with a string quartet.

[@SteveS3667]

I was at that gig, I thought One Caress sounded different from other versions.

[@tonguepetals]

Makes me a bit misty to hear him refer to Alan as Charlie. Got up such a great album and it completely destroyed my band. I wish we could go back and do it all over again, minus the heroin and minus everything else.

[@55tranquility]

wait - he recorded various live shows on the World Violation Tour 😮!!?!! We need these to be released 🙏🙏

[@patricksteffes6962]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/iYimcqiret2Hqqs

[@patricksteffes6962]

Is that what you are looking for 👆🏻

[@wtorules4743]

Really enjoyed the interview. Unique insights from a cool, honest guy who was very close the action.

[@fabiorioplatense]

Excelente entrevista! Que lastima que no sacaron el material grabado en el World Violation Tour.

[@stevechandler4607]

One thing that always intrigued me, was the pic of Dave playing the ( I think ) Ibanez electric guitar, can he actually play ( or was it a pic for a phase he was going through)...

[@ericjondahl9418]

Great interview, Vaughn! 👍🏻

[@miketunky2277]

Interesting, thanks. Their last truly great album. Saw them at Crystal Palace and Manchester on the Devotional Tour. Two of the best gigs I’ve ever seen.

[@edgodsall3740]

Ur welcome world 😉, for all the frickin amazing music that comes from my country 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, & what an almighty LONG LIST of amazing artists, producers, engineers, musicians it is!!!!!!!! Its one of our things. Always has been, always will be, it’s in our DNA.. Enjoy 😊

[@audiolego]

Stev was probably in his late 20s. He looks great 30 years later. I like this Vaughn.

[@VaughnGeorge]

Glad you enjoyed it!! VG :-)

[@PD-nz5rk]

Awesome insights. Thanks for making this available to everyone.

[@VaughnGeorge]

It is my pleasure !! VG :-)

[@cutalin]

i would like to know how did they come up with the sounds on the "I want you now" biloxi version. That one is a masterpiece.

[@VaughnGeorge]

You can find that out by watching my "music For The Masses interview with Dave Bascombe! VG :-)

[@kennethvalbjoern]

Hi Vaughn. Thanks for your videoes, they are great. How come you never made video(s) about Alan Wilders Recoil? I would love to see you do some stuff on Recoil. Just one video for a start, and if you are up for it: A video for each of the albums :-D Those albums are fantastic, some of the best electronic music ever created.

[@EtsiJuuret]

Recently i discovered he used a satanic choir sample in Stalker, so now i don't know what to think about him. .

[@VaughnGeorge]

Hello Kenneth ! Thank you for your kind words ! We are discussing a Recoil album review series. VG :-)

[@BarkingLondon]

@@VaughnGeorge That will be interesting! 👌🏻👌🏻

[@kennethvalbjoern]

@@VaughnGeorge That's great! I'm also an electronic musician, and Alan is my musical god. Nobody that I can think of has ever done stuff that comes near in quality of what Alan has created. Fanboy alert :-D By the way, my Recoil story started many years ago in 1992: I stumbled upon Bloodline in a record store a couple of months after it's release. It had this sticker on it saying that the artist was a member of Depeche Mode. As a DM fan i immediately bought it. It quickly became my favorite album, and it is still one of my alltime favorites. Recoil rules :-)

[@tool4628]

Listening to My Nerd World podcast this interview came up via a fan and holy shiT what a gteat listen. Man. Well done and THANK YOU!!!

[@VaughnGeorge]

Hey thank you!! Welcome to the channel. I hope you will subscribe. VG :-)

[@brody5211]

This is brilliant Vaughan, fantastic as a fan. Steve was great . Hope he eventually likes that top class whiskey you gave him ….

[@keanedm3108]

SOFAD is so Unique!!! Mixed of Blues, Gospel, Ambient Dark Synths and Industrial. Innovative, no other Album sounds like it~!!

[@owenparker636]

Excellent interview.A lot of really interesting information.A DAT recorder will be on your list lol

[@israelgarcia7577]

You know what I need when my heart bleeds I suffer from greed, a longing to feed

[@jl3nnox]

What a nice guy

[@VaughnGeorge]

Indeed! VG :-)

[@stevenspencer4238]

Outstanding interview, thank you so much for doing this, such a great look in to the latter days of DM’s golden age. I’m a massive fan of 101 and the Devotional live audio; having attended all those related tours I was always hoping DM would release a complete live version of a World Violation show. At 3m48s in your interview when Steve Lyon says, “And then I did the live tapes for the Violator tour, and then recorded various gigs on that tour … which I don’t think have ever been released actually.” - is he referring to unreleased live recordings of World Violation similar to 101, etc.? Now that’s a live album I would love to hear!

[@VaughnGeorge]

Hi Spencer, I have often said I'd love a Live release of World Violation tour! VG :-)

[@BarkingLondon]

Thought I’d have a skip through this but went back to the start & listened to the lot. Brilliant & what a top bloke Mr Lyon is…& yourself good Sir. It’s historical never heard before stuff from the “horses mouth”. Nice touch giving him a bottle of drink too. 😎👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@darrenmustin441]

Blinder again Vaughan, really intresting, Top draw👌

[@Reprodestruxion]

Hold on , The edge had a very unconventional minimalist approach to guitar from the Steve Lillywhite school , he saw it as sequencing with layers of effects that he had available at each specific time. A bit like a synthesist but with guitar. Including the ebow and Michael Brooks’ infinite guitar sustain system.

[@micmarkno]

GREAT!!!! I'd love to have the two weeks with the suitcase with these DATs!

[@SVSV-ox3xn]

The version of everything counts has never been released anywhere and it is still the best. You can see Steve is implying that Alan put so much into this album that it took out a bit from his body and soul. He has gone in the way of Mark Hollis and I wish he would come back

[@VaughnGeorge]

It was an epic version indeed!! VG :-)

[@abrokenframe1]

Hands down to Memento Mori. Probably their best since Violator. Lots of Kraftwerkian Synths and this is awesome. Dont Say Love Me did bring me tears. Every single track is so good. I want to thank god, martin gore and dave gahan for such a huge pleasure. I wasnt expect this, really not.

[@2Skinny]

Memento Mori better than. SOFAD or even Playing the Angel...?! Come on...

[@linobianchi7728]

Pure Joy. Thanx VG

[@VaughnGeorge]

Glad you enjoyed it! VG :-)

[@jnorten]

I believe Martin liked the sound of the Zoom 9030 or another Zoom from that time for tracking a lot of the guitars direct. Also worth noting, those Sony 3324 24 track Digital Tape Machines weighed a TON, Like it would take multiple people to move 1. I'm guessing after the Roland experience they decided to take 2 3324 machines on tour for playback, to run 1 as master and 1 as BU

[@marguskiis7711]

The strange sound on "I Feel You" came straight from Martin`s demo.

[@eancurtis9333]

Awesome

[@SynthesizerBook]

Another brilliant one!

[@VaughnGeorge]

Thank you! Cheers! VG:-)

[@PETTYFOREVER]

Amazing work sir! Thank you!!

[@alexgalaktionov9952]

Great interview! Such an amazing story of the recording process. I’m wondering is there any chance to reach Flood using contacts Steve has?

[@VaughnGeorge]

Flood is reachable but he is not likely to do an interview. VG :-)

[@alexgalaktionov9952]

@@VaughnGeorge I hope you can meet him one day at least for a beer

[@lovepulse]

Worth a try, he’s got to have something he’s promoting worth a plug. Also Darryl? He’s got a lot of anecdotes I’m sure ;)

[@aaronbenson2767]

The opportunity to interview Flood would be incredible, but it’d probably have to be 6 hours long. I’d want to ask him not only about Violator and SoFaD, but also Achtung Baby, Zooropa, Pop, the Downward Spiral, Melon Collie & the Infinite Sadness, and Sam’s Town.

[@jaygenglish2669]

Top Notch! Thank you.

[@VaughnGeorge]

Cheers Jay!! VG :-)

[@The_alien_silly_alien_dog]

Another great one interview VG

[@VaughnGeorge]

Thank you Sir! VG :-)

[@cleanhalo]

Very good insight, thanks for sharing

[@annier895]

THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

[@VaughnGeorge]

You're welcome Annie! VG :-)

[@Welcome2TheUnknown]

brilliant!

[@octaviolealgeissbuhler843]

Hey Vaughn, did Steve mention Talk Talk when he was about to open the magic box, he was mentioning he was touring with Talk Talk and Mike and the mechanics in the middle of the 80s ? Thanks !

[@VaughnGeorge]

Hello there! There was not really any conversations on Talk Talk from what I can recall. I do hope to return to Steve to record some more content sometime !! VG :-)

[@neilgregory6237]

Spot on mate

[@VaughnGeorge]

Cheers Neil! VG :-)

[@ScottManton]

Great stuff. Flood next!😅

[@VaughnGeorge]

I will do my best !! Glad you enjoyed it Scott!! VG :)

[@cjp592]

I know this is about SOFAD but can someone tell me who played the Moonlight Sonata on MFTM? Thank you.

[@ddoru75]

Alan Wilder

[@EtsiJuuret]

Alan played, but idea was Martin's

[@cjp592]

@@ddoru75 thank you.

[@cjp592]

@@EtsiJuuret thank you.

[@donnazigmont2615]

Alan Wilder

[@dalidamezine5219]

Hi VG Andy Steve 👋👋🔝🆒👍🥳❤️❤️

[@MrSkunky2009]

Fascinating...

[@juno6]

If you want a Roland System 700 but you can't afford it (most likely), then a Roland SH-1 is basically the same circuitry put in an affordable monosynth. Same VCO, VCF, VCA. Simpler, but same basic raw sound. (Btw it's the one in my profile pic).

[@basehead617]

I don't think I knew Steve worked on SOFAD.. I knew him from having done The Cure's Wild Mood Swings which is a pretty bad album so I didn't have the best feeling about him..

[@ajbrennan2720]

Great stuff.

[@VaughnGeorge]

Thanks! AJ! VG :-)

[@orestis6894]

Find Alan please ❤

[@Victorcolongarcia]

I would love to be paid for creating sounds and producing. It’s the part I love the most about making music. And the part I focus the most when listening to music. By the way, have you listened to the devotional instrumental? They are available on HQ on youtube. What a f masterpiece.

[@ihoryanchuk7406]

What's the remix at the beginning?

[@VaughnGeorge]

I produced it for the series. VG

[@quantumeseboy]

SOFAD is the only DM album where I loved the songs but never liked the production, so much so that I always preferred playing SOFAD Live album instead.

[@lfr230]

Who is the hidden man?

[@cutalin]

Steve says "Anton had done all this fantastic stuff" and the image turns Anton Corbin out-of-focus! min 50:20

[@lukehunnable]

Is Charlie Alan?

[@VaughnGeorge]

Yes. It is derived from his full name : Alan Charles Wilder. VG :-)

[@lukehunnable]

@@VaughnGeorge Thanks Vaughn. You're a top bloke 👊

[@VaughnGeorge]

@@lukehunnable bless you Luke!! Thank you brother!! VG :-)