With "Black Celebration" the band had perfected a brooding
aesthetic that was a perfect fit for Martin's increasingly dark compositions. For the following album the band had loftier ambitions and they felt a change of
direction was needed.
When interviewed for the DVD that accompanies the collectors edition of
this album, the band seem slightly vague about the choice of producer
for "Music For The Masses". If you cut through the fog, it's possible to discern that Daniel Miller
needed a break and David Bascombe had just had a massive hit as engineer
on "Songs from the Big Chair" by Tears for Fears. Bascombe proved to be an excellent choice, and the resulting album raised the bar with its epic and ostentatious sound.
Today, "Never Let Me Down Again" benefits from an association with seeing the band play live, yet the magic was most definitely there from day one. The pulsating analogue synths and massive beats compliment Martin's songwriting perfectly. The lyrics for these songs seem to explore increasingly mature themes that paint vivid pictures in one's mind.
For a band that has never chosen to conform, "Strangelove" is the perfect single: it isn't particularly commercial and it was never going to be radio friendly. Yet somehow this song proved to have wide appeal on both sides of the Atlantic. One of my personal favourites is "Things You Said" which is a sinister, yet beautiful song with a beguiling melody.
The original mix of the single "Behind the Wheel" opens up side two. I know Shep Pettibone was à la mode in 1987/8, but his remix for the single release was distinctly underwhelming when compared to the version presented here. Things take a slight dip with the accordion derived sound effects and female vocals for "I Want You Now". Whilst this song was designed to titivate, it just ends up sounding lewd and distracts from the music a little. "To Have and To Hold" is a competent but unremarkable album track that is followed by "Nothing" with its synth driven bassline and slightly clichéd "oooh oooh" refrain. To finish we are treated to the instrumental "Pimpf" which is the very definition of grandiose. An impressive collection of songs that continues to vie for the honour of being the band's second best album 5/5
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