One record at a time: 68. Depeche Mode - Some Great Reward

"Some Great Reward" was originally released in 1984 and this is the remastered heavy weight vinyl from 2007. This album is another significant milestone in the band's transition from producing sugary synth-pop to the rock pastiche they peddle today. At the time this album was created, the band had perfected their new sampler based production techniques and begun to craft darkly melodic synth-pop that could still garner commercial interest.

The first thing that strikes me about this album is the maturity of the vocals when compared to previous efforts. Both Dave and Martin seem to be able to deliver the lyrics with a mixture of cynicism and confidence that suggests they have more life experience to draw on this time around. Things begin with "Something to do" which is a mechanical, almost industrial track, with a good dose of catchy melody thrown in. The lyrics on "Lie to me" swing between the laughable and the sublime, but somehow it works. Elements of both songs hark back to the production of the previous album, but there is a new complexity in the backing track that elevates them above previous efforts.

When I listen closely the sound palette employed on "People are People" I can't help but think it resembles that used by contemporaries Front 242. Yet, the catchy melody and lyrics transform this track into a radio friendly hit that the Belgian electronic body music innovators never aspired to. The FM generated synthesiser tones on  "It Doesn't Matter" mean it sounds rather one dimensional and dated, but it remains enjoyable. Also dated is "Stories of Old" which sounds out of place and like it belongs on the previous album. 

Ballad "Somebody" sees Alan sitting at the piano whilst Martin gets naked and Daniel Miller overdubs some street noise. Whilst this is a good song, I prefer the single version which takes out the background noise. The pounding industrial noise returns with the kinky "Master and Servant" with lyrics that seem to affirm my suggestion that the band are able to draw on much greater life experience than when they released "See You". 

As I remember "If You Want" was the last time Alan wrote for the group. This is a real shame as this effort suggests his skills were just beginning to flower. Who knows what could have been if the rest have the band had displayed any enthusiasm for his efforts.

The album's zenith is the final track "Blasphemous Rumours" which was probably the darkest track the band had made to this point. I'll be honest, I almost laughed out loud the first time I heard the lyrics 'back in the day', but things sound much less contrived with over 30 years of familiarity. The melody in this composition pulls it along nicely and the production makes it irresistible. Whilst this album sounds OK from vinyl, I do like to crank up the 2006 Collectors Edition CD with its punchy bass and clear dynamics. 4/5

One record at a time: 67. Depeche Mode - Construction Time Again

"Construction Time Again" is Depeche Mode's third album and is presented here as the 2007 remastered vinyl.

Having proven they didn't need Vince with "A Broken Frame", Depeche Mode began to cultivate their own sound with the follow up in 1983. It is at this juncture that the EMU Emulator and Drumulator drum machine take over as the principal sound sources and the band begin to experiment with sampling. This new approach also coincides with the introduction of Alan Wilder who brings a higher degree of musicianship and contributes to the songwriting duties. 

Despite the changes at the time of recording, the songs on this album remain relatively naive when compared to what was about to follow. Alan's contribution "The Landscape Is Changing"  tackles the subject of acid rain with lyrics so contrived as to make "Pretty Boy" sound cultured. "Two Minute Warning" is a good song but sounds like very little time was committed to recording it. It's almost as if the rest of the band were ambivalent towards Alan's contributions. Which they were.

The only songs of Martin's that begin to demonstrate his undoubted talent are "Told You So" and the brilliant "Everything Counts". Everything else on this record is middling material that I can leave or take. Having said that I don't like "Pipeline". I can imagine they were very proud of constructing a song from found sounds and manipulating them in the sampler, but God is it dull. Not only is it dull but it lasts for nearly six minutes. This is definitely a "transition album" that falls between two camps. Better is to follow. 3/5

One record at a time: 66. Depeche Mode - A Broken Frame

My first experience of listening to Depeche Mode was the compilation album "The Singles 81-85". The album begins with catchy and original pop songs such as "Dreaming of Me", "New Life" and "Just Can't Get Enough". Despite Martin taking over as main songwriter in 1982, things continue in much the same vein with "See You" and "The Meaning of Love". 

Then we encounter a real watershed moment. "Leave In Silence" dispenses with the sugary pop and applies a much darker veil. As the opening track on second album "A Broken Frame", this song makes a strong statement: "Vince is gone, we can do it on our own terms and things are going to be different."

The changes come not only from the composition, but also from the production techniques used. "Speak and Spell" makes heavy use of new technology such as the PPG Wave, Simmons SDS-V and the TR-808. So whilst this record was put together by largely the same team, it sounds very different to its predecessor.

"My Secret Garden" and "Monument" have some very naive lyrics but the music is accomplished and expertly produced. Dave's vocals aren't delivered with much confidence on this record and tracks such as "A Photograph of You" and "Satellite" reveal their fragility. Yet when you consider how young and relatively inexperienced the band were in 1982 this can easily be forgiven. 

Instrumental "Nothing To Fear" is a grossly underrated composition that deserves better than being confined to this album. I fantasise about the day someone at Sony finds a master tape featuring an unused extended version and releases it. "The Sun and the Rainfall" remains a credible composition that forms the perfect ending. Yes this album is a bit twee and mawkish in places, but it doesn't deserve to be reviled and ignored by its creators. 3/5

One record at a time: 65. Depeche Mode - Speak and Spell

OK deep breath and stay strong people because we are about to be caught in the tangled web that is the Depeche Mode back catalogue. I have no doubt the next 15 posts will bring a fair share of highs and lows. There will be disagreements, disenchantment and more than a few tears. We will lament at what could have been and rejoice in what was. All human life is scattered amongst the detritus.

Obviously we kick off with debut "Speak and Spell" which is presented here as the 2007 remastered 'deluxe heavy vinyl'. The sound is generally good with punchy bass and only the occasional attack of sibilance. There was no digital download with this record, but I don't remember that being commonplace back in 2007. It certainly doesn't concern me as I have several versions of the album on CD anyway (I also have an original pressing of the LP somewhere too).

No sooner has the needle hit the wax than the naive analogue beauty of "New Life" begins to emanate from the speakers. I can't tell you how exciting this music was to me when I first heard it circa 1988. Whilst I was a bit late to the Depeche Mode party, this record stood up against much more contemporary material because it was so damn good. The analogue synths on "I Sometime Wish I Was Dead" and "Puppets" are programmed to absolute perfection and the melodies are amazingly strong. Yes, the triumvirate of "Boys Say Go!", "Nodisco" and "What's Your Name?" may sound twee nowadays, but I'd rather listen to them than almost anything the band have produced since 2005.

The flip side of the record features some of the band's best early work including "Tora! Tora! Tora!", "Any Second Now (Voices)" and the grossly underrated "Big Muff". Quite how such wonderful sounds were coaxed from such rudimentary synthesisers remains a mystery to me. But when you consider the talents of John Fryer, Eric Radcliffe, Vince Clarke and Daniel Miller were at the controls, maybe it shouldn't be that surprising.  

Whilst this is an album the band have seemingly disowned (I doubt they refuse the royalty cheques however) it remains a credible and highly polished piece of synth pop. During live performances I hate the way Dave repeatedly introduces "Just Can't Enough" as being "for the fans". It's almost as if he's saying, "We think this song is s**t but we'll lower ourselves to play it for you." Yet, this is one of their biggest and most enduring hits. Nobody is singing "Heaven" or "Where's the Revolution" in karaoke bars or at football matches I can tell you that much.

We'll come back to this topic repeatedly I'm sure, but I hate the way Depeche Mode have morphed into some sort of a rock act. I haven't listened to this album for many years and hearing it now sparks a strong sense of nostalgia for a simpler time: a time when Depeche Mode were good. 4/5

One record at a time: 64. Daft Punk - Discovery

The realisation that I bought the CD of "Discovery" over twenty years ago is quite sobering. In 2001 Daft Punk were in their ascendancy and electronic music was vanquishing the Britpop monster that had plagued us for too long. The CD was king and it was as convenient and robust a format as we could ever need. Nobody seemed to know how best to harness the internet and my "Daft Club" online membership card which was included with initial copies of the album went unused.

Today, everything is gone. The band have packed up, "Daft Club" is defunct and CDs no longer sell. The internet and streaming have swallowed everything and only a few of us are left clinging onto the life raft of physical media. Still, we have the music and the memories.

This is by far my favourite Daft Punk album and the only one I own on vinyl. I bought this double album in 2014 for about twenty pounds from eBay and it seems to be repressed at fairly regular intervals.

There are only two possible scenarios if you haven't come across opening track "One More Time" before. Firstly you could be deaf (and apologies if you are as I am not being facetious) or secondly you have spent the last twenty years living in a vacuum which was under a rock located in a soundproof cave (here I really am being facetious). The second track "Aerodynamic" is simply a series of arpeggios that have no right to be as entertaining as they are. "Digital Love" and "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" are the archetypal French house grooves that are so catchy they are impossible to resist. The pacing on this album is great as by the time the Linn Drum and disco sample madness of "Crescendolls" has beaten us into submission we are ready to take a break with the laid back vibes of "Nightvision". 

The pounding house is resurrected with "Superheroes" which slices up a Barry Manilow song into an annoying mess. A similar mash up recipe is used on "High Life" but it is only perfected with standout "Face To Face". My favourite track is "Voyager" which is slightly less sample driven and sounds like the band actually had a hand in writing the music rather than manipulating an Akai sampler. Elsewhere there are flashbacks to old school house, eighties pop and seventies funk which are all coated in Daft Punk's secret formula. Not a perfect album, but it has been refreshing to go back to real electronic music after listening to so many rock orientated efforts of late. 4/5

One record at a time: 63. Coldplay - Everyday Life

I bought "Everyday Life" when it was released in 2019 in the form of this double silver vinyl that came with a pin badge. On receipt of my purchase I downloaded the digital files and listened to them precisely once. I haven't listened to album since and the vinyl remains mint and unplayed.

Whilst reviewing Coldplay's previous album I had no idea what one of the tracks was supposed to be. Well, this is an album full of tracks that I have no idea what they are supposed to be.

I have listened to the digital files again for this post but I can find nothing worthy of comment and see no reason to ever open the vinyl. Absolutely nothing happens on this record and it is devoid of any interest for lovers of electronic music. You'll be unsurprised to hear I didn't buy follow up "Music of the Spheres". No more Coldplay for me. 0/5

One record at a time: 62. Coldplay - A Head Full of Dreams

Having quite enjoyed "Ghost Stories" I was left susceptible to the relentless promotion for the follow up album "A Head Full of Dreams" a year later.  As a result, I purchased this double, coloured, limited edition vinyl when it was released in 2015.

The title track is the opening cut and it is the usual high quality, uplifting anthem we have come to expect from Coldplay. They must have written this and sat back knowing they had an instant hit. "Birds" always sounds like its about to segue into "Don't Get Me Wrong" by The Pretenders and unfortunately I'm not a fan of either song. Beyoncé guests on the catchy "Hymn for the Weekend" which closes the first side of the record.

"Everglow" is one of those reflective and maudlin songs that doesn't have enough to interest me despite some electronic drums. Chris's ex-wife features on backing vocals for this track leading me to understand why some people criticise Coldplay as "bringing baggage" that distracts from the music.

Things kick up a gear with "Adventure of a Lifetime" which feels like a track where producers StarGate finally got to flex their muscles. "Fun" is an interesting track but I have no idea what "Kaleidoscope" is meant to be. "Army of One" sounds like StarGate were left alone with ProTools whilst the band went down to the pub - and that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The only other track of note is "Up&Up" which supposedly features Noel Gallagher on guitar. What Noel was able to contribute that Jon or a session musician couldn't muster I'm not sure. The annoying guitar solo at the end certainly sounds as irritating as Oasis, so maybe it was that. Three good songs do not an album make. 2/5