One record at a time: 71. Depeche Mode - 101

"101" is a live album from 1989 and here I am playing the 2016 re-pressing. This album and the accompanying film received a lot of play during my youth and I have very fond memories of it.

One of the joys of this album is that it faithfully captures the atmosphere and excitement of the last concert on their world tour of 1988. As the instrumental "Pimpf" dies away, the band launch into a spirited rendition of "Behind The Wheel" that comes close to surpassing the original. The crowd roars as the opening bars of "Strangelove" creep through the ether and they only seem to stop screaming when Dave implores them to sing along.

Inevitably the instrumentation on some tracks falls a little short of the studio equivalent, but Dave's energy lifts the songs and enthuses the crowd. "Something To Do", "Stripped" and "Blasphemous Rumours" are almost raucous in their delivery and you sense the band are having a good time on stage. Martin provides vocals on "Somebody" and an excellent rendition of "Things You Said". In fact, this version of "Things You Said" is so good I prefer it to the album version. 

The second disc delivers a very slightly off key rendition of "Shake The Disease" and a series of album tracks from "Music For The Masses" before we are treated to an updated version of "People Are People". The joy of some of these tracks is hearing older songs with slightly more contemporary drum sounds and different arrangements. Perennial live favourite "Never Let Me Down Again" is presented in an extended version that utilises the analogue synth bassline from the "Split Mix" to great effect. There's a surprisingly entertaining rendition of "Just Can't Get Enough" before the single from the album "Everything Counts" rounds things out. 4/5

One record at a time: 70. Depeche Mode - Music For The Masses

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

One record at a time: 69. Depeche Mode - Black Cleberation

The documentary that accompanies the collector's edition of this album features footage of Dave Gahan saying something to the effect of: "We're a metal band that uses synthesisers." In saying this, I don't think Dave is suggesting they plough the same furrow as Ministry, DAF and Skinny Puppy. I think he is comparing them to musical behemoths like Metallica, Iron Maiden and Slayer. 

 

Around the time of "Black Celebration" Depeche Mode began portraying themselves as a guitar wielding, leather clad rock band and not a bunch of fey boys from Basildon singing about pretty boys. My feeling is that this 'rock' facade was employed to distance them from their previous pop orientated output and point to a new found credibility.

 

Yet, there's plenty of synth pop on this record and no matter how you hear it, there isn't a trace of metal sensibilities to be found. The title track is a good introduction to the new sound, but the real action starts with the pulsating darkwave of "Fly On The Windscreen". This song definitely deserved to be elevated above the status of a b-side and whilst I prefer some aspects of the original version, the "Final" mix presented here has an irresistible sheen. 

 

The sounds employed on these songs have moved away from the naive clattering 'found sound' ethos of earlier sample driven efforts and matured into a finely balanced sound palette. Whilst co-producer Gareth Jones flippantly commented that the assumption was that reverb equated to atmosphere, the mix on this album is superb. The only exception to this is ballad "Sometimes" which has a beautiful ambience which is then ruined by the delay on Martin's vocal. I can live with it, but I'd much prefer it wasn't there. My favourite track is "It Doesn't Matter Two" which marries a great song to some excellent electronic music. 

 

A sure sign of a strong album must be when the second side of the disc opens with two consecutive singles. Whilst "A Question of Time" is upbeat and darkly melodic, "Stripped" is a ponderous and menacing song based around a sample of a motorbike engine. It may not sound like a single with any commercial appeal from that description - but it is an effective track. The remaining tracks are all entertaining with "New Dress" being a standout. I'm so used to the CD of this album that I still expect to hear bonus track "Breathing in Fumes" starting as the final track plays out and the needle hits the label. Not a flawless album, but definitely one that suits my tastes. 5/5

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