depeche mode > album reviews > 1981...1990
As promised - and apologies for the delay - capsule reviews (out of 10) of the entire Depeche Mode discography. (Note 'discography' meaning major commercial album releases, not compilations, bootlegs etc). As I was writing this I realised that to review all albums in one go would be far too much, so I've decided to split up DM's 23-year career into two bits. This set of reviews covers 1981 to 1990. Part 2 will follow shortly. To be read in conjunction with the DM biography. Enjoy.Speak and Spell (1981)
The world was first introduced to Depeche Mode with S&S, which was largely the work of then-member Vince Clarke. His influence permeates the album in its entirety, with its fluffy, jaunty bubblegum rhythms and trademark brand of upbeat synth pop. This is not the same dark, brooding, romantic DM of today, and needless to say, early 80s material generally does not age well (Dreaming of Me, with its nonsensical, cartoony lyrics, had me in fits of giggles when I first heard it) - but that being said, S&S is undeniably one of the finest representations of early synth pop, a sound which DM later honed to perfection.
Key tracks: Just Can't Get Enough
Rating: 6/10
A Broken Frame (1982)
Vince Clarke's early departure from the band signalled a new start for DM - one that allowed Martin Gore to wet his feet in the pool of songwriting. With ABF, he did just that, but with results that were not always successful. Martin later remarked that ABF was undeniably DM's worst album (and many die-hard fans would agree), but what it did showcase was his burgeoning songwriting ability and potential. Whetting fans' appetites was only the beginning - though a largely patchy album, it did reveal hidden surprises such as opener Leave In Silence, with its highly evocative lyrics and gloom-laden sound that would later become DM's trademark.
Key tracks: Leave In Silence
Rating: 5/10
Construction Time Again (1983)
It is often said that Alan Wilder's arrival marked the beginnings of a positive upward trend for DM. CTA sees DM in a more experimental (Pipeline), slightly sombre (Love, In Itself), and surprisingly cynical mood - 'The handshake seals the contract/From the contract there's no turning back', Dave Gahan intones matter-of-factly in the classic live favourite Everything Counts. The fact that only two singles were lifted from this album suggests that perhaps it was meant to be an experimental record of sorts - with lyrics that would make Karl Marx proud and a mishmash of sonic landscapes, including soul. Inconsistent perhaps, but also well ahead of its time.
Key tracks: Everything Counts, Pipeline, Shame
Rating: 6.5/10
Some Great Reward (1984)
Some might say that SGA was DM's first truly great album, and in many ways, it was. CTA had indicated that DM didn't seem entirely happy being nicely coiffeured pop pin-ups - hence the dabbling in other forms of music. SGR revealed a much darker side of DM, including forays into religion, S&M, unrequited love, and death - themes which DM would later continually explore. Upbeat pop finds itself sitting comfortably alongside funky basslines and stunning balladry, making Some Great Reward a sure indication of some great things to come.
Key tracks: Master and Servant, Lie To Me, Blasphemous Rumours, Somebody, People Are People
Rating: 7/10
Black Celebration (1986)
The magic DM had started with SGR culminated in the record that was Black Celebration - their most gloomy, foreboding, and nihilistic record to date. Borderline gothic in feel, it is arguably also one of DM's greatest albums, and one of my favourites. Lyrics are weighty and bleak, and synths are minimalistic. Experiments in rhythm, industrial sampling, and eerie choral landscapes contribute to the darkly perverse and intense feel of the album. Martin Gore is on top form here - this is a definite Mode classic and one not to be missed.
Key tracks: Black Celebration, Fly On the Windscreen, A Question of Lust, Stripped, Breathing In Fumes
Rating: 9/10
Music For the Masses (1987)
As its title suggests, MFTM was arguably meant to cement DM's status as stadium-filling gods, and it did just that. It opens with the pomp of Never Let Me Down Again - an overblown, excessive, aggressive live favourite - and coupled with the subsequent two tracks (one haunting and elegiac, the other insanely catchy) makes for one of the most memorable first 15 minutes of an album that I've heard. The music is overtly sexual - from the heavy breathing that forms the backdrop of I Want You Now to the insistent drive of Behind the Wheel. Once again DM dabbles with unconventional sampling, using a Russian men's choir for the experimental heave-ho of Pimpf.
Key tracks: Never Let Me Down Again, The Things You Said, Strangelove, Behind the Wheel, Nothing
Rating: 8.5/10
101 (1989)
101, the first of two DM live albums, is named after DM's monumental sell-out show at the Pasadena Rose Bowl - the one hundred and first show held at that venue. The atmosphere here is electric and awe-inspiring, and ought to prove to any cynical critic that yes, synth pop and electronica can actually sell out stadiums, making DM the world's biggest cult band. The setlist is to die for - 20 major Mode favourites.
Key tracks: Behind the Wheel, Stripped, Never Let Me Down Again
Rating: 8/10
Violator (1990)
Ah, Violator, how I love thee. Undoubtedly DM's most popular and commercially successful album, it doesn't take a genius to figure out why. The nine glorious tracks (why must there only be nine?) are tailor made for the dancefloor and bathed in waves of shiny, slinky synths and funky basslines, coupled with bluesy guitar riffs (found in the groovy stomp of Personal Jesus). I don't think I'm completely wrong in saying that DM opened the floodgates for an entire generation of dance/electronica artists to follow. The production is flawless - total perfection - with the words 'Alan Wilder' written all over it. Violator oozes class and is deep, dark and sexy. This one needs to be played loud.
Key tracks: World In My Eyes, Personal Jesus, Halo, Enjoy the Silence, Policy of Truth, Clean
Rating: 10/10
To be continued...
L'Esthete @ 01:09
