Depeche Mode

The Music Begins

Formed in 1980, Depeche Mode’s original lineup consisted of Dave Gahan (vocals), Martin Gore (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Vince Clarke (keyboards), and Andew Fletcher (keyboards). As you can see, there is/was a lot of synthesizing going on. Don’t confuse that with Flock of Seagulls synthesizing; Depeche Mode has some intensely thoughtful and choreographed music. Alan Wilder replaced Vince Clarke after he left to eventually form Erasure. Wilder, in turn, would leave the band in 1995.

Depeche Mode enjoyed minor success for years in Britain before branching out across the Atlantic. Their first successful single, “Just Can’t Get Enough” (1981), became a dance club classic and even found its way into the American underground. However, it wasn’t until they released the single “People Are People” (1984) that America stood up to notice. A growing fan base began to collect on both sides of the pond and after the success of the song “Strangelove”, the popular album Music For The Masses (1987) only furthered the attention.

Depeche Mode Breaks Out

Even though the group had been building a huge following for almost a decade, they were still considered slightly underground until the massive explosion of 1990’s Violator. Depeche Mode had at that point become a household name for every teenager in North America. Violator included the mega-hits “Policy of Truth”, “Personal Jesus”, and “Enjoy the Silence”. Even MTV gave them regular rotation. Huge arena shows began selling out in every country they toured and demands for live albums and videos were made.

Although they had a more upbeat, dance club sound in the beginning (thanks to Erasure’s Clarke), Depeche Mode’s music grew darker and more intense over the years. Like their contemporaries The Cure and Joy Division/New Order, Depeche Mode would become synonymous with “depressed sixteen-year old”. In a strange phenomenon, that actually became profitable for labels in the early 1990’s. Sadly, the end of the 20th century saw the return of the boy band and the lip-synching pop diva. Depeche Mode hasn’t seemed to have reached their earlier success since then.

With the departure of Alan Wilder in 1995, the group was down to a trio. They continued to hone their talents with subsequent albums and still draw a huge following wherever they play. Their newest album to date, Playing the Angel (2005), marks a return to Violator’s dark, yet radio-friendly sound. It has received mostly positive reviews by major critics and the single “Precious” has found its way onto mainstream television shows like “Smallville”. It seems that the band is in it for the long haul.

Depeche Mode Albums

Speak & Spell (1981)
A Broken Frame (1982)
Construction Time Again (1983)
Some Great Reward (1984)
The Singles 81-85 (1985)
Black Celebration (1986)
Music For The Masses (1987)
101 (1989)
Violator (1990)
Songs Of Faith And Devotion (1993)
Songs Of Faith And Devotion Live (1993)
Ultra (1997)
The Singles 86-98 (1998)
Exciter (2001)
The Remixes 81-04 (2004)
Playing The Angel (2005)

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