Depeche Mode (IPA: /dəˌpɛʃˈmoʊd/) are
an electronic music group that formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex, England. The group's original
lineup consisted of David Gahan (lead vocals), Martin
Gore (keyboards, guitar, vocals, chief songwriter after 1981), Andrew
Fletcher (keyboards) and Vince Clarke (keyboards, chief songwriter 1980–81). Vince
Clarke left the band after the release of their 1981 debut album, and was replaced by Alan
Wilder (lead keyboards) who played with the band from 1982 to 1995. Following Wilder's departure, Gahan, Gore, and
Fletcher have performed as a trio.
Depeche Mode are one of the longest-lived, most successful and influential bands to have emerged from the New Romantic and New Wave era. As of 2006, it was estimated that
they had sold over 91 million records (56 million albums and 35 million singles) worldwide and have had forty-four songs in the
UK Singles Chart. They have had more top 40 hits in the UK without a #1 hit than any
other artist.
Current line-up
Early history
1977–1980: Formation
Depeche Mode's origins can be traced back to 1977, when Vince Clarke and Andrew Fletcher formed a band called "No Romance In
China", with Clarke on vocals/guitar and Fletcher on bass. In 1978, Clarke played guitar in an "Ultravox rip-off band", The Plan, with school friend Robert Marlow on
vocals and Vince on guitar/keyboards. In 1978–79, Gore played in an acoustic duo, Norman and The Worms, with school friend
Philip Burdett (who now sings on the folk circuit) on vocals and Gore on guitar. In 1979, Marlow,
Gore, Clarke and friend Paul Redmond formed a band called "The French Look", Marlow on vocals/keyboards, Gore on guitar, Clarke
and Redmond on keyboards. In March 1980, Clarke, Gore and Fletcher formed a band called "Composition of Sound", with Clarke on
vocals/guitar, Gore on keyboards and Fletcher on bass. "The French Look" and "Composition of Sound" once played live together in
June 1980 at St. Nicholas School Youth Club in Southend-on-Sea, Essex.
Soon after the formation of "Composition of Sound", Clarke and Fletcher switched to synthesizers, working odd jobs, including
carpentry, to buy them, or borrowing them from friends. Gahan joined the band in 1980 after Clarke heard him perform at a local
scout-hut jam session, crooning to a rendition of David Bowie's 'Heroes', and "Depeche Mode"
were born. The new name was taken from a French fashion magazine, "Dépêche mode", which
translates to "Fashion Dispatch".
1981–1983: Early releases and first successes
While playing a live gig at the Bridge House in Canning Town[1], the band was approached by Daniel Miller (an electronic musician and
founder of Mute Records), who was interested in them recording a single for his burgeoning
label.[2] The result of this verbal contract was
"Dreaming of Me b/w Ice Machine", which was released in February 1981, and managed to
reach #57 in the UK charts. Encouraged by this surprise success, the band recorded its second single "New Life", climbing to #11 in the UK charts. Three months later, the band released "Just Can't Get Enough" - their first single to enter the UK top ten, peaking at #8. This record
was in many ways a breakthrough for the band, and its success paved the way for their debut album - Speak & Spell, released in November 1981, and eventually reaching #10 on the UK album
charts. Critical reviews were mixed - Melody Maker described it as a "great album... one
they had to make to conquer fresh audiences and please the fans who just can’t get enough"[3], while Rolling Stone was more critical,
calling the album "PG-rated fluff".[4]
During the touring and promotion for "Speak & Spell", Clarke began to privately voice his discomfort at the direction the
band was taking. He later expressed his agitation that "there was never enough time to do anything".[5] In late 1981, Clarke publicly announced that he was leaving Depeche Mode. Soon
afterwards, he joined with blues singer Alison Moyet to form Yazoo (Yaz in the US) and later, the duo Erasure with
Andy Bell, in 1985. With their primary songwriter gone, Depeche Mode needed a new direction.
Martin Gore, who had written "Tora! Tora! Tora!" and "Big Muff" for their debut album, took over as the band's new songwriter. In
January 1982, the band released "See You", their first single without Clarke, which against all
expectations, managed to beat all three Clarke-penned singles in the UK charts, reaching #6. In the ensuing months of that year,
two more singles were released ("The Meaning of Love", and "Leave in Silence"), and the band embarked on their first world tour - known as the "See You" tour.
Their second album A Broken Frame was eventually brought out in September.
During the early stages of recording for A Broken Frame, the band recognised that it needed a fourth member for touring
and other commitments. In late 1981, they placed an ad in Melody Maker stating "Keyboard player needed for established band - no
timewasters." Alan Wilder, a 22-year old keyboardist from West London responded - and after
two auditions with Daniel Miller, he was accepted as the fourth member of Depeche Mode.[6] Despite this, Daniel Miller informed Wilder that he was not needed for the
recording of the album, [7] as the band wanted to prove
that they could succeed without Vince Clarke. Wilder's first musical contribution to the band was in 1983, on the non-album
single "Get the Balance Right!".
For their third LP Construction Time Again, Depeche Mode decided to
work with producer Gareth Jones, at John
Foxx's Garden Studios.[8] The album saw a dramatic
shift in the group's sound, due in part to the introduction of the Synclavier and
Emulator samplers, in addition to their previously-used analogue synths.[9] By sampling the noises of everyday objects, the band created an
eclectic, industrial-influenced sound, with similarities to groups such as the
Art of Noise and Einstürzende Neubauten.
Similarly, Gore's lyricism was rapidly evolving, focusing increasingly on political and social issues. A good example of the new
sound was on the first single from the album "Everything Counts", a commentary on the
perceived greed of multinational corporations, [10] which
got to #6 in the UK, also reaching the Top 30 in South Africa, Switzerland, Sweden and West Germany.
Alan Wilder also contributed two songs to the album ("The Landscape is Changing", "Two Minute Warning").
1984–1988: Growing international fame
In their early years, Depeche Mode had only really attained success in the UK, Europe, and Australia - however, this changed
in March 1984, when they released the single "People Are People". The song - a comment
on racism, climbed to #13 on the US charts, as well as reaching #4 on the UK and Swiss
charts - and gave them their first #1 (in Germany). To cash in on the surprise success of the single, Sire, the band's North American record label, released a compilation of the same name. A month later, Some Great
Reward was released. Melody Maker claimed that the album made one "sit up and take notice of what is happening here,
right under your nose."[11] "Some Great Reward" saw the
band experimenting with even darker subject matter, exploring sexual politics ("Master and
Servant"), adulterous relationships ("Lie to Me"), and arbitrary divine justice ("Blasphemous Rumours"). Also included was the first Martin Gore ballad ("Somebody") - a
concept that would become a staple on all following albums. The album was also their first to enter the U.S. album charts, and
made the Top 10 in several European countries. In 1985, Mute Records released a
compilation, The Singles 81>85 ("Catching Up with Depeche Mode" in the US), which included the new hit singles :
"Shake the Disease" (#4 in Germany, #5 in Sweden, #6 in Switzerland, #13 in France and
#18 in the UK) and "It's Called a Heart" (#7 in Sweden and Switzerland, #8 in
Germany, #18 in the UK and #29 in France).
During this period the band became associated with the gothic subculture, which had
begun in Britain, and was slowly gaining popularity in the United States. There, the band's music had first gained prominence on
college radio and modern rock stations such as KROQ in
Los Angeles, and WLIR on Long Island, New York, and hence, they appealed primarily to a decidedly cultish, alternative audience who were disenfranchised with the predominance of "soft rock and "disco
hell""[12] on the radio. This view of the band was in
sharp contrast to that in Europe and the UK, despite the increasingly dark and serious tone in their songs. [13] In Germany (and other European countries), Depeche Mode were considered
teen idols, and were regularly featured in euro teen magazines, providing their detractors with more ammunition to use against
them.
Depeche Mode's largest transformation came in 1986, with the release of their fifteenth single "Stripped", and its accompanying album Black
Celebration. Jettisoning much of the "industrial-pop" sound that had characterised their previous two LPs (although
they retained their often imaginative sampling), the band introduced an ominous, highly atmospheric and textured sound,
accompanied by some of Gore's bleakest, most insightful lyrics to date. Also included on the album was a revised version of the
song "Fly on the Windscreen", which had originally appeared as the b-side to "It's Called a Heart". The band recognised the
song's promise, and decided to improve it and include it on the album, renamed as "Fly on the Windscreen - Final".[14]
The music video for "A Question of Time" was the first to be directed by
Anton Corbijn,[15]
beginning a working relationship that continues to the present day. Anton has directed 19 more of the band's videos (the latest
being 2006's "Suffer Well") and live performances, and has been responsible for some of the
band's albums and singles covers.
1987's Music for the Masses saw further alterations in the band's sound
and working methods. Dave Bascombe (who had previously worked with Tears for Fears) was
brought in as a producer (although his role ended up being more that of an engineer),[16]and the band (for the most part) abandoned sampling in favour of more musical
experimentation.[17] Although the chart performance of
the singles ("Strangelove", "Never Let Me
Down Again" and "Behind the Wheel") was disappointing in Great Britain (whereas those singles were big hits in countries such as Canada, West Germany, South Africa,
Sweden or Switzerland, reaching the Top 10 there), the album
was almost universally praised by the music press - far more so than any other album the band had released. Record Mirror described it as "the most accomplished and sexy Mode album to date".[18] and it made a breakthrough in the American market, something which the
band had failed to achieve with their previous albums.
On the heels of Music for the Masses, the group played a follow-up world tour in 1987–88. The tour culminated on
18 June in a concert at the Pasadena Rose Bowl with
a sell-out attendance of 66,000 (the highest in eight years for the venue). The tour was documented in 101 - a concert film by D.A. Pennebaker, and its accompanying
soundtrack album.
Middle history
1989–1994: The apex
In mid-1989, the band began recording in Milan with producer Flood and engineer
François Kervorkian. The result of this session was the single "Personal Jesus", which
featured a drum-based sound, radically different from anything the band had released thus far. Prior to its release,
advertisements were placed in the personal columns of UK regional newspapers with the words "Your own personal Jesus." Later, the
ads included a phone number one could dial to hear the song. The ensuing controversy helped propel the single to number 13 on the
UK charts, becoming one of their biggest sellers; in the U.S., it was their first gold single and their first top 40 hit since
"People Are People", eventually becoming the biggest-selling 12-inch single in Warner Bros. Records' history.[19] The song has been covered by (amongst others) Johnny Cash, Gravity Kills, and Marilyn Manson, and was notably sampled in the song "Beware of the
Dog" by Jamelia. In 2004, the song was included in the soundtrack for the video game
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and in September 2006 was voted by readers
of music monthly Q as one of the 100 greatest songs of all time.
During this time, the band were gaining additional prominence in the US, where their influence on the techno and house music scenes was becoming increasingly recognised.
In February 1990, "Enjoy the Silence", became one of Depeche Mode's most successful
singles to date, reaching #6 in the UK; a few months later in the U.S., it became Depeche Mode's first (and to date, only) Top 10
hit, reaching #8, and earning the band a second gold single. It won 'Best Video' at the 1991 Brit Awards. To promote their new
album Violator, they held an in-store autograph signing at the Tower Records
music store in Los Angeles, which attracted approximately 17,000 fans and caused a near-riot.[20] Violator went on to reach top 10 in the UK and the Billboard 200 in the US. It
has also been certified triple platinum in America, selling over 3.5 million units there. The subsequent World Violation Tour was another notable
success, with 40,000 tickets sold within eight hours for the New York Giants Stadium (in
East Rutherford, New Jersey) show, and 48,000 tickets for the Los Angeles
Dodger Stadium show sold within an hour of going on sale. Two more singles from the
album, "Policy of Truth" and "World in My
Eyes" were modest UK hits.
In 1991 Depeche Mode made a one-off contribution to the Wim Wenders film,
Until the End of the World, entitled "Death's Door" and a third solo
album was released by Alan Wilder under the Recoil moniker bridged the gap between
albums.
In 1993 Songs of Faith and Devotion saw them experimenting with
more organic arrangements, based as much on heavily distorted electric guitars and live drums (played by Alan Wilder, whose debut
as a studio drumme
