Number of posts : 1010 Localisation : Bucharest Registration date : 2007-09-06
Subject: Depeche Mode Thu 6 Sep 2007 - 11:56
Depeche Mode are a very influential electronic band, who 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; soon replaced by Alan Wilder (lead keyboards) who played with the band from 1982 to 1995. Following Wilder's departure, Gahan, Gore, and Fletcher have continued to perform as a trio.
Depeche Mode are one of the longest-lived and most successful bands to have emerged from the New Romantic and New Wave era. As of 2006, it was estimated that Depeche Mode had sold over 91 million records (56 million albums / 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 David Gahan - Lead vocals Martin Gore - Keyboards, guitars and vocals Andrew Fletcher - Backing keyboards 1976–1980: Formation
Depeche Mode's origins can be traced back to 1976, 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 a 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 "Fast Fashion".
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. This album is generally viewed as a transitional release, with Gore's songs split between poppy, Clarke-influenced tunes ("The Meaning of Love", "A Photograph of You") and considerably darker territory ("Leave in Silence", "Monument"), hinting at the direction the band would take in following years. 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, however, Daniel Miller informed Alan that he wasn't needed for the actual recording of the album, [7] as the band wanted to prove that they could succeed without Vince Clarke. Alan'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, the band's proper follow-up album "Some Great Reward" was released to generally positive reviews. 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 US 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).
It was during this period that 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 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, more important than that for the band, it made an impressive 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 1988 in a concert at the Pasadena Rose Bowl with a sell-out attendance of 90,000 (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.
Last edited by on Sun 9 Sep 2007 - 23:12; edited 4 times in total
hellen troy Close To The Flame
Number of posts : 1010 Localisation : Bucharest Registration date : 2007-09-06
Subject: Re: Depeche Mode Sun 9 Sep 2007 - 22:55
1989–1994: Two hit albums In mid-1989, the band began recording in Milan with record producer François Kervorkian. The result of this session was the single "Personal Jesus", which featured a catchy, 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 US, 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, reached #6 in the UK; a few months later in the US, it became Depeche Mode's first (and to date, only) Top 10 pop 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
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 there over 3.5 million units. 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 moderate 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. Depeche Mode significantly changed pace in 1993 with Songs of Faith and Devotion. Another substantial departure for the band - "SOFAD" 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 drummer was the track "Clean" on Violator) as on synthesizers.[21] Live strings, uillean pipes and female gospel vocals were other new additions to the band's sound.
The album debuted at #1 in both the UK and the US, on the heels of the bluesy, grunge-influenced single "I Feel You". Depeche Mode were the first UK-Alternative band which had a number 1 hit album in the billboard 200 album charts. The 14-month "Devotional" world tour followed. It was documented by a concert video of the same name, and a second live album, Songs of Faith and Devotion Live. The live album was essentially a track-by-track reproduction of the eponymous album, designed to help boost sales figures of the studio album, and it proved to be a critical and commercial failure. By 1994 Depeche Mode were amongst the world's elite stadium bands, alongside U2, R.E.M., INXS, and The Rolling Stones. Strains, however, were beginning to emerge. Dave Gahan's heroin addiction was starting to affect his behaviour, causing him to become more erratic and introverted. Martin Gore experienced a series of seizures, and Andy Fletcher declined to participate in the second "exotic" leg of the tour, due to "mental instability". During that period, he was replaced on-stage by Daryl Bamonte, who had worked with the band as a personal assistant for many years.
1995–2000: Continued success through turmoil In June 1995, Alan Wilder announced that he was leaving Depeche Mode, citing his "increasing dissatisfaction with the internal relations and working practices of the group".[23] He continued to work on his personal project Recoil, releasing a fourth album (Unsound Methods) in 1997. Wilder claimed that he had contributed the lion's share of work on past albums, and that "this level of input never received the respect and acknowledgement" it deserved.[24] Following Wilder's departure, many were skeptical of whether Depeche Mode would ever record again. Gahan's mental state and drug habit became a major source of concern, with an alleged suicide attempt (which Gahan has consistently denied), and a near-fatal overdose at his home in Los Angeles.
Despite Gahan's increasingly severe personal issues, Gore tried repeatedly during 1995-1996 to get the band recording again. However, Dave would rarely turn up to scheduled sessions, and when he did, it would take weeks to get any vocals recorded. Gore was forced to contemplate breaking the band up, and releasing the songs he had written as a solo album.[25] In the end, Gore's worries were unfounded, in mid-1996, Gahan finally entered a drug rehabilitation program to battle his heroin addiction.[26] With Gahan out of rehab in 1996, Depeche Mode held recording sessions with producer Tim Simenon; the next year, the album Ultra and its two preceding singles, "Barrel of a Gun" and "It's No Good", were released. The album again debuted at #1 in the UK. Due to the stress of the previous world tour, the band decided to forego touring altogether for Ultra. Furthermore, the album received a lacklustre reception from the press and fans alike. The band have also recognised Ultra's poor reception; live dates following the Singles Tour after the release of Ultra have seen only one Ultra song being played, or on many tour dates, none whatsoever.
A second singles compilation The Singles 86-98 was released in 1998, preceded by the new single "Only When I Lose Myself", which had been recorded during the "Ultra" sessions. The band set off on a 4 month tour that cemented their place as a quasi-permanent attraction, with a large touring attendance regardless of album sales. (U2, R.E.M., and the Rolling Stones are some others in this category). The same year, a tribute album For the Masses was released, featuring Depeche Mode covers by bands such as The Smashing Pumpkins, The Cure and The Deftones.
2001–2004: Exciter In 2001, Depeche Mode released Exciter, which was produced by Mark Bell (formerly of the pioneering techno group LFO). Bell introduced a minimalist, digital sound to much of the album, influenced by IDM and glitch. The album failed to achieve the same levels of sales as the band's previous three releases, with many fans and critics feeling that the album was lacking depth, uninspired and underproduced. It was the first studio album by Depeche Mode to chart higher in the US than the UK. The critical response to the album was mostly apathetic. Whilst it received reasonably positive reviews from some magazines (NME and US magazines Rolling Stone and L.A. Weekly), most others (including Q Magazine, PopMatters, and Pitchfork Media) derided it as sounding underproduced, dull and lacklustre.[27]. As with Ultra, the band have recognised Exciter's poor reception; live dates following the Exciter tour have seen only one Exciter song being played, or on many tour dates, none whatsoever.
2003 saw the release of Gahan's solo album, Paper Monsters, followed by a worldwide tour and an accompanying DVD, titled Live Monsters; Martin Gore continued his solo career with the release of Counterfeit² (a follow-up to his 1989 release Counterfeit); and Fletcher launched his own label, Toast Hawaii, which has no bands signed to it (the only outcome so far was the synth-pop group, Client, who have now left the label).
In August that year, Mute released the DVD version of Devotional, filmed during their 1993 world tour, as well as a new remix compilation album Remixes 81 - 04 that compiled new and unreleased promo mixes of the band's singles from 1981 to 2004, including a reinterpreted version of "Enjoy the Silence" by Mike Shinoda entitled "Enjoy the Silence 04", which was released as a single, and reached #7 on the UK charts.
2005–present: Playing the Angel and current events On October 17, 2005, the band released their 11th studio album Playing the Angel and received very good reviews. Many fans considered this album as a true return to form. Produced by Ben Hillier, this Top 10 hit (peaking at #1 in 17 countries) featured the hit single "Precious", peaking at #4 in the UK charts. The album was backed by the band's first in-store signing since 1990, on the day of release in New York City. This is the first Depeche Mode album to feature lyrics written by Gahan and, consequently, the first album since 1984's Some Great Reward featuring songs not written by Gore.
With a prototypical version having been leaked onto the Internet some months earlier[28], the official video for "Precious" was released on September 12 on the Depeche Mode website, www.depechemode.com. The second single from the album, "A Pain That I'm Used To," was released on December 12, and the third single from the album was "Suffer Well," the first ever post-Clarke Depeche Mode single not to be written by Gore (lyrics by Gahan, music by Philpott/Eigner).
Moreover, the appreciation of Depeche Mode within today's Electronic music scene is shown by the numerous Depeche Mode remixes by contemporary DJs such as Ricardo Villalobos' remix of "The sinner in me" or Kruder & Dorfmeister's remix of "Useless".
Also on March 2, 2006, they released a video version of single "Suffer Well" sung in Simlish as it is featured on The Sims 2: Open for Business PC game soundtrack along with accompanying video (the group featured as Sims). They join 1980s pop bands, Kajagoogoo and Howard Jones in the PC game as musical contributors with their performances in Simlish.
To promote the Playing the Angel, the band launched the worldwide Touring the Angel in November 2005, taking them to fans in North America and Europe. The tour continued through the spring and summer of 2006. Depeche Mode also headlined both the 2006 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, in California, and the O2 Wireless Festival, which took place on the last weekend of June 2006 in London's Hyde Park. Some of the gigs were their first ever shows in certain countries like Romania and Bulgaria. In March 2006, the website announced two dates in Mexico (a country they had not visited for twelve years). More than 55,000 tickets for a stadium in Mexico City were sold immediately, causing the band to schedule another date for the same venue and demonstrating that their popularity in Mexico is as significant as in many countries in Europe, where their audiences are frequently of 40,000 people. (To see information on "Touring the Angel" and other Depeche Mode tours, view Depeche Mode Tours)
Recordings of 50 shows were officially released on CDs. These limited edition Depeche Mode live albums published under the scheme title Recording the Angel were much sought after by collectors.
On April 3, 2006, remastered editions of Speak & Spell, Music for the Masses, and Violator were released, featuring remastered audio in two-channel stereo and 5.1 multichannel on Super Audio CD and DVD, extra tracks and B-sides. In addition, each album comes with its own documentary charting the history of the band and the production of each album. The second installment of remastered albums were A Broken Frame, Some Great Reward and Songs of Faith and Devotion, all of which were released on October 2, 2006. Construction Time Again and Black Celebration were released on March 26, 2007. Both Ultra and Exciter were scheduled to be re-released in May 21, 2007, but has been delayed until October 1, 2007. As they were recorded within the last 10 years with then-state-of-the art techniques) the remastering will not significantly improve the already existing sonic clarity. [29]. For the US release of the remastered editions the Hybrid Multichannel SACDs were replaced with regular CDs.
On September 25, 2006 Depeche Mode released their live DVD-CD set Touring The Angel: Live In Milan, directed by Blue Leach and recorded at Milan's Fila Forum on February 18, and February 19, 2006. The DVD has a full concert on disc 1, bonus live songs "A Question of Lust" and "Damaged People" along with a 20-minute documentary featuring Anton Corbijn, official tour announcement from Germany in the summer of 2005, and the Playing the Angel electronic press kit on disc 2, and disc 3 is a CD with live versions of tracks from Playing the Angel. In addition, a "best-of" compilation was released in November of 2006, entitled The Best Of, Volume 1 featuring a new single "Martyr", an outtake from the Playing the Angel sessions.
On 2 November, Depeche Mode received the MTV Europe Music Award in the Best Group category. During that same period Fletcher confirmed that the band was on a long break after the massive "Touring the Angel" tour and that they soon would decide whether to go on hiatus or if they should start to write a new album. However, one Depeche Mode site states that they will "start recording sooner than expected, with a new album possibly out as soon as late next year." Which means that Dave Gahan might not tour for his "Hourglass" project and it is already confirmed that Martin has written bunch of songs.
In December of 2006, Depeche Mode was nominated for a Grammy award, for "Suffer Well." This is their third Grammy award nomination. The first being a Best Long Form Music Video award in 1995 for Devotional and the second being for Best Dance Recording for I Feel Loved.
In mid-December, 2006, iTunes released The Complete Depeche Mode as its fourth ever digital box-set (following The Complete U2 in 2004, The Complete Stevie Wonder in 2005, and Bob Dylan: The Collection earlier in 2006).
As of May 2007 Depeche Mode sold over 12 million records in the USA alone.
In August 2007, in the midst of promotion for Dave Gahan's second solo album, Hourglass, it was announced that Depeche Mode will be heading back in studio in early 2008 to work on their upcoming twelfth studio album
hellen troy Close To The Flame
Number of posts : 1010 Localisation : Bucharest Registration date : 2007-09-06
Subject: Re: Depeche Mode Sun 9 Sep 2007 - 23:14
DM PHOTOS
Last edited by on Mon 10 Sep 2007 - 0:54; edited 5 times in total
hellen troy Close To The Flame
Number of posts : 1010 Localisation : Bucharest Registration date : 2007-09-06
Subject: Re: Depeche Mode Sun 9 Sep 2007 - 23:43
Official albums
Speak & Spell November 7, 1981 A Broken Frame September 27, 1982 Construction Time Again August 22, 1983 Some Great Reward August 27, 1984 UK Black Celebration March 17, 1986 UK Music for the Masses September 28 Violator March 19, 1990 Songs of Faith and Devotion March 22 Ultra April 14 ,1997 Exciter May 14, 2001 Playing the Angel October 17, 2005
Official compilation albums
The Singles 81>85 October 14, 1985 The Singles 86>98 September 28, 1998 Remixes 81–04 October 24, 2004 The Best Of, Volume 1 November 13
Official live albums
101 March 13, 1989 Songs of Faith and Devotion Live December 6, 1993
Videos
1985 The World We Live In and Live in Hamburg VHS Concert recording (Some Great Reward Tour) 1985 Some Great Videos VHS/LD Music Video compilation 1988 Strange VHS Music Video compilation 1989 101 VHS Concert recording/Documentary (For the Masses Tour) 1990 Strange Too VHS/LD Music Video compilation 1993 Devotional VHS/DVD Concert recording (Devotional Tour) 1998 The Videos 86>98 VHS/DVD Music Video compilation 1998 Some Great Videos 81>85 VHS Rerelease of Some Great Videos 2002 One Night in Paris DVD Concert recording (Exciter Tour) 2002 The Videos 86>98 + DVD Re-release of The Videos 86>98 with extras 2003 101 DVD DVD re-release of 101 with extras 2004 Devotional DVD Re-release of Devotional with extras 2006 Touring the Angel: Live in Milan DVD + CD Concert recording, Playing The Angel Tour September 25 2006 The Best Of, Volume 1
Other compilations
1984 People Are People
1985 Catching Up with Depeche Mode
1991 Singles Box, Vol. 1 ("Dreaming Of Me"—"Leave In Silence") 1991 Singles Box, Vol. 2 ("Get The Balance Right!"—"Blasphemous Rumours / Somebody") 1991 Singles Box, Vol. 3 ("Shake The Diease"—"Little 15") 2001 The Singles 81>98 2004 Singles Box, Vol. 4 ("Strangelove"—"Enjoy The Silence") 2004 Singles Box, Vol. 5 ("Policy Of Truth"—"In Your Room") 2004 Singles Box, Vol. 6 ("Barrel Of A Gun"—"Dream On") 2006 The Complete Depeche Mode (ITunes digital boxset.) 2007(?) Singles Box, Vol. 7 ("I Feel Loved"—"A Pain That I'm Used To") 2007(?) Singles Box, Vol. 8 ("Suffer Well"—"Martyr")
hellen troy Close To The Flame
Number of posts : 1010 Localisation : Bucharest Registration date : 2007-09-06
Subject: Re: Depeche Mode Mon 10 Sep 2007 - 0:25
Depeche Mode influenced many of today's popular recording artists, in part due to their recording techniques and innovative use of sampling.
According to Matt Smith, the former music director of the modern-rock radio station KROQ, " whole wave of music owes a tremendous amount to Depeche Mode."
Many of todays main stream bands covered songs of Depeche Mode and declared to be inspired by DM sounds
Bands and artists who covered Depeche Mode In alphabetical order :
Apoptygma Berzerk - Enjoy The Silence Agressiva 69 - Personal Jesus Bjork & Tricky - Judas Camouflage-ToraToraTora Deftones - To Have And To Hold Bigod 20 - Photographic Academical Village People - Policy Of Truth Bloodhound Gang - Personal Jesus Bluvertigo - Here Is The House Bond Street - Personal Jesus Breaking Benjamin - Enjoy The Silence The Cure - World In My Eyes Converge - Clean Dishwalla - Policy of Truth Distorted - Stripped Dolphin - Stripped Entwine - Enjoy The Silence Erasure - Just Can't Get Enough Gabriel And Dresden Feat. Andian - Here Is The House God Lives Underwater - Fly on The Windscreen Gregorians - Blasphemous rumours Gus Gus - Monument Haloed Ghost - Tora Tora Tora Halovox - Fly On The Windscreen HIM- Enjoy the Silence Hooverphonic - Shake The disease Imprudence - Never Let Me Down Again In Flames - Everything Counts Ja Rule - Strangelove Jan Ulrich - Behind The Wheel Janita - Enjoy The Silence Jerry Williams - Personal Jesus Jimmy Somerville - But Not Tonight Johnny Cash- Personal Jesus Keane-Enjoy the Silence Koglin Mike - Enjoy The Silence Kriwi - Freelove Locust - Master and Servant Loost Clooster - Stripped Marilyn Manson - Personal Jesus Matthew Good Band - Enjoy The Silence Mike Koglin - The Silence Monster Magnet - Black Celebration My Brilliant Beast - Stripped No Comment - Walking in my Shoes Null Device - Stripped Placebo - I Feel You Portishead - Waiting For The Night Pouppee Fabrikk - Photographic Rammstein- Stripped Raph-Little15 Razormaid - Happiest Girl Recoil Projekt - Never Let Me Down Again Red Hot Chili Peppers - World Full if Nothing Sandra - Freelove Scott Weiland - But Not Tonight Self - Shame SmashingPumpkins-NeverLetMeDownAgain Sonata Arctica- World in My Eyes Starlight - Just Can't Get Enough Statemachine - Stripped Sweetest Temptation - Blue Dress Tarakani - Personal Jesus TheMission-NeverLetMeDownAgain Veruca Salt - Somebody Yendri- Behind The Wheel
An Almost Complete and Impressive List of Covers for Depeche Mode you can find here :
Depeche mode singer Dave Gahan over its new solo album, the power of the feelings and the life after the deep case.
Its first solo album „PAPER of monster” was very auto+biographic. Applies also to „Hourglass“?
DAVE GAHAN: I think already. When we „took up“ Hourglass, I „had often belonged to PAPERS“ of monster. I wanted to find out, what had happened. Now I can recognize, how despairs I tried to express how I felt. Where I had gone and where I wanted to be. „Hourglass“ acts more of where I am now.
And where is that?
GAHAN: I begin to recognize all parts of my personality clearly and like these sometimes into the traverse come myself. I notice that I did not have long years enough time to feel real. Today I am far more connected and much more frequently content for my life. Yes, sometimes I am concerned, so as if I should be someone else. That is strength-robbing. But always was in such a way I.
Do they express your „feelings“ with Hourglass?
GAHAN: Yes. Music is feeling for me. Always. Frustration, anger, sadness, melancholy, hope, joy – all that can contribute to each Song. Sometimes it is expressed by the melody and sometimes by the texts. And sometimes it is a combination of both. One can express melancholische texts in a sounding melody, that is raising and seems to full hope. If music and feeling go together, it feels honestly.
Is Hourglass „“ the outbreak from the dominance of Martin Gore as Depeche mode Songschreiber?
GAHAN: Yes. I notice ever more that I find its own voice. I believe that for the future of Depeche mode is important. We have now a new pallet, from which we can draw.
Will you write for a new Depeche mode album again?
GAHAN: Yes. Otherwise I would not consider a new album at all. I plan anyhow to write in this year again and I have there rather Depeche mode in the sense as a solo project.
On what will you concentrate in the future?
GAHAN: I just learn that it is most important, if one withdraws oneself only times and finds honest ideas. Seat’ in the background, thinks’ about things, but expresses’ it not directly! Over years it folded for me well to only arise. But during we „Exciter“ (note: the last Depeche mode album before „PAPERS of monster“) produced, had I all this energy and did not know not, where with it. Now I found to me.
They are already deeply please – alcohol, drugs, clinical death credit you in the life found the way back?
GAHAN: There were very negative times in my life. There I remained to for a long time. It was difficult to find something me with joy fulfilled. In the last ten years that really changed. It was a fight. But the birth of my daughter before eight years awake-shook me definitely. To fall in love and me again. I could not ignore that.
Dave Gahan gave and is the wild life up now solid family father?
GAHAN: Exactly. I think, that wanted I always. Normally its. I was into successful volume and the permitted me all the luxury in my life. But I was young. Today I have much more appreciation for the work, which we made over all the years with Depeche mode.
How much do you feel still connected the old Depeche mode Songs?
GAHAN: To some more than to others. Some Songs has a response deeply in me. Some are more difficult. As it is difficult to sing Songs „such as Just’CAN t GET“ enough. It is outside from you. It belongs to the fans and no more you. But, if I sing „for instance Walking into my“ shoes, is it different.
In the Depeche mode Song „People of acres people” asked you, why some humans hate others. Do you understand it today, 24 years later?
GAHAN: No, I do not understand it. But we all do it. We spend much time to concentrate us on it which does somebody else. One develops annoyance and leads to frustration and fear. Express your own fears. I – and nobody otherwise – are responsible for as I feel.
„I believe not in Jesus“, sing you in „Kingdom“. What do you believe?
GAHAN: Sometimes I appear on the knees, praying, to something, which I do not know. But I know that it is much larger than I. I believe that there is a kingdom over me. Always call it instinct or like you want.
and another
Hello, Dave. Isn't it a lovely day today? It is. I've just arrived in London from new York and while it's weird being away from my family, it's a nice day.
You've got a new solo album coming out, so now it's time for the ridiculous bit where you have to talk about yourself to hundreds of journalists from around the world, each asking you a variety of oddly personal questions. I'm glad you said that – it is rather ridiculous, let's face it! I've got used to it, but when I began with the first interviews about a week ago it threw me off a bit. I got home and said to my wife, "This is hard!"
What do you recognise in Amy Winehouse and Britney having very public personal problems? I see a lot of myself in the whole Amy Winehouse car wreck. I try not to be affected by it, but it's all over the weekly rags in New York and it's hard to avoid. In all the magazines – the trashy gossip magazines – you go through them and the pictures are all there. I definitely went through that period myself when I lived in Los Angeles and played the whole Sid and Nancy part, but I think she's going to make through it and she's incredibly talented. I haven't caught any of the Britney thing, but everyone's been telling me about it."
Did you like the Depeche-sampling "Beware Of The Dog" by Jamelia? I didn't hear it. there seem to be a lot of those records coming out with bits and pieces on them.
It was amazing. I can send you an MP3. Ooh, great. Seid it to (eight hours pass as Dave attempts to spell the most complicated email address of all time). people tell me all the time, "I've heard your song on this new tracl" – it's hard to keep up.
Why are you not calling yourself David for your serious solo work? I did toy with that for a while, but it didn't really work. My wife calls me David, though, and refuses to call me Dave.
For any rubbish indie singers reading this and perhaps having a think about going solo, what are the pros and cons? Being in a band has its restrictions and being able to jump out of the box is really liberating, as well as enthusing me so that I can go back to the band with new ideas. And it was on my terms, there was no, "We've got to go into a big studio, book an engineer", all that stuff. It was a really fun record to make. i know it doesn't sound very fun...
It's not very "singalong"... No. It's not exactly what you'd put on at a party.
Maybe you could release a karaoke version like they did with the High School Musical DVD there are a couple of tracks you could get away with that on, actually...
Have you seen High School Musical? I thought the film was absolutely horrendous. My youngest is eight, and for her it's all about Zac Efron. We haven't seen the second one yet, but we watched the first together the other week. Then we watched Hannah Montana. My 19-year-old is into things like electronic stuff such as Digitalism, having gone through a Led Zeppelin phase. the 15-year-old has just got into Iron Maiden. having said that they youngest is already going off Zac Efron a bit at the moment – apparently he's looking too old.
One of my friends was saying that just the other day. I was made to watch it recently after a slightly heavy weekend and it made me cry at the end. Oh dear. there's nothing like a good hangover to get you going. It's like watching Lassie.
"Hourglass" review
01 - Saw Something Its weird to start out album with a slow song. Begins with low beat to which many layers of minimal electro sounds are being added along the way. It builds up very nice with nice and catchy synth parts. Though a slow song, its got its nice pulsating beat with all the arrangements. Dave's vocals very nice, melancholic and easy ... chorus lives only on Dave's vocals mostly .. guess that shows the strength of it ... bridge and the slow build up for the ending part reminds of some PM stuff but its more tied up and works nicely together.
02 - Kingdom people .. this is instant classic! "Can you feel me coming, open the door its only me" .. riiiiiiiiiiiite .. the moment you hear these first few words with Dave's "sinister" style of singing you'll be hooked and it won't let you go. This song is not only uptempo with driving bass, strong beat and rough electro sounds but it's got VERY good lyrics on top of that "So in your infinite wisdom, show me how this life should be". Add DM style quality chorus to it and you're jumping with joy Smile Towards the end gets really rough with tons of sound layers. Love it!
03 - Deeper And Deeper Scream! SCREAAAM! "I'm gonna have you, when I want to" Guess the straightforward and kinda lame lyrics match this sound 'cause it works for me. To me it sounds more like a remix then album tracks but neverthless one of my tops at this moment. Dave's affected singing is somewhere on the edge between love and hate Wink Curious what people will say about this ... I have a feeling there will be very different opinions
04 - 21 Days This is PM material. The song doesn't really develop into something, starts out with a bassline and drum beat that pretty much is the same all the way through. I got a feeling as if this track was a leftover from PM sessions or something, feels kind of dated already.
05 - Miracles "I read in the paper, And I watched them on TV, I've seen it in the movies" ... yeah that was part of the lyrics :/ I like slow songs in general but this one just doesn't work. I find the lyrics just horrible and childish ... maybe that was the intention? .. if so, well it still sucks .. the worst of them all.
06 - Use You YEAH! Again strong beat and nice catchy bassline and Dave's insistent singing, fantastic catchy chorus with "We have each other, You are my brother, Sitting here beside you, I just wanna use you" Love the lyrics too. Reminds of Dead Of Night but stronger and more rough I think. Rock/electro anthem. Would rock at concerts and would be a GREAT opener. Wayne will love this one I'd say;)
07 - Insoluble This one is probably Philpott's baby. It just sounds like taken from Counterfeit 2 with a touch from Alex Smoke here and there. Didn't know what to think about this first, but it has grown on me a lot and is one of my favourites at this moment. Very minimalistic slow song with great sound lanscapes and well used samples/synths. Gotta appreciate the arrangements a lot on this Smile
08 - Endless Wow. Thirst thing that occured to me was that Monolake did arrangements on this. Totally unexpected track for me. Its got a nice dub-techno beat with a pulsating synth all the way through it. This is also the track from which "Hourglass" title comes ... "Watching the hourglass, on that night, we touched the stars and reached the moon" .. btw track is really endless Smile
09 - A Little Lie This is probably the most acoustic song on the whole album. Or at least its sounding more acoustic then the rest. Quiet in verses and full-blown rock experience in chorus with typical Dave king-of-rock singing Wink "Calm down people, It's just a little lie" is Dave screaming and it feels as if he means it ... its good
10 - Down Can't help it but I get the same feeling as I get with 21 Days - smells like old PM material. Reminds me of Creep from Radiohead at some parts. Don't have anything to say about this one really, its just boring without any build-up.
If to give a review style rating, I'd give the album 8,5/10. I don't believe this will change much for me 'cause I really like it Wink I totally didn't expect me saying that afro I think in the album there's more (musical) input from Eigner and Philpott - I mean in a way where you can say "yeah this is Eigner's work" .. very looking forward to Kingdom remixes, those are bound to be cool already.
hellen troy Close To The Flame
Number of posts : 1010 Localisation : Bucharest Registration date : 2007-09-06
Subject: Re: Depeche Mode Wed 12 Dec 2007 - 12:11
Dave Gahan interview in Sunday Times (UK)
December 1, 2007 Alan Jackson
From an early age I felt it necessary to be a little man. My stepfather died when I was 10, but up until that point I’d believed him to be my biological father. So when my real dad then reappeared briefly in my life I was thrown. I couldn’t articulate my confusion, but felt it was my duty to appear in control, as if everything was cool. Intimacy was a big issue for me. I found it very difficult to let anyone get close. I certainly don’t blame my mum, who had three more children and struggled to raise us on her own. But for me there was a lot of self-protection; a lot of fantasy. There was petty crime, too, though it quickly became apparent I’d never make a good criminal.
No disrespect to Basildon, where I was raised, but music saved me from the feeling of being trapped in a town without hope of escape or a future. Top of the Pops on a Thursday night was a lifeline for me. Yes, it was just a programme on TV, but seeing the likes of David Bowie, Brian Ferry, Marc Bolan and Mick Jagger on it made me realise it’s not about where you start out, but where you go from there.
Replacing one family with another
“Gahan, what’s so interesting outside that window?” was the question that recurred throughout my schooldays. I was a daydreamer and academia was never going to be my thing [after being dismissed from a series of short-term jobs, Gahan was accepted by and later graduated from Southend College of Art]. So when punk happened, it was a revelation, and I started travelling up to London at every opportunity to see bands like Siouxsie and the Banshees and the darned.
Then came the band [Gahan is the lead singer of Depeche Mode, which released its debut single in 1981]. With my background and issues, it was the perfect environment. It provided me with a purpose, but also another family within which to hide, us against the world, for more than 20 years. There was a joy and a vindication in our success, in becoming independent and in being able to buy a house for my mum on the Isle of Wight, which was where we would all go on holiday when I was a boy. I felt so grown-up, so free, but on looking back at old photos and videos, I see we’ve got the faces of cherubs; we were still so very young.
Finally shaking the disease
Money and fame won’t protect you from your demons. In fact, they can rush you headlong towards them [in 1995 Gahan was reported to have attempted suicide and the following year underwent treatment for drug addiction]. You have this certain mentality in a band: you think you’re invincible, going out every night after the gig, drinking and womanising – real Viking stuff. But as time went by it became clear that I was handling things differently to everyone else. You could see it in people’s faces: “What’s happened to Dave?” For a time I was struggling for my life.
Eventually, and thankfully, I wised up just in time, removing the protection factor of drugs and alcohol [he has been clean for 11 years] and finally looking myself straight in the eye. So at this point in my life, I think of myself as a survivor. After all the years of running and hiding, I’m content at last just to be in my space, committed to and fully involved in my music, but also to being the best partner and father I can be. Yes, I’m on my third marriage, but this is it and I don’t intend to have another. I’m a lucky man and only hope to remain so in the years to come.
Gahan’s second solo album, Hourglass, is available now on Mute Records
Subject: Depeche Mode 
Thu 6 Sep 2007 - 11:56
