The release of MFTM on the other hand, coincided with my voyage of self-discovery. Having cut the apron strings and moved on to a college 150 miles from home in upstate New York, I was truly independent for the first time in my life – away from the cosseting and watchful eyes of my parents. Here, my aim was not merely to survive, but to push on and find out who I was and who I wanted to be. In many ways, the development of DM, and MFTM in particular happened in parallel with my own my life experience. It is a more assured and confident effort from DM, carrying on from where the illustrious previous album left off, but with more of a sense of cohesion and purpose. They toned down their use of industrial sound sampling and experimented more with layered synthesizers.

When MFTM was released, DM were still a four piece ensemble. David Gahan, played the energetic and exhibitionistic front man, Martin Gore was the chief songwriter and creative influence, Andrew Fletcher played keyboard, and Alan Wilder played the other keyboards and dabbled in production (he left in 1995 and wasn’t replaced, leaving DM as a threesome). MFTM, their sixth studio album, was released to critical acclaim in September 1987, but received a relatively lukewarm reception in the UK. As is the way with DM, they were much more successful outside their home country and, on the back of this album and earlier successes, developed a massive following in the USA, Eastern Europe and the Far East. Hot on the heels of MFTM, the band released a live album – called simply “101” - based on the final and 101st performance of their world tour at the Pasadena Rose Bowl in California before a 60,000 crowd. The album spawned three singles – "Strangelove", "Never Let Me Down Again" and "Behind the Wheel", all of which spent a significant time in the charts, but never threatened the top 10. the album is available in two formats – the original 1987 release, and a 2006 two disc re-release with several special features and bonus tracks. This is a review of the original album.

The Things You Said

This is one of my favourite song on the album, a combination of catchy synths and driving bass, building slowly and then giving way to the subdued vocals. Gahan is pleading, almost begging for the woman he is having a relationship to take control. It’s a slightly dark and brooding effort. DM have a sublime mix with this song and the classic Route 66.

Nothing

I have a real, personal connection with this album, mainly because of how well it related to a particular period of my life and my journey of self-discovery. However, If I were capable of being objective, I would probably give it a B+. It takes DM further along the creative path - away from their synth-pop roots - to a more, gothic and grungy sound. This creative shift was further emphasised in their next studio effort – Violator (1989) – which many fans put in their top three albums. MFTM has dated well, and for a casual listener it offers rich musical reward. If I have a slight criticism, it’s that it lacks the lyrical depth of its predecessor (Black Celebration) and some of the polish and charm of its immediate successor. However, for the dedicated fan, it is a legendary and essential part of the DM canon.