Singles 1981-1985 [Remastered] - Depeche Mode

Advantages: Great Album, Influential, Controvertial, Good Introduction to the group.
Disadvantages: Quite dark as an album. Not Easy Listening!

...'I Have Often Wondered Why God Bothered With Depeche Mode' is a comment by John Gill, Time Out Magazine 1983.This is included in the album inside cover, among many other pro/anti Depeche Mode reviews of the time. Depeche Mode The Singles 81-85 is a 17 track album produced in 1998 by Mute Records Ltd. All song on the album are written by M L Gore except 01-03, 16 and 17 by V Clark. DM are David Gahan, Andrew Fletcher, Martin Gore, Alan Wilder/Vince Clarke. Vince Clarke was a member of DM in 1981 and appears on tracks 01-03,16 and 17 only.Alan Wilder was a member from 1982-1995. The album includes, 1) Dreaming of Me This Track was reviewed as 'Deep, meaningful,heavy and arty' by Betty Page/sounds 81 and also by Chris Bohn/NME 81 as 'Deadpan vocals,programmed rhythm rejoinders and a candyfloss melody'. 2) New Life 3) Just Can... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: A musical and lyrical tour de force. The zenith of DM's musical development.
Disadvantages: None to speak of.

...INTRODUCTION Having written Music for the Masses and completed a massive world-wide tour, it was three years before Depeche Mode (DM) found the energy to put together their next studio effort. Having been spoiled by the relatively short gap between the watershed Black Celebration (1986) and Music for the Masses (1987) the wait seemed like veritable torture to their legion of fans ? me included. Fortunately, they produced an album of craft and character that rewarded their devoted followers. If the language I use seems to have faintly religious connotations, it?s because with Violator ? Depeche Mode arguably reached the height of their main stream popularity. Their most successful single from the album ?Enjoy the Silence? even won ?Best Single? at the 1991 Brit Awards ? a level of success in the UK that the band had never achieved... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: A brilliant, if slightly flawed, return to form worth the four year wait
Disadvantages: A couple of tracks fail to excite

...MUSINGS FOR THE MASSES First of all a confession. I am a dyed in the wool Depeche Mode (DM) fan, and have been since I first listened to Some Great Reward in 1984 - the album that featured the hit international single ?People Are People? and announced DM?s arrival to the wider public. I could probably string together entire conversations consisting of DM lyrics, and am sad enough to admit that me, and my cousin ? a fellow devotee, have done so on one or two less than sober occasions. At least three DM albums would make my top ten desert island discs. As such, this review must come with a word of warning. I will try my very best to be as non-biased as possible, but as one of the masses who treats each DM album release as a quasi-religious event, I know in my bones I am fighting a valiant, but ultimate losing battle for objectivity... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful