The Obligatory Depeche Mode thread

[black francis]

As far as where to get started with DM I personally would go

1. Violator
2. Black Celebration
3. Songs of Faith and Devotion
4. Some Great Reward
5. Sounds of the Universe

[Scouser]

I actually have that magazine. Its a retro cash in and it's simply convenient to lump DM with the other "New Ro's" (I feel sick everytime I type that) purely to flog more copies.

Here is the real deal -

"The first bands to be labeled as "Electro-Pop" by the British media were The Human League, Depeche Mode and Soft Cell in 1980-1981. The term became widely adopted in British media to set apart these bands from the previous post-punk, futurists and new wave acts which didn't use a fully electronic set-up or simply were not regarded as Pop.

Electropop's early steps, and the Numan Futurist movement in particular, were strongly disparaged in the British music press of the late 1970s and early 1980s as the "Adolf Hitler Memorial Space Patrol"


DM were NOT New Roimantics. They distanced themselves from the movement at the time, they didnt play the Blitz club or even go there. They were from Basildon for Gods sake!

[Scouser]

As far as where to get started with DM I personally would go

1. Violator
2. Black Celebration
3. Songs of Faith and Devotion
4. Some Great Reward
5. Sounds of the Universe

I agree with 1 - 3 but 4 would be Ultra and 5 Playing The Angel

[black francis]

Wow you rate Ultra that high? I was amazed by how good it was despite Wilder's absence at the time but haven't pulled it out in a while. I'll have to give it another go. Still listen to Home and It's No Good (GREAT video) quite a bit.

Playing the Angel is definitely up there. Suffer Well is probably my favorite post Wilder song and I am glad to know Gahan contributed to it. He seems much more content now that he has greater input into the direction of the albums.

Wilder needs to become a producer/studio member. Egos seem to have been set aside. Let's see this through to a conclusion.

[Scouser]

I was in Ultra denial for years. But I absolutely love it now. Its so well produced and alot of the melodies are subtle so pull you in over time.

I think we would all die happy if Alan returned to the DM fold.

[kook]

I've never heard of DM being described as new romantic (or bloody 'new ro' )
that's absurd!
even when they were at their poppiest, they still had more edge than Duran Duran, Human league, New Romance or ABC. A Broken Frame is quite a dark album in places and miles above what those others were churning out at the time.

[Scouser]

You know what she's like, she probably invented the phrase New Ro herself.

My mental image of Diva is Rachael from Glee. There are so many similarities.

[DivaDiana77]

You know what she's like, she probably invented the phrase New Ro herself.

My mental image of Diva is Rachael from Glee. There are so many similarities.

As if!

My mental image of you is sort of like Walter Matthau in Grumpy Old Men.

I didn't make it up. All you have to do is look at those really early 80-81 pictures and videos of them all dressed up and you get it. Not as frilly as Duran, Spandau, or a full on character like Adam Ant with the pirate stuff, but in the neighborhood. The press did not associate them with the other futurists prior to Construction Time Again because both Speak & Spell and Broken Frame were rather sweet, fluffy synthpop.

http://www.insound.com/Depeche_Mode/art ... /INS31762/

Or perhaps it was the LA Fucking Times...
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_b ... des-n.html

Or perhaps it was Dave saying, "Just because we use synthesisers," echoes Dave, "we get classed as a futurist band. Our music's not futurist. Vince just writes pop songs." Smash hits 1981

Or maybe it's here where Smash Hits talked about them being on the fringes of the Blitz Kids scene--http://www.tuug.utu.fi/~jaakko/dm/smash1.txt The Blitz was that club where Sapndau, Marilyn, Boy George, etc hung out and where Dave Gahan allegedly joined up every once in awhile according to Vince Clarke.

It was also addressed in "Stripped: Depeche Mode" by Jonathan Miller where they also talk about being glad to distance themselves from the image.

Perhaps it's Martin in a fedora, nice shirt and tie:
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Or maybe it's here where Dave actually confessed to going to Blitz and they also can't seem to make up their minds what to call the band and finally settle on saying it's a combo of Futurism and Disco!
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[DivaDiana77]

Songs of Faith and Devotion and Exciter along with Sounds. I like the early brave stuff, but really fell for that hard-edged DM of the 90s. Sounds is a great combo of their early sound with their late writing ability.

[fat cherry]

if you're pigeon holing bands the two sets of people you should ignore are the band and journos. I used to go to the blitz now and again when I was a stude and never looked like any of that lot (honest) and contrary to the myth of steve strange patrolling the door for non-scenesters never got not let in. perhaps I shouldn't fess that up around here. put it down to wayward youth or just being pissed alot of the time.

[DivaDiana77]

Yeah, everyone's going to have an opinion. But some of it rings true. Futurism was alot darker than DM when they first started. They became more Futurist but also industrial and then they just didn't really care anymore and brought guitars back in. And you're right, most press don't know what they are talking about, but in this case, some of their ramblings are somewhat true.

So, FC, you were a Blitz...musta been kinda cool at the time. I used to wish that I was there.

[fat cherry]

no, it was only after the event when I started reading stuff that I thought of that, though wasn't into any of the bands so I probably wouldn't have mentioned it as such except in comedic raconteuring. Never saw the 'house band' in their tea towels. I lived over south kensington but my bro, when he came to london knew the covent garden area really well in that he had a wel worn and tried and tested pub crawl around the back streets between there and Holborn, where the Blitz was. Then he said there was this new club and so we'd occasionaly go over there and it was just a loud flashy place in a little back street. Seem to remember people dressing up a bit, but then it was the early 80s. All the bar staff seemed to be comedy gay people (but incase youre wondering, no I didn't). Apart from all that just thought it was a late night drinking place (the days when pubs shut at 10.30 or 11 over here) but then as I said I was usually pissed when in the area. happy days eh.

[DivaDiana77]

FC-it's usually only after the fact that anyone thinks anything was supercool about it, or when it's adopted by everyone as in the case of fashion and music.

If they had not adapted with the times, they would have been remembered as this-- Rather snazzy and quite adorable. Fluffy electro-pop not that edgy, bleak futurism of Numan and early Human League. Martin with a fedora and tie. Too cute! There are a few other vids where Dave's got this odd hairdo and both he and Fletch are wearing full blouses!

They were very lucky. Grunge ruined the dressing up for some people, but DM were always ahead of the curve.

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[Scouser]

I weep for the time this topic was a Diva free zone. Oh well.

How good is Music For The Masses by the way. Am listening to it now for the first time in ages. Dave Bascombe never really gets a mention in DM history but his production on that album is great.

(insert 15 You Tube clips D)

[black francis]

if you're pigeon holing bands the two sets of people you should ignore are the band and journos. I used to go to the blitz now and again when I was a stude and never looked like any of that lot (honest) and contrary to the myth of steve strange patrolling the door for non-scenesters never got not let in. perhaps I shouldn't fess that up around here. put it down to wayward youth or just being pissed alot of the time.

You added an unnecessary "e" to stud.