Depeche Mode TShirTS,

Depeche Mode PosTerS

Depeche Mode are an electronic music band 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 Depeche Mode 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. Depeche Mode have influenced many of today's popular recording artists, in part due to their recording techniques and innovative use of sampling.

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 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.

Whilst playing a live gig at the Bridge House in Canning Town, the band were approached by Daniel Miller (an electronic musician and founder of Mute Records), who was interested in them recording a single for his burgeoning label. 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 on the UK charts. Encouraged by this surprise success, Depeche Mode recorded its second single "New Life", which significantly topped the previous one, climbing to #11. Three months later, Depeche Mode 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 Depeche Mode, 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", 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 Depeche Mode was taking. He later expressed his agitation that "there was never enough time to do anything". 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 L. Gore, who had written "Tora! Tora! Tora!" and "Big Muff" for their debut album, took over as Depeche Mode's new songwriter. In January 1982, Depeche Mode 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 Depeche Mode 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 Depeche Mode would take in following years.

During the early stages of recording for A Broken Frame, Depeche Mode 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. Despite this, however, Daniel Miller informed Alan that he wasn't needed for the actual recording of the album, as Depeche Mode wanted to prove that they could succeed without Vince Clarke. Alan's first musical contribution to Depeche Mode 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. 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. By sampling the noises of everyday objects, Depeche Mode 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,  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").

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, Depeche Mode's North-American record label, released a compilation of the same name. A month later, Depeche Mode'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." "Some Great Reward" saw Depeche Mode 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 Depeche Mode's first to enter the US album charts, and made the Top 10 in several European countries. In 1985, Sire released a second North American compilation "Catching Up with Depeche Mode" (called The Singles 81>85 in Europe with a different track listing, and released there by Mute Records), designed as a companion to the aforementioned "People Are People" compilation, and including 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 Depeche Mode became associated with the gothic subculture, which had begun in Britain, and was slowly gaining popularity in the United States. There, Depeche Mode'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""] on the radio. This view of Depeche Mode was in sharp contrast to that in Europe and the UK, despite the increasingly dark and serious tone in their songs. 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), Depeche Mode 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". Depeche Mode recognised the song's promise, and decided to improve it and include on the album, renamed as "Fly on the Windscreen - Final".

The music video for "A Question of Time" was the first to be directed by Anton Corbijn, beginning a working relationship that continues to the present day. Anton has directed 19 more of Depeche Mode's videos (the latest being 2006's "Suffer Well") and live performances, and has been responsible for some of Depeche Mode's albums and singles covers.

1987's Music for the Masses saw further alterations in Depeche Mode'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), and the band (for the most part) abandoned sampling in favour of more musical experimentation. 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 there the Top 10), 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" and, more important than that for Depeche Mode, it made an impressive breakthrough in the American market, something which Depeche Mode had failed to achieve with their previous albums.

On the heels of Music for the Masses, Depeche Mode 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 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.

In mid-1989, Depeche Mode began recording in Milan with record producer Flood. The result of this session was the single "Personal Jesus", which featured a catchy, drum-based sound, radically different from anything Depeche Mode 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. The song has been covered by (amongst others) Johnny Cash, Gravity Kills, and Marilyn Manson. In September 2006, it was voted by readers of music monthly Q as one of the 100 greatest songs of all time.

During this time, Depeche Mode were gaining additional prominence in the US, where their influence on the techno and house music scenes was becoming increasingly recognised. Techno pioneers Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson and Juan Atkins regularly quoted Depeche Mode as an influence in their development of proto-techno music during the Detroit Techno explosion in the late 1980s.

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 Single' at the 1991 Brit Awards. To promote their new album Violator, they held an in-store autograph signing at the Wherehouse 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.

By 1991, Depeche Mode had emerged as one of the world's most successful acts. A one-off contribution to the Wim Wenders film, Until the End of the World, entitled "Death's Door" and a third solo album 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. 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". 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 L. 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 Depeche Mode as a personal assistant for many years.

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". 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. 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. In mid-1996, he finally entered a drug rehabilitation program to battle his heroin addiction.

Despite Gahan's increasingly severe personal issues, Gore tried repeatedly during 1995-1996 to get Depeche Mode  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 Depeche Mode up, and releasing the songs he had written as a solo album. In the end, Gore's worries were unfounded, and in 1996, with Gahan out of rehab, 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, Depeche Mode decided to forego touring altogether for Ultra. Furthermore, the album received a lacklustre reception from the press and fans alike. Depeche Mode 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. Depeche Mode 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.

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. 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.

from Wikipedia licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.

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