For The Masses

Performer: Various Artists
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: FOR THE MASSES is a tribute album to Depeche Mode. Producers include: Ted De Bono, Gary Dobbins, Robert Smith, Jack Dangers, Matt Mahaffey. Engineers include: Palli Borg, C. Hawkes, Paul Corkett, Jeff Moleski, Bobby Dufresne, Jr. Audio Mixers: Ronald Prent; Robert Smith ; Dave Wyndorf; David J. Holman; David Reilly; Palli Borg; Doug McBride; Frank Duch�ne; C. Hawkes; Master Frequency; Gary Dobbins; GusGus; Howard Gray; Jeff Turzo; Joe Baldridge; Ken Andrews; Mark Van Hoen; Matt Mahaffey; Paul Corkett; Rabbit in the Moon; Terry Date; Ulrich Wild. Audio Remixers: Jeff Moleski; Billy Corgan. Photographer: Martyn Atkins. Unknown Contributor Role: Ulrich Wild. For anyone who was a teenager at any time in the '80s, Depeche Mode was an omnipresent force. Even if you didn't listen to the synth pop pioneers, you knew someone who did, or at least saw a group of somber kids with freaky haircuts who wore DM T-shirts. That's the reason why it shouldn't be surprising that there's a wide range of artists on For the Masses, the first major-label tribute to Depeche Mode. Of course, it doesn't quite answer the question of whether a Depeche Mode tribute album was necessary, but almost all tribute albums are unnecessary. Tribute albums are almost always uneven, as well, and that's the case here -- not only because the performances themselves are hit-and-miss -- it's also because Depeche Mode were, perhaps appropriately, more about style than substance, which means that their songs are difficult to cover without replicating the original arrangements. That, unfortunately, is true of even the best songs -- Failure injects heavy guitars into "Enjoy the Silence," but it remains tied to the original -- only a few bands are able to make a DM song their own. the Smashing Pumpkins effectively turn "Never Let Me Down Again" into one of their trademark ballads; the Cure explode "World in My Eyes" into a thrilling sampledelic psychedelic mess; Gus Gus make "Monument" sound techno-fresh; and the ridiculous Rammstein actually make "Stripped" into a genuinely menacing metallic monster. Moments like these -- covers that actually bring a new perspective to the song -- are rare on tribute albums. They're almost good enough to make the overall mediocrity of the album worthwhile. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine As one of the prime innovators of synth-pop, Depeche Mode has influenced an entire generation of knob-twiddling, mousse-wearing devotees. Since 1981, their dark, scientific sound has defined the genre, moving the synthesizer into edgy, aggressive realms. FOR THE MASSES finds that generation paying overdue tribute to the men in black, combining a wide variety of bands who've followed in their footsteps in one way or another (with the exception of the Cure, whose recorded output predates DM's but who contribute a sonically rich version of "World In My Eyes" nonetheless). FOR THE MASSES sticks to Depeche Mode's more aggressive and mostly later work--the soft pop of "New Life" or "See You" is eschewed for more hard-edged themes. Some of the covers show a very direct lineage to the band--Rammstein's gut-wrenching "Stripped" and Meat Beat Manifesto's breakneck "Everything Counts" inject an over-the-top element of aggression, while Hooverphonic's "Shake the Disease" displays this band's talent for giving a song breathing room without compromising its intensity. Smashing Pumpkins even deliver an inspired, beefed-up take on "Never Let Me Down Again."

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