Music for the Masses [Bonus Tracks]

Performer: Depeche Mode
Engineer: David Bascombe
Producer: Depeche Mode; David Bascombe
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Depeche Mode: David Gahan (vocals); Martin Gore (vocals, guitar, keyboards, synthesizer); Alan Wilder (keyboards, synthesizer, programming); Andrew Fletcher (keyboards, synthesizer). Recorded at Studio Guilliame Tell, Paris, France and Konk, London, England. One of the bands that not only dominated the charts for most of the 80s, but they also typified the type of music that will be looked back on as 'the sound of the 80s'. Their sometimes Germanic electronic pop became softer on this album. They were becoming more of a band, and they were 'rockin', just a little. Keyboards still dominated but the melody seemed less regimented. Vocalist Dave Gahan excelled, as his voice grew in power. In a year or two they would become stadium rock stars, and change forever. The reissued CD had a number of excellent bonus tracks including some interesting remixed material. Initially the title must have sounded like an incredibly pretentious boast, except that Depeche Mode then went on to do a monstrous world tour, score even more hits in America and elsewhere than ever before, and pick up a large number of name checks from emerging house and techno artists on top of all that. As for the music the masses got this time around, the opening cut, "Never Let Me Down Again," started things off wonderfully: a compressed guitar riff suddenly slamming into a huge-sounding percussion/keyboard/piano combination, anchored to a constantly repeated melodic hook, ever-building synth/orchestral parts at the song's end, and one of David Gahan's best vocals (though admittedly singing one of Martin Gore's more pedestrian lyrics). It feels huge throughout, like they taped Depeche recording at the world's largest arena show instead of in a studio. Other key singles "Strangelove" and the (literally) driving "Behind the Wheel" maintained the same blend of power and song skill, while some of the quieter numbers such as "The Things You Said" and "I Want You Now" showed musical and lyrical intimacy could easily co-exist with the big chart-busters. Add to that other winners like "To Have and to Hold," with its Russian radio broadcast start and dramatic, downward spiral of music accompanied by Gahan's subtly powerful take on a desperate Gore love lyric, and the weird, wonderful choral closer, "Pimpf," and Depeche's massive success becomes perfectly clear. [This edition includes four bonus tracks -- "Agent Orange," "Pleasure, Little Treasure" and two remixes.] ~ Ned Raggett

Rolling Stone (p.74) - "4 stars out of 5 -- "Gore's pensive but sensual songwriting reaches a new plateau..." Q (6/95, p.135) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...has its dark, gloomy secrets and layered soundtrack grooves to support some of the groups' most self-conscious and self-questioning storylines....Most of the songs....are real diamonds in the darkness....this was the point at which Depeche Mode were first taken seriously." Alternative Press (p.200) - "MASSES is articulate, intricate electronic music that lacked the tinny feel of DM's early synth pop..."

Depeche Mode (French for "hurried fashion") was one of the first and best of the British synth-pop bands, combining breathless, melodic pop with perky electronics. With main songwriter Vince Clarke's departure for Yaz, Martin Gore took the reigns, and the band's sound became darker and harder, though still true to their trademark synth-driven accessibility. The post-Clarke band's moody dance-pop brought Depeche Mode worldwide superstardom in the second half of the '80s. The band survived overexposure, drug problems, and all the other traditional rock-star travails, and came out older and wiser, entering the 2000s as a fully functioning, mature unit.

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