| Formed in 1981 and named after a French
fashion magazine – literally Fashion N
ews; it could have been worse, originally the band was called No
Romance In China – after 25 years of subversive (and occasionally perverted)
chart action, Depeche Mode are unquestionably one of the greatest singles bands
of all time. They have spent over 400 combined weeks on the
UK charts, had more than 40 chart hits and
reached the UK Top 10 with every new recorded album. They have sold over 72 million records and
played to audiences in excess of 30 million worldwide. They remain one of the most highly regarded,
influential and passionately supported groups in modern music, particular in
Germany, Sweden, Italy and Spain, not to mention South and North America. If it
can seem that they’re sometimes taken for granted in their homeland (and shame
on those cynics), anyone attending their live shows can bear witness to the
fanatic response they elicit.
From Essex-born post-punk electro-pups to
post-millennial superstars, Martin Gore (undoubtedly one of
Britain’s most underrated pop
writers), Dave Gahan and
Andrew Fletcher continue to make inspirational records, attracting new
generations of fans. Initial zippy synth-pop singles and weathering Vince
Clark’s early departure gave way to a brilliant run of social mores-baiting and
sparse industrial percussion-decorated global hits People Are People and Master
And Servant. While Bono wrestled with his faith (and mullet) on
The Unforgettable Fire in the mid-Eighties, Martin Gore proposed that God has a
sick sense of humour in Blasphemous Rumours. Mr Hewson has yet to respond. Evolving through the
American stadium-rocking and U2-rivalling superstars of 1987’s Music For The
Masses album to 1990’s hauntingly addictive globally multi-platinum Violator
album, featuring landmark singles Personal Jesus and Enjoy The Silence, Depeche
Mode captured a new army of fans via heavy rotation on MTV and credibility on
the mushrooming rave scene.
However superstar success proved divisive
for Depeche Mode, who plunged into a well-documented period of friction and
addiction around this period. Even so, 1993’s Songs Of Faith And Devotion and
1997’s Ultra albums produced the dark-hearted, confessional singles and live
favourites I Feel You, Walking In My Shoes and It’s No Good. Following the
emotional turbulence that rocked Depeche Mode in the 1990s, the band returned
stronger than ever in this new century with the Exciter and Playing The Angel
albums re-established them in global pop’s
premiership.
2006
was the year of Depeche Mode. International sales of Playing The Angel passed 3
million and it reached #1 in 18 countries. The band performed to 2.5 million
people across 31 countries during their recent European tour, were named Best
Group at the recent MTV Europe Awards, were nominated for a Grammy and released
their first ever Best Of
collection.
The
enduring appeal of Martin Gore’s songwriting is illustrated by über-producer
Rick “The Beard” Rubin suggesting to Johnny Cash that he consider covering
Personal Jesus during sessions for the late country music legend’s monumental
American IV: The Man Comes Around album. The result was a stark, haunting
version holding up a flickering candle to Cash’s redemptive faith and frail
mortality. Meanwhile, urban pop princess Jamelia and co-writers Stuart Crichton
and Karen Poole, inspired no doubt by reworkings/mash-ups such as Sugababes’
Freak Like Me and Rhianna’s S.O.S. (Rescue Me) created a backing track for the
former’s Beware Of The Dog single based on Personal Jesus’ insistent riff.
Released in December 2006, it was Jamelia’s seventh Top 10
hit.
If a
song’s worth can be measured by the great company it keeps, among those who’ve
chosen to cover Depeche mode tracks are The Cure, Smashing Pumpkins, Tori Amos,
Deftones, Placebo, Tricky, Portishead, Marilyn Manson, Nouvelle Vague, Vernon
Reid, Berlin, Rammstein and Hooverphonic. |
Austin Wilde
