Best Depeche Mode album? + DM discussions '20

Favourite/best DM album for you?

  • Speak & Spell

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • A Broken Frame

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Some Great Reward

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Sounds of the Universe

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Delta Machine

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Spirit

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    9
Joined
Feb 3, 2004
Messages
68,342
YES THIS IS A POLL.

I've been in a massive DM mood lately and whilst I love Violator it is not my favourite..
 
I used to love them as a teenager because I fancied Dave and Martin was my SPIRIT ANIMAL with his DARK CATHOLIC GUILT - but they kind of fell off my radar when they had that hiatus in the 10s and then came back with those two last albums which I haven't heard but by all accounts were a bit MORE OF THE SAME.

It's hard to choose really but the trifecta of Some Great Reward, Black Celebration and Music for the Masses is hard to top. Black Celebration in particular is SUCH A MOOD. Songs of Faith & Devotion and Exciter coming a close second.

Violator is great and the singles are untouchable but besides Halo I couldn't even possibly REMEMBER any of the other songs.
 
Oh and 101 is a fantastic live album that is a CONSTANT chez moi. The band at their peak and a completely enraptured live audience, great vocals from Dave and some glorious arrangements. ELECTRIC!
 
I don’t know them that well bar their main singles but they have had some stuff I really like over the years. I remember liking all the singles and remixes from 2001 so whatever album that was
 
This is the remix I always think of when it comes to the Mode of Depeche (besides my 90s Dave fantasies):

 
I often forget about DM’s existence but I would say that I prefer the MG-trilled songs by some distance. ´Home‘ in particular. And ´A Question of Lust‘ OBVIOUSLY
 
They were a great singles band from the off. Arguably, all their albums are patchy but "Construction.." "..Celebration", "Violator" and "..Angel" are the least patchy.
That "Playing The Angel" was such a cracking album only makes it more annoying that they haven't repeated the feat since. It's not a straight downward after Wilder walks out.
 
I mean they are fucking monumental and as they grew older they got grittier and less synthy but I unequivocally love their synthy shit because it sounds a lot more OTHERWORLDLY than their INDUSTRIAL BEATS and RIFFS of later years.
 
I used to love them as a teenager because I fancied Dave and Martin was my SPIRIT ANIMAL with his DARK CATHOLIC GUILT - but they kind of fell off my radar when they had that hiatus in the 10s and then came back with those two last albums which I haven't heard but by all accounts were a bit MORE OF THE SAME.

It's hard to choose really but the trifecta of Some Great Reward, Black Celebration and Music for the Masses is hard to top. Black Celebration in particular is SUCH A MOOD. Songs of Faith & Devotion and Exciter coming a close second.

Violator is great and the singles are untouchable but besides Halo I couldn't even possibly REMEMBER any of the other songs.
Yes yes and yes to everything in this post (except the bit about Violator's album tracks).

I feel like I want to write a long post but I need to think for a bit. I'll go for the bullet point approach I THINK...
 
OK, so...

  • I am not familiar with any of the albums pre-Black Celebation, but I like all the singles from them and I really should investigate them.
  • Everything from Black Celebration up to and including Exciter ranges from good to very good to excellent.
  • Many consider Violator to be the peak, but it's not my favourite.
  • Songs of Faith and Devotion was one of the defining '93 albums for me. Together with Suede (slutty powerbottom realness) and Erotica (slutty AIDS-era cold sex), Songs of Faith & Devotion represented a more grounded counterpart and the biblical atmosphere that runs throughout is just amazing.
  • I've got all the albums from Black Celebration up until Spirit but I must say that I couldn't hum anything from the last three albums.
  • Dave Gahan = bae (as much as I hate that term). Interesting how he went from twink/bottom in the '80s to sleazy pig powertop as time went on but I guess that's heroin for you.
 
I don't like the Vince Clarke album. In fact, when they did the CD/DVD reissues, it was the only one I passed on. Which I sort of regret a bit because the documentary films were superb and I wouldn't have minded having that but, there you go.
 
I don't have the last 2 albums - I saw them on the Delta Machine tour and they were great rather than stellar - set sagged during the second acoustic bit but they played all the major hits and it was good fun.
 
I've decided to go for a 'meet in the middle' approach rather than chronological pattern. Thus I started with Speak & Spell, and now I am listening to Spirit.

Must admit Spirit is actually 'clicking' this morning.


Speak & Spell is so much fun! I would love it if one day Erasure released it as a 'covers' album with Andy on vocals!
 
Speak & Spell is actually great for what it is, unmistakably more Vince than Martin but still offering a blueprint and a glimpse of what the band would eventually become.
 
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Songs of FAITH & DEVOTION is now officially my favourite of theirs and possibly one of my favourite albums of al time. I think I'm becoming a bit obsessed with it.
 
For me it's their BLEAKEST record and that's saying something :disco: It's just a downward spiral onto drugs and despair culminating in Higher Love where Dave just SURRENDERS. It's a great mood piece but by golly I need to be in the mood for it.
 
1. Higher Love
2. In Your Room
3. Stripped
4. Question of Lust
5. Precious
6. It's No Good
7. Enjoy the Silence
8. Home
9. Never Let me Down Again
10. Black Celebration

11. Policy of Truth
 
My top 5 DM albums:

1. Songs of FAITH & Devotion
2. Violator
3. Music for the Masses
4. ULTRA
5. Black Celebration
 
Yeah noticed that - they've been doing it for the albums. I'm just not that much of a hardcore fan even though that's a good price. I'd rather a box set of all the albums on vinyl.
 
Honestly I've been totally obsessed with them the past few months. Can't stop playing their records and now that the nights are drawing in it's a perfect excuse.

Also: TAKE ME DAVE GAHAN.
 

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