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Depeche Mode - any fans on here?

Andrew C!

Andrew C!

Been around a while....
Starting this off so as not to thread crap over the excellent 80's topic started by @tiggers.

My favourite band. Ever since listening to Photographic on the Some Bizarre LP. See them at least once on every tour they have done since Music For The Masses. I like the drummer in the band - this goes against the grain for some Devotees. i also remember being awestruck watching Alan Wilder play live drums to I Feel You.


2013 tour - we were in Florida when the 1st set of UK dates came out. Bugger. Research ensued, and I spotted Berlin - so off we went there for a weekend break and to the Olympic Stadium to see them. 75,000 ish people(I think?).

I love Berlin. Been several times. The people are superb and friendly and, once they realise you are a UK Mode fan, engage in conversation willingly. It was the best afternoon/evening. They were also impressed that I was drinking Local beer (my favourite being Erdinger).

Loads of other anecdotes, but looking forward to seeing others stories...
 
As I said in the other thread I have seen them twice and got a mountain of their physical product. They are arguably the best band to come out of the synthpop era and Songs of Faith and Devotion is one of my all time favourite albums. That was the first tour I saw them on and yes the drums on I Feel You.... amazing playing. They are a much better band live than you would imagine.

I do have a good anecdote about them. They own a fair bit of property in London and a friend of friend who knows them quite well was staying in a flat owned by them. For some reason Dave and Martin tipped up there one evening and brought with them the first rendition of Ultra. To cut a long story short my friend turned up at the flat when they were there and hadn't a clue who these two guys were but asked her friend for the awful loud music to be turned down or off..... silence in the room :D
 
I got the Some Bizarre album back in 1981, it was a window into what was, at the time.

highlights for me are the 12" adrian sherwood mix of master & servant, and Violator.

I have a 1990 Uk release and this version of Violator > it is good.
Depeche Mode ‎– Violator
Label:
Mute ‎– STUMM64, BMG ‎– STUMM64, Music On Vinyl ‎– MOVLP 941, Sony Music ‎– STUMM64
Format:
Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered, 180 Gram, Gatefold
Country:
Europe
Released:
24 Mar 2014
 
I have an original LP, and CD release of Violator, plus the re-issue. Needed to be done.:D

This is one of their more recent songs that appealed to me...

 
For a long time, DM were band that made a few tracks I liked (mostly Vince Clarke era)- and had a few odds and ends and it's only in the last 5 years that I needed to go out and buy everything up to 'Songs of Faith and Devotion'.

When I worked in Andys Records, I can remember the almost endless variations of DM releases and the almost obsessive nature of their fans having to get every release in every format. I can also remember having to check every DM sale my staff made checking they'd not put 'A Question of Time' 12" in the 'A Question of Lust' sleeve or XLCD Bong whatever in the the LCD Bong case. Quite common...

Another dit. A friend's sister, Karen, wrote to DM when 'Dreaming of Me' (or possibly the 'Some Bizarre Album') came out and struck up 'pen pal' friendship with Martin which carried on for a few years but ended about the time of 'Music for the Masses' when they started to be megastars in the US. Although she got more into goth music in the late 80s / early 90s, she was still a die-hard DM fan who were sort of gothy with the black leather an eye-liner. It was with her and her brother that I went to Crystal Palace.
 
Well, I am a fan and followed them on and off from the beginning. However, I never bought any of their records ... until fairly recently when I was knocked over by "Delta Machine". I liked it so much that I first bought it in hi res from Qobuz and then at the beginning of 2020 I bought the vinyl edition second hand together with Violator, Music for the Masses and Black Celebration from someone who was leaving vinyl behind. My luck!

I really like the industrial feel to their last two decades of music whereas their more whimsy 80s pop is melodic and pleasant enough to listen to, but that's it for me. I must say that I do like "Yazoo" so I am not in blame Vince Clark mode. It is the band I would most like to hear these days. Tickets are quite expensive when counting in travel and overnight stay. But I am determined to go if they come near Denmark at some point in the future.

I think it was the discovery of Portishead that sort of paved the way for Depeche Mode to enter my music life full throttle. I still kick myself for not paying up to go see Portishead in Aarhus when they played at a big summer music festival here.
 
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And I bought "dreaming of me" on first release. Perfect Pop.

Personal Jesus still does it too, esp the acoustic version

 
As in the other thread.... love the early stuff with Vince Clarke and a couple of albums after that but completely lost interest when they went all "dark" and "goth" etc etc. saw them once at Manchester Arena, must have been around 98-2001 ish I guess. Wasn't particularly impressed as was mainly later gothy stuff....
 
I remember buying the Slavery Whip Mix of Master & Servant and was hooked although I had been listening to the singles before that.
Saw them at Wembley Arena for the Music for the Masses tour and at Crystal Palace for the Devotional tour which is possibly my favourite DM period when they and particularly Dave were “Grungy” . Also was at the Dominion for the premiere of 101.
There isn’t much of their catalogue I don’t have. Definitely my favourite band by a mile.
 
Also top trump trivia... Our next door neighbour from a few years ago is Martin Gore's cousin... he remembers the band just getting famous and Martin turning up in a Lamborghini of some description with a leather glad girl on-board...
 
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