Depeche Mode

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Depeche Mode is a synth pop band founded in 1980 in the town of Basildon, England by:

• Vince Clarke (songwriting, keyboards, backing vocals)
• Andrew Fletcher (keyboards, backing vocals)
• David Gahan (vocals)
• Martin Gore (songwriting, keyboards, vocals)

The band's name (pidgin French for "Fast Fashion", or "Fashion Today/Now/Dispatch" which meant "Fashion News" in common french) was inspired by a French fashion magazine of a similar name.

Verbally contracted to Daniel Miller's Mute label, Depeche Mode are one of the most successful of the New Wave//New Romantic bands.

After the release of Speak & Spell, their first album, song-writer Clarke left the band and went on to form Yazoo (Yaz in the US) with Alison Moyet, The Assembly with Feargal Sharkey, Dave Clempson and Eric Radcliffe, and later Erasure with Andy Bell.

After the release of A Broken Frame in 1982, Alan Wilder joined the band as a permanent replacement for Clarke and Martin Gore took over as the band's primary song-writer.

In the early 1980s the band's popularity was largely confined to Europe (particularly Germany) and their style was Synth pop. In 1984 Depeche Mode made in-roads into America, which spawned the US-only release of Catching Up With Depeche Mode.

In the intervening years between the mid-80's and 90's, the band's popularity in the US grew to massive proportions. The 101 tour culminated in a final concert at the Pasadena Rose Bowl with a sell-out attendance of 80,000 (the highest in 8 years for the venue). The tour was documented in a film by D.A. Pennebaker, recently released on DVD, which is notable for an element of fan interaction.

1993's Songs Of Faith And Devotion was released to huge acclaim and went straight to number one in the US.

In June 1995 after the Devotional tour, Alan Wilder left the band citing unsatisfactory internal working conditions, to continue work on his personal project Recoil.

2003 saw the release of Dave Gahan's solo album, Paper Monsters, followed by a worldwide tour and a DVD taken from it, titled Live Monsters, Martin Gore continued his solo career with the release of Counterfeit 2, and Andrew Fletcher launched his own label, Toast Hawaii.

Discography

• Albums
  • Speak & Spell (1981)
  • A Broken Frame (1982)
  • Construction Time Again (1983)
  • Some Great Reward (1984)
  • The Singles (81-85) (1985)
  • Catching Up with Depeche Mode (1985)
  • Black Celebration (1986)
  • Music For The Masses (1987)
  • 101 (1989)
  • Violator (Limited Edition) (1990)
  • Violator (1990)
  • Songs of Faith and Devotion (1993)
  • Songs of Faith and Devotion Live (1993)
  • Ultra (1997)
  • The Singles (86>98) (Limited Edition) (1998)
  • The Singles (86>98) (1998)
  • The Singles (81>85) Re-released/Repackaged (1998)
  • Speak and Spell (Bonus Tracks) (1998)
  • Exciter (2001)

• SinglesEP's
  • Just Can't Get Enough (1981)
  • Dreaming of Me (1981)
  • New Life (1981)
  • See You (1982)
  • Leave in Silence (1982)
  • The Meaning of Love (1982)
  • Everything Counts and Live Tracks (1983)
  • Get the Balance Right (1983)
  • Love in Itself (1983)
  • Everything Counts (1983)
  • Get the Balance Right (1983)
  • Blasphemous Rumours (1984)
  • People Are People (1984)
  • Master and Servant (1984)
  • Shake the Disease (1985)
  • It's Called a Heart (1985)
  • Stripped (1985)
  • But Not Tonight (US release) (1985)
  • A Question of Time (1986)
  • Question of Lust (1986)
  • Little 15 (1987)
  • Never Let Me Down Again (1987)
  • Strangelove (1987)
  • I Want You Now (1988)
  • Behind the Wheel (1988)
  • Everything Counts (Live) (1988)
  • Personal Jesus (1989)
  • Enjoy the Silence (1990)
  • Policy of Truth (1990)
  • World in My Eyes (1990)
  • X1 Disc 1: The Twelve Inches (Uno) (1991)
  • X1 Disc 2: The Twelve Inches (Zwei) (1991)
  • X1 Disc 3: The Twelve Inches (Trois) (1991)
  • X1 Disc 4: Strange Mixes (Four) (1991)
  • X2 Disc 5: Instrumentals (Cinco) (1991)
  • X2 Disc 6: B-Sides (Sex) (1991)
  • X2 Disc 7: Live One (Cemb) (1991)
  • X2 Disc 8: Live Two (Oziem) (1991)
  • X1 (1991)
  • X2 (1991)
  • Condemnation (1993)
  • Walking in My Shoes (1993)
  • I Feel You (1993)
  • In Your Room (1994)
  • Barrel of a Gun (1997)
  • It's No Good (1997)
  • Home (1997)
  • Useless (1997)
  • Only When I Lose Myself (1998)
  • Dream On (2001)
  • I Feel Loved (2001)
  • Free Love (2001)
  • Goodnight Lovers (2002)

External links

• http://www.depeche-mode.com/
• http://www.depechemode.com/index2.html
• Depeche Mode - the real origin of the band's name. Explains the meaning and origin of the name Depeche Mode, including the misconception that it means Fast Fashion.