Customer Reviews

Best of Depeche Mode 1

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Music: 5 Stars; Compilation: 3 Stars

Depeche Mode's first album was released 1981, and the band celebrated their 25 years in the music business this year by touring extensively behind last year's "Playing the Angel" album, their 11th studio album. Depeche Mode has issued many, many hit singles over the years which has been compiled in the "Singles 81>85" and "Singles 86>98" compilations. Now comes the very first career-spanning "best of".

"The Best of Depeche Mode, Volume 1" (18 tracks; 74 min.) tries to capture the essence of the band, and indeed a lot of great music is on here: "Personal Jesus", "Emjoy the Silence", "People Are People" and many other hits are on here. There are 3 songs from the most recent 2 albums ("Dream On", "Suffer Well" and "Precious") and one new song, an okay "Martyr" (from the "Playing the Angel" sessions.) Two issues: (1) the music suffers from not being sequenced chronologically: from "See You" straight into "It's No Good"? Not good!; (2) There are a LOT of equally essential hits that are missing. Just to name a few: "Policy of Truth", "Barrell of a Gun", "World In My Eyes", "Leave in Silence", "Get the Balance Right", "It's Called a Heart" and on and on...

The question then is who this compilations is intended for. Surely the more devoted DM fans will not be very interested in this (just buy "Martyr" as a single or as a download). So it's for the casual Depeche Mode fan, who just wants to have the best-known songs in one place. This assumes there are many casual DM fans... As mentioned already, there are a lot of hits missing, but teasingly this compilation is subtitled "Volume 1" so at some point this will be corrected (presumably with the inclusion again of one new track).

DM have gone through many distinct phases since their inception at the beginning of the 1980's. This compilation CD, while not "perfect" by the standards of serious fanatics--how could it be?--is a good place to start when you're just trying to get a feel for the band's sound.

Unlike the two singles compilations released in 1998, the tracks here are sequenced to showcase the band's diverse history rather than a chronological progression. "Personal Jesus" was not DM's first single, but it did become their most recognizable hit of all time. It also grandfathered a series of songs that pay homage to it later in the band's career. Try listening to the bluesy guitar riff in "Jesus" and then "I Feel You," "Dream On," "Suffer Well," and "Martyr." The lineage should be clear even to casual listeners.

But there are of course other strains of Depeche Mode, and that's why "Just Can't Get Enough" is such a shock when sequenced back to back with "Personal Jesus." Who knew that the same band was capable of bouncy bubble gum pop on the one hand, and a monument to God, Elvis, and Kraftwerk on the other? That's the trick to Depeche Mode: it lies somewhere between Johnny Cash and A-ha, biblical allusion and trendy disposability, tortured guitars and Moog synthesizers. No wonder many people don't really know what to think about this band. There are identifiable waypoints along this tangled path: try sequencing the sincerity of "See You" and the menace of "Never Let Me Down Again" between those polar opposites, and maybe you get something close to a straight line from point A to B.

For a while DM was about pushing the buttons of the BBC. Nowadays, when a song about being bi-curious hits number one on the charts, "Master and Servant" might seem quite acceptably deviant. But in 1984 it was a kind of firebomb tossed on pop music, and when you consider other politically- and culturally-charged salvos of the time such as "Everything Counts," "People Are People," and "Strangelove," you can see why Depeche Mode has sometimes been synonymous with subversion.

But when all is said and done, what might be best about Depeche Mode is its pensiveness, its navel-gazing, its proclivity for being romantic and emotionally distant at the same time. Hence "Enjoy the Silence" and "Shake the Disease." "I'm not going down on my knees," Martin Gore writes, "begging you to adore me." And he still manages to come off as hopelessly in love and terrified of being hopelessly out of love all over again. Which leads quite naturally to the pained confessions of weakness and defeat in "Walking in My Shoes" and "Precious." It's never cut and dried, never direct and easy for this band when it comes to attachments, and that's a big part of its lasting appeal.

There aren't many acts in music that can display such longevity and varied success in its catalogue, but Depeche Mode is one of them. And that's the story this disc tells as effectively as it realistically could in less than eighty minutes.

The problem with Best Ofs, especially single disc offerings from bands with a long career, is the fact that some really great songs are dropped in favor of some not as great songs. The fact that there is a volume 1 next to the name makes the fact that some songs that should be on here, like Blasphemous Rumors, a lot easier to accept.

However, this, like all Best Ofs, isn't aimed for the established fan. It's aimed for the neophyte, and a different set of standards has to be used.

First off, all of the big songs are accounted for here. So the songs that people who don't listen to Depeche Mode but would be aware of are presented here. Secondly, is the album a good listen. And it is. Now, some may complain that the singles aren't presented in chronological order, but for Depeche Mode, it really helps the cause to show that they were a consistently great band. The fact that early, bright, poppy singles like "Just Can't Get Enough" can hold their own against the later, more mature singles like "Personal Jesus" only emphasizes the growth and their initial greatness.

For the old fans of Depeche Mode, what is here to entice you? Well first off, the tracks from Playing the Angel have been remastered. In case you didn't hear Playing the Angel, it was a really good album that was mastered very poorly - the CD was mastered too hottly, giving the album a very muddy sound. Now, the two songs from that album sound a lot cleaner and has a much moodier atmosphere than a muddy one.

And Martyr, the new single, is a fun song that shows the band still has life in them.

Search for Amazon product ID B000IU3Y1O to find the version which also comes
with a DVD containing the following videos:

Just Can't Get Enough - NEW to DVD
Everything Counts - NEW to DVD
People Are People - NEW to DVD
Master And Servant - NEW to DVD
Shake The Disease - NEW to DVD
Stripped
A Question Of Time
Strangelove
Never Let Me Down Again
Behind The Wheel
Personal Jesus
Enjoy The Silence
I Feel You
Walking In My Shoes
Barrel Of A Gun
It's No Good
Only When I Lose Myself
Dream On - NEW to DVD
I Feel Loved - NEW to DVD
Enjoy The Silence 04 (Mike Shinoda mix) - NEW to DVD
Precious - NEW to DVD
Suffer Well - NEW to DVD

The thing about Depeche Mode is while they did have elements of pop, they were artistic at the same time. They had a charm to them and a flavor that was simply their own. There have been three collections: 'Catching up With Depeche Mode,' 'The Singles 81>85' and 'The Singles 86>98.' This one, 'The Best of Volume 1' tries to condense all three into one. And it does not fail, but it does not necessarily succeed, either.

What made both 'The Singles' albums great is that the listener could hear the evolution of Depeche Mode. You could hear how they started -- as a synthpop-influenced but still new wave type of group (on 'Singles 81>85') to a mature, more alternative rock sounding group in the '90s. 'The Best of Volume 1' is all over the place, and it does not paint a consistent picture of what this band was like.

The album has the classics. 'Just Can't Get Enough,' 'Personal Jesus,' 'Enjoy the Silence,' 'Everything Counts' and so on. That's great. BUT WHY COULDN'T THE RECORD COMPANY PUT IT IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER??? On some collections, a smattering of tracks works (see 'A Decade of Steely Dan 1972-1980' -- on that album, the order -- despite it not being chronological -- is perfect, as each song flows nicely into one another). Here, it doesn't. We go from 'Personal Jesus' to 'Just Can't Get Enough.' See? IT DOESN'T FLOW SMOOTHLY. It just seems like a hodgepodge iTunes playlist submitted to a record company and released.

Overall, Depeche Mode are a great band, and if you like new wave and you haven't checked them out, do so immediately. These guys are great band, with great songwriting and great instrumentation too. Buy 'The Best of Volume 1' if you are in the mood for a very quick and dirty look at the group, but otherwise 'Singles 81>85' and 'Singles 86>98' are recommended (as well as their studio albums -- most of which range from very good to excellent).

Not a bad compilation, but you could do MUCH, MUCH better.

The Best of Depeche Mode, Vol. 1

Well, its a "best of" so if you like Depeche Mode you're probably going to like this one. In hindsight I prob should have gotten the one w the DVD, but if you're short on funds, don't care if you get the videos, or just didn't realize there was one that included a dvd then this is the album for you.

As a fan of Depeche Mode since 1986, a new release is always cause for celebrtion. It used to mean a couple 12 inch singles would also be released with extended versions and maybe a b-side. then came cassette maxi singles and remixes. Followed by cd singles and imports, videos and downloads. The albums are all wonderful, and the singles have all spawned their own mini-albums...remember how many versions of Personal Jesus we got?!!? My point is that Depeche Mode does release GREAT singles. Awesome songs, and this compilation s great for someone wanting an overview. But as good as the singles are, there are many 'album tracks' that are the true gems...This is just the surface. Many singles are missing, including my 2 favorites "Stripped" from Black Celebration, and 'Behind The Wheel" from Music For The Masses. The exclusion of those tracks alone should send one running up to the nearest record store. If you like this stuff, there is much much more where it came from. Go get their albums and treat yourself to a couple of the cd remix singles. Indulge in the world of Depeche Mode. You won't be sorry. Can't wait for the new album in 2009!

I feel it would be pretty difficult to compile all the Depeche Mode hits onto a single disc, and I was right. Obviously there are some missing tracks on here, and maybe a few that could have been left off, but I understand that you just can not appease everyone. I do think that this is a great representation of their career however, and it is a very impressive career so that was no small feat. This would be a great place for people new to the band to start, as you could get a taste of their many facets, and as a long time fan, I can also appreciate many of my favorites being in one convenient place. Excellent compilation.

While there are other singles compilations, this is the only one to truly encompass their entire career. Most of the selections are dead on, for a "volume 1" it's to be expected that some songs would be missing. Surprisingly, there aren't any Martin Gore sang songs on this disc. Also, nothing from Black Celebration.

I think they could have swapped Leave In Silence for See You and made this compilation better, as LIS is the better song from A Broken Frame. I probably would have put in Condemnation rather than I Feel You here as it is truly one of their best songs ever. Dave's voice was so harsh at the time from the lifestyle he was leading, and his voice and the song go together to create a truly amazing moment in time. That said, the album needs a Martin Gore vocal on this disc, and while Home is probably their biggest hit with Martin singing, it would have been great had they dug out one of the live versions of Condemnation when Martin sang it (due to Dave's voice being shot at the time.) That would have made this a true "must have" for D-Mode fans.

As it is, it's nice to have this album to listen to when we don't have access to our MP3 players or multidisc cd/dvd players. It replaced Tool's 10,000 Days in my car, which in turn replaced Playing the Angel in my puter's CD Rom drive. Yes, I have them in MP3s, but sometimes you just want to hear the album as an album. And if that is the case for you as well, then this is a great album to get.

Give it to your niece, nephew, cousin, child or step-child and let this be their introduction to one of the longest lasting yet still relevant bands around. As for you, longtime D-Mode fan, puts this somewhere where you'll always be able to hear it at a moments notice, and take a trip through a great career that seems to have refound its footing and is dug in for the long haul.

I love Depeche Mode. I will always be a fan of their music but I have to say that I'm disappointed in this "Best of" compilation. That's why I'm giving it 3 out 5 stars. If this is a "Best Of"...where is "Nothing" where is "Blue Dress"???? Who put this compilation together? As a true fan, I can think of a whole list of better songs to replace some of the ones put on this compilation. Just because a song had radio play doesn't necessarily make it "Best of" quality. Those are the songs I'm tired of hearing to be honest. You can do better than this. Seriously.
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