Customer Reviews

A Broken Frame [Vinyl]

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

As most people know, A Broken Frame is Depeche Mode's second release, the first after the departure of original member Vince Clarke (who went on to form Yaz -- Yazoo in the U.K. -- with Alison Moyet). Being the songwriter for Speak and Spell left a massive void to fill. Martin Gore took over songwriting duties for this album, and would continue to write the vast majority of Depeche Mode tunes even up to this day.

A Broken Frame is obviously the result of a band trying to redefine itself. I don't think anybody would argue it's not their best work, but in light of the fact that Depeche Mode is still around and kicking today, it's clear that DM were here to stay even in 1982.

Martin was apparently not to eager to completely shed the image that Vince Clarke had helped them to forge on Speak and Spell. This album is a bit schizophrenic. For example, songs like The Meaning of Love and See You obviously attempt to continue in the vein of their first release while tunes like Leave In Silence and Shouldn't Have Done That foreshadow the Depeche Mode we'd come to know much better on future releases like Construction Time Again and Some Great Reward.

If you're not familiar with much of Depeche Mode's music and are looking for some exposure, this probably isn't the record for you. Given how much they've changed over the past 25 years or so, it'd be hard to recommend one or two albums alone. If you're interested in their more pop-oriented releases from the '80s, you can't go wrong with Some Great Reward. For the later, darker version of the band, check out Black Celebration or Violator. For the latest generation of DM's sound, check out Ultra or Playing The Angel for a good representation of what they're all about today.

With all that said, I still am very fond of A Broken Frame. As much as I love the complex, rich, layered sound they became so famous for later, there is something simple and yet captivating about this album. I still listen to it every now and then even after all these years. As one earlier reviewer wrote, The Sun & The Rainfall is a fantastic song. That alone may be worth the price of admission.

The range of reactions to "A Broken Frame" is both interesting and enlightening. Those who sniff at its "primitive technology" are failing to see the album in the context of its time. It's hardly surprising that the folks who love "Violator" and "Songs of Faith and Devotion" don't particularly care for "A Broken Frame"; Depeche Mode was a different (and, IMHO, a better) band at the time. It could certainly be said that the album is uneven, but the inventiveness of the stuff and the superior emotional content are undeniable. Gore's themes, lyrics, and melodies are brilliant, and Gahan's voice is just finding itself, becoming that uniquely dark and effective instrument of goth-industrial sound.I love the stark alienation of "Leave in Silence," "Satellite," and "Shouldn't Have Done That." The sense of longing and loss in "See You" makes the heart ache. The peppy pop of "The Meaning of Love" and "A Photograph of You" are simply fun. And "The Sun and the Rainfall" is DM at its best: simple, brooding, heartfelt, and beautiful. I always think of it as a pre-cursor to "Shake the Disease".The DM of the 80's was a different beast altogether from what it eventually became. Back then the boys weren't afraid to dig into painful emotions, however awkwardly. "A Broken Frame" was a strong building block on the way to their peak with "Some Great Reward" and "Black Celebration." From there, it's really been mostly downhill. If you love "Enjoy the Silence" but were disappointed with the rest of "Violator", check out "A Broken Frame"; you won't be disappointed.

Yeah this is probably not one of Depeche Mode's greatest albums. Some of the songs are a bit patchy and the lyrics are definitely ropey but it has something that some people tend to forget in albums - charm! It's thoroughly modest and they're not trying to be anything other than themselves. True, the cover of this album does gives a mysterious edge to it - and certainly for a pop band it does seem markedly different from anything else. But Monument, My Secret Garden, Leave In Silence and even Sattelite have something about them that seem oddly addictive.

It may never reach the greats but sometimes the greats are a little too pretentious and we need something that's real - that has flaws - that's human! It's those sort of things that make this album have a rare charm despite some of it's failings

Sure this album has lots of cheesy, innocent synthpop jingles. It's not their best album ever. But it's interesting to listen to in the grand scheme of all that is Depeche. It's DM's first foray into darker, more alienated minimalism. With the obvious poppy tracks aside, A Broken Frame is icy to the core with some great little gems such as "Monument", "Satellite", "Leave In Silence", "The Sun & The Rainfall" and "Shouldn't Have Done That". With Vince's departure, Martin's cynical and biting wit jumps out. The lyrical content is already pointing to more socio-political views, as well as troubled relationships. The music is really interesting in it's stark and cold simplicity. The songs squiggle, pulse, ripple and bleep along with technological and calculated precision, living up to the standards of post-punk/synthpop. This album isn't for everyone, but I think it's quite interesting on it's own ;-)

I can't believe the luke-warm reviews this album is getting! I think this, Depeche Mode's second album, is by far their best. Put out in 1982 between Speak and Spell (1st album) and Construction Time Again (3rd), it takes the best elements of both while leaving behind the campy silliness of the first, and the boring gloominess of the 3rd. Not that there's anything wrong with DM at their campiest or gloomiest. It's just that A Broken Frame is a masterpiece of subtlety somewhere between the two.

Some people might see this album as inferior while others view it as a stopgap for Martin Gore to get his feet wet in the songwriting pool. I think it is more of the latter, and for its time was an original, offering some stunning songs eg: "My Secret Garden and "The Sun and the Rainfall".On the other hand there are also some tracks on the bubblegum side that have susequently lost there flavour, namely:"The meaning of Love". ABF is an historical album as it demonstrates the awesome song writing potential of Martin as well as the new sound DM would explore in an endevour to prove they could do it without Vince Clarke, having left the band after the debut album "Speak & Spell" to form the successful though short lived "Yazoo".Vince offered the band "Only You" which they declined saying they wanted to make a clean break, the song was released by "Yazoo" and became one of there biggest hits.
An essential buy for fans who want to complete there collection although somewhat dated. Fans of DM from Violator onwards will probably not enjoy this one and find it a bit on the cheesy side.
Not there greatest but definitely worth the listen.
Check it out.

Transitional? Certainly. They had to wash off the Vince Clarke sugar-film (though, Mr. Clarke did get pretty dingy on some tunes from his Yaz records--Yayyy!) and get an identity, so excuse them if they sound so forgetful of their roots. But, damn, go ahead and exhaust yourself trying to find a better example of electro quaalude funk than "Leave In Silence" and "Secret Garden." But, that's been said before. Check out "The Sun and the Rainfall" and realize that here is a synth-pop band that will not be duplicated in their ability to find groove as vital as heartbeat and as lasting as trauma. Yeah, we have hindsight on our side, so we say blah-blah things like "they got better,", but I have some brain cells that were born the day I listened to this album and which, even to the time I sit here stupid and lonely, chopping on an imac when I should be doing dishes and/or homework, still think "Shouldn't Have Done That" has a melody sweet enough to put my kids to sleep and yet evil enough to invoke an image of Hitler's stare. Yeah, they got better. But, person out there with a ten-spot to spend, so did sex. Would you give up your first experience just 'cuz your hundredth was transcendant? If you say "yes," then, baby, you just weren't ready for it.

This album is the first after Vince Clark left the band. It has songs such as "See You", which were written quite some time before its release, and perhaps have a naive edge to them. The overall feel, however, is a bit more dark. This is Martin's first album as the "leader" of DM. I consider it to be well before its time, and one of my top three fav DM albums of all time. The dark sounds of "Satellite" continue to be most impressive.

Although the American edition of Depeche Mode's debut album was less impressive than the European counterpart, Speak&Spell is an essential peice to their American catalogue. The same can be said for A Broken Frame. It may not have garnered the same accolade of accomplishment for U.S fans as it did for the Euro, but one needs to have this album included in their DM collection. It's ESSENTIAL! Not only is it very danceble in the same way as their debute is, but it reinforces the darker aspects of syth music in a slightly more succesfull fashion. Dave's vocals are great as usual and the music displays a highly creative forc that was still growing at the time. The songs; The Sun and the Rainfall, Leave in Silence, Nothing to Fear, and Satillite are the ones that truely stand out. Although, every song has earned its place as a masterpeice.

When Vince Clarke left the band after Speak and Spell this was the best thing that could have happened to Depeche Mode. Otherwise, I think that they would not have experimented as much with their sound and would even today be producing music that sounds very much like their debute album. A broken frame is astounding album and one of their best ever. The lyrics are very well written and songs like leave in silence, my secret garden and satelite manage to get rid of the sugar sweet attitude of Speak and Spell. Martin Gore is a much better lyricist then Clarke and does not just write inane and trite lyrics. I personally would have liked them to remain a trio since this is one of their pinacle recordings.