Depeche Mode: Some Great Reward [Paperback]

Dave Thompson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 1994

Throughout their history, Depeche Mode has combined success with innovation, producing records that have mixed moving melodic lines and pop-star preening with completely synthesizer-driven noises, forever altering the sound of New Wave/modern music. From "Just Can't Get Enough" to "I Feel You" and beyond, Dave Thompson breaks through the enigma to reveal the group that can fully claim to be the most popular electronic act in the world.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Thompson (Red Hot Chili Peppers) chronicles the band's evolution from its earliest days as an involuntary part of Britain's New Romantic movement to its superstar college-radio status, offering fans a rare glimpse at a group that is, as he puts it, more an enigma than a rock 'n'roll band. Just as their early peers, Flock of Seagulls and Duran Duran, depended on MTV to make them superstars, Depeche Mode began their career playing Britain's teenybopper music showcases. That the band would survive to see success-including number one albums-seemed unlikely at several turns. Thompson begins his story with the evolution of electronic music from Kraftwerk and American disco queen Donna Summer's collaboration with German producer Giorgio Moroder to establish Mute, the independent record label that would later allow Depeche Mode to follow their all-keyboard course. Aware that without this evolution there would be no Depeche Mode as their fans know them, Thompson avoids rushing through the history, a simple decision that lifts Depeche Mode above the shortsighted band biographies typically written to capitalize on sudden popularity or support a new product. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

In this study of the darlings of the digital set, Thompson first says Rolling Stone's label for Depeche Mode--"Euroweenies"--is apt and then calls the group the closest thing ever to a perfect pop band. Does this indicate a balanced, exhaustive look at a pop power or mere schizophrenia? Like popular and critical reactions to the group's music, the answer is mixed. Schizophrenic is too cruel a word for describing a well-researched book, yet Thompson's hyperbole and unmitigated seriousness become confusing and tiresome at times. As Thompson suggests, Depeche Mode's highly successful career sneaked up on everyone, and its longevity is incredible for a band that is hardly a household name. Thompson points out that highly successful relative obscurity is what the band wants, and he provides an intriguing and informative overview of Depeche Mode and techno-pop. Nonfans may find it all indulgent and breathless, but Thompson's descriptions of the London music scene and its disparate influences in the late 1970s and early 1980s constitute an important sidebar in rock journalism. Mike Tribby

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Product Details

• Paperback: 274 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (November 15, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312112629
• ISBN-13: 978-0312112622
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,318,122 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Thin Investigative Journalism - Fair Abstract, October 15, 2001

By 

D. D. Fulton (Los Angeles, CA. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Depeche Mode: Some Great Reward (Paperback)

I've seen Thompson's name on several rock bios (RHCP, Perry Ferrel of Janes Addiction) so perhaps this is the man's calling. He writes in servicable prose but he has no aspiration to be anything like a Griel Marcus or Johnny Rogan (author of the great Morrissey and Marr Smith's bio). The details are often thin and surface-skiming. The lack of insight bespeaks an overall ambivalence towards the band. Is there any real passion here? The author seems content to regurgitate print interviews and excerpts from the '80s era DM bio put out by his namesake (a must have for those looking to complete their collection of bad hair style archives - Flock of Seagulls had nothing on Martin and company back in the day).

To this extent the book is a fairly good abstract of already published materials. There have been questions raised about accuracy on some fan websites but overall I think Thompson does a good job of digesting the limited material that's out there. It is clear that DM has always attempted to fly below the radar and while there is no dearth of embarssing photos out there of the lads it seems clear that they have wanted to remain textually anonymous. Fine. And its the challenge that befalls any journalist, especially when setting off to write a comprehensive band bio, to uncover information in unconventional means. A few more phone calls, a airplane trip or two, would have filled in this text and provided for a more interesting read.

There is also an utter lack of muscial and lyrical exploration. The band makes music. Martin Gore writes lyrics for a reason. There is a surface to be breached.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Inaccurate, shallow and quite boring, August 17, 2001

By 

Dr. Octafakk (Bend, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Depeche Mode: Some Great Reward (Paperback)

I am, since 1984, a big fan of Depeche Mode, and have through the years gained a certain level of knowledge on the subject. After just finishing the book, I cannot see any other reason to buy this book other than the sheer lack of other publications covering their carreer.

This book is full of factual errors, but that could be overlooked if Mr Thompson was'nt so extremely shallow in dealing with the drama that always is omnipresent in a bands career. The author, who has done well on other occasions, often swerves out in the forests of fiction to make things more interesting than they really are, or at least according to information he's granted access to... .

This, and the sometimes hillarious defending of the bands crown as a World-leading act, is too much. I actually was cringing from time to time; I mean: Dave Gahan (singer of the band, former drug addict now gone clean) is in the book to "never had a drug problem". No, I guess he just had some kind of metbolistic disorder.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant catch-up for those lost in the Antipodes!, September 8, 1999

By 

[e-mail] or Caroline Greaves (Ohakea, New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Depeche Mode: Some Great Reward (Paperback)

Lost in the Antipodes, we hardly ever get to hear anything about the great Depeche Mode (save some magazine comments about David Gahan's misfortunes). Given this, it was great to read about the bands beginnings and harrowing to hear of the occasionally tenuous link they have with one another. I have supreme pride that the band I love the most has grown and developed their sound in a way that others can only dream about (and sample!). The age of the book then is a challenge - I want to know what's happening now - and one is also left with the impression that Thompson's contact with DM was limited. I stopped the book rather than finished it (so much more needed to be said!) so I would love to see Thompson follow up with a more detailed (ie: more band input) tome. I'm not surprised all DM fans love the book - this band can do no wrong!