Customer Reviews

For The Masses: An Album of Depeche Mode Songs

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Depeche Mode aren't usually a band you see or hear much glorification about. But a career that has lasted almost 20 years speaks for itself, as the contributers to this tribute album certainly know. Having survived critical indifference (until Violator shut the critics up, then made them talk in 1990), numerous band member desertions and clinical death in the case of the magnificently gaunt frontman Dave Gahan, it's a small wonder Depeche Mode are still here. So it's pleasing to see that this tribute album doesn't just go for the well known tracks (thank God nobody's tried to improve upon Personal Jesus), but includes some choice cuts from their extensive back catalogue. Highlights of which are Gus Gus's "Monument", a darker version than DM's and in my opinion the better for it; Rabbit In The Moon's version of "Waiting for the Night" is pure delight, updating the trancey 1990 dark synth-pop to late 90's breakbeat, with heartbreaking vocals easily rivaling Martin Gore. The best track for me is God Lives Underwater's reworking of "Fly on the Windscreen", giving the track a harder, more rock edge compared to it's former keyboard-led incarnation. Surprisingly the tracks that let this album down are the ones covered by the more well known bands. Smashing Pumpkins version of "Never Let Me Down" is, frankly, at best a soothing mediocre pastiche, and at worst a lifeless stroll through the motions. Apollo Four-forty's rehash of "I Feel You" lacks the relentless pounding rhythm and intense vocal performance of the original, and surprisingly none of the tongue-in-cheek humour of Apollo Four-forty's other work shines through in this either. I can't decide whether Rammstein's version of "Stripped" is merely naively hysterical or plain trash- I just know it's stripped the original version of all it's sinister subtlety and replaced it with harsh grinding metal. Many of the tracks however have managed to encapsulate, if not emulate the sense of humour and spirit of experimentation in all of Depeche Modes work; Hooverphonic's "Shake The Disease" and Locust's "Master and Servant" are good examples. I'm not sure whether this is an album for hardcore Depeche Mode fans: you may not appreciate the different takes on your favourite songs. But for alternative music fans it is a must, if only for the sheer breadth of style represented here by artists such as The Cure, Monster Magnet and Meat Beat Manifesto.

This CD is great! We have some great bands like `The Smashing Pumpkins' and `The Cure'. But in my opinion the best tracks comes from `Gus Gus' and `Rabbit In The Moon'. All bands made personal versions to DM songs, so many fans will not like. Just for people with open minds.

I loved this tribute CD. A friend recorded it to me on a tape so i could listen to it and it was great: the old songs (let's be sincere: some of the first records are starting to show their age) were completely renewed, recycled, and polished. And that's the fun of a tribute CD: the songs aren't the original ones. You are listening to Smashing Pumpkins, but they aren't the Smashing Pumpkins anymore, neither it is a DM song. It is something completely new, fresh, and at the same time, well known for all of us DM fans. Some of the songs are better than others, but well, that's the way it is. I would have liked to see more known artists (how about pet shop boys ? or Duran Duran ? or Orbital ? or NIN ? well, maybe the next time).- FIVE STARS !

At first I didn't know what to expect when the Deftones and Rammstein remade the overtly moody and quieter Depeche Mode songs. However, as I listened to the CD, I began to realize how great it truly was. The Smashing Pumpkins do a good cover, and so do Veruca Salt, Failure, and the Deftones. However, in a true surprise, (and contrary to what most of the other reviews say), I think that Rammstein's version of Stripped is by far the best song on the album and works surprisingly well in the context........

This tribute must have been so much fun to do for the many bands contributing...think of the original material they had to choose from! The Cure doing Depeche Mode!?! What a concept--they do it brilliantly. Self's version of "Shame" is particularly wonderful and more than worthy of airplay, as are many of the other tracks. Only a couple of true disappointments, including Veruca Salt's sleepy and dismal version of the great "Somebody" and Monster Magnet's off-key and cheesy "Black Celebration." In spite of these, this CD rocks, and will please true DM fans and casual listeners alike!

If this review gets printed, it'll be on top of a number of negative responses. If you're a Depech Mode fan, you may not enjoy this cd. Unlike other "tributes", these artists aren't devoted to slavishly reproducing the exact same song that they're supposed to be praising, with all the artistry of Memorex. This album is daring, a kaleidoscope of sound. From the death metal of Rammstein to the techno-goofyness of Self to the pop sounds of Dishwalla and the tender voices of Veruca Salt, there's something different around every corner. This album isn't for everyone. It's just for people who love all kinds of music. Don't let others dictate your taste. Check it out for yourself.

Fantastic album, taking the brilliant old DM melodies into contenporary musical styles. Uncovering and building further on the DM mystery.

Rock and alternative artists too numerous to name have seen their music twisted and remade into unrecognizable (and to some fans unlistenable) form. Admittedly, in some cases a remake can take a song in a subtle or even improved direction. On their THANK YOU collection Duran Duran cover a number of artists and offer an excellent take on 'Perfect Day' that Lou Reed later acknowledged was performed the way he "always wanted to sing it."

FOR THE MASSES (in 1998, at least the sixth Depeche Mode tribute in as many years,) features a plethora of artists, though with such a variety of styles the collection seems disjointed at best. Meat Beat Manifesto offers a (too) faithful reconstruction of 'Everything Counts. Other highlights include a hilarious remake of 'Stripped', and The Cure with a unique slant on 'World In My Eyes'.

Just as recent years have shown a trend in the recycling of old cartoons or re-making films, so have we seen a trend in the recycling of music. A proliferation of trance remakes and tribute collections suggests a more commercial approach to music: making what will sell on the merits of what has already proved influential or popular.

However, the group Bauhaus chose their name from the German school of art, loosely defined 'Art for the sake of art's survival'. They realized the importance of creating music that comes from the heart (as David J proves with his l.p. ETIQUETTE OF VIOLENCE). Perhaps they had the right idea; what we need to see is not reconstituted material, but a return to creating music that comes from the heart. 5/1999

In two words: IT BAD. The ONLY song on here (besides maybe Rabbit-in-the-Moon doing "Waiting For The Night to Fall") that kicks EXTREME BUTT is Rammstein covering "Stripped." You might as well buy that CD single, though, and forget this shameless piece of garbage.

The mark of a truly great album[especially a compilation/tribute]is built of two independent, yet mutually interdependent players. One, it grows on you~it takes you by suprise and then wows you with subtelty[the master]. Two, the artists open themselves up, just as the original musiscians did (which presumably is what makes a band worth covering)[the servant]. This suprise sleeper is a tribute in the purest sense to an immensly influential visionary band, while also exposing the listener to the flexibility of ambient sound. ENJOY!