Customer Reviews

The Singles 81-85

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Okay, hear me out on this one. The similarities between the respective evolutions of Pink Floyd and The Mode are downright SCARY. Both sagas begin with brilliant, innovative, utterly original songwriters (Vince Clark/Syd Barrett) whose material (minimalist pop/psychadelic pop) instantly makes their bands top 10 juggernauts. But, after just one album (Speak & Spell/Piper at the Gates of Dawn), these respective geniuses have had enough, and leave for other projects (or just go clinically insane in Syd's case). After the abrupt exit of their respective original frontment, NO ONE gave either DM or Floyd any chance of success. After all, what were they to do without their only songwriter and catalyst??

But no one suspected that two of the most utterly brilliant songwriters and arrangers of their generation were waiting in the wings: Martin L. Gore for DM and Roger Waters for Floyd. At first, however, Gore and Waters had attempted to simply copy the style of their predecessors, thereby coming up with mediocre songs like "See You" and "The Meaning of Love" (not nearly matching the incredible pop appeal of the Clark-penned "Dreaming of Me," "New Life" or "Just Can't Get Enough"). Eventually, however, both songwriters were able to break away from the shadows of those who came before, and each carved their own nitche in music history.

Martin Gore's first great song on his own was the eminently catchy "Everything Counts," a social commentary on business in Britain, similar in subject matter to Pink Floyd's "Animals." Both Gore and Waters have unique writing styles, but fairly similar to each other in their dark content and lush musical backdrop of later albums like Black Celebration and Music for the Masses (and of course Dark Side of the Moon in Waters' case).

Another similarity: Martin Gore and Roger Waters are both incredible songwriters and could conceivably sing their own songs and do so on occasion ("Somebody"), but mostly leave the singing to their sex-appeal drenched lead singers, a pair of Dave G's: Gahan and Gilmour. Do the similarities ever stop???

Also, it should be said that both the Mode and the Floyd did not hit the peak of their commercial success until long after the original frontmen (Clark/Barrett) departed. Also, for some odd reason, stupid critics never really gave either band a chace.

Now, if Vince Clark were to go clinically insane from too many acid trips, and if DM put out an album called "Wish Vince was Here"...now that would REALLY be scary. God, I really hope some of you '80's synth heads have heard of Pink Floyd, or else this review made absolutely no sense to you.

Beth Bessmer's Amazon review is the first one I've ever read that did not feel like it was written by a real scholar of rock music. This one sounds like it was written by someone who can't like a song if it doesn't have a guitar solo. All her premises are just wrong. Catching Up was an American release, Singles 81-85 British. Catching Up was just what it says--an opportunity for Americans to catch up with them. And the Men from Mode's sense of HUMOR is completely lost on Bessmer. They included negative reviews of their songs because they were _funny,_ not to fend off the specter of "where are they now." Bessmer talks about this compilation like it came out last year--it came out in '85! How could they be lamenting their obscurity at the height of their popularity? Depeche Mode only sounds "dated" to someone who thinks Mtv "alternative" grunge music is timeless. Depeche Mode wasn't "a" synth band, they were THE synth band, and their music from '81 to '85 is still better than about anything made in the last 10 years. 4 stars because this isn't the place to start with DM. Their albums are always better than their singles. Start with Some Great Reward.

This is probably Depeche Mode's most consistent album, which should come as no surprise since the band's early albums contained a lot of filler. While this album is similar in content to Catching Up with Depeche Mode, it adds a few essential singles that were omitted from that US only compilation (the fantastic "Get the Balance Right," "Everything Counts," "Leave in Silence," and "People Are People") and deletes a couple of relatively poor tracks ("Flexible" and "Fly on the Windscreen," which sounded more at home on Black Celebration). Also, it contains an early mix of Speak & Spell's finest track, "Photographic," that is significantly more spirited but just as enjoyable as the album version. I normally don't recommend greatest hits packages, but The Singles contains nearly every essential song from Depeche Mode's early cannon. As a bonus, the CD's liner notes include some (occasionally) hilarious old review snippets for each song. Get this and add Black Celebration, the uneven but historically noteworthy Music for the Masses, and Violator for a fairly comprehensive collection of the most important synthesizer pop band of the 80s.

The above editorial review states:
"All the songs are digitally remastered, but how much does digital enhancement really do to improve the sound of early-'80s synth-pop, which is so dated? Not much."

I completely disagree! It's not a matter of the music sounding dated. It's a matter of the actual sound of the music, which has been improved hugely! I've been doing an A/B comparison between the 2006 'The Best Of - Vol 1' Depeche Mode release and this 1998 'Singles 81>85', and the differences are clear. One would think that the 2006 version would sound better since it was released nearly 8 years after the 1998 version. This, however, is not the case at all. The 1998 disc sounds much better than the 2006 disc. That's not to say that the 2006 disc sounds bad. It just isn't up to the 1998 standards.

The differences are simply the result of the mastering engineers. Simon Heyworth mastered the 2006 best of, whereas Mike Marsh and Roland Brown got it right the first time in 1998 on this compilation. Heyworth's mastering seems to be restrained, sticking closely to the original mastering from the 80s without giving the tracks the extra punch and depth as heard in recent masters. The Marsh/Brown collaboration, on the other hand, gives the tracks bass and fullness, making them sound heavy.

With an excellent digital remastering and a solid tracklisting, 'Singles 81>85' is an essential part of any DM fan collection.

Depeche Mode is one of my favorite bands; I don't think I've even gone a full week without listening to VIOLATOR or SONGS OF FAITH AND DEVOTION since acquiring them. They're interesting, creative, philosophical and experimental -- everything I look for in worthwhile music.

Yes, of course, the technology of 81>85 was primitive and today sounds rather cheesy, but other bands (Duran Duran comes to mind) managed to combine synth sounds with excellent songwriting that enhanced the range of New Wave, instead of displaying their synthesizers' limitations.

However, as far as I'm concerned, the DM that began to emerge with SOME GREAT REWARD bears little or no resemblance to the DM of "Just Can't Get Enough", or (God forbid!) "Dreaming of Me". Vince Clarke definitely could write a catchy pop song, but nothing is more annoying than a "catchy pop song". Clarke's departure after SPEAK & SPELL cleared the way for Martin Gore to emerge as one of the premier composers of our times -- it took him a few years to develop, and even SGR is evidence of a work-in-progress. By the time MUSIC FOR THE MASSES came out, the band's transformation was complete.

On the other hand, this album takes you through a whirlwind tour of tremendous growth of talent and message by Martin, Dave, Andy and Alan.

The album's beginning, the annoying teenybop/pop of "Dreaming of Me", "New Life", "Just Can't Get Enough" and "See You" (it's hard to believe it's Dave Gahan's voice on these tracks!) only makes the album's closing tracks that much better.

"Shake the Disease" and "It's Called a Heart" (neither of which were released on albums) are truly fine songs that I hadn't had the privilege to experience until I bought this CD. In particular, I'd recommend purchase of this CD just for "Shake the Disease" alone if it weren't also available as a CD-single.

I rate this album only three stars because it pales in comparison to their later work; but for those interested in history of their favorite bands, it represents a special treat.

Also: I strongly recommend Dave Thompson's book DEPECHE MODE: SOME GREAT REWARD (which I bought here at Amazon.com). Truly enhances the musical experience.

Although I'm partial to the albums starting with "Black Celebration" (best overall DM album) and later, this is still a great collection. The people who are saying they love this album because they love Vince Clarke are a little misled, because he was only involved with DM in the debut "Speak and Spell" album, i.e. only the first three songs (+ "Just Can't Get Enough - Remix) if I'm not mistaken. Everything after, so about 13 songs, is either Martin Gore, or Martin Gore and Alan Wilder doing the bulk of the song creation. The first half of the album is strictly retro goodness, with Martin Gore still paying some tribute to the more upbeat melodies of Clarke. By the second half of the album we have the beginnings of DM hitting their stride, most notably with the songs from "Some Great Reward". 5 stars for this great CD.

*Best Song: Shake the Disease

Seriously, this (re-released and re-mastered) compilation of DM's early singles is every synthlover's dream. Contrary to Beth Bessemer and her utterly subjective and baseless objections to this collection of tracks, I find it appealing and startlingly new. "Dated," indeed! It all sounds fresh to these ears that are so jaded and numbed to the constant barrage of derivative and monotonous hip-hop and "alt"-pop that's been spewing forth from so-called "artists" these past few years! Filled with hooky melodies and often witty lyrics, many of these songs are sure to delight anyone with an ear for the '80s--or good music, for that matter. My mother, who absolutely hates most '80s pop that's even a little strange, actually warmed up to "Everything Counts" and "Somebody"--with good reason! There are so many classic songs found here aside from "People Are People," which almost everyone has heard: my favourites include "Get the Balance Right," "Love, In Itself," "See You," and "Shake the Disease." Strangely enough, I had purchased all the albums *before* I bought the singles, and I was instantly amazed with the clarity and beauty of the re-mastering. If any of you have any of the old albums and aren't sure whether to buy or forego the singles, I say, "Buy!" The sound is that good. Some of the single cuts are even BETTER than the album versions ("See You" and "Leave in Silence"), and the bonus tracks are rather neat, especially the mix of "Photographic." If you're a DM fan and don't have this yet, be sure to shake the disease and go out and buy this here at Amazon (who can beat this LOW price?) or at your local record store. I hope I haven't sounded like some corny Home Shopping Network person, but I can't help but be enthused over this collection--I just can't get enough!

This c.d. is just so interesting as it charters the progress Depeche Mode made from being a much maligned group to one that begun to gain respect from the music media.They started off using Vince Clarke as the main writer.His style of music was very poppy,full of silly lyrics from love sick teens-it was all so cheesy almost Euro Pop.He left them after one album to go on to form Yazoo and then Erasure-and 10 years later his music barely changed.Still though he did manage to pen one of Depeche Modes biggest British hits "I Just Can't Get Enough"-it's a song that makes me cringe now though.Martin Gore soon took over for their fine and much underrated 2nd album A Broken Frame.The sound hadn't changed a great deal,but at least the melodies showed a greater degree of sophistication.Lyrically it was maybe even worse-just listen to the twee words of "See You" or "Meaning Of Love" and you'll know what I mean.Lyrically there was a huge shift by the time their third album came along-now they were a band with a politcal and social conscience-albeit a very left wing one.They began to experiment with a denser more industrial sound noticeable on tracks like Love In Itself and another huge hit Everything Counts.The biggest transformation came with their next album Some Great Reward-which is probably their most consistent album yet-no bad tracks what so ever.Suddenly they seemed to have grown up big time.They began to show their darker side on all fronts.The sounds became less poppy and more alternative.They no longer embraced simple drum machines and several synths playing different sounds and experimented with a far more industrial sound where they must have been influenced by Cabaret Voltaire,etc.That c.d. features 4 tracks from this album from the sound of metal clanging on "People Are People" and it ends with the first hit sung by Martin Gore,the low-key piano only track "Somebody".It also features "Blasphemous Rumours" which encapsulates the two sides of D. Mode-dark alternative sounds of the verses giving way to the killer hooks of the chorus.One of the main reasons for buying this c.d. is that it includes 4 tracks that didn't feature on any original releases-their forgettable 1st single,the excellent Get The Balance Right.But even more interesting then this and a perfect lead into their later stuff is the inclusion of It's Called A Heart and the really dark Shake The Disease-you could see where the next album Black Celebration got it's origins.One of the things I love about the c.d. is the inner sleeve.It includes several hilarious harsh quotes of each tracks review from the music press-who really hated them at the time.They really had to develop a thick skin during this period as what's written would make most people want to retire immediately.I like it also cos it shows that despite having pretty dreary themes in their songs it showed they also possess a wicked sense of humour!

Depeche Mode's "Singles 81 - 85 was the first Depeche Cd I've ever bought. The first reason I got it was because I heard the track "Just can't get enough" after that I was hooked. I was probably thinking there were a few good songs on the album. But I was definetly Impressed. Every single song is good. Some of the first songs which are the earlier Depeche Mode songs are really beaty and Poppy, Which is good music to dance too. As more tracks pass, The music becomes more depressing and more mature. Its an amazing way to start and end a cd. Theres loads of variety. Plus the cd comes with a booklet which tells some interesting info on the song, when it was realeased, What people think of it and how high did it go on the chart. This Cd is a must buy.

The beginning of Mode's years was kind of interesting. The periods done in each of these tracks are all notable. There's the Vince Clarke stuff, when Gore took the lead songwriting role, and the time Alan Wilder stepped in. Also interesting is the liner notes, which contain one negative and one positive review for each (well, almost) of the singles. There are some classics here: "Everything Counts" is still one of DM's greatest songs, a beautiful, yet moving track.

"People Are People" was made to be a hit, and even broke them through stateside. In spite what the band may say, it's a wonderful track. "New Life" and "Just Can't Get Enough" are as well, and you get a short introduction to Gore's dark lyrics in "Master and Servant" and "Blasphemous Rumors." Also, a track like "Love, In Itself" shows the group making some pretty unique tracks. Even nearly 25 years later, it sounds like nothing else. I like the samples used on there. Also, the version of "Photographic" here is, in my opinion, even better than the version on "Speak & Spell." You even get a preview at the beginning of tracks with Martin Gore in lead vocals ("Somebody"), although not many singles after would feature him. It's worth owning to hear the two non-album tracks, "Shake the Disease" and "It's Called a Heart."

Of course, there's also a few low spots. "See You" may have been a hit but hasn't aged well and is hookless really. "The Meaning of Love" is kind of a mediocre attempt at re-creating a "Speak" track. The debut "Dreaming of Me" is okay, but really, DM had a lot better after that one.

All in all, this is an interesting look at one of my all-time favorite groups. Yes, the later one is better ("The Singles 86>98"), but that's also because almost every song there is absolutely wonderful, but this shows who Depeche are at least as much as later stuff. That's the great thing about them: The singles collections show who they are equally as much as the albums do.