Customer Reviews

Some Great Reward

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

'some great reward' is perhaps depeche mode's funniest album title. as the band inched closer and closer to the global domination that would one day be theirs, one can help but wonder if a be-skirted martin looked at sun-in'd-bangs dave and said, 'is this all we get?' or maybe it's the bands nod to its increasing fanbase, or a middle-finger to those who thought there were going to get another mildly poppy, pleasant, inoffensive DM album (though it started with 'construction time again, let's face it, this was the death knell of the 'photograph of you,' 'see you,' 'new life,' 'just can't get enough' dm brand of music).

no, no, dear friends, this wasn't your daddy's dm. suddenly martin was clad in s&m gear, handcuffs, leather (or was it pleather?), dave put a little sun-in in his hair, alan was a full-feldged member, and fletch, well, he was fletch (pushing his mic back and forth on stage and little else). 'some great reward,' i believe, was the blueprint for albums like 'pretty hate machine,' everything nitzer ebb did do, front 242 would do, and spawned a generation of knock offs (red flag, seven red seven, cause and effect). 'industrial' music? it started with 'some great reward.'

'some great reward' is the album that came to define the depeche mode *sound.* it's cold and detached, it's pervy undertones bubbling just below the surface. from the get-go 'some great reward' sounds like an album recorded squarely under the fist of the iron curtain. 'something to do' sounds like heavy machinery dropped off a 100ft ledge--agressive and relentless. 'lie to me' and 'if you want' drip in ambiguous sexuality. of course there's 'master and servant' and it's fairly blatant s&m references and 'blasphemous rumors' in which martin (?) questions God's role in every day life. i'll forgive martin for 'somebody'--a song so sweet it should by right come packaged with a tube of toothpaste and mouthwash.

'some great reward' pointed DM in a new direction they would later build on with 'black celebration,' 'music for the masses,' and culminate with 'violator.' in this regard it serves as an important stepping stone in the band's evolution--it was a precursor to the defining DM sound. perhaps that reason alone is enough to merit buying this album. and if that reason's not enough, it's still got some KILLER songs, truly memorable singles, and just enough dark matter to keep the trenchcoat kids and enough catchy melodies and verses to keep the preppy polo-wearing goofs happy.

This is one of my favorite DM albums. The other reviewers cover it pretty well, but I have to put my 2¢ in about one thing. "If You Want" is not a filler song. In fact, it is my favorite off this album. The vocals, the lyrics, the synth...it captured me from the first time i listened to it. Granted that was 15 years ago, but I still love it. The band remixed just about every other song they ever made, why they passed this one by is a mystery to me. I'd be curious to see if other DM fans feel the same way. I have all their albums and 99% of everything else, including their 3 boxed sets of singles so i think I know what I'm talking about.
If you are new to Depeche Mode, start of with the single collections or greatest hits CD. If you are a fan and don't own this album, get it. It is one of their best.

Beth Bessmer completely misses the Blasphemous Rumours message by focussing on the anger instead of the question/message in the song. It is not anti-religious, but the age-old search for meaning. A girl spends time wasting her life away and tries to commit suicide, then finds the "right" path, becomes a devout Christian, and is promptly killed in a car accident. Martin throws out the question in anger as to why life happens this way, and feels he has the right to be pssd off.

The album is brittle and dark during the majesty of Stories of Old and Lie to Me, but gets loud and in-your face in People are People and Master and Servant. Blasphemous Rumours conveys anger and confusion; It Doesn't Matter and If You Want depict a sense of hope within hopelessness, while Somebody finds DM in the throngs of a powerful, self-effacing ballad

Overall the album winds it's way through it's self-titled theme, "The world we live in and life in general", and it does so very well and completely apart from anything else out there. In 1984, nobody was doing this stuff the way DM did, if at all, and Some Great Reward personifies their iconoclastic character.

Lie to Me and Stories of Old spearhead DM's direction forward from this album. This is a must have for any DM fan, or anyone looking for something different and pioneering.

Depeche Mode solidified synth pop as the other way to express unhappiness in the 80's if you didn't have the anger to go punk. With Vince Clarke and "Dreaming of Me" out of the way, it was time for more mature songwriting.

Martin Gore stretched his creative muscles in the variety of the songs on "Reward." He's also a better singer than David Gahan. It's easiest just to itemize how they sound; I'll quit trying to be Kurt Loder.

*Something To Do - upbeat, danceable working-class lament
*Lie To Me - mid-tempo love song for cynics
*People Are People - danceable, overplayed peace anthem
*It Doesn't Matter - no beat; "I know somewhere / you are
dreaming / though it's definitely not of me"
*Stories of Old - mid-tempo filler
*Somebody - haunting piano and voice; a self-loathing lonely
heart
*Master and Servant - good dance song; as close as DM ever
got to being "bad boys"
*If You Want - the other filler track; interesting vocal
melody
*Blasphemous Rumours - deceptively easy on the ears; a
chilling tale of a young life lost

"Blasphemous Rumours" slips the knife in gently like The Smiths often did. The "last breath" ending makes my blood run cold every time.

"Some Great Reward" is a must-have if you're a fan. It's a good warm-up to the darker, more critically praised "Black Celebration."

Although this is my 2d fav album of DM, I love it and every once in a while pop into my CD player in the car and jam to it. It amazes me how I've never heard "Lie to Me" anywhere other than when I play it. For me, it's one of their best songs ever. The musical composition is almost perfect. The lyrics, as usual, are deep and mesmerizing.
"Lie to Me" is one of my fav DM songs ever and probably the most underrated song DM has ever made.

The first three DM albums are okay, but most of the time from here on, works put in perspective the band's actual potential. The debut was fun and catchy even if silly, "Broken Frame" was kind of unfocused but had a couple of highlights, and "Construction Time"'s singles were classics but otherwise was mostly undistinguishable.

23 years later, people can probably still identify with "Some Great Reward." Why is this? Not only is this a classic example of a well-done industrial-pop Mode album, the lyrics are simple and are easy to relate to. In fact, the amazing middle of the record has its trilogy of relationship songs in "It Doesn't Matter," "Stories of Old," and "Somebody." 2 of the 3 selections are sung by Martin. "IDM" is an awesome dreamy song, in a way unlike anything I've even heard from this band since. It's about appreciating the time they have, even if they know it may not last forever. And there's a cynical view on commitment and compromise in relationships on "Stories of Old," possibly my favorite from the record. "Somebody" is one of the more famous tracks from the album, and is well-executed, along with some kind of interesting samples in the mix. It is a beautiful soul-searching track.

That doesn't mean the other 6 songs aren't any good; they are. And perhaps more than that. The weakest cut, by default, is "Lie to Me," and I enjoy that one, as that even has lyrics someone can relate to. Experiences have a lasting impression, and I'm sure we've been around those. The album has an awesome opener with "Something to Do," one of the most stadium-ready songs of DM's early career. The record also has the band's breakthrough hit "People Are People." The band may not like it and the lyrics may be trite, but what's amazing is that several bands today are still covering the song. The clinging pipes on the song totally grab the listener's attention. It was a hit that was meant to happen.

Then there's the awesome Wilder composition "If You Want." The track is electronic and somewhat space-y. The lyrics are simple yet catchy and it makes a nice addition to the album, in between the somewhat shocking (at the time, at least) "Master and Servant" and "Blasphemous Rumors." "Master" starts with a trade-off a cappella with Martin and Dave saying "it's a lot," ending it with "like life." It's a dark song for sure, the first time masochism would be themed in DM songs, and Martin would go to write several more tracks of the theme. Then there's teenage angst and irony in "Blasphemous Rumors," which has kind of interesting samples and electronics. I don't really think it's intended as an anti-religious song so much as it is a track of tragedy, like how everything that can go wrong with someone ends up going wrong. Still, an enjoyable track.

There are no negative reviews for this record and the people who do in the future are probably just trying anyway. This began DM's cult success of the mid-'80's, and rightfully so. Totatlly worth the cheap price, or if you want the re-mastered sound, you could go for the CD/DVD version.

The Amazon reviewer seems to be reviewing this album after the fact. Yes, relative to how everyone sees things today some of Depeche Mode's songs are eyerollers. I will argue that when this and other DM albums came out they meant quite a bit to me. Quite a bit. If you are interested in DM this is a great CD to get although I would argue that Construction Time Again was the launch of the post Vince Clark era. Their most commercial and viable album songwriting-wise is Violator, which I also really like. The thing is each album is a step, if you enjoy the journey of Depeche Mode you'll like each one for different reasons. They aren't the best or the worst but they are on my list and that's what I care about.

"Some Great Reward", Depeche Mode's 1985 release, finds the groundbreaking quartet continuing in the direction they began with "Construction Time Again", their previous offering. The direction is distinctly dystopian, and the songs often offer bitter humor and hedonism as the only comfort in a disconnected post-industrial world. Opening with a hymn to boredom, "Something To Do", "Some Great Reward" displays from the get go a more aggressive sound than on "Construction", and Alan Wilder's influence is more pronounced and assured. "Lie To Me" continues the cynical journey as David Gahan intones "Come on and lay with me/come on and lie to me"; again alienation and pleasure co-existing. This theme predominates "Some Great Reward" and creates a landscape grim but oddly seductive. "People Are People" is up next, which turns the mood to sad resignation. It became a breakthrough song for the band, and showcases the splendidly evolving industrial undercurrents of sound; rattles, metallic shimmers etc. that are the hallmark of this album. There are two outright love songs on "Some Great Reward", the first being "It Doesn't Matter" which is an oddly touching paeon to non-commital love i.e. "I know somewhere you are dreaming/but it's definitely not of me." The tune is lovely and the scoring spare and undulating. The second is the more well-known "Somebody", a well-loved, more straightforward ballad whose lyrics only veer from treacly by virtue of the wink and nod line at the end: "Things like this make me sick/in a case like this I'll get away with it". The two least known tunes on "Some Great Reward" are "Stories of Old" and "If You Want". and they prove what a strong effort the album is. They are not at all throw aways; "Stories of Old" is erotic and musically inventive, while "If You Want" is Alan Wilder's almost middle eastern techno romp. "Master and Servant" is another DM concert and club staple, extolling the virtues of S&M. It is the most evocative of the era, and so perhaps the most dated. Not so with the magnificently dark closer, "Blasphemous Rumours", which still sounds fresh and sinister. The machine sounds still conjure an ominous creepiness, and the lyrics, though a bit overwrought, still work the nerves, and have a caustic wit. It brilliantly ends "Some Great Reward" in tone, and seemlessly sets up Depeche Mode's next, even darker release, 1986's "Black Celebration". If you're unfamiliar with pre-"Violator" Depeche Mode, do yourself a favor and pick up all four mid-80's masterworks by a band that defies comparison. They mark a creative pinnacle achieved by a very few.

I think this album is one of DM's finest. It has many strong melody lines and awesome lyrics, most by M.L. Gore. He's a genius... anyway, I'll roll off the tracks for you, and give my own personal rating for each.
1.Something To Do - This song talks about boredom, and ironically is a great cure for boredom. I say bravo, 5/5.
2.Lie To Me - A great song, perhaps the strongest on the album. It has a great percussion and bass line, and classic DM lyrics by Gahan. I say 5/5.
3.People Are People - The first American single. Nothing else to say except that it could be less preachy, but it has a good percussion line. I say 4/5.
4.It Doesn't Matter - Martin, you've done it again. This song is poetic, has great synthesized background music, and much more. I say 4/5.
5.Stories of Old - This is a rocker! It seems to be kind of like "Master and Servant" in structure (maybe that's why I like it), and great lyrics by Gahan. I say 5/5.
6.Somebody - Another piece of slow poetry by Gore, and while it may be a bit naive, it holds together with good sound effects. I say 4/5.
7.Master and Servant - A song that is perhaps against indentured service? Message aside, this song is also classic DM. The high vocals by Gore: "It's a lot!" Gahan:"Like life." I say 5/5.
8.If You Want - Maybe Wilder should step aside and just let Gore write... I say 3/5.
9.Blasphemous Rumours - I wonder why this song wasn't saved for "Black Celebration." Anyway, a gloomy angst song about teenage suicide, but a really good percussion line. I say 4/5.

Well, that about sums it up: 39/45. Still a great album to own and get it now!

This will be the fourth purchase of this ablum over a 20 year time frame. I still have the lp vinyl, just wore out my 18 year old cd, and picked up the two disc cd/dvd version when I started to look for a replacement. I couldn't find this single cd version in the store at the time I wanted it, and really wanted the one disc version to replace the original CD I had to replace. You'll learn all the words, and it is a good combination of young Depeche Mode and an introduction to older Depeche Mode. All though People Are People was the first song from this album I heard on WLIR on the radio years 20 years ago and ran out to get the ablum, over the years, my favorites have changed to Stories of Old as my favorite song on the album, with Lie to Me, Blasphemous Rumors and Master and Servant as my next favorites. Get this one, you'll love it!

Something to Do-cute and catchy

Lie to Me-great song

People Are People-meaningful, first song I hear from them on this albu

It's Doesn't Matter-slow and realistic

Stories of Old-my favorite on the album

Somebody-slow and senual

Master and Servant-very sexy. This song is perfect. After 20 years, I still listen to this song and laugh like the first time I heard it.

If You Want -catchy

Blasphemous Rumors-very sadistic and dark