💯🖕 1001 Albums: DiS - Day 22: Music for the Masses by Depeche Mode

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0 voters

Best track:

  • Never Let Me Down Again
  • The Things You Said
  • Stangelove
  • Sacred
  • Little 15
  • Behind the Wheel
  • I Want You Now
  • To Have and to Hold
  • Nothing
  • Pimpf
  • Agent Orange

0 voters

DiS’s 1001 so far:

9.17 | Station to Station / David Bowie
8.92 | Daydream Nation / Sonic Youth
8.86 | Berlin / Lou Reed
8.63 | Maggot Brain / Funkadelic
8.59 | Dry / PJ Harvey
8.06 | Bandwagonesque / Teenage Fanclub
8.00 | Back at the Chicken Shack / Jimmy Smith
7.65 | The Infotainment Scan / The Fall
7.60 | Psalm 69 / Ministry
7.45 | Liege and Lief / Fairport Convention
7.00 | Licensed to Ill / Beastie Boys
6.93 | Ray of Light / Madonna
6.50 | Eternally Yours / The Saints
6.24 | The Slider / T. Rex
6.00 | Piper at the Gates of Dawn / Pink Floyd
5.90 | Very / Pet Shop Boys
5.80 | The Adventures of Baaba Male / Djam Leelii
5.75 | California Dreamin’ / The Mamas and The Papas
2.33 | Pictures at an Exhibition / Emerson Lake & Palmer
-.— | Vulgar Display of Power / Pantera

Sorry it’s late – I’m not working today and I’ve watched two films!

I used to be a huge Depeche Mode fan and had everything they had released, and went to see them at some big outdoor thing in London with Sisters of Mercy supporting (very unwillingly). This was prime Jesus phase with Songs of Faith and Devotion.

But then they sort of dropped off the radar, and as I’ve got older I’ve found their lyrics embarrassing and their po-faced stern delivery a bit depressing. I can’t listen to most of their albums. But they are borderline a self-parody and have absolutely no idea about how ludicrous they are.

However, I think Violator is still an excellent album, and this is probably their 2nd best. It’s probably the only one I could think of revisiting really. I’ve gone for an 8 but honestly not heard it in a long time. I might have to correct that at some point.

It’s a 7 for me. Not up to the heights of the more Wilder-ian Violator or Songs Of Faith and Devotion but pretty strong. I recently managed to pick up both of the 3 disc Remix collections so I’m interested to see how other artists interpret these songs that straddle the knife delicately between synth-pop and art rock.

9 it’s not their best album but it’s still amazing.

1 Like

Think MFTM is the weakest of the run that starts with Black Celebration and ends with SOFAD. Feels like the rough edges of BC have been smoothed down a bit too much and the tunes aren’t quite strong enough.

Can’t sit through this album from start to finish but ‘Never Let Me Down’ is arguably their best song. 6/10