First time I heard the original from Construction Time Again, I was mesmerized by the last part of the song. It seemed so otherworldly, so moody, atmospheric, beautiful and perfect. I knew I liked Depeche Mode at the time, but I didn't realize that the reason I was so into them was in large part to the brilliance of Alan Wilder. After he departed, I somewhat lost my interest in the band... although I love the stuff between 83-90 (and I actually like "Monument" from A Broken Frame).
I don't think I've listened to DM much in the past 5 years, but I revisited my collection about a month ago and it just dawned on me how much of an influence they had on my life, and views on music.
I really discovered them when I was 12. I saw the video for "Never Let Me Down Again" on Thanksgiving Day while I was waiting to eat some turkey. I had heard of Depeche Mode, but this was the first time I actually heard the music and saw the band. What's interesting is that MTV actually played the video during the day. I think that's the last time I saw one of their videos get daytime play until Enjoy The Silence came out.
I didn't know what to think of it. I was still a kid and at the time, the kind of music videos I was used to were all of these horrible hair metal bands, pop ballads and really sterile music that ranged from Rick Astley, Poison, Phil Collins, etc...
First of all, the video was completely different from anything I had seen. It was very unusual, and it really was my introduction to alternative culture. Something about the song made me take notice and the video was so different that I was intrigued. A friend of mine made me a copy of Music For The Masses and I was hooked. I listened to that taped copy everyday, on repeat for months on end. I didn't know music like that existed. It was so alien to me, so unique from the typical radio garbage I was used to. Even though Human League and Eurythmics had used synths to produce some radio hits, Depeche Mode sounded like they were in a league of their own.
I was intrigued by their melodies, their unique chord progressions and how the sounds and layers created a certain mood to their music. To my very young ears, they were the pinnacle of what a band should be. Prior to discovering them, I was listening to classic rock. My favorite band was The Beatles and the only contemporary band I liked was U2.
Back then, if you were 12 and were into a band like Depeche Mode, you were in a very small circle, one that was a little on the outcast side of things, but also more interesting than your typical kid. I didn't know anything about the band, except for Music For The Masses, I had no idea of their history.
Because I loved MFTM so much, I bought the first two albums (thinking they had to be just as good) and took them back immediately. They sounded so different, so poppy and dare I say, cheesy. The next album I got was 101 and I based my next record purchases after the songs on that tape. So I got Catching Up With Depeche Mode, Black Celebration, and Some Great Reward.
I was eagerly anticipating Violator b/c by that time, I was a full blown fan. I didn't like Catching Up or Some Great Reward as much as I liked Black Celebration and Music For The Masses. What I liked was the mood and atmospherics of the songs. By that time, I had gotten into other electronic bands like Front 242, Nitzer Ebb, Poise Noire, Front Line Assembly and although the music was interesting, it wasn't as "good" as Depeche Mode.
We all know what happened after Violator. They blew up and suddenly, they masses were listening to them. It felt a little weird b/c they seemed like a cult band that only "real" fans knew. I mean we listenened to the songs over and over again, analyzed the lyrics, knew the words by heart, had our own personal favorites and suddenly, the same person that is listening to Paula Abdul and Milli Vanilli is listening to Violator. It felt like the bubble had burst, I mean we were the "real" fans ;-) I'm sure that the fans who were listening to them since Speak and Spell probably felt the exact same way about me ("I was into them when they weren't even playing any of their videos, except for dance clubs!").
The last time I saw Depeche Mode live, they had a live drummer and another keyboard player and Dave sang all American like. I like the 3 synths, no drummer DM the best.
Construction Time Again was actually the last DM album I got because I was put off by those early records. I finally heard it and realized how good it was and how far ahead of it's time it is. The real reason I bought it was for "The Landscape Is Changing". It was a song I wasn't familiar with, but again, the mood and melody that I love about DM was in that song. It was no surprise that it was written by Alan Wilder.
After Wilder left the band, I feel like they lost their soul. Martin writes the songs, Dave's the front man, Fletch... what the fuck does he do anyway? I mean I knew he and Vince started the band and that he played on the early records but I have no idea what his role in the band is musically.
Anyway, I realized what many already knew, that the reason DM was so good was because of Wilder's input. I think he's the one responsible for the sound and texture of all those songs I liked. I hardly prefer the obvious hits, I liked the darker album cuts myself.
Over time, I can honestly say that "The Landscape Is Changing" is my favorite track, especially because of the last minute of the song. Seriously, there is something so hypnotic and powerful about that last section, I always wanted to do a re-edit of it.
To my surprise, someone else had the exact same idea and actually did it. I must say that I didn't know how good this remix was going to be, but when I heard the gradual build up of the closing section of the song as the intro, I was happily surprised. Rabid DM fans agree that this remix knocked it out the park.