This is the official Depeche Mode album by album, song by song discussion thread. We'll start with Speak & Spell's New Life, of course, but not right now. Need more folks to come in first. Hope it'll be fun
Sounds ambitious but hey... we pulled it off successfully for Duran Duran! Lost our host on the way but had some amazing discussions. I might contribute occasionally, I'm not that passionate about DM.....
I'm glad I can participate in one of these threads instead of just reading them. I only care about pre-86 DM, so I might not stay until the end...
I'm in. Stuck with them all these years...I have to admit that my ratings will start to go down post Ultra when the riffs and melodies dry up.
I’m definitely in. One of my all-time favorites and I’m borderline psycho-obsessive about the material up to and including Violator.
I'm probably in thru Ultra. Especially stoked about the 80s material, though. Question on the starting point. The Some Bizzare compliation album with their first version of 'Photographic' was actually released prior to Speak & Spell. I know only a handful of people probably realized that record existed prior to the 'Singles' reissue, but could we possibly start there?
New Life This is a great start to a career. Whether or not it's DM's career or Vince Clarke's career is certainly a question to be asked. But, despite interviews suggesting they weren't that good with their synths yet (and without Alan), there's a lot of interest here. I think what shines through is how musical they all are. Musically it's a great song, with a real catchy melody. there was quite a bit of synth pop around back then that fitted the description of the genre, but the songs weren't actually that good. (Not naming names.) Clarke used few chords, and fairly typical chord progressions, but like some other artists who did similar, there's something special about this song which makes it stand out among other songs from the same era. And, to my ear despite the simple sounds it's dated less than other synth pop for which the real value came in the novelty of the synth sounds, rather than the quality of the songs. 4.3/5
huge fan of the group, but mainly purchased dozens of 12" singles, multiple mixes of a song for some, not much attention to songs that were mere album tracks 'twas how it was then maybe consideration for 8 or so 12" releases of Master and Servant when we get there, and for others of this ilk?
86-98 for me. Haven't heard any of the pre Black Celebration albums, (just the early songs that are on 101), as not a big fan of the synth pop DM era. Heard most of the post Ultra ones but am not a big fan of any of them. Will most likely contribute sporadically, and its a good chance for me to actually listen to those early albums finally.
Dreaming Of Me/Ice Machine after the album's done with. New Life - The dawn of an era, this song! Specifically, the synth-pop era of modern pop. Without the success of this and other early tracks like Pop Musik by M, Vienna by Ultravox, I Feel Love by Donna Summer etc., the synthesiser sound wouldn't have gotten off the ground. Very dated with the tinny timbre, but a nice way to start the album. 4/5 I don't like the remix version; it's too long, but here it is:
New Life: I absolutely love early DM, this stuff has a wide eyed playfulness that still sounds fresh today. 4/ 5
New Life is the song that opens the first record. Great song; I prefer the Remix that kicks off the US version of the album. The energy of that mix right out of the gate makes it a great opener. I know it is not a technical masterpiece but like most of S&S, the simple melodies are fantastic and keep you coming back time and again.
New Life, and the whole Speak & Spell album, is so different from DM’s later work. Not just because of Vince Clarke’s contributions, but the mood is generally more upbeat and, dare I say, happier than all of their albums to follow. While the melodies are simple, it still sounds fresh today.
I’m in. First band I ever saw live: Music For The Masses tour, Wembley Arena, Jan ‘88 Still a fan all these years later; just added the Songs Of Faith & Devotion 12” Singles box to the collection.
Every tour I think wouldn't it be great if they did something like New Life instead of I Feel You or dragging Enjoy the Silence to about 8 minutes? The lyrics are absolute bobbins but it's still a great track.
What's frustrating is that they do regularly trot out JCGE. Would it kill them to rotate around with other early material?
Hell, would it kill them to do some album cuts and b sides? They only perform singles live now. I miss hearing Told You So, Ice Machine, Puppets! (I learned that the hard way, going to a show in 2014.)
If we prioritize the song-by-song flow, you're right. If we prioritize the album-by-album flow, the right start is with New Life, and Dreaming Of Me could be done right after the last song of the "regular" version of Speak & Spell, that's Just Can't Get Enough. As it is in the "bonus track" version of the album. Maybe it's a Thread Starter decision...
I just recently learned that the original USA pressing LP and CD screwed with the tracklisting. On that version, the remix of New Life is there instead of the album track. Why, I have no clue, as it obviously sounds like a mix of the original.
New Life Wonderfully catchy and sparse in the best way. The singing is nice with the right amount of background vocals. The analog synths sound great. The only real criticism is the lyrics. They feel kind of uninspired and hastily assembled. Vince was and is a master of pop melody. And this was before Andrew became a professional palm player. 3.5/5
