21 for 21: #14: Depeche Mode, "Music for the Masses"

I'm taking a ride
with my best friend...

Well, it took seven previous CDs, all from the nineties, to get us back to the eighties, but my #14 pick for my favorite CDs in my collection is the Depeche Mode masterpiece "Music for the Masses." The album debuted in 1987, where it peaked on the Billboard Hot 200 at #35. This album is definitely one of DM's darker offerings, and it pays off in dramatic fashion.

I first discovered Depeche Mode on MTV with their hit single "People Are People." I was a big proponent of '80s synth-pop, and DM was one of the pioneers of this style of music; they were famous for years for not even having a drummer on stage, a fact they used for dramatic success when I saw them on their mid-nineties "Songs of Faith and Devotion" tour, when they made a big deal about having a drum set on stage (and playing the heck out of it, as well!).

The album begins with the glorious, soaring wail of chords that sound like warning alarms with "Never Let Me Down Again," and ode to the heroin addiction that had taken the life of a friend (the same addiction that almost destroyed lead singer Dave Gahan). Track three is the most danceable song about S&M sex, "Strangelove."

The collaboration between Martin Gore's songwriting talent and Dave Gahan's deep, piercing vocals was one of the most productive pairings of the eighties and nineties. The production of this particular album is also masterful—the levels of sound seem to go down to infinite levels on some tracks; on others, the sparseness of sound leaves you feeling adrift alone on an ocean of sound. Still others are just strange and experimental ("Pimpf," "Agent Orange").

This album is not for everyone, and it's certainly not entry-level work for anyone unfamiliar with Depeche Mode. I didn't buy this album until the mid-nineties, when I was already well-versed with their music. But for those who appreciate that great music can come from a place that doesn't contain guitars or drums, this is an album to be experienced over and over again.