The best band ever

Depeche Mode. I was born on Alfred Hitchcock’s birthday, but unlike him, I didn’t want to keep you in suspense for too long. They happen to be my favourite band as well, but that’s not the same thing: choosing a favourite is based on emotional response, calling something the best in its field is more of an evaluation, but I won’t pretend to be objective or unbiased, and I have my reasons.

They started to release records in 1981, and to say that they weren’t taken too seriously would be quite an understatement. There were several other acts making pop music with synthesizers, some of them had bigger success and some were more critically acclaimed, DM were considered a one-hit wonder (or two-hit at best) on an indie label that wouldn’t get them anywhere anyway. If these weren’t enough, losing your main songwriter after your first album doesn’t particularly scream longevity. What seemed like a curse turned out to be a blessing in disguise: however great Vince Clarke is as a songwriter, Martin Gore is even better, and with Dave Gahan being a great singer and an exceptional performer, Vince’s replacement, Alan Wilder proved to be the final missing piece put into place. In only 2 years time, they were miles ahead of any other synthpop acts (and weren’t really synthpop anymore), creating their own unique sound using samplers, combining experimentation with pop melodies, and becoming more and more popular worldwide. By 1988, they reached a point beyond anyone’s wildest imagination: they were selling millions of records, playing in the biggest arenas even in Eastern Europe and the Far East, and on 18^th June, they performed in front of 60.000 people at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California – proving they even broke the US, which seemed almost impossible for an electronic act at the time.

They made it against all odds: they didn’t have the support of a major record company (being on Daniel Miller’s small independent label, Mute Records), they didn’t have a traditional line up with guitars and drums, which made both their sound and their live shows quite unusual (the fact that they became one of the biggest live acts ever with 3 of the 4 band members standing behind keyboards is a clear indication Dave Gahan’s performing skills), and most of the press weren’t too impressed by their all-electronic approach, sometimes even questioning if it was music at all. They never received a Grammy (only nominated a few times), and if it wasn’t for the public (who voted for them on one particular occasion), they wouldn’t have a BRIT Award either.

Their songs were covered by a myriad of acts, from Johnny Cash to Marilyn Manson, from Tori Amos to Susan Boyle, from Rammstein to Scooter, from The Saturdays to Charly Lownoise & Mental Theo, they were remixed by the likes of Adrian Sherwood, Nile Rodgers and Brian Eno, they influenced countless DJs, musicians and bands from Derrick May to Linkin Park, from Paradise Lost to The Deftones, from Pet Shop Boys to Nine Inch Nails, from Placebo to Editors. Coldplay even covered one of their videos, hats off to Mr Corbijn in the visual department.

Although often referred to as an 80’s band, Depeche Mode actually had more success in the 90’s and ever since, they now have a more than 3 decades long career. They did it their own way, staying true to themselves (much like R.E.M.), without any longer interruptions (unlike New Order for example), without any major setback (unlike most of their contemporaries), still selling out stadiums and arenas to this very day, and still not really taken seriously.