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MUSIC
IS THE ANSWER
[Mixmag,
November 2005. Words: Ralph Moore. Picture: Courtesy of MBC.]
"
My cousin gave me
‘Ziggy Stardust’ so Bowie’s a big influence. Before that I was into
rock’n’roll because I had my mum’s old record collection.
"
Summary:
The band chat about the music that appeals to them at the moment and that has
influenced them one way or another over the years, as well as casting an eye
over their own highs and lows. Includes an appreciative review of Playing The
Angel. [994 words]
View pages: page 1 page 2 review
Try
also: Melody
Maker, 26th February 1983
"Apocalypse Jukebox: Dave Gahan"
[Q, June 2005]
The mighty synth-rock legends, Depeche Mode, unveil the records that made them
the men they are today…
Name: Depeche Mode, aka Andy Fletcher, Martin Gore, Dave Gahan
Born: All in Essex, England [1]
Job: Musicians
Did you know? #1 Depeche don’t do tour buses any more. Fletch says: “We don’t have a tour bus, we have a plane. But we have done buses in the past!”
Did
you know? #2 Martin Gore was a paperboy and worked in a Tesco supermarket as
a teenager. “I also worked in a bank for a year before the band took off.”
Favourite new album…
Goldfrapp
“Supernature” (Mute)
Martin: “I find I’m listening to ‘Supernature’, the new Goldfrapp
album, a lot at the moment – now there’s a little plug for our record label!
I just think that the electronic production that’s gone into making it is
really good, This album is modern-day retro, if you like.”
First record bought…
Slade
“Cum On Feel The Noize” (Warner)
Dave: “Oh man, I know this is nothing cool – but I was really into Slade
as a kid. I definitely bought ‘Goodbye To Jane’, ‘Take Me Home’ and
‘Cum On Feel The Noize’ in particular. But there were probably some gimmicky
songs out before that, which I bought as well!”
If all else fails…
Depeche
Mode
“Just Can’t Get Enough” (Mute)
Andy: “This track may have come out in 1983 but for me personally, if all
else fails you’ve got to bring out the Schizo Mix of ‘Just Can’t Get
Enough’. [2] I DJ now and
it’s true, you can’t go wrong with this tune. It’s not my fault that
people love us on the dancefloor!”
Favourite remix…
Depeche
Mode
“Precious” (Motor Mix) (Mute)
Martin: “Motor are Novamute’s new act. We got them to do this mix of our
new single. Their album is very good, although it’s not out yet. I just like
their energy, it’s raw.”
Dave: “I really liked Goldfrapp’s mix of ‘Halo’. It was like,
wow! They really made a beautiful piece of music. Better than we did!”
A song that makes me cry…
John
Lennon
“Imagine” (EMI)
Dave: “There is not one song in particular that moves me more than any
other track does. Though I do have to say that ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon is
an incredibly beautiful, inspiring record. It doesn’t make me cry, but it does
make me want to write better songs.”
Fave movie soundtrack…
Ennio
Morricone
“The Mission” OST (Virgin Records)
Martin: “My favourite film soundtrack is ‘The Mission’. I think it’s
very emotional and very evocative. The only thing that I dislike is that the
best track sounds like it should be an amazing nine-minute epic and it’s only
two minutes long. It builds to a crescendo and then stops.”
Favourite new artist…
The
White Stripes
“Get Behind Me Satan” (XL)
Dave: “The White Stripes are phenomenal. They’re totally different to
anything else that’s out there. They don’t fit into the popular music scene
in any way, shape or form but they still manage to do their own thing. I love
the fact that they don’t follow any rules.”
Album that changed my life…
Elvis
“Golden Records Vol 1” (Sony BMG)
Martin: “For me, there were two records that changed my life. My cousin
gave me ‘Ziggy Stardust’ so Bowie’s a big influence. Before that I was
into rock’n’roll because I had my mum’s old record collection. [3]
My mum owned Elvis Presley’s ‘Golden Records Volume One’, which I still
listen to now.”
Biggest influence…
David
Bowie
“Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars” (EMI)
Dave: “Although the first record I bought was by The Damned, the biggest
influence is still ‘Ziggy Stardust’ for me. In terms of thinking, listening
to it and escaping to some place that David Bowie lived, this is the one. I love
Bowie, he’s still my biggest musical icon.”
What’s playing at home…
Marvin
Gaye
“What’s Going On” (Motown)
Dave: “Is there a new song I like right now? That’s really difficult!
There’s no music I hear that catches my ear, apart from maybe The Arcade Fire
or The White Stripes. All I hear coming out of my son Jimmy’s room is Pink
Floyd, The Rolling Stones and Marvin Gaye – and he’s only thirteen. [4]
He plays ‘What’s Going On’ more than anything.”
We Wish We’d Never Made…
Depeche
Mode
“A Broken Frame” (Mute)
Andy: “You sometimes have to make bad records before you make good ones.
There were a couple of bad tracks on ‘Speak And Spell’ I suppose.”
Martin: “I think three quarters of ‘A Broken Frame’ can go by the
wayside!”
Andy: “But even ‘Broken Frame’ was an important step towards the
next album.”
Mixmag recommends…
Depeche
Mode
“Violator” (Mute)
This was the album that took the band from cult stardom to superstardom back in
1990. Although later albums “Songs Of Faith” and “Ultra” had their
moments, the quadruple singles-whammy that included ‘Enjoy The Silence’ just
couldn’t be beaten. Bands like The Bravery and The Killers owe their careers
to Depeche Mode.
Depeche Mode’s new album ‘Playing The Angel’ is out now.
['Playing The Angel' review]
Depeche Mode “Playing The Angel” (Mute)
Let’s get the tricky bit out of the way. The last Depeche Mode album “Exciter” was a little, well, uneventful. And when you still hold the crown as the biggest synth-rock outfit in the world, that’s not good enough. Thankfully this “…Angel” soars. Produced by Blur cohort Ben Hillier, it’s the sound of a band rejuvenated, relevant and genuinely excited. The opening triple salvo of “Pain”, “John The Revelator” and “Suffer Well” is a musical call to arms not heard since “Violator”. Stripped of the underwhelming mixes, “Precious” is their best in years. It does tail off towards the end but for a band 25 years into their career to sound in such rude health is good news.
Burn this: “Precious”, “John The Revelator”, “Nothing’s Impossible”
Like this? Try other Depeche classics like “Ultra” or “Violator”
(both on Mute)
[1] - Whoops! Andy was born in Nottingham, although the family moved to Basildon when he was still a toddler. [continue]
[2] - I think the interviewer must have misheard Andy as I'm sure he wouldn't drop such a clanger. Just Can't Get Enough was, of course, released in 1981. [continue]
[3] - This is an understatement - Martin has said in the past that if any one event turned him towards music, it was finding his mum's old record collection when he was young and becoming hooked on fifties rock'n'roll. Even today it isn't hard to hear the influence in many of the songs he's written. [continue]
[4] - To anyone who might be wondering, Jimmy is the son of Dave's wife Jennifer, who Dave has adopted. [continue]