Out Tomorrow: Still More Depeche Mode Reissues

Whenever a band releases a new album, it generally inspires fans to take a step back and give a good listen to all of the other albums in the band’s back catalog. As such, since Depeche Mode released their latest LP, SPIRIT, a few months ago, we’re sure you’ll agree this is a perfect time for us to reissue a few more of their albums.

That’s right: we did use this intro a few weeks ago when we did the first round of Depeche Mode reissues, and when we repurposed it again for round two, we warned you not to be surprised to see it pop up again as we continue to work our way through the band’s catalog, so here’s proof that we’re a label of our word.

VIOLATOR (1990): Statistically speaking, there’s way, way more of a chance that you already own this album than any other that Depeche Mode has released in their career to date. Not that the band wasn’t already a force to be reckoned with before they released their “Personal Jesus” single, but it was so well-received that the buzz surrounding VIOLATOR reached ridiculous proportions. It’s definitely a dividing line for some fans – it’s hard to use the word “alternative” to describe a band that’s released an album that’s gone triple-platinum – but thanks to additional singles like “Enjoy the Silence,” “Policy of Truth,” and “World in My Eyes,” it’s still very much an album that’s worth owning, mainstream or not.

SONGS OF FAITH AND DEVOTION (1993): There was never much chance that Depeche Mode’s follow-up to VIOLATOR was going to match the commercial triumph of that triple-platinum-selling album, but SONGS OF FAITH AND DEVOTION proved that the band was still capable of writing some top-notch tunes. Lead single “I Feel You” took the group outside their usual sonic comfort zone, and while you can probably blame the turn in a rockier direction on the other artists in the charts at the time (think Nirvana and Nine Inch Nails), darned if they didn’t pull it off. The album’s second single, “Walking in My Shoes,” was also a huge success, and while “Condemnation” didn’t follow its predecessors to the top of the US charts, its gospel-infused sound further confirmed that, rather than its members resting on their commercial laurels and following a tried-and-trued format, the music of Depeche Mode was continuing to evolve.

∑ VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

ULTRA (1997): Not only does this round of releases include Depeche Mode’s last album before Alan Wilder joined the band (A BROKEN FRAME), but it also includes the band’s first album after he left the band, which – as you probably guessed – is this one. The fact that the documentary about ULTRA is entitled Oh well, that’s the end of the band may give you some idea where their headspace was at the time, but that’s what happens when one member leaves and another member (Dave Gahan) gets so caught up in cocaine-heroin addiction that he finds himself in court-mandated rehab. Recorded after Gahan’s stint in rehab, ULTRA may have been the work of a band in flux, but they still managed to come up with some great tunes, including “Barrel of a Gun,” “It’s No Good,” and “Home.”