The Spirit of Basildon - Catching Up WIth Depeche Mode

Photo Anton Corbijn

March 17 brings the luck of the Irish and the Spirit of the boys from Basildon: Depeche Mode. Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher offer up their fourteenth album, Spirit. While saying it isn't a political album, but it's definitely about humanity, and our place in that Gahan recently told Rolling Stone. And it wouldn't be the first time the band has dabbled in current events and social issues. Their 1983album, Construction Time Again was rife with statements on big money and the environment.

So let's have a look back at some of Depeche Mode's live highlights while we prepare for the 17 track gift of Spirit. 

1983's Construction Time Again gave DM the album that critics call one of their best. 

Everything Counts

The song that most in the US gained their Depeche introduction was the 1984 anthem People are People from their fourth album, Some Great Reward. 

Another March 17th release, Black Celebration. The album took the band towards the sound we know of now and away from the pop sounds the MTV Generation were liking. A Question of Time was the first video that their long time collaborator, Anton Corbijn would direct. 

Off their sixth studio album Music for the Masses, Never Let Me Down goes down as one of the best known live music moments for the band. At the end of the tour that cemented them into one of the greatest bands to come from the 80's, this performance from the tour's Pasadena Rose Bowl show proved to the critics that Depeche Mode had arrived. 

Personal Jesus: It's easily one of the first songs people will sing when you mention Depeche Mode. While there are so many great songs from this album, this version while Dave was on the short end of drug abuse is haunting. While he is so very frail, his voice is so strong and willing. 

From Songs of Faith and Devotion, the heavy and throbbing I Feel You hits every nerve. It's desperate, passionate, and this version from 1993 is strong but left many fearful how many lives Dave had. 

Like the proverbial butterfly, Dave and the band were healing and showing stronger and healthier  than in the dark grungy early nineties. Ultra was the awakening and maturation with songs like It's No Good, Barrel of a Gun, and Insight. 

It is one of the most tender songs we've ever gotten from DM. Precious from Playing the Angel, Precious, we later found out, was a song from Martin Gore to his children as he wondered what his divorce had done to them.

Not live but the best mix (my opinion). DM loves March release dates, Delta Machine coming at us in March of 2013. Their 13th album was thought to be the most powerful, gothic, twisted, electronic album since Violator, according to music writer Luke Turner. It was soulful and deep, and the remixes we got were, well, Heaven (Freemason's Mix).


I'm ready to get on board. We all got our fist live taste of Where's the Revolution on Jimmy Fallon. Spirit is going to be a pouty and sultry with a lot of attitude I feel. Here is our sneak peak of what to expect when Spirit takes the road this fall.