Iconic Band's 1987 Album TITLE was a Just BIG JOKE...Till It ACTUALLY CAME TRUE! | Professor Of Rock
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- čas přidán 15. 04. 2024
- Coming up, legendary band Depeche Mode created one of the greatest records from one of music’s greatest years… 1987. The name of the record was of course Music for the Masses, and it was meant as a big joke. A joke that the band laughed about until it actually came true. This shy and introverted foursome went from playing in front of 3 people to selling out stadiums and they never compromised their art to do it. The story of the song Never Let Me Down Again and the record that took ‘em to the masses is next on Professor of Rock.
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#classicrock #80smusic #vinylstory #depechemode
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So, if you asked Depeche Mode if they had gone mainstream with their sixth studio, the answer would be an obvious and resounding “no.” So one has to be curious why choose Music for the Masses as the name of the album? Well, according to Keyboardist Andy “Fletch” Fletcher, the name of the record was tongue in cheek. And in songwriter Martin Gore’s words “I think our music never crosses over to the general public, hence the album title... It’s only the fans who buy our stuff.”
The title Music for the Masses was basically a sarcastic response to that prospect that Depeche Mode might be getting too big for their britches or trousers. Quite simply, it was a joke... And as it turns out, one that a lot of people missed. DM was never interested in winning any popularity contests. They were proud outsiders and misfits, always living on the fringes of the vibrant 80s pop scene.
However… In an ironic twist of fate, the facetious title actually proved to be an accurate prediction of things to come. By March 1988, just over four months after its release, Music for the Masses went Gold. It also certified Platinum before any of its predecessors on February 1, 1991. In the UK album charts, it reached #10, and #2 in Germany.
Then one month after the release, Depeche Mode set out on their most ambitious tour to date with shows in Europe, Japan, and across North America. 101 shows to be precise. And that 101st performance? It was merely a 70,000-seat sell-out at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
There was no doubt, then or now, that Depeche Mode was on a steady march to mega-stardom. And with the benefit of hindsight, we all know what happened to Depeche Mode at the start of the 90s. Violator happened... For Music for the Masses Depeche Mode broke up their longstanding production team in favor of the multifaceted David Bascombe.
Though this was his first major production assignment, he had already started putting together an enviable resume, working with the likes of Peter Gabriel and Tears for Fears. The combination of Bascombe’s fresh perspective and the end of the mostly-strict moratorium on traditional instruments, allowed Depeche Mode to approach their signature, dark, and otherworldly song-scapes with a renewed vigor.
Yes, for the first time, Depeche Mode relaxed their synth-only approach. - Zábava
Poll: What is your pick for the greatest album (front to back) of the 80s?
INXS - Listen Like Thieves
Queen - A Kind Of Magic
U2 - The Unforgettable Fire
Graceland, Paul Simon
I'll nominate ... 4 (Forreigner's fourth album).
The Cure "Disintegration"
Thriler- Michael Jackson
Honorable mention:
The Pretenders- The Pretenders.
It was May 13, 1988. I was a Metalhead and wanted nothing to do with pop music. Somebody gave me 2 tickets to the DM show and I was going to throw them away. But a girl said she wanted to go. So I went. That curtain fell, and it was a life-altering experience. During the song, Never Let Me Down, I just stood there and looked around at the crowd. It was THE energy that was entering the core of your body. I became a convert. I have worn out too many copies of MFTMs, and have every 12" single/mix that I can get my hands on. 101 IS the ultimate live album. That was the show that made me appreciate and really HEAR the music. A gift they gave me that I cherish to this day.
One of their best albums.
I'm a Metalhead too, but I feel this way about Cure more than DM. It's all good though, I really started liking both of them because of a girl too.
So the end of Pimpf was just the start.
I saw them in 98 and Never Let Me Down was such a cool experience to be a part of. I took my 12 year-old daughter to see them back in October. That energy is still there!
I also bought the 101 CD. Amazing amazing live album
Me and my friends had a drinking party and watched MTV. We judged most of it as rubbish as we mostly liked hard rock and heavy metal. Then came "Strangelove". We sat in silence, and after the song ended we looked at each other and my friend said, "what the hell was that?" We all became DM fans after that... Great video and greetings from Sweden!
I was there!! I was at the Rose Bowl to see Depeche Mode 101! Amazing! Thanks for bringing back good memories!
Jealous!!! That is one of the best live album sets ever!
Wow
I was at the Sacramento show.So intense.
Hey, Professor- You sure struck Gold by creating a unique and informative site. 🎩 Hats off to you. Very thorough and entertaining. I’m 68 and truly enjoy watching.
Much appreciated!
Best and most wholesome comment ever. I’m 60 and I concur thoroughly. Always a little (or big) gem being polished and laid out right in front of our ears.
65 strong here, and also lovin it!
I'm going to have to throw my two cents in here too. There's that old expression, do what you love. It's quite clear that you love what you're doing. That's what makes it so much fun for the rest of us. BTW, I'm 68 going on either 69 or maybe it's 18. I'm just beginning to realize how much I missed back then. Thank you. I hope you get to keep on doing this as long as you want and I'll be right here, enjoying every minute.
Add another 60ish oldtimer to the fan club.
We're all old enough to remember Kasey Kasem. Well, Adam The Prof is this generation's Kasey. I think he personally overpassed his own countdown idol.
Man, have I learned alot from this channel. And I thought I was pretty savvy when it came to 60's and 70's music. Boy was I wrong. And it seems we only just began tapping the behind the music info.
Thank you Adam, for adding more spice to these old timers trivia book.
I was introduced to Depeche Mode towards the end of my junior year in high school. There was a boy I had a crush on and had been flirting back and forth with. One day, he gave me a cassette tape and told me to listen to a very specific track. So, while I sat in my car, by myself, I played the track. The track was Somebody. I was over come with emotions, mainly happy, because I knew he was telling me with that song that he liked me. I ended up listening to more of their stuff and getting completely hooked on them.
That summer, the summer of 1990, all I practically listened to was Depeche Mode, New Order, The Cure, with some Transvision Vamp and others thrown in (thanks to my by then boyfriend). I watched that VHS 101 concert tape so many times. I was jealous of the people that won the contest to follow them around. I wanted to be on that bus dancing and partying with them and going to the concerts!
Much like you, that moment in time completely changed me and my taste in music. As a teen, I was all about the hair bands in the 80's. I listened to a lot of different stuff from the 80's, but I don't think I ever really got introduced to that type of music. Not until the day a boy I had a crush on, gave me a tape to listen to, and oh man, was I hooked! :)
What happebed to the boy?
Yeah, did you guys break up?
lol. Lotta epic romantic moments happened to that song back in the day. I had a pretty memorable kiss watching the band play Somebody as the sun set on a beautiful summer evening in Michigan. Some things u never forget. Ha. 😊
Your welcome
Imagine being a teen in a communist country although 80s weren't that bad. And you suddenly hear Strange Love on the radio. I still remember that moment - I couldn't talk, I couldn't move, I was trying to figure out what the heck had just happened?! I immediately felt DM abstinent and then the search for more started. You start collecting it piece by piece, cassette by cassette. There's no internet, there's no Bravo magazine you can go and freely buy and read about the band that took your heart. Hearing Strange Love in that day of 1987 was one of the most life-altering experiences in my life. DM are the soundtrack of my life and that will never change! I'm 50+ now but still buying front-of-stage tickets and queuing for hours and that is just great!
Thank you for the episode!
I saw depeche Mode for the first time in Hamburg in 1985. I was 12 years old, the ticket was my father's birthday present. He sat down in the first place to the right of the entrance and opened his newspaper. My first big concert. I then freaked out alone. Then again in 1987, this time with a few friends and again in Hamburg. When I hear this, I still get goosebumps. All riffs, all memories come again, all the moments in which they accompanied me. I don't know how many girls I kissed while depeche Mode was running in the background and it always worked 😊. definitely a life-changing album. All these songs had their time and were always right. Thank you. For everything.
I'm a massive Depeche Mode fan. And have been since the early 80's. I had this album (and all the others up to Violator), on cassette tape and played it over and over in my Sony boom box and walkman. I bought it again, among other DM albums, on CD in the 90's. All the songs on this album are so very timeless, and epic classics. I love all the British and Euro synth pop that came out in the 80's, but DM always rose above them all. DM really speaks to me in ways no other band has. The first time I ever heard DM, I was standing in the driveway of our house in eastern Pennsylvania near Philly, when I heard the next door neighbor play, People are People. I know that the professor has covered Depeche Mode before, and I hope that he will continue to do so. DM was also inducted into the Rock n Roll hall of fame back in 2020. RIP Andy Fletcher. Thank you.
This is one of my favorite bands. Black Celebration to SOFAD was an incredible run. You could see the growth and increased sophistication of the production with each record. Each of those records have a very different sound, also showing Alan Wilder's talent as he took over in the production of the band (he was essentially the uncredited producer of MFTM). MFTM was a game changer for Depeche Mode, and no hi-hat cymbal used on this record. @ProfessorofRock, a show on SOFAD, and the subsequent outfall with Alan Wilder leaving the group would be a great show. This band has never been the same since he left.
Perfect albums. Perfect.
"Music for the Masses" was album #2 in their iconic 4-album run which took them from underground darlings to stadium legends, "Black Celebration", "Music for the Masses", "Violator", "Songs of Faith and Devotion". If you were growing up at that time and was a teen and going to the sold-out shows and hitting the clubs like I was, these songs and albums became the soundtrack to your life. The B-sides to some of their 12" singles were equally epic. The Shep Pettibone remix of "Behind the Wheel - Route 66" literally started a stampede to the dancefloor everytime it came on in the clubs back then. Unforgettable times.
Don't forget 101. At least in my neck of the woods, that live album was massive, more so than the proceeding ones.
Don’t forget, Some Great Reward. That had some big hits on it too and the iconic, Somebody.
My next door neighbor used to drive me to school when I was a freshman in high school. One day she played "It Doesn't Matter" from Some Great Reward and I was literally mesmerized. I have still never heard anything as beautiful, except maybe in classical music. Been a huge fan of DM ever since!
That is awesome!
Such a beautiful song.
Some Great Reward was the first album I'd heard of DMs. This, to me, was their first real voice, and the lyrics were front and center brilliant
Such a talented group. Some of the most philosophically deep songs created
throughout the years.
Couldn't agree more.
I never forget the first time I heard Depeche Mode on the radio. It blew my mind. People are People was the first song.
When Music for the Masses was released in 1987, all the singles were on the radio. The music is so memorable with just one listen.
No question. What's your favorite from this record?
Behind the Wheel @@ProfessorofRock
@@catherine6653 Such a great song! Mine's I Want You nOw.
@@catherine6653Such an unusual composition! Love it.
@marktait2371 12-inch singles are great to collect.
I was at a summer camp in 1990 when I heard someone playing music I'd never heard before - and I was instantly captivated.
I spent two days tracking down who and what was played, humming a riff from it until someone recognized it. "I Want You Now" and "To Have and to Hold" were the songs.
Then they lent me Violator, and I did a copy of it on my new boom-box. I listened to that non-spot every night for a year. Still one of my favourite albums of all time (top 5.)
Professor, you have awesome memories of you growing up! You Rock! 🤘🏻✌🏼😊
Rock on!
@@ProfessorofRock Your shirt today is making me ridiculously happy! Just seeing that image made my brain start playing "Welcome To The House Of Fun".
I don't know if it's normal to have a virtual jukebox in one's head that just starts blasting a song into my consciousness randomly. I know I feel pity for those who DON'T have an internal mental jukebox! I never know what it will play next.
My brother told me long ago that I'm the only person he knows that can experience an instant party, all by myself.
One day he called me while I was honking away on a saxophone I had just bought at a yard sale. I had to buy it and take it home, because the theme song from "Maverick" has been playing in my head, and I've already worked out the "Riverboat ring your bell part, wanna hear it? "Wha wha wha whaaa whaaaa!"
My brother said, "Sounds like y'all are having a blast! Who else is there?"
Ummm, just me and my cat.
It's cool to hear the stories of Alan Wilder working within the group. Clearly, he was such a big part of what they did. It's so sad they couldn't find a way to continue working together.
Full dark synth immersion....yes, it's taking me back Professor!
Thanks Flave! Such a classic record. What's your favorite track?
Well said Flav!
@@MyName-pl7zn Love that!
@@ProfessorofRock Could not get enough of Strangelove... It's dark, yet dancy-- an awesome dichotomy
I was introduced to DM one Sunday night in 1984 on a college radio station (KCFV) when I caught the first part of “People Are People”. I was 16/17 when DM changed the genre of music I would listen to for the rest of my life. I dabbled in New Wave but hearing DM propelled me head first in that music.
Depeche Mode's words are some of the most intelligent and thought-provoking. First album I heard of theirs was "Some Great Reward", I love all their music, but SGR will always be my favorite.
So good!
Some Great Reward is excellent.
100 percent my fave album of theirs.
This was a Great Episode. Not because of the Band but because of the phrase that you used to describe Depeche Mode. The phrase you stated was, "A Beautiful Darkness". That phrase truly describes DM. I have always enjoyed their music but I could never put my finger on how their music made me feel until you made that statement. You are Truly a Wordsmith that Casey Kasem would truly be proud of to keep his legacy alive. Great Episode.🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Professor, I had a very similar introduction to DM. Back in '88, my older brother had gone to the beach and found one of those tan "brifcase" tape cases full of tapes that someone forgot there. He wasn't into that type of music and he said "you want this? Not my type of music, but maybe you'll like it." I looked through the collection and it was all sorts of wave bands. The Cure, Cabaret Voiltaire, The Dammned, Arcadia, etc. Then I saw Music For The Masses. I put that tape on and heard the first song Never Let Me Down Again for the first time. My mind was blown. I said to myself, "I have found my people'. I listened to that tape countless times. Eventually at school, I met this girl who loved DM and told me of 101, that was soon to be released. Of course I went out and bought it soon after release. The rest was history. To this day, they are still my favorite band and NLMDA is still my favorite DM song of all time.
Absolutely life changing. Heared strange love for the first time, and i was hooked for life
Martin Gore… unbelievably underrated….Andy R.I.P..🙏🌹
One of the best songwriters of all time.
Still not over Fletch.
yeh fletch was much beloved great photo of him live in berlin cd
So sad when he passed 😥
Not underrated by me
this is still a fantastic album, great show Prof! Happy 1 mil subs!
One of my favourite bands of all time. "Everything Counts", "Just Can't Get Enough", "Enjoy the Silence" and "Personal Jesus" are my personal favourite tracks.
Great songs! Thanks Trina!
I really like Dressed in black,No disco ad many ,ore
Those are all great.
I swear man!!
Your a modern day Casey Kasem.
Im big fan of your content.
Keep up the good work.
This was brilliant Professor. Thank you for (finally) getting to this.
Got to finally see them live in November. Best concert ever! If I win the lottery I will follow them around the world .
I saw them twice last year! Wasn't it great?
@@ProfessorofRock The best, I never thought I would be lucky enough to see them, I'm in Edmonton AB. My sis bought them for my 50th bday. Greatest present ever ❤️
@@pattitroy5706 Very cool!
Devotional tour was the best❤ saw them in Austin 93 the sound was amazing and see em every time they come to Texas❤
So jelly... I couldn't afford it - my baby brother went though - he's 10 yrs my jr. & has seen them before. Feels so unfair!! 😖 🤷♀️
the next album, Violator we played as much as we could on college radio and the next one Songs of Faith...is beautiful.
I also love Ultra.
Behind The Wheel is one of my all time fav songs. I recently purchased the promo cd single with the Route 66 megamix. The CD was super expensive but well worth it since it had been my dream cd since the early 90s. The song means the world to me
I was absolutely obsessed with DM when I was a teenager in the late 80’s. I must have watched “101” like a 100 times!😂
Did you have it on VHS?
@@ProfessorofRock You bet! Had all the albums on vinyl too, Black Celebration was another good one for sure! Had most of the T-shirts too and even slicked my hair back like Andy Fletcher (RIP) for most of grade 10😂
I saw DM in 1990 Giants Stadium, NJ at what I consider their pinnacle, with Violator, a title that took a jab at heavy metal fans, where MFTM was tongue in cheek. I was a metal head but dabbled in “new wave” as it was called back then because a lot of girls were into that music. At the DM show I couldn’t believe I was seeing 3 guys on synths and a punk-ish lead singer (they incorporated a live drummer years later) making a stadium full of people go beserk, dancing, singing along, so many chicks….it was epic. Saw them again in 2006, amazing show, but DM’s heyday was legend.
The personal stories and memories, both in the videos & in the chats, are why I love this channel.
Like many others here, I was all about the hard stuff. Grew up in 70’s listening to Led Zeppelin and Sabbath, 80’s were all VH, Priest, Maiden. My first foray into “alternative” (before it was called that) was The Cult, Electric album. Still hard. But then some of my friends who were far from rockers played Music For The Masses late in ‘87. Holy crap…
Unlike Yaz, Pet Shop Boys, etc (which made me hate electronic music) this DM album blew me away because of its dark sound, and dark themes. I had no idea that electronic music could have so much attitude. Within a couple years I was clubbing at industrial clubs and taking in everything I could get - Nitzer Ebb, Die Warzau, Consolidated, Meat Beat Manifesto, Front 242. The early 90’s were a blast with that and grunge, Alice In Chains in particular. I’m now over all of that industrial, but I still listen to DM on a regular basis. They truly are the real deal.
Bought this cassette the day it released. KROQ our local alternative radio in L.A. was perhaps one the biggest advocates for DM in the U.S. and the reason 101 was at the Rose Bowl. Was able to scrounge my money from working at a record store to go and it was one of the greatest concerts ever.
So cool!
Loved KROQ back then!
KROQ was a new wave haven.
The days of richard blade on kroq were the stuff of legends. He was the biggest advocate for mode on the radio. I loved those days. I knew all the djs and richard always always spun mode in the clubs on Friday nights! Good times. Kroq is not what it used to be.
@@ProfessorofRockme too. I knew all the djs from my love for depeche mode. Its not what it was.
Always love your videos on DM ....became a HUGE fan after the 80s/90s...better late than never.
I got the compilations after 2000 and that sample of their work led me to their albums.
Yes Music for the Masses is one of the best but of course Violator is my favorite...until just recently it was stuck in my car CD player for 5 YEARS and I didn't even care...just kept on listening!!!😂
Heck I even love Ultra it has great stuff on it!❤
Thanks for the videos
One day in High School, a few weeks before I graduated my friend asked me at lunch if I wanted to go to a concert that night. They had an extra ticket and said it was for Depeche Mode. I said yes (mainly because there was an "extra girl" as well). I didn't know any of their music as I was more into classic rock (although I recognized People are People and Just Can't Get Enough at the show). I was completely blown away and to this day remains one of the best shows I've ever seen. And also changed my musical direction forever. June 6, 1988.
I was working at Kiss FM in Northern Arizona.we added the single Behind the Wheel. Then dumped it for Behind the Wheel/Route 66. But because Flagstaff was a stop along Route 66, I got a copy of the British import of just Route 66 from 106.7 KROQ in LA. And that song became one of the most requested songs back then.
Moved to the US and no one had heard of Depeche Mode. A few years later they were idolised and packing stadiums. Love them either way and this track-by-track dissertation is excellent, thank you Prof! Takes me back to some amazing road trips. 🖤
loved this! I love your breakdowns but this one had me riveted. You have such a way with words and you know this band well. They definitely made me feel that being an outcast was the coolest thing to be. I was first exposed to them with people are people, but was too young to think about exploring them more, though even then I knew they were cool and different. But it was violator, then 101, that got me obsessed. I love all of MftM but behind the wheel in particular has that perfect layered atmospheric genius...
Adam you have such a GIFT for making us remember what it was like to be a kid in the eighties. You paint the pictures from so long ago so colorful and brilliant and are pulling things out of my dusty memories I have long forgotten! Thanks for sharing your passion with us 😊You live up to your name POR!
Thanks, Professor, for such a genuine and heartfelt tribute to a great band. You made my heart race when you told the story about how you felt first hearing "Behind the Wheel" on the basketball court. I had a similar reaction back in the day when I first heard DM--probably around 1985 or 86.
Was stationed in Germany when this was released . . . Didn't have a car while in Germany . . . It was a 35 to 40 minute walk to work . . . this got me there on a daily basis . . .
Army brat here. Arrived in Germany in 1982 at 10 years old. I was introduced to DM by our German neighbors daughter. DM was a rare band that put out music regularly and continued to improve with each release. Their early music was simple synthesizer, but the lyrics almost always connected with me.
By the time MFTM came out I was in High school and they had matured musically. I felt like they were growing up with me. I graduated the year Violator came out and it was a perfect album at the perfect time in my life.
Not a small claim for me to honestly say Depeche Mode's music was the soundtrack of my youth.
Thanks Professor I Appreciate your Videos because not only do I get to hear music that I'm familiar with that I love. But I get
to be exposed to other music that I'm not as familiar with like this group. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼🎶
Yet another genius episode, Professor-thank you. I especially enjoyed your entertaining and personal story about how you were introduced to DM and New Wave in general with "Behind the Wheel." What a great story that brings back similar memories for many of us. Also, the quote comparing the piece to an M.C. Escher optical illusion drawing is brilliant. Thank you, as always.
-
Love when you cover DM. Gives insight into my favorite group of all time. Thank you.
Glad you enjoy it!
You’re the absolute best man. Seriously. Enjoyed this.
Great episode thank you so much
Strange Love - I still have the 45. One of the few I kept over the years. I played it over and over! And I saw them at Merriweather Post Pavilion - one of my favorites, for sure! Thanks for the backstory on this band!
💗🤍💗🤍💗
Cool!
I even bought the 12" dance version of Strangelove, it was a great dance song too.
What a great venue. I've seen probably 40 shows over the years there and it's always such a great setting. Not too big not too small. The wooded park environment. Great sound. Awesome.
@marktait2371 Merriweather is actually in Columbia Maryland but northern VA has Wolfftrap which is similar. Pavilion that holds about 8k then a lawn area for general admission that holds 15k I believe. I've seen it all there. ABBA TO ZAPPA!
Never Let Me Down is near perfect of a song as one can get. Album version is too short, leaves me hungry for more. Thankful for the extended remix edition that i can leave on repeat indefinitely on drives.
Would like to hear more about the creation of the Behind the Wheel/Route66 mix.
I can’t even imagine getting immersed in the 80’s toward the end of them that way. For me going through them moment by moment from the beginning, I had many moments with many bands and songs like yours with that Depeche Mode song. Getting them all at once like that would be a sensory overload.
Another great episode!!! Love the Madness tshirt!!!!
I was a big fan and 19 years old in ‘87. It was amazing to see The Mode at the Rose Bowl. It was a big surprise to find out that show was to become a live album. I keep a pristine copy of “101” (on CDs) and tell my kids “I’m on that album”…cheering of course.
I love DM! Thank you Prof Rock for this informative video!
LOVE This Depeche Mode album. Saw them on this tour in 1988 @ Jones Beach Theater in NY. OMD opened up for them and the lead singer slipped off a wet stage (it was raining that day) while dancing around singing Tesla Girls. He was ok, but it was funny. Depeche Mode put on a GREAT show.... ending of course (as they often did) with Everything Counts. The crowd must've kept singing that for a good 20 minutes after DM left the stage for the night.
I was stationed in Augsburg FRG from 1985 to 1988. My roommate, Tom Riley, introduced me to Depeche Mode - been a super fan ever since. Thanks, Tom.
I remember seeing Robocop advertised on the front of the Petone picture theatre in New Zealand and my cousin had just got the brand new MFTM cassette that we listened to driving around the waterfront being blown away my how funking awesome it was.
Never Let Me Down Again is my all time favorite song. I heard it first on the show 21 Jumpstreet when Johnny Depp was standing on a moving car.
A girl I was seeing at the time (1988-89) had a cassette of Catching up with Depeche Mode. I was hooked. Love in itself and Flys on the windscreen were my faves.
I started as a huge Depeche Mode fan in Middle School early 80s (I M Old) - going all the way to Speak & Spell. Chasing after the imported colored vinyl 12” singles
I was stoked I could see DM on tour here in the States after the Music for the masses album was released (touring with my other fave band OMD opening) . I love this album. Thank you for serving into the “New Wave” genre. Good feelings of good times.
I've been listening from the start. Unfortunately I've never had the chance to see a live show. Thanks to you tube I've seen many concerts and can't get over the energy from the fans. I feel overwhelmed watching. I wonder what the band feels.
Really loved when you talked about the time you first listen to Behind the wheel. It reminded me when I discovered them and got home with the singles 86 98 and couldn’t sleep because I spend the whole night listening to it over and over again. My favorite band by far ❤
Prof, you're closing in on a million subscribers! Honestly, you deserve 10-20 million. I've always wondered if your obscure [edit: secretive a better word?] video titles have held you back, but I'm glad I decided to wait, watch, and learn once upon a time, and got hooked!
He'll get there! More edgy music stories, less MUZAK song stories, it'll happen faster😅
I’m feeling total college flashbacks! I love this album❤
I fancied a girl who liked DM so I thought that might get me closer. That infatuation went nowhere of course but DM opened a series of doors in my life that I’ve never looked back on. Like you it became an obsession so quickly and this album was the gateway drug for the rest.
Always was a fan of DM. Seen them on this tour at an open-air venue here in Michigan called Pine Knob. Had tickets for the hill but ran into some friends that got us down to pavilion just before DM came on.
Very cool!
When I got Speak & spell in 1982, they became one of my favorite bands.
Speak and Spell is a terrific album.
Depeche Mode was one of my bands. I was a part of that "New Wave" generation back in the 80's. There were so many bands that spoke to my soul in those days and to be honest, it's the music that I fall back to when I'm feeling... the need to feel young again. Depeche Mode, The Cure, The Smiths, U2, etc... etc...
DM was probably my fave artist of the '80's (kind of impossible to choose just one, really...) so just hearing the clips of songs takes me someplace special. I have to share this, though: my caboose is 15 (my oldest is almost 31 😮 - [same dad]) & messaged me over the weekend that she'd watched the 1st episode of 'the Last of Us' with a group of her online friends & she was the only one to recognize that the closing song was by none other than DM. She was proud & excited & of course, I was too ❤ 🥰
Hey, Professor of Rock!
I very much enjoyed that little anecdote of you discovering "Behind the Wheel". I could totally picture you as the youngster getting hit to the ground, and the older cool kid helping you solving your mistery. Very much appreciated, cheers!
Thank you! I have been waiting for a show about DM! 😎😎😎
Thank you for talking about one of my favorite albums of all time! 🖤
Music For The Masses was my introduction, but peak DM was Violator.
p.s. RIP Fletch
Prof I love your passion for music! I've never been a huge Depesh Mode fan but you make me want to go out & seek out more of their music. 😄
You won't regret it! There's a reason he's devoted so many videos to them 😄
First time I heard this record was in December 1999. I still remember that black cassette found in not big 80s collection of my parents. My devotion just began with this record.
I saw the Exotic Tour 1994 in Honolulu. That same weekend we had NiN play our nightclub. One of the best weekends ever!
First saw them live at Canterbury University (UK) in 1982 have have been lucky to have seen a concert from every tour since. The have progressed from a twee synth pop band, that most critics said wouldn't last, to one of the biggest bands in the world. As they grew up, so did I.
Duuuuuude… I know it’s a sleeper, but “Never Tell” on that VF record behind you is soooo epic!
Great episode!
K, now I gotta request the Tesla 5 man acoustic jam record & the single , the cover of signs! 😎🙏
Modern Day Cowboy off RePlugged!
Keep rocking professor. I really enjoy your show
Can we get mor Depeche Mode videos, please? I'm loving this one.
My best friend died in a car crash in 1987. Never Let Me Down hit hard, of course also, Forever Young by Alphaville and Blasphemous Rumors by Depeche Mode.
Another great video show! 🤠
Just can't get enough and New Life introduced me to DM but it was See You and then Leave In Silence that made me actually fall in love with the band and since, I have never stopped loving this band.
@ProfessorofRock PLEASE do more episodes for other albums from other artists. I feel with the Streaming world we just miss out on albums. I can't say the last released album I remember listening to. Everything seems to be the latest single.
My brother loved Depeche Mode and I got into them by borrowing his tape whenever I wanted to chill out. I loved the steady beats that resembled a relaxed heartbeat on some of the tracks. It actually made me feel calmer.
My favorite has to be I'm Taking A Ride. I listened to Music For The Masses over and over, but I didn't take a deep dive into the band or do more than listen. Lol! I left all that to my brother and his girlfriend (now his wife of 31 years). Its just so awesome that their music is still so captivating and beautiful to today's audience.❤
Thanks for sharing!
Taking a ride with my best friend!
AWESOME shirt, Professor! I totally need to get one of those! Where did you get that?
From AMOEBA!
Behind the Wheel fit perfectly in the Atomic Blonde soundtrack!!!!
MTV kept the video for Never Let Me Down on heavy rotation and it finally made me notice Depeche Mode. Before then my favs in that genre were The Smiths and The Cure. I finally broke down and bought Music For The Masses and played it nonstop. I then forgot about it and then when a few years later the Depeche Mode movie came out and I became enthralled with all their music remembering I had this album. Have not stopped listening to them since
I first had it on cassette upon release, then got the CD, and finally got the vinyl a few years back. This Depeche Mode album still sounds great after all these years. For some reason, I keep coming back to the UK made CD with the bonus tracks, which makes it a stronger album.
Loved your personal story of discovering Depeche Mode! Music for the Masses was their first album I bought. Never Let Me Down Again is my favorite track on it. I could never play their albums to many of my rock friends but they have the right to be wrong. This music helped start the techno music festivals of today IMO. While violator is still my favorite this album is definitely 2nd. Great episode professor!
Thanks My name!
It’s my favorite song by them, and the whole album is solid too.
It was 101 that introduced to me the band on a school trip visiting Italy and Greece during my senior year growing up in southern Alberta. I cannot convey the impact this album had on me as DM really wasn't played on my home town radio stations at that time. DM to this day is one of my favorite bands (Wilder Era). Being a music nerd, Music for the Masses was on the one album that I thought could have be arranged better for its track placements. I recommend the following track placement on your spotify:
Agent Orange
PIMPF (Skip the break track)
Behind the Wheel
Strange Love
Sacred
I Want you Now
To Have and to Hold
Never Let me Down Again (Remix, 9:35 version that blends in the Aggro mix sounding the closest to the live 101 version)
The Things You Said
Nothing
Pleaser, Little Treasure (Glitter Mix)
Route 66
Little 15
Very cool! Thanks for sharing!
Okay, will do!
Saw them in Orlando arena, violator tour. Loudest concert, show, underground clubs I've ever heard. Wonderful experience!
One of my favorites beginning to end!
Classic.
My favorite DM song ever.
I admit it, you threw me off with the Madness T-shirt in the very beginning. I was surprised when it turned out you are talking about Depeche Mode. I LOVE DM!! My sister, who is 4 years older than I, got me into Depche Mode when I was a pre-teen. Awesome episode!! ❤❤❤
Depeche mode 101 double cassette. Favorite concert recording for sure.
Thanks 🧡 Much Love!
Damn, this whole video is full of old goth/industrial club classics! It’s almost impossible to quantify Depeche Mode & this albums influence, hell they’ve all over any electronic, keyboard/synth based band/genre since 87 (at least).
Thanks for watching my friend!
I was a late comer to DM with Personal Jesus through my ex. Have gone on to see them in concert 3 times. Loved your track by track breakdown. My favorite variation though is the Behind the Wheel/Route 66 EP CD. I am a huge Route 66 roadie and DM Fanatic. What a perfect combo!
The Maxi-Mix of “Strangelove” is my go-to version. I think it works well with the Night Version of Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf” and the extended version of Raf’s “Self Control” on mixes.