DEPECHE MODE: 38 years ago …

Exactly 38 years ago to the day – on September 28, 1987 – Depeche Mode released their sixth album “Music for the Masses”. Did you already know these 10 facts?

– The cover picture with the iconic megaphones was taken in front of the British nuclear power plant in Ratcliffe.

– The pre-production of “Music for the Masses” took six months. Depeche Mode were mainly on the lookout for new sound samples. In addition to building sites and scrap yards, they also found what they were looking for in toy stores and their own kitchen.

– For the first time, the production team Daniel Miller and Gareth Jones were not responsible for the production and so “Music for the Masses” was produced by sound engineer David Bascombe, who is known for his work for Tears for Fears and Peter Gabriel.

– In February 1987, the album was initially recorded in the Guillaume-Tell studio in Paris and later continued in London’s Konk Studios. After three months of recording, Depeche Mode moved to Denmark, more precisely to Gjerlev, for the finishing touches, where everything was completed by July.

– Martin Gore can be heard on “The Things You Said” and “I Want You Now”, Dave Gahan sings on all other tracks.

– What sounds like a breathing noise at the beginning of “I Want You Now” actually comes from an accordion played without a note.

– The moaning in “I Want You Now” originally comes from a porn movie. During Paris Fashion Week, some models were invited to the studio to imitate the sounds.

– “To Have and to Hold” contains a sample from a Russian radio program. It is about the nuclear arsenals and socio-psychological problems of the arms race. The album version of the piece is a reworking by Alan Wilder.

– The album reached number 35 in the USA, number 16 in Austria, number 10 in the UK, number 4 in Switzerland and number 2 in Germany.

– By far the most played live track on this album is “Never Let Me Down Again” (1,031 times). “Behind the Wheel” comes in second place with 597 plays, followed by “Strangelove” in third place with 251 plays.

Listen to Depeche Mode in our “Electronic Pop” playlist on Spotify:

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