ARTIST: Depeche Mode
TITLE: Music For The Masses
LABEL: Mute
GENRE: Pop
BITRATE: 202kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 43min total
RELEASE DATE: 2006-04-03
RIP DATE: 2006-03-30

Track List

01. Never Let Me Down Again         4:48
02. The Things You Said             4:02
03. Strangelove                     4:54
04. Sacred                          4:49
05. Little 15                       4:18
06. Behind The Wheel                5:18
07. I Want You Now                  3:44
08. To Have And To Hold             2:51
09. Nothing                         4:18
10. Pimpf                           4:55

Release Notes:

Initially the title must have sounded like an incredibly pretentious boast, except that
Depeche Mode then went on to do a monstrous world tour, score even more hits in America
and elsewhere than ever before, and pick up a large number of name checks from emerging
house and techno artists on top of all that. As for the music the masses got this time
around, the opening cut, "Never Let Me Down Again," started things off wonderfully: a
compressed guitar riff suddenly slamming into a huge-sounding percussion/keyboard/piano
combination, anchored to a constantly repeated melodic hook, ever-building
synth/orchestral parts at the song's end, and one of David Gahan's best vocals (though
admittedly singing one of Martin Gore's more pedestrian lyrics). It feels huge
throughout, like they taped Depeche recording at the world's largest arena show instead
of in a studio. Other key singles "Strangelove" and the (literally) driving "Behind the
Wheel" maintained the same blend of power and song skill, while some of the quieter
numbers such as "The Things You Said" and "I Want You Now" showed musical and lyrical
intimacy could easily co-exist with the big chart-busters. Add to that other winners
like "To Have and to Hold," with its Russian radio broadcast start and dramatic,
downward spiral of music accompanied by Gahan's subtly powerful take on a desperate
Gore love lyric, and the weird, wonderful choral closer, "Pimpf," and Depeche's massive
success becomes perfectly clear.