101

33⅓ Main Series #183

by Mary Valle

Depeche Mode's 101 is, at first glance, a curious a live double-album by a synth band. A recording of its “Concert for the Masses,” 101 marks the moment when doomy, cultish, electronic Depeche Mode, despite low American album sales and a lack of critical acclaim, declared they had arrived and ascended to the rare air of stadium rock. On June 18, 1988, 65,000 screaming, singing Southern Californians flocked to Pasadena's Rose Bowl to celebrate DM's coronation.

The concert also revealed the power of Southern California radio station and event host KROQ, which had turned Los Angeles into DM's American stronghold through years of fervent airplay. KROQ's innovative format, which brought “new music” to its avid listeners, soon spread across the country, leading to the explosion of alternative rock in the 1990s.

Eight years after its founding in Basildon, Essex, Depeche Mode, rooted in 1970s Krautrock, combined old-fashioned touring, well-crafted songs, and the steadfast support of KROQ to dominate Southern California, the United States, and then the world, kicking open the doors for the likes of Nirvana in the process. 101 is the hidden-in-plain-sight hinge of modern music history.

Genres: Music

136 pages, Paperback

First published May 30, 2024

Reviews

[Keen Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The grabbing hands, grab all they can…”

The second 7” single I ever bought was off this album, and it still remains a banger nearly forty years on, still one of the best live songs I've ever heard committed to audio. I actually think that the Pennebaker documentary which accompanies this album is more interesting than the album itself, but there we go.

We learn of the huge significance English ex-pat Richard Blade played at KROQ in the early 80s in SoCal on the band and Valle also mentions Anton Corbijn’s huge contribution to their image change at the later end of the 80s, which still continues today.

To be fair Valle probably uses the album more as a vague jumping off point, rarely mentioning it in any great detail until maybe towards the end and yet I think it works really well. This is easily one of the best if not the best books I’ve read in this series so far. It put me in mind of the one done on NIN’s “Pretty Hate Machine”, which also came out in 1989. Valle has a quirky, refreshing and lively style that never takes itself too seriously, but still clearly knows what it’s talking about. I really enjoyed this one and wanted to give her a big hug thanks.

[Adam Parrilli · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review is for the Spotify audiobook.

This book is dreadful. Surely 331/3 Books are a mixed bag, but this one spent so little time on 101 it is laughable. A good portion is more a love letter to KROQ-FM in LA. I guess I'm just happy I didn't buy the book version. Stay...far...away.

[Jesska · Rating 1 out of 5]

DM deserves better. Call me, Martin/Dave! I got ya!

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

When digging into the vast catalog of books from the 33 and 1/3 series (Bloomsbury), you get all sorts of approaches to the discussion of an album. You’ll the biographical, the narrative, the political, a “Behind the Scenes,” and even the autobiographical from time to time. When Mary Valle takes on Depeche Mode’s 101, she sort of skips around all the formats to craft her own approach, which is both successful, and not.


Valle begins her adventure into the book by claiming that 101 is a “literal Depeche Mode 101 class for generations of DM freshpeople,” which is perhaps where cracks appear. Personally, Catching Up with Depeche Mode seems like much more the “whet your whistle” sort, as a live album’s production, even when polished never seems to do the work justice; it’s also a bit more of pleasing appetizer with sprinkles of the glory that would follow. Still, Mary makes the point, and despite my own disagreements, she does a valuable job of solidifying the importance of tracks from each album that would appear on 101.

There are collective pieces of each album, often with interjections on Valle’s own lived experience with each song or album, then it pushes into some of the “Behind the Scenes.” You get a little bit of that, but it doesn’t have quite the bulky research you’d find in other books from the series. And, far too often the book delves into the important of KROQ, as both the party responsible for DM’s success in California and through that era of radio. Those digressions perhaps come across as a little short-sighted, but perhaps that’s because it feels like a conversation for another book entirely; it’s given far more time than perhaps necessary, at least in regards to the album or even the concert from the recording.

Through it all, however, Mary Valle’s voice is trustworthy and perhaps even a bit tongue-in-cheek; she uses song lyrics (not just from DM) on several occasions, perhaps poking fun at both the reader and herself. You get the feeling that when looking back, she’s able to trace her own rise in connection to the band’s arrival at rock stardom. Her closing moments and reflection are more direct, which is something that I imagine could have benefited the book as a whole.

[johanna ☆ · Rating 1 out of 5]

So disappointing. Why was this published under the 33 1/3 imprint? It might have made a nice blog post, or sections of it could have been worked into a memoir, but this just isn't an analysis of 101 - it's an unfocused potted narrative of Depeche Mode and the author's teenage years, but the two strands don't even slightly coalesce to make me care. Anyone who is enough of a fan to read this book already knows DM's origin story. The author literally admits that she basically didn't think about DM after 1988 until 2021 which to my eyes is practically disqualifying for trying to write this book.

There are extended sections about things that have literally nothing to do with the album that seem to be included to give the appearance of eclecticism and wide context, but actually have very little analysis connecting them to what is SUPPOSED to be the subject at hand i.e. 101! (why are we banging on about The Joshua Tree?) The editing is also very poor - there are so many instances of typos, repeated phrases, and grammatically incorrect sentences. It reads like it was written in one hastily rushed-off draft (with extra padding of useless anecdotes, irritating puns and inexplicable, annoying Trump 'parallels' to meet the wordcount!?) and that when it landed on the editor's desk it was passed over even quicker. I'm less annoyed at the author than I am at the editors who failed on both levels at their basic job. Clearly the lack of care about the proofreading betrays a deeper lack of care about quality and relevance in general.

I got it as a birthday present from a friend, which makes me sad. I feel bad for being so disappointed - but how was she to know that apparently anyone can write anything they want for 33 1/3 now, no matter how tangential the connection and non-existent the thesis?

[Rich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely written by a fangirl. It's enthusiastic and full of firsthand accounts of spending time in high school listening to DM, or trying to act cool at DM shows, or later on deciding that, even though DM came off like Spinal Tap at times, it certainly WAS cool to be at DM shows.

I think DM is like Madonna, in that everyone has at least one song that they like. And at even the mention of Question of Lust, I was rushing to open up Spotify and put that on immediately. I can get down with the over-the-top songs like that... and, in DM's favor, despite the grandiose nature of some songs, they never became an unbearable parody of themselves like U2 did...

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not sure that this was proofread, let alone seriously edited in any way, given many grammatical and formatting errors. Unfortunately it reads more like a blog post in large parts, with the odd Twitteresque political rant thrown in. Whilst some of the songs were covered, I felt it needed a lot more on the music and its themes. I was left still waiting to be convinced that the album or live performance were notable enough to warrant this book (which I know *do* warrant it based on having heard the album!)

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book covers the career of Depeche Mode through the recording of their live album, 101. It also discusses the music of the 80's as experienced through LA radio station KROQ. This 33 1/3 book focuses a lot on the author's experiences, which helps in painting the picture of this period, at least from a Los Angelino perspective. That said, the significance of the album and the author's claim that the live concert signaled the end of the 80's is not well argued.

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the book series and I love the album. But the book? Not really my thing. A bit too biographical. Lots of typos. No new information. Even the book’s big selling point—that the author had been at the original concert—is a letdown. She talks about that experience in about one page right at the very end.

[Juan Cordero · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a heart felt, inspiring and very enjoyable tale and reflexion of how one of the most important contemporary rock albums was made and its impact on our generation. Great short read for music lovers.

[José Rafael · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is not a book about Depeche Mode's 101. This is mainly a memoir of the autor, who happens to like Depeche Mode... sort of. Boring, uninteresting, repetitive and extremely irritating at times.

[Andy Rota · Rating 2 out of 5]

Out of all the 33 1/3 series books I’ve read, which is about 50, this is one of the most disappointing 2.5 ⭐️

[Justine Bonner · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 101, Mary Valle tells her story of growing up in Southern California in the 1980s with Depeche Mode and the radio station that disseminated their music, KROQ. Ms. Valle's intelligent and witty voice sings in this perfect little book. I love it so much that I have already read it twice.