Depeche Mode: Monument

by Dennis Burmeister, Sascha Lange

The affection that Depeche Mode command year after year from their ever-growing fan base is incredible. No other band possesses such a vital, self-organized fan culture. Along with an unprecedented collection of artifacts presented together for the first time, this volume offers extensive information, background facts, and anecdotes that will cater to both newcomers and die-hard Depeche Mode fans alike.

Depeche Mode: Monument illustrates the amazing success story that began in 1981 and is still going strong after 100 million album sales. This book contains: information on all of the band's releases from 1981 to 2017; over a thousand images, including never-before-seen photos, concert posters, and album artwork; a special look at fan culture; interviews with stage managers, friends, producers, tour companions, radio hosts, and fans; and so much more.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography

420 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2013

Reviews

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

( I read the English edition but it's not listed here)

I've wanted to read this for ages but £40 price tag put me off but as soon as I saw this on iBooks for £12 it was mine. This book is a absolute must for Depeche Mode fans. There was such a huge collections of photos, memorabilia and stuff I did not know, well worth the price. I would have loved to see the 101 show they did, I bet that was completely amazing.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would be a solid 5 stars if not for the following sentence:
"If ever there was a successful band from the eighties besides Depeche Mode that has survived the decades with a similar dignity and success, then it was U2."

[Elisa Strickler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Visually stunning and full of fascinating history of not only the band, but also music industry and fan culture. I’ve always been a DM fan, and now I have a new appreciation for their longevity and influence on modern music and culture. This was a very enjoyable read, and a great addition to my permanent bookshelf.

[Jamjars · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brilliant book! Spanning Depeche Mode's whole career up to the latest album Delta Machine this book provides an encyclopedic knowledge on everything to do with the band, including information and photos of every vinyl release.
There are also hundreds of brilliant photos; many of which I'd never seen before.
What I found particularly interesting was the section 'Behind the Iron Curtain' which is about all the Depeche Mode fans who lived in the Soviet Union in the 80s, from the struggle to get hold of music and photos of the band to the ingenious ways they found to dress like the band.

Highly recommended book if you're a fan of Depeche Mode!

[Anna Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, of course I am very biased, but this was a phenomenal read. Out of all the biography-style works I've read on various musicians (or just any topics I'm interested in) this was by far the most in-depth. It goes album by album, era by era, and covers so many topics that I knew as well as topics I'd never known of before. If you are a fan of this band, I would highly recommend reading this. It's a beautiful study on the history of Depeche Mode, featuring so many great visuals and such interesting facts. The re-readability is insane, and I'm sure I'll be picking it back up again in the future.

[Nicholas Why · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by 2 fans with memorabilia that's guaranteed to make you rethink your own Depeche Mode fandom. Plenty of pix to pore over, both of the band and their music paraphernalia. All packed into a hardcopy tome, this is a must read for all DM fans.

[Carmen Shea Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not just a picture book. It is full of trivia and history that any fan would appreciate.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for a die hard Depeche Mode fan! The photos in this book were simply gorgeous and lovely.

[Jay Gabler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not for the casual fan, but if you're a superfan, you might find this exhaustive visual compendium to be the greatest thing accomplished with the printing press since Gutenberg. I reviewed Depeche Mode: Monument for The Current.

[Gary Fowles · Rating 3 out of 5]

It feels wrong to say anything bad about what is so obviously a labour of love, that said though the text found within these pages is just awful. It smacks of Google translate levels of awfulness. That aside though, this is a fascinating trawl through Depeche Mode's history focusing mainly on their records rather than private lives. One for the hardcore fans rather than the casual fan.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

An essential item for the die-hard fan. It's big, heavy, looks amazing and is stuffed full of photos and information dating from the band's origins in 1980 right up to 2017. A fantastic addition to any collection.

[Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I wanted this to be more about the band and the songs than about collector materials and special issues. Not the go-to book if you want to learn more about depeche mode...