Stripped: The True Story of Depeche Mode

by Jonathan Miller, Thomas Dolby (Introduction)

Depeche Mode became the world's best -selling synth-led group selling in excess of 40 million albums. Contains exclusive interviews with founder member Vince Clark and producer Gareth Jones. Also includes previously unpublished interview material with the band members themselves.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography, Biography Memoir, Autobiography

596 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this is pretty much considered *the* biography on Depeche Mode, I couldn't give it higher than a middling grade. It lost one star for the sheer number of typos and punctuation issues alone. Em-dashes and en-dashes were used inconsistently and inaccurately, making it necessary to read some sentences several times over to understand what was being said. The style also fluctuated between British and American, and exclamation points (which I personally cannot stand unless they are absolutely called for) were so abundant that the book sometimes read like a tabloid. All of these issues combined made me wonder if the pages had even been seen by an editor.

The tome could have been drastically shortened by eliminating many of the quotes, some of which offered no insight and others which just rehashed info that had already been stated. How many times do we have to be told that Fletch wore slippers on stage during the band's early days?

Several other readers have commented on the amount of attention given to the technology, and that they felt it detracted from the story. I agree to some extent, in that the injected information sometimes ruined the flow of the narrative, but I also believe that some degree of this background had to be included in a story about one of the most influential electronic bands in music history. It wasn't why I read the book, but it did underscore just how much research was done by the author.

You have to be a diehard fan to enjoy this read, and even then, you need to have a burning desire for minutiae. You do get a smidgeon of insight into each band member's personality (as well as a lot of info about side projects and offshoots such as Erasure and Yaz), but there's not much more than what you can get from all the numerous videos and interviews readily available on the web.

I read it as a reference for a map of DM-related locations I'm creating, and for that it was a goldmine. But I'd have a hard time recommending this to even the most zealous Devotee.

[La Lena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Довгенько я її читала, да, брехати не стану. Крутокрутокруто, що я більше зрозуміла, чому люблю старі улюблені пісні, знайшла декілька нових (для себе) старих, що зараз вже стали улюбленими.
Ця історія гурту дає змогу зрозуміти чому Дєпєши пульнули і розлетілись по світу, як гарячі пиріжки із вишеньками. Читається довго, тому що завжди: ой, окей, вікі, а що це за гурт, а що за співак ітд. О, так це ж я знаю, а це слухала, а ці навіть подобаються ітд. І так приходиш до тями, коли слухаєш спотіфай чи дивишся вже якийсь двадцятий відос на ютубі 😁

Цікаво слідкувати за переплетінням соціокультурного життя і мистецтва у такі злачні роки, ну й дізнатись подробиці стосунків музикантів і їх особистих проблем теж додає розуміння як ті події впливали на музику.
З точки зору пісневиробництва прикольно зазирнути за лаштунки, бо я тут теж типу пісні пишу, ну принаймні писала 🙃

Але все ж, щоб подібний успіх стався треба сукупність факторів, що й трапилось з хлопцями і да, весь прикол в тому, що й досі акція не разова і від наступного крутого альбому ніхто не застрахований 😏

[hania vilcov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coś, o czym muszę wspomnieć w pierwszej kolejności - moim zdaniem ta monografia jest ZDECYDOWANIE za szczegółowa, co sprawiło, że niestety była to dla mnie dość oporna przeprawa. Nie wszystkie wiadomości miały według mnie na tyle duże znaczenie, by o nich wspominać. Jednak przyznaję również, że był to ciekawy wgląd w drogę przebytą przez DM, od samego początku do około 2003 roku. Czytelnik miał również szansę spojrzeć na życie każdego z muzyków osobno, co było interesującym doświadczeniem, szczególnie w przypadku Dave'a Gahana.
2,5 ⭐ ze względu na trochę zbyt dużą ilość literówek, błędów składniowych i błędów w tłumaczeniu :))

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some fans jokingly call it "the Bible", but really it's just a very indepth and detailed book. I've been a fan since I was about 9,but I still found this book to be a great read even though I knew most dM history already.

[Любен Спасов · Rating 5 out of 5]

Една от най-добрите биографии, които съм чел. Супер подробна, преминаваща през историята на групата до към 2003 година. Не са спестени никакви детайли - както за успехите, така и за неуспехите на Депеш. Освен тяхната история, се обръща внимание и на развитието на музиката от 80-те до наши дни и с какво точно оставя следа групата в развитието на техния жанр.

Отделно, огромен плюс е, че е написана много леко и въпреки че е обемна се чете на 3 сядания. Много съм доволен! Ама много! Страхотно подгряване за концерта, който ме очаква след 5 дни!

[Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has three different kinds of content. Firstly there are bits and pieces from all kinds of interviews, with the bandmembers themselves and those who should know what they're talking about, friends and colleagues. I found this to be the only interesting part of the book. Then there's the author's own ruminations about the subject, which is oddly full of wrong facts, the author could have checked his information and used a better editor. And lastly, there are the reviews for albums and concerts by all kinds of people (mostly for magazines) who seem to really hate Depeche Mode, talking like most reviewers do, saying a lot of words without saying anything. Just lots of really bitter opinions. So, when someone decides to read a book about Depeche Mode, it seems kind of pointless to read pages and pages full of negative crap from people whose opinion doesn't matter anyway.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exhaustive and exhausting.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having been a big fan of Depeche Mode since 1982, and having already read Steve Malin's excellent biography of the band, I wanted a more in-depth biography and I certainly got it with this, even if it is quite techy at times. It also comprehensively covers what Vince and Alan got up to after leaving the group. A very interesting (and very long) read. It finishes just after Playing The Angel; considering that was now more than 10 years ago, maybe an update would be good...

[AgentOrange87 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've enjoyed so much reading this book. Very well documented with a lot of details that even a longtime Depeche Mode fan might not be aware of. There's also a lot of insight about the recordings, equipment used, touring and the relationships between the members of the band.

Hoping for an updated version, there's plenty to talk about.

Recommended to every Depeche Mode fan and not only.

[Ultramarinedream · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very long and thorough book, I would only recommend for super fans (there's a lot of gear talk and detailed stuff about releases and remixes that go on for pages), but as a big fan myself it was exactly what I was looking for :)

[Joseph V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just fab. Lots of insight into the recording process

[Marjo Rollin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thorough history of my fav band. Well researched and documented! It took me back to my teenage and 20’s!!

[Rowan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was fine, I love Depeche Mode, but I feel like this book didn't give me any new information about them that I didn't already know.

[Noctuary Gospel · Rating 4 out of 5]

how are they still alive

[Diego Passamonte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muy buena biografía. Entra en detalles interesantes de sus comienzos y de su salto a las masas. Entretenida y profunda. Para conocer un poco más a los Depeche Mode.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have wanted to read this for a long time because I have enjoyed Depeche Mode's music for a long time without actually knowing anything about them as people. There was a lot of time spent on the different synthesizers they used and the more technical aspects they employed to make their music, which was a bit more detailed than I was expecting. So I certainly learned a lot about how their albums were made and a little about their lives, but still nothing about the meaning behind Martin Gore's lyrics or any really deep sense of who they are. Still, very worth it if you are a fan.

[Deanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good, although some area's are alittle boring too much instument talk not enough about the band members themselves. Love the Depeche Mode!

[Diego Marquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A pesar de estar desactualizado, "Stripped…" proporciona información única sobre la banda, prominentemente en sus orígenes y en sus turbulentos tiempos en los noventas.

[Simon Wilcox]

This book is NOT written by Sir Jonathan Miller!

[Virginia]

Si alguien tiene el libro compartanlo please