Depeche Mode FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the World's Finest Synth-Pop Band

by Michael Christopher

The preeminent synth-pop outfit for four decades, Depeche Mode have endured an ever-shifting musical landscape, rising above fads and battles with personal demons, somehow managing to retain a hold on the charts and the audience, the latter which continues to grow as new generations discover them and become “devotees.” Depeche Mode All That's Left to Know About the World's Finest Synth-Pop Band shows how a group of schoolmates influenced by the likes of Kraftwerk, Joy Division, and mid-period David Bowie carved out their own musical niche until they became one of the most influential bands to come out of England. Depeche Mode were Europe’s best-kept secret in the early '80s with the albums Construction Time Again and the—perhaps—tongue-in-cheek-titled Music for the Masses. They became a worldwide phenomenon as the '90s dawned, with the landmark LP Violator, containing the smash hits "Personal Jesus," "Enjoy the Silence," and "Policy of Truth." But success came at a price as depression, alcoholism, drug addiction, and personnel departures threatened to derail the band. It wasn’t a question of whether the music of Depeche Mode would be able to withstand fickle industry changes, but rather if the members of the group themselves could make it out alive. Depeche Mode FAQ shows how they did, becoming legends in the process.

262 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 28, 2020

Reviews

[Poppy Davis · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a passionate Devotee, I eagerly awaited a new book on Depeche Mode, as I have purchased and read every book on the band that I can get my hands on. Unfortunately, my eagerness was quickly dampened within the first few pages of reading. On page 5, the author claims that Martin Gore sang the lead vocals on the song “Photographic.” There is no shred of evidence for this. Vince Clarke sang the original demo for the song, and Dave Gahan sang on the second demo, including the subsequent recording of the song. When confronted with this discrepancy on social media, the author blamed Vince Clark for giving him that information.

Later in the book, the author claims that Gahan sang the verse, “understand me,” in “Shake the Disease.” Even though Gore sings the verse in every single video and live performance of the song, and Gahan’s vocal range does not go that high, the author claims this information was given to him by someone who was at the studio at the time of the recording.

The author also claims that the film “101” was in black and white. It’s not. There are numerous other inconsistencies that indicate that the author did not dig deep enough with his research.

The history of Depeche Mode has been thoroughly covered by numerous other books, videos, and articles. This book adds nothing new for Devotees that hasn’t already been said, besides a couple of interviews with Devotees. If you are interested in Devotee’s stories, I recommend watching the documentary, “Spirits in the Forest,” or joining a fan group on social media.
If you are interested in reading about the band's history, I recommend these books instead: “Stripped: Depeche Mode” by Jonathan Miller and “Depeche Mode: Monument” by Dennis Burmeister and Sascha Lange.

[Kirsikka71 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Binging DM material right now! My internal clock say we are due an album and a tour nowish, but a pandemic is putting a halt to all that goodness. So, instead I am listening to records, watching documentaries, concerts and reading up. This was alright - not much new stuff for the true Devotee BUT I loved the bits where fans testified of their love and devotion. My wish is that someday there will be a Depeche concert where the cameras are solely direct at the audience, because it truly is amazing. The mix of people, all ages, from all over the world. All singing and moving as one entity. At the first concert kicking of Spirit in Stockholm, I was flanked by Russian, Spanish and Irish fans! I am one of those outsiders that found a home in Depeche. I jokingly have said that Martin Gore must have a hidden spy camera planted somewhere in my house because the lyrics are eerily apt and uncanny to aspects of my life. The wonderful thing is hundreds of thousand fans feel the same way.
In Gore we trust.

[Court · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author clearly has a deep passion for and knowledge of the band, but large stretches of this book are just collections of news clippings from other sources and brief summaries of each track. I definitely feel like I know their discography better after reading it, and there are some funny and interesting anecdotes (especially regarding the recently-departed Andy Fletcher) so I’d still recommend it if you’re a fan of Depeche Mode and want something to breeze through in a few days.