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Depeche Mode: Some Great Reward
Throughout their history, Depeche Mode has combined success with innovation, producing records that have mixed moving melodic lines and pop-star preening with completely synthesizer-driven noises, forever altering the sound of New Wave/modern music. From "Just Can't Get Enough" to "I Feel You" and beyond, Dave Thompson breaks through the enigma to reveal the group that can fully claim to be the most popular electronic act in the world.
- GenresMusicNonfictionBiography
274 pages, Paperback
First published November 15, 1994
5 people are currently reading
77 people want to read
About the author
Dave Thompson
266 books42 followersEnglish author Dave Thompson has spent his entire working life writing biographies of other people, but is notoriously reluctant to write one for himself. Unlike the subjects of some of his best known books, he was neither raised by ferrets nor stolen from gypsies. He has never appeared on reality TV (although he did reach the semi finals of a UK pop quiz when he was sixteen), plays no musical instruments and he can’t dance, either.
However, he has written well over one hundred books in a career that is almost as old as U2’s… whom he saw in a club when they first moved to London, and memorably described as “okay, but they’ll never get any place.” Similar pronouncements published on the future prospects of Simply Red, Pearl Jam and Wang Chung (oh, and Curiosity Killed The Cat as well) probably explain why he has never been anointed a Pop Culture Nostradamus. Although the fact that he was around to pronounce gloomily on them in the first place might determine why he was recently described as “a veteran music journalist.”
Raised on rock, powered by punk, and still convinced that “American Pie” was written by Fanny Farmer and is best played with Meatloaf, Thompson lists his five favorite artists as old and obscure; his favorite album is whispered quietly and he would like to see Richard and Linda Thompson’s “I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight” installed as the go-to song for the sad, sappy ending for every medical drama on TV.
Kurt Cobain, Phil Collins, Alice Cooper, Joan Jett, David Bowie, John Travolta, Eric Clapton, Jackson Browne, Bob Marley, Roger Waters and the guy who sang that song in the jelly commercial are numbered among the myriad artists about whom Thompson has written books; he has contributed to the magazines Rolling Stone, Alternative Press, Mojo and Melody Maker; and he makes regular guest appearances on WXPN’s Highs in the Seventies show.
However, he has written well over one hundred books in a career that is almost as old as U2’s… whom he saw in a club when they first moved to London, and memorably described as “okay, but they’ll never get any place.” Similar pronouncements published on the future prospects of Simply Red, Pearl Jam and Wang Chung (oh, and Curiosity Killed The Cat as well) probably explain why he has never been anointed a Pop Culture Nostradamus. Although the fact that he was around to pronounce gloomily on them in the first place might determine why he was recently described as “a veteran music journalist.”
Raised on rock, powered by punk, and still convinced that “American Pie” was written by Fanny Farmer and is best played with Meatloaf, Thompson lists his five favorite artists as old and obscure; his favorite album is whispered quietly and he would like to see Richard and Linda Thompson’s “I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight” installed as the go-to song for the sad, sappy ending for every medical drama on TV.
Kurt Cobain, Phil Collins, Alice Cooper, Joan Jett, David Bowie, John Travolta, Eric Clapton, Jackson Browne, Bob Marley, Roger Waters and the guy who sang that song in the jelly commercial are numbered among the myriad artists about whom Thompson has written books; he has contributed to the magazines Rolling Stone, Alternative Press, Mojo and Melody Maker; and he makes regular guest appearances on WXPN’s Highs in the Seventies show.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 15, 2007
I love reading biographies about my favorite band!
May 30, 2022
In memory of Andy Fletcher, founding member of Depeche Mode, who passed away just a few days ago, I have gone on another binge of my favorite band. Much to my wife's chagrin.
For some of us, DM is not just a musical act, but a quasi-spiritual tool for self development. I grew up with the band. They changed as I changed. As I went through my crises of adolescent horniness and darkness, dressing in black leather and trying to look sexy in all my non-existent pain because my favorite girlfriend didn't want to go out with me anymore, they were there slapping me on the back to tell me they understood where I was coming from. When I got older and experienced real joys and sorrows, they were right there with me. They were getting married when I did, and were having kids of their own when I did. Their politics and spirituality matured as I did. Dave Gahan got sober, and then so did I. They started talking about getting old in their interviews, about what it feels like to watch familiar things and people around you change and pass away, about not being able to trust your own body anymore, just when I was dealing with those same feelings as I was awakening to my own phase of middle age. I never met anyone from the band, but I felt I knew them very well. They were and are family.
Now musically, I have definitely been influenced by their work in deep ways. Their use of complex layered sampled sounds, metallic percussion, and accessible synth riffs with soulful baritone vocals remains very unique to this day, though often imitated. But Dave Thompson's 1994 book was the very first time I had read anything in depth about the band itself. I knew quite a bit just from being an avid listener and follower since the 80s, and when it came to the history and development of the band, Thompson's book did not offer much new for a mega-fan like me. But it did do quite a few things well.
The book came out during a time when DM had radically changed their sound. Innovation and change was nothing new to them. Each album brought something new to the table, from their "Composition of Sound" electro-disco during their Vince Clarke days, to the dark lullabies of "A Broken Frame," to the harsh but danceable industrial that was their staple until the Pink Floyd-influenced synth pop of "Violator" brought them into the status of Music Hall-of-Famers. But "Songs of Faith and Devotion" (1993) really gathered the public attention even among non-fans. Here was this pretty boy band with songs like "Enjoy the Silence" and "Policy of Truth," familiar cultural tunes that people expected to hear at high school proms, dance clubs, and cruise ships suddenly exploding on the radio with gritty, sleazy, grungy blues rock. Their classically trained pianist was now flailing at an intimidating drum set. The clean cut front man now looked like the leader of a Satanic cult. Not since the Beetles had rock culture taken such notice of a change in image. Thompson talks about this public reaction and the background behind the drastic image change. The focus is largely on the band's constant innovation, but also mentions where the band members were emotionally in their life journey at the time.
Other notable tidbits from the book included the relationship of the band with other notable music icons. There's an interesting aside featuring a tussle between Dave Gahan and Axle Rose involving a pig. And there is much discussion over how DM influenced other bands, whether directly or in reaction to their developed sound. I am sure Uncle Al was not thrilled to have Thompson remind readers of the very DM sound in the early days of Ministry.
The book is called "Some Great Reward" based off a key line in the song "Lie to Me," which features on the seminal industrial dance album also by the name "Some Great Reward." The book is now a bit outdated compared to the plethora of newer biographies and analyses of the band that have come out since. However, it is a nifty snapshot in time, capturing that period when the early 90s had not yet figured out it's identity for the decade, still clinging on to the hair metal and synth pop of the 80s before solidifying as the decade of Nirvana, crunchy three-chord guitars, homebrew beer, unwashed hair, and plaid lumberjack shirts. For those of you who are already fans of DM, I think you'll enjoy it.
If you are not familiar with DM, may I suggest that you give them a try. They have lots of studio albums, live performances, collaborative output, and solo projects. They are also the band that has probably been remixed the most, and in fact, they've always encouraged it. And as this book illustrates, they are one of the most innovative bands in history, so there is something in their work for everyone.
So let's celebrate the life and work of Fletch, one of my closest friends who I never met. Put your leather boots on, listen to some DM, play one of their songs on your home synthesizer, or read one of the books. You'll find a great reward.
For some of us, DM is not just a musical act, but a quasi-spiritual tool for self development. I grew up with the band. They changed as I changed. As I went through my crises of adolescent horniness and darkness, dressing in black leather and trying to look sexy in all my non-existent pain because my favorite girlfriend didn't want to go out with me anymore, they were there slapping me on the back to tell me they understood where I was coming from. When I got older and experienced real joys and sorrows, they were right there with me. They were getting married when I did, and were having kids of their own when I did. Their politics and spirituality matured as I did. Dave Gahan got sober, and then so did I. They started talking about getting old in their interviews, about what it feels like to watch familiar things and people around you change and pass away, about not being able to trust your own body anymore, just when I was dealing with those same feelings as I was awakening to my own phase of middle age. I never met anyone from the band, but I felt I knew them very well. They were and are family.
Now musically, I have definitely been influenced by their work in deep ways. Their use of complex layered sampled sounds, metallic percussion, and accessible synth riffs with soulful baritone vocals remains very unique to this day, though often imitated. But Dave Thompson's 1994 book was the very first time I had read anything in depth about the band itself. I knew quite a bit just from being an avid listener and follower since the 80s, and when it came to the history and development of the band, Thompson's book did not offer much new for a mega-fan like me. But it did do quite a few things well.
The book came out during a time when DM had radically changed their sound. Innovation and change was nothing new to them. Each album brought something new to the table, from their "Composition of Sound" electro-disco during their Vince Clarke days, to the dark lullabies of "A Broken Frame," to the harsh but danceable industrial that was their staple until the Pink Floyd-influenced synth pop of "Violator" brought them into the status of Music Hall-of-Famers. But "Songs of Faith and Devotion" (1993) really gathered the public attention even among non-fans. Here was this pretty boy band with songs like "Enjoy the Silence" and "Policy of Truth," familiar cultural tunes that people expected to hear at high school proms, dance clubs, and cruise ships suddenly exploding on the radio with gritty, sleazy, grungy blues rock. Their classically trained pianist was now flailing at an intimidating drum set. The clean cut front man now looked like the leader of a Satanic cult. Not since the Beetles had rock culture taken such notice of a change in image. Thompson talks about this public reaction and the background behind the drastic image change. The focus is largely on the band's constant innovation, but also mentions where the band members were emotionally in their life journey at the time.
Other notable tidbits from the book included the relationship of the band with other notable music icons. There's an interesting aside featuring a tussle between Dave Gahan and Axle Rose involving a pig. And there is much discussion over how DM influenced other bands, whether directly or in reaction to their developed sound. I am sure Uncle Al was not thrilled to have Thompson remind readers of the very DM sound in the early days of Ministry.
The book is called "Some Great Reward" based off a key line in the song "Lie to Me," which features on the seminal industrial dance album also by the name "Some Great Reward." The book is now a bit outdated compared to the plethora of newer biographies and analyses of the band that have come out since. However, it is a nifty snapshot in time, capturing that period when the early 90s had not yet figured out it's identity for the decade, still clinging on to the hair metal and synth pop of the 80s before solidifying as the decade of Nirvana, crunchy three-chord guitars, homebrew beer, unwashed hair, and plaid lumberjack shirts. For those of you who are already fans of DM, I think you'll enjoy it.
If you are not familiar with DM, may I suggest that you give them a try. They have lots of studio albums, live performances, collaborative output, and solo projects. They are also the band that has probably been remixed the most, and in fact, they've always encouraged it. And as this book illustrates, they are one of the most innovative bands in history, so there is something in their work for everyone.
So let's celebrate the life and work of Fletch, one of my closest friends who I never met. Put your leather boots on, listen to some DM, play one of their songs on your home synthesizer, or read one of the books. You'll find a great reward.
February 1, 2020
I've always loved this band and this is the 1st time I've read a biography on them.
This started out fairly slow and the author talked about how you shouldn't write an intro to a biography and then proceeded to do the exact same thing. He also tended to contradict himself throughout the book.
I still persevered and found the middle to be quite intriguing and fast paced. The end was kind of abrupt and seemed to be missing some things though. I realize this conveniently ended before many of the lead singer's problems or else there would have been a lot more to write. A mixed but enjoyable piece.
This started out fairly slow and the author talked about how you shouldn't write an intro to a biography and then proceeded to do the exact same thing. He also tended to contradict himself throughout the book.
I still persevered and found the middle to be quite intriguing and fast paced. The end was kind of abrupt and seemed to be missing some things though. I realize this conveniently ended before many of the lead singer's problems or else there would have been a lot more to write. A mixed but enjoyable piece.
June 26, 2024
I bought this book I believe in around late 1996 from a Barnes and Noble. By then Alan Wilder had left the band. Dave Gahan has survived multiple drug overdoses as well as a suicide attempt. We would know by 1998 that the 18 month long Devotional Tour was considered so "debaucherous" that the opening band Primal Scream, no slouches themselves in the world of partying, was scared into sobriety.
So when author Dave Thompson describes on the very first page that Gahan "look[ed] like death" and immediately adds that"the scratches and bruises on the insides of the singer's skinny arms, innocently acquired, have faded," I laughed out loud in the bookstore and read on.
On page 3, "Depeche Mode were never party animals in the accepted sense of the phrase...". Sure, if the "accepted sense" was the behavior of Caligula then DM was in the clear.
I did buy the book because page after page there were more ridiculous claims that had been debunked within less than two years. It repeatedly denies Gahan drug use. Page 234, "[Gahan] had never had a drug problem."
Well in 1993 before this book was released in November of 1994, he most certainly did. I bought this at age 15 and couldn't believe this had gone to press. If this was inaccurate from the very first page what could be trusted after? This book is filled with endless inaccuracies and down right lies.
Thompson has written many books about bands I love but I can't take this guy seriously. Whether this was a way to try to have the band save face before everything imploded or a different motive, it's irrelevant. This book is a disservice. No one around this period could make the claims he makes throughout this entire book.
The only reason I could laugh was because word was out that Depeche Mode were finally near to completion on their repeatedly delayed album, "Ultra" and Gahan was on the mend. Had Gahan succeeding in killing himself, this book would have been an unbearable, cruel, sick joke.
So when author Dave Thompson describes on the very first page that Gahan "look[ed] like death" and immediately adds that"the scratches and bruises on the insides of the singer's skinny arms, innocently acquired, have faded," I laughed out loud in the bookstore and read on.
On page 3, "Depeche Mode were never party animals in the accepted sense of the phrase...". Sure, if the "accepted sense" was the behavior of Caligula then DM was in the clear.
I did buy the book because page after page there were more ridiculous claims that had been debunked within less than two years. It repeatedly denies Gahan drug use. Page 234, "[Gahan] had never had a drug problem."
Well in 1993 before this book was released in November of 1994, he most certainly did. I bought this at age 15 and couldn't believe this had gone to press. If this was inaccurate from the very first page what could be trusted after? This book is filled with endless inaccuracies and down right lies.
Thompson has written many books about bands I love but I can't take this guy seriously. Whether this was a way to try to have the band save face before everything imploded or a different motive, it's irrelevant. This book is a disservice. No one around this period could make the claims he makes throughout this entire book.
The only reason I could laugh was because word was out that Depeche Mode were finally near to completion on their repeatedly delayed album, "Ultra" and Gahan was on the mend. Had Gahan succeeding in killing himself, this book would have been an unbearable, cruel, sick joke.
May 5, 2008
It's been a long time since I've read this book. I do remember it telling the story of Dave's self-destructive drug habit right around the SOFAD time period. i also remember it talking about Martin's bizarre behavior, but I suppose that most of that is probably public knowledge anyway.
July 28, 2022
There was a huge chunk of stuff in the book that only talked about other bands and what they were like rather than the whole story on Depeche Mode in general. Such boredom!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews