With the sad death of Andy Fletcher recently you must wonder if the forty-two-year career of Depeche Mode is over or maybe they can tempt Alan Wilder back as they were at their peak with him in the band. An announcement is due at the start of October, the romantic in me hopes Wilder returns for a glorious album and tour, we shall see.
I quite liked their early singles and had become interested in them around the Black Celebration album. They were becoming a seriously major band and when Personal Jesus came banging out of the radio with that fantastic guitar riff, I thought they deserved their first number one. It wasn’t, but do not worry second single Enjoy The Silence was even better so a definite number one, nope.
How have Depeche Mode never had a number one single? Enjoy the Silence is timeless.
This was a perfect band Gahan the entertainer in top form, even though heroin was about to rip him apart, Gore at the top of his song writing, Wilder the genius in the studio and Fletcher holding them all together.
World In My Eyes, Sweetest Perfection and Policy Of Truth were this band in complete sync. Songs of Faith and Devotion was to follow a few years later and they were officially superstars by then. This was a band who deserved it.
9/10
GIVE IT A STREAM: Enjoy The Silence