Depeche Mode - All Albums rated by YOU!!
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- Опубликовано: 18 сен 2024
- You are invited to rate all the Depeche Mode Albums. All albums will be rated out of 10 by YOU. The data will be collected to compile the ultimate Depeche Mode Album poll.
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Spirit is the most intelligent album written by DM. It's not just bunch of inconsistent political songs. It's complex conceptual album, becauze there are different characters present on the album. It tells you coherent story about how evil force is lurking through the album, being unseen, and how people still mess truth with eloquence, thus failing.
"Construction Time Again" was intelligent, "Spirit" is like senile preaching.
Comon man, dafuq?!
@@Soul_In_Isolationdifferent time, different age, different problematics. Dont play dumb
(This was hard, I love every one of these albums, also I put my fav songs from each one as well)
Speak & Spell - 4/10 [Nodisco]
A Broken Frame - 6/10 [My Secret Garden]
Construction Time Again - 7/10 [Told You So]
Some Great Reward - 8/10 [Master And Servant]
Black Celebration - 10/10 [Here Is The House]
Music For The Masses - 9/10 [Strangelove]
Violator - 8/10 [World In My Eyes]
Songs Of Faith And Devotion - 10/10 [Rush]
Ultra - 8/10 [Useless]
Exciter - 10/10 [Freelove]
Playing The Angel - 7/10 [Lilian]
Sounds Of The Universe - 8/10 [In Sympathy]
Delta Machine - 7/10 [Should Be Higher]
Spirit - 7/10 [You Move]
My Rating
1 - Songs of Faith and Devotion
2 - Ultra
3 - Violator
4 - Black Celebration
5 - Music for the Masses
6 - Construction Time Again
7 - Delta Machine
8 - A Broken Frame
9 - Some Great Rewaed
10 - Sounds of the Universe
11 - Exciter
12 - Speak & Spell
13 - Spirit
14 - Playing the Angel
Speak & Spell -2 ...its barely Depeche mode more Erasure.
A Broken Frame -7
Construction Time Again -7 Love the Industrial sound of this album.
Some Great Reward -7
Black Celebration -9
Music For The Masses -9
Violator -10
Songs Of Faith And Devotion -10
Ultra -9
Love ultra to death
Exciter- 6 its better than people give it credit for
Playing The Angel -8
Sounds Of The Universe -7
Delta Machine -7
Spirit -7
-Speak & Spell - 6 (tora tora)
-A Broken Frame -7
(The Sun & the Rainfall)
-Construction Time Again -7 (more than a party)
-Some Great Reward -8 (Blasphemous Rumours)
-Black Celebration -9
(Stripped)
-Music For The Masses -10 (I Want You Now)
-Violator -10
(Blue dress)
-Songs Of Faith And Devotion -10
(in your room)
- Ultra -5 (Freestate)
-Exciter- 1 (Freelove)
-Playing The Angel -2 (N/A)
-Sounds Of The Universe -1 (In Chains Mix Alan Wilder)
-Delta Machine -4 (Soothe My Soul)
-Spirit -4 (So Much Love)
So my ranking would be:
1. Violator
2. Music for the Masses
3. Songs of Faith and Devotion
4. Playing the Angel
5. Black Celebration
6. A Broken Frame
7. Ultra
8. Construction Time again
9. Delta Machine
10. Some Great Reward
11. Spirit
12. Exciter
13. Speak and Spell
14. Sounds of the Universe (excluded Fragile Tension and Wrong)
But honestly, there's at least one good thing about every Album in their own way
ultra at 7? but nice job putting PTA high up, great comeback album
I "hate" almost everything about A Broken Frame. I just can't imagine this album being above Some Great Reward, Spirit or Delta Machine. Still... It's your opinion 😊
I have the same top 4 but with a different order.
#1 Songs of Faith and Devotion
#2 Violator
#3 Playing The Angel
#4 Music for The Masses
I'll give Ultra #5 but honestly it can be #4 too... I had a obsession for this album but now i think i globaly prefer Music for The Masses vibe.
These five are my really top tier DM albums.
Then comes Black Celebration #6. I discovered DM with this album. Good memories.
Some Great Reward #7. The 1st album which doesn't sound like a "Boys Band" thing to my ear. Good thing.
Spirit #8. It lacks of hits songs but it's pretty enjoyable and the writting is pretty good.
Delta Machine #9. Good energy and good global synergy. Dave's singing is incredibly good but I think it lacks of deep writting. It's pretty much Spirit antagonist IMO.
Construction Time Again #10. I love some songs but half of this album is pretty forgetable.
Exciter #11. Chill album. I like to listen it sometimes. But it's probably the less impacting album. A special case. Still pretty good.
These six albums are my "mid-tier" albums: i enjoy these but if there wasn't the 5 top tier albums i think i wouldn't consider DM like my favorite band. I listen these when I have some case of OD with my favorite albums.
#12 Sounds of the Universe. Well... Wrong is in my top 5 favorite songs. Music is pretty good but it really lacks identity. Most songs are very forgetable. And singing is pretty weak comparing to previous PTA and sucessor Delta Machine. Some songs can be enjoyable but I don't really enjoy listening the full album.
#13 Speak and Spell. Some hits, but pretty poor-writted. Really, REALLY naive.
#14 A Broken Frame. Same than S&S but even more naive in some songs and without real memorable hit. Better writting than S&S but clearly not the best of Martin Gore skills.
These are the 3 albums i rarely listen just to remember that those exist.
@@redshady4182 i honestly don’t know what I was thinking back then, but i agree to the term, that SGR should definitely be higher up on that list! Although I still quite like songs like „My Secret Garden“, „The Sun and the Rainfall“, „Leave in Silence“ and „Nothing to Fear“
Dear Vaughn George,
I’m Ashvin from Mauritius, a small island in the Indian Ocean, been watching your channel a lot lately, all I can say is that I am really surprised that we have the same musical taste. I play guitar and keyboards and been a Depeche Mode fan since I was a kid.
Your channel is very much appreciated, keep it up!
Speak & Spell - 4/10 - Some positive Vince Clark influence - fav: Photographic & Just can’t get enough
A Broken Frame - 5/10 - fav: Secret Garden & Nothing to fear
Construction Time Again - 6/10 - fav: Everything counts & Two minutes warning
Some Great Reward - 6/10 - fav: If you want (Alan Wilder!) & Lie to me
Black Celebration - 8/10 - fav: Stripped (101 version rocks), Here is the house, Fly on the windscreen & Question of lust
Music For The Masses - 4/10 - fav: Never let me down again, Strangelove & Pleasure little treasure
Violator - 9/10 - fav: Enjoy the silence, Personal jesus & Halo
Songs Of Faith And Devotion - 10/10 - I feel you (closer to Metal style), Mercy in you (one of my favourite song) & Rush - Devotional Tour is the best live ever!
Ultra - 6/10 - fav: Barrel of a gun, Home and It’s no good
Exciter - 8/10 - The dead of night (wonderful intro to Exciter Tour), When the body speaks (one of my favourite song), I feel loved & Goodnight lovers (one of my favourite song)
Playing The Angel - 6/10 - fav: Suffer well, Precious & Nothing’s Impossible (acoustic version is best)
Sounds Of The Universe - 5/10 - fav: Come back
Delta Machine - 4/10 - fav: meh
Spirit - 5/10 - fav: No more (this is the last time) & Where’s the revolution
DM’s best era was when Alan Wilder was with them, SOFAD is my favourite album due to DM’s darkness, energy and mixture of acoustic and electronic.
I totally agree that the use of drums is a tad exaggerated in the latest albums, where I think DM should go back to the roots.
Ashvin Meetoo my good friend !! Thank you so much for your kind words and your detailed review!!! A dear friend of mine , Cherry Ballard, is from nearby island Seychelles!! She is an amazing singer too and here is a song we did together last year : m.ruclips.net/video/BKuvjYu-CmA/видео.html
Thanks again for your input !!
Cheers!! V😎👍
For me:
1. Violator: Great production, Best Singles: EJTS, Policy of Truth, World in my eyes and all songs could be a single.
2. Black Celebration: Dark, new sounds and inspirational Lyrics. Best: Black Celebration, A question of lust and Stripped.
3. Music For the Masses: Great Production and memorable singles like NLMTA.
4. Ultra: New Era. And Trip Hop sounds.
5. SOFAD: Perfect combination, Guitars and electronic. Great Tour
6. 101: Best Live
7. Speak and Spell: Fresh sounds and the first hits
8. Playing the Angel: Excelent Return to electronic and modern sounds
9: Construction Time Again: Conceptual and electronic album with samples.
10. Exciter: Under rated. But new minimal and dance songs
Cheers from Chile.
"Ultra: New Era. And Trip Hop sounds" Huh? I'm sorry...Trip Hop?
Speak & Spell - 4/10.
A Broken Frame - 9/10. Definitely my personal favorite album.
Construction Time Again - 7/10.
Some Great Reward - 8/10.
Black Celebration - 8/10.
Music For The Masses - 10/10.
Violator - 10/10. A classic.
Songs of Faith and Devotion - 9/10.
Ultra - 8/10. Another personal favorite.
Exciter - 8/10. Also another favorite of mine. Grossly underrated album.
Playing the Angel - 6/10.
Sounds of the Universe - 7/10.
Delta Machine - 6/10. Haven't listened as extensively as some others, though.
Spirit - 5/10. Should state I also haven't listened to this quite as much, giving a listen right now though.
Should note that my "favorites" are how I feel about the nature of the album as a whole, whereas the ratings are more based on the enjoyability of tracks on them. For example, ABF is definitely my favorite sound but Violator has the most consistently enjoyable tracks.
Agree on yr comment re ABF and Exciter. My same feeling exactly.
Speak & Spell: 8 - Just a fantastic synthpop record, plain and simple.
A Broken Frame: 3 - Felt like a weaker version of S&S but is still pleasant to listen to.
Construction Time Again: 4 - A pivotal album, but still needed refinement. The political lyrics weren't too exciting but didn't take away much.
Some Great Reward: 8 - CTA refined. the right meeting of dark subject matter and industrial sounds with the soulfulness of Dave's vocals plus Martin's emotive delivery on "Somebody".
Black Celebration: 7 - A great record with an "epic" sound to it. Where SGR was punchy and industrial, BC had a somewhat sinister feeling.
Music for the Masses: 9 - Near perfection, hard to say what keeps it from a full ten for me, but I can't deny how great it is. It takes lessons from its predecessors and puts them to good use with a balance of dance-able synths in the first half and the dark undertones in the second.
Violator: 10 - As cliche as it is, this is DM at peak perfection. I can't think of a single bad thing about any of the songs on this record. No track overstays its welcome or feels out of place
Songs of Faith & Devotion: 6 - I always thought this one was a little overrated; good, but a little "in one ear out the other" for me.
Ultra: 6 - DM in breakdown mode, Wilder departed and the band sounds a little lost in an emotional sense with songs about suicidal ideation, alcoholism, and resentment. It's like seeing your friend go through an emotional breakdown but showing signs they can pull through.
Exciter: 6 - Mostly good songs, but it feels like the album is trying to lull you to sleep (When the body speaks & Comatose) before slapping you upside the head right before you do (The Dead of Night & I Feel Loved). Good for long night drives though.
Playing the Angel: 9 - My introduction to DM ("Suffer Well" was featured in The Sims 2 and I still know the opening line in Simlish) and also biggest emotional connections so admittedly a little biased on this one. The loudness works in its favor if you ask me, giving some of the melodies more oomph. The lyrics are personal, but introspective. In the right mood "The Sinner In Me" and "Damaged People" can bring me tears.
Sounds of the Universe: 7 - Very overlooked. "Come Back" and "Wrong" are some of the most powerful songs from them. "Corrupt" almost frightens me when I listen to it. "Peace" leaves me feeling hopeful. Even the instrumental "Spacewalker" is very emotive with its cold ending. My only complaints would be "Miles Away" is easily the weakest song and should have been replaced with any of the bonus tracks, and "Come Back/Spacewalker" should have been second to last on the track list behind "Jezebel/Corrupt".
Delta Machine: 7 - This one grew on me, but I understand why others didn't like it that much. It's very minimalist and dreary, but I'm a big fan of acts like Throbbing Gristle, Suicide, and Cabaret Voltaire so it appealed to me. "Should Be Higher" and "Soft Touch/Raw Nerve" have great introductions, "Broken" and "Alone" are heartbreaking, "Angel" is a great meeting of blues and heavy electronica. "Soothe My Soul" is a weak point lyrically. Also, the bonus tracks are phenomenal and I don't understand why they didn't make the cut.
Spirit: 1 - Politics from 2017? No thanks, I don't want to relive that again. Way too preachy, making it seem like everything wrong is somehow my fault. I laughed at hearing Gore uttering "we're fucked". The production feels like it's trying to emulate PTA's but just coming off as weak. The only DM album I was legitimately disappointed to hear.
10. Speak and Spell
9. Delta Machine
8. Spirit
7. Sounds of the Universe
6. Ultra
5. Some Great Reward
4. Music for the Masses
3. Songs of Faith and Devotion
2. Violator
1. Black Celebration
Speak & Spell - 7
A Broken Frame - 6
Construction Time Again - 8
Some Great Reward - 8
Black Celebration - 9
Music for the Masses - 9
Violator - 10
Songs of Faith and Devotion - 8
Ultra - 8
Exciter - 5
Playing The Angel - 7
Sounds Of The Universe - 4
Delta Machine - 6
Spirit - 7
Speak & Spell 6
A Broken Frame 8
Construction Time Again 8
Some Great Reward 8
Black Celebration 10
Music for the Masses 9
Violator 7
Songs of Faith and Devotion 6
Ultra 5
Exciter 5
Playing the Angel 7
Sounds of the Universe 8
Delta Machine 7
Spirit 5
1. Violator
2. Music for the masses
3. Exciter
4. Black Celebration
5. Ultra
6. Spirit
7. Songs of Faith Devotion
8. Playin the Angel
9. A Broken Frame
10. Delta Machine
11. Sounds of the Universe
12. Speak and Spell
13. Some great reward
14. Construction time again
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
Speak & Spell 5
A broken frame 8
Construction time again 8
Some great reward 9
Black celebrstion 9
Music for the masses 9
Violator 9
Sofad 9
Ultra 10
Exciter 7
Playing the Angel 8
Sotu 6
Delta machine 8
Spirit 9
So here is my list...I also added the best and the worst track from the album. Looks like I dont really like the Gore tracks on the last few albums :)
Speak & Spell 7/10 (Best Track: Photographic, Worst: Whats Your Name?)
A Broken Frame 7/10 (Best Track: Sun & Rainfall, Worst: Furhter Excertps From My Secret Garden)
Construction Time Again 8/10 (Best Track: Everything Counts, Worst: Shame)
Some Great Reward 8/10 (Best Track: Blasphemous Rumours, Worst: It Doesnt Matter)
Black Celebration 9/10 (Best Track: Stripped, Worst: Dressed In Black)
Music For The Masses 9/10 (Best Track: Never Let Me Down Again, Worst: Little 15)
Violator: 10/10 (Best Track: Enjoy The Silence, Worst: The Sweetest Perfection)
Songs Of Faith And Devotion 10/10 (Best Track: In Your Room, Worst: Get Right With Me)
Ultra 8/10 (Best Track: Its No Good, Worst: The Love Thieves)
Exciter 5/10 (Best Track: Freelove, Worst: Comatose)
Playing The Angel 8/10 (Best Track: Precious, Worst: Macro)
Sounds Of The Universe 6/10 (Best Track: Wrong, Worst: Little Soul)
Delta Machine 7/10 (Best Track: Should Be Higher, Worst: The Child Inside)
Spirit 7/10 (Best Track: Cover Me, Worst: Fail)
Over Achiever!😘
Furhter Excertps From My Secret Garden is not an album song. www.discogs.com/Depeche-Mode-Leave-In-Silence/release/50107 However, My Secret Garden is, and it's an iconic one imo!
Speak and Spell: 7
A Broken Frame: 7
Construction Time Again: 8
Some Great Reward: 8
☆ Black Celebration: 10
Music For The Masses: 10
Violator: 10
☆ Songs Of Faith and Devotion: 10
Ultra: 10
Exciter: 7
Playing The Angel: 8
Sounds Of The Universe: 4
Delta Machine: 5
Spirit: 4
Speak & Spell 5
A Broken Frame 6
Construction Time Again 7
Some Great Reward 7
Black Celebration 8
Music for the Masses 9
Violator 10
Songs of Faith and Devotion 8
Ultra 7
Exciter 4
Playing the Angel 6
Sounds of the Universe 4
Delta Machine 4
Spirit 2
Speak & spell - 6,2
A broken frame - 5,2
Construction time again - 4,2
Some great reward - 8,4
Black celebration - 9,3
Music for the masses - 9
101 - 6,7
Violator - 10
Songs of faith and devotion - 9,6
Ultra - 8
Exciter - 8
Playing the angel - 7,8
Sounds of the universe - 7,1
Delta machine - 8,2
Spirit - 8,1
Speak & Spell - 10
This album was an epiphany for me, which is why it rates at the top. First one I ever heard all the way back in 1981. I had never heard anything like it before so it holds a place in my heart.
Best song - Puppets; Worst song - What's Your Name?
A Broken Frame - 7
Best song - The Sun and the Rainfall; Worst song - The Meaning of Love
Construction Time Again - 10
Another seminal album for me because, like S&S, the sound was something new. It has a fascinating, dirty industrial sound.
Best song - Two Minute Warning; Worst song - More than a Party
Some Great Reward - 10
Best song - Stories of Old; Worst song - Master and Servant
Black Celebration - 8
Best song - New Dress; Worst song - World full of Nothing
Music For The Masses - 9
Best song - Nothing; Worst song - I Want You Now
Violator - 9
Best song - Enjoy the Silence; Worst song - Personal Jesus
Songs Of Faith And Devotion - 10
My first thought on this was WTF, but it is epic and grows on you like a mold after a few listens.
Best song - Rush; Worst song - I Feel You
Ultra - 8
Best song - Useless; Worst song - Home
Exciter - 5
This album is like whiskey for me - I will never acquire the taste.
Best song - None of them; Worst song - All of them
Playing The Angel - 7
Best song - Precious; Worst song - Damage People
Sounds Of The Universe - 6
Not much better that Exciter for me. Martin's warbling voice is too prominent.
Best song - Hole to Feed; Worst song - Wrong
Delta Machine - 5
Again Martin with the warbling!
Best song - Broken; Worst song - Welcome to my World
Spirit - 6
Plods along - nothing exciting happening.
Best song - Going Backwards; Worst song - Eternal
I was wrong when I thought everybody loved Home
@@jkp6969 Home is epic! WTF!!! I'm confused!
@@mazined8932 ^
Worst songs Personal Jesus, Wrong, Home? What?! Man this is so weird choice!
01. Speak & Spell: 08
02. A Broken Frame: 07
03. Construction Time Again: 08
04. Some Great Reward: 08
05. Black Celebration: 09
06. Music For The Masses: 10
07. Violator: 10
08. Songs Of Faith And Devotion: 10
09. Ultra:07
10. Exciter: 07
11. Playing The Angel: 07
12. Sounds Of The Universe: 05
13. Delta Machine: 04
14. Spirit: 05
I'm also adding 2 compilation albums from 1984 and 1985 since (explained below as well) they added some songs that hadn't been released here in the States unless you heard them on a single B-side.
People Are People (adding this because they added 2 songs [Now This Is Fun and Work Hard] that were not on any US versions, so it's kind of a best of plus here's 2 songs you haven't heard before unless you heard them on a B-side): 08
Catching Up With Depeche Mode (adding this because they added 2 songs [Flexible, It’s Called A Heart and Shake the Disease] that were not on any US versions) so again it's kind of a best of so far and an intro to the Band plus here's 2 songs you haven't heard before unless you heard them on a B-side): 08
Speak&Spell- 11
A broken frame- 7
Construction- 10
Some great reward- 6
Black Celebration- 4
Music for the Masses- 8
101- 3
Violator- 1
Sofad- 2
Ultra- 5
Exciter- 9
Playing the angel- 12
Sound of the univ- 13
Delta- 17
Spirit- 15
Memento- 16
1. Black Celebration 10/10
(Just perfect album)
2. Ultra 9.5/10
(Darkness, beat and roughness)
3. Exciter 9/10
(I like it for it's slow, nostalgic atmosphere)
4. Some Great Reward 8/10
(A good old electro classic DM)
5. Delta Machine 8/10
(Very underrated album but I always like it)
The rest is just as good as 5th place. There is no bad DM album.
speak & spell - 8
a broken frame - 9
construction time again - 8
some great reward - 9
black celebration - 9
music for the masses - 10
violator - 7
songs of faith and devotion - 6
ultra - 7
excitor - 3
playing the angel - 10
sounds of the universe - 5
delta machine - 6
spirit - 6
Do you have their last album?
@@musoluvdance1583 I DO
Speak & Spell - 4
A Broken Frame - 4
Construction Time Again - 5
Some Great Reward - 9
Black Celebration - 10
Music for the Masses - 10
Violator - 9
Songs of Faith and Devotion - 9
Ultra - 6
Exciter - 3
Playing the Angel - 6
Sounds of the Universe - 2
Delta Machine - 4
Spirit - 3
I scored my albums out of 10 by firstly choosing my favourite 100 Depeche Mode tracks. I then applied a point to each album from where the track I chose came from (15 tracks didn't appear on an album) which left a total of 85 tracks. This was later adjusted to 84 tracks because I had to reduce Black Celebration down from 11 tracks to 10.
Music for the Masses was the first album to reach 10 in my list of favourite tracks but was later pipped at the post by Black Celebration which reached a final score of 11. This was adjusted down to 10 to give my results for this survey. Violator should also have scored a 10 but as it only includes 9 tracks this wasn't possible. The same also goes for Some Great Reward which should also have scored a 10 but only includes 9 tracks.
Paul Levey
Speak & Spell - 6
A Broken Frame -7
Construction Time Again - 10
Some Great Reward -7
Black Celebration - 10
Music For The Masses - 10
Violator - 10
Songs Of Faith And Devotion - 8
Ultra - 7
Exciter - 6
Playing The Angel - 9
Sounds Of The Universe -7
Delta Machine - 4
Spirit - 5
SOFAD must be 10! haha
@@DevotionalFilms, I wouldn't argue with that. I can understand why someone else would give it a 10. However, I made this list according to which albums mean the most to me, my own experience with them, memories of how they first made me feel, and how much I enjoy listening to them personally overall. If I decided to be only objective then I'm sure these ratings would change.
Speak and spell - 7
A broken frame - 6
Construction Time Again - 6
Some Great Reward - 8
Black Celebration - 10
Music for the masses - 10
Violator - 7
Songs of faith - 7
Ultra - 7
Exciter - 3
Playing the angel 3
Song of the universe - 2
Delta Machine - 5
Spirit - 1
14: Exciter
13: Delta Machine
12: Spirit
11: Sounds Of The Universe
10: Construction Time Again
9: Speak And Spell
8: Some Great Reward
7: A Broken Frame
6: Black Celebration
5: Playing The Angel
4: Music For the Masses
3: Violator
2: Ultra
1: Songs of Faith And Devotion
Keep in mind i love all DM albums and this list could change drastically in a heartbeat
1.Speak and Spell-5
2-- A broken frame-6
3- Construction Time Again-7
4-Some Great Reward-9
5-Black Celebration-10
6-Music for the masses-9
7-Violator-10
8-Songs of Faith and Devotion-11 (:P)
9-Ultra-8
10-Exciter-8( My first "full album" that i listened from them)
11- Playing the Angel-7
12-Sounds of the Universe-6
13-Delta Machine-7
14-Spirit-8
Speak & Spell: 5 /10 (favourite: Photographic, worst: Big Muff)
A Broken Frame: 7/10 (favourite: The Sun and the Rainfall, worst: Shouldn't Have Done That)
Construction Time Again: 6/10 (favourite: Everything Counts, worst: Shame)
Some Great Reward: 8/10 (favourite: Blasphemous Rumours, worst: Stories Of Old)
Black Celebration: 9/10 (favourite: Fly On the Windscreen (Final), worst: Sometimes)
Music For The Masses: 9/10 (favourite: Strangelove, worst: Nothing (or Agent Orange considering Bonustracks))
Violator: 9/10 (favourite: Enjoy the Silence, worst: Sweetest Perfection)
Songs of Faith and Devotion: 10/10 (favourite: In Your Room, worst: Get Right With Me)
Ultra: 9/10 (favourite: Sister of Night, worst: Jazz Thieves)
Exciter: 6/10 (favourite: When the Body Speaks, worst: Easy Tiger)
Playing the Angel: 8/10 (favourite: Precious, worst: Introspectre)
Sounds of the Universe: 6/10 (favourite: Wrong, worst: Corrupt)
Delta Machine: 7/10 (favourite: Soothe My Soul, worst: My Little Universe)
Spirit: 8/10 (favourite: Cover Me, worst: Fail)
Speak & Spell 7,A Broken Frame 6,Construction Time Again8,Some Great Reward7,Black Celebration8,Music for the Masses10,Violator9,Songs of Faith and Devotion9,Ultra10,Exciter5,Playing the Angel7,Sounds of the Universe10,Delta Machine7,Spirit8
Speak & Spell 7
Listened to this again recently, better than I remember.
A Broken Frame 8
Was my favorite for a long time, but the "teen angst" wears thin
Construction Time Again 7.5
Overall too experimental with sampling which takes away from the musicality
Some Great Reward 8.5
Reaching toward greatness...
Black Celebration 9
Great except for title track which I don't care all that much for
Music for the Masses 10
Greatness achieved, the fully mature sound is realized
Violator 10
Peak DM, completely fantastic, good songs, amazing "sonic landscape"
Songs of Faith and Devotion 7
Everyone loves this, I don't. "Going Grunge" felt like a contrived effort, as did the religious theme.
Ultra 8
Very good, considering the near wreckage surrounding them.
Exciter 6.5
Just king of boring overall.
Playing the Angel 7
Better effort, more memorable songs, the Gahan songs surprisingly good.
Sounds of the Universe 8
Good overall, "Fragile Tension" like this one alot, and "Peace"
Delta Machine 8
Same
, good but not really memorable.
Spirit 6.5
Boring except for a couple of good tracks. "Cover Me" stands out.
From best to worst and rating:
1. TIE: Black Celebration and Violator (9.5) Peak Depeche Mode
2. TIE: Music for the Masses and Some Great Reward (9) The Revolver and Rubber Soul of Depeche Mode
3. Ultra (8): 5 Good songs (Barrel of a Gun, It's No Good, Useless, Home, Inight) but it struggles hard to survive post Alan Wilder
4. Construction Time Again (7) DM finally found their rythim thanks for Alan Wilder.
5. Songs of Faith of Devotion (6) The guitar and drums didn't add that much to the mix. Plus I find the bible thumping really annoying.
6. Speak and Spell (5) Too pop. That is, too Vince Clarke. But it did lead the way for some of the best synth music of the 20th century.
7. A Broken Frame (4) Difficult to listen, but that's a feature, not a bug. The problem with Erasure and Pet Shop Boys is a lot of their material is just the drum machine going "thump, thump, thump, thump." This album can't be played at a dance club. And that's what's great about it. It's techno for thinking people.
8. Exciter (3). Martin Gore said he didn't even write the music. The studio gave him incomplete songs and he "completed them" (see the documentary on the DVD included in the remastered version of the album). That's why this album doesn't sound like Depeche Mode. Because it wasn't Depeche Mode! It only has the wrapping of Depeche Mode. Still, Dream On and I Feel Love are Ok.
9. Playing the Angel (2) No, DM didn't recover from Alan Wilder's departure. Precious is a carbon copy of Enjoy the Silence. The rest of it is marginally enjoyable, with maybe 3 songs you can actually listen to without cringing because of their "Demo Mode" structure.
10. TIE: Sounds of the Universe and Spirit (1) Both have only one song I can actually listen to and think "Ok, this could be Depeche Mode": Wrong and Where's the Revolution. Both are "Demo Mode", though.
11. Delta Machien (0) The absolute WORST of Depeche Mode. Even Soothe My Soul is awful. I was surprised DM didn't call it quits after this one.
After Ultra the biggest problem with Depeche Mode has been their complete inability to innovate with the actual music. I don't care too much about the lyrics. The music has to be good. From 1981 through 1993 DM innovated in every single album. The music was always fresh. One always wondered how they came up with this or that sound. After that, one wonders how they keep making records without caring about the music. Even Sting and Paul McCartney care about coming up with innovative sounds. And they've been in the game far longer than Depeche Mode.
Speak & Spell - 4
A Broken Frame - 7
Construction Time Again - 8
Some Great Reward - 5
Black Celebration - 8
Music For The Masses - 9
Violator - 10
Songs Of Faith And Devotion - 5
Ultra - 10 (11)
Exciter - 5
Playing The Angel - 6
Sounds Of The Universe - 4
Delta Machine - 5
Spirit - 6
Thank you again for this channel
What a great exercise! Here it is:
Speak & Spell: 2
A Broken Frame: 7
Construction Time Again: 6
Some Great Reward: 7
Black Celebration: 9
Music for the Masses: 9
Violator: 10
SOFAD: 10 (my favorite)
Ultra: 8
Exciter: 8
Playing the Angel: 7
Sounds of the Universe: 7
Delta Machine: 8
Spirit: 6
Speak & Spell 6/10
A Broken Frame 5/10
Construction Time Again 7/10
Some Great Reward 8/10
Black Celebration 9/10
Music For The Masses 9/10
Violator 10/10
Songs Of Faith And Devotion 8/10
Ultra 8/10
Exciter 7/10
Playing The Angel 7/10
Sounds Of The Universe 6/10
Delta Machine 7/10
Spirit 8/10
Speak and Spell-4
A Broken Frame-7
Construction Time Again-5
Some Great Reward-7
Black Celebration-10
Music for the Masses-7
Violator-10
SOFAD-8
Ultra-7
Exciter-6
Playing the Angel-7
SOTU-8
Delta Machine-10
Spirit-4
This was very difficult for me 🤣 I know I am in a huge minority, but I actually prefer the later albums (excluding Spirit). Delta Machine is tied with Black Celebration for my all time favorite. Exciter has huge sentimental value to me since it was my very first concert...plus I think it is unfairly panned. Like you say though, they don’t have bad albums...just some that aren’t as good as others.
Songs Of Faith And Devotion - Superb album.
Violator - Best album.
Music For The Masses - Great album.
Ultra.
Exciter.
Black Celebration.
Spirit.
Delta Machine.
Sounds Of The Universe.
Playing The Angel.
Speak & Spell - 8 One of the best synth-pop albums ever made, must be judged based on different parameters
A Broken Frame 6 Some good songs, very good raw sound in general, but immature composition
Construction Time Again - 5 Very good sounding album, still immature in terms of composition, not much stands out for me (except for Everything counts)
Some Great Reward -7 The real beginning of DM
Black Celebration -8 Probably my favorite album from the 80s DM era, but some songs are weak
Music For The Masses -7 More mature sound than BC and, again, some songs are weak, but I prefer the raw sound of BC
Violator -8 Good from the very first to the very last track, but personally not as dark as BC and MFTM
Songs Of Faith And Devotion -9 The deepest, the darkest and the best vocals by far, the real DM masterpiece, used to be my least favorite album and took ten years for me to start appreciating
Ultra -6 Very good sound, some good songs, but the beginning of the decline
Exciter- 4 Uninspired
Playing The Angel -6 Some good songs
Sounds Of The Universe - NA DM sounding album without the good things
Delta Machine - NA Never really listened to it, lost interest
Spirit -NA Same as above
Thank you for the details and elaborations !! V:-)
S&S 3 - The youth club's closed. Let's play this keyboard-thingy instead.
ABF 6 - Heeere comes Maggie!
CTA 6 - Coal miners at strike.
SGR 7 - Hey! It's gettin' real serious!
BC 8 - Let's do a little bondage.
MFTM 7 - Hey! There's money to make with this keyboard.
Violator 8 - Kind of cool with the drugs and all. Yeah.
SOFAD 8 - Where the **** am I?!?
Ultra 7 - Hey. This tape Alan left sounds great.
Exciter 4 - Dunno know what to do???
PTA 3 - When Mr. Feathers is actually a better creation than the album inside.
SOTU 2 - Oh no.
DM 3 - At least it's better than SOTU.
Spirit 3 - The ghost of yesterdays spirit.
Please don't hang me for this, but despite it changing every now and then it is more or less my opinion of the records. Can't believe I purchase the box sets and don't open them. Guess I'm a bit mental like the rest of the lot here.
And it was SO easy to give the grades!
well reviewed !! Thank you!! V:-)
10: Violator, Songs of Faith and Devotion, Black Celebration (Masterpieces)
9: Some Great Reward, Music for the Masses, Playing the Angel (Almost perfect)
8: Construction Time Again, Spirit (Superb albums with a couple crappy songs)
7: Delta Machine, Sounds of the Universe (Solid albums that could have stood more work)
6: Ultra (Alan's departure shines through)
5: Speak & Spell (Good, but it's really Vince's album)
4: Exciter (A few good songs, but weak for DM)
3: A Broken Frame (They seemed to be struggling to find their feet after Vince's departure, and had not developed the "DM sound")
Speak & Spell - 5
A Broken Frame - 5
Construction Time Again - 4
Some Great Reward - 7.5
Black Celebration - 8
Music For The Masses - 8
Violator - 10
Songs Of Faith & Devotion - 8.5
Ultra - 8.5
Exciter - 8
Playing The Angel - 6.5
Sounds Of The Universe - 6
Delta Machine - 6
Spirit - 6
Scott Watson CTA a 4?? No way, Everything Counts, Get the Balance Right, Told You So...are you sure that's not a typo 😂
Speak & Spell: Synth pop at its finest. It is definitely the most 80's sounding DM album, and the only one with Vince Clarke as a member. Overall not a bad start.
Favorite song(s): Photographic
Best song: Just Can't Get Enough
Rating: 7.5/10
A Broken Frame: The forgotten one, with Vince gone and Alan Wilder joins (though not as a official member yet), they were heading into new territory, as you can hear hints of Martin's excellent writing. This album doesn't deserve to be forgotten.
Favorite song(s): Leave In Silence
Best song: The Sun & The Rainfall
Rating: 8/10
Construction Time Again: Now Alan is a full member and brings his ideas to the table. Great new ideas and sounds brought to light, Martin's writing continues to grow, and we're given one of their legendary hits "Everything Counts". The only downside is that " Get the Balance Right" didn't make it onto the album.
Favorite song(s): Get the Balance Right, Love in Itself, The Landscape is Changing, Told You So, ...And Then
Best song: Everything Counts
Rating: 8.5/10
Some Great Reward: Now reaping the rewards, they are now becoming an unstoppable force, and now are fully embracing the darkness. Great writing and composition with more big hits and a singles album on the way. Personally I think Shake The Disease should of been included.
Favorite song(s): Master & Servant, Stories of Old, If You Want, Somebody, In Your Memory(B-side)
Best song: People are People
Rating: 9/10
Black Celebration: One of three of my personal favorites. Now one with the darkness, this is some of the best the band has given us no question about it.
Favorite song(s): Black Celebration, Fly On the Windscreen, A Question of Lust, Stripped, A Question of Time, But Not Tonight(B-side)
Best song: Stripped
Rating: 10/10
Music for the Masses: Another legendary hit song "Never Let Me Down Again" and their most famous concert "101". Almost reaching perfection. Oh and gave us the best version of " Route 66"
Favorite song(s): Never Let Me Down Again, Strangelove, Behind the Wheel, Nothing, Pleasure Little Treasure
Best song: Never Let Me Down Again
Rating: 9.5/10
Violator: The second of three of my favorites. This is about as close to a perfect album as you can get. With "Enjoy the Silence" being their biggest hit to date and the band at the peak of their fame, not many can reach the power this album has. This album has my favorite B-sides.
Favorite song(s): World in my Eyes, Personal Jesus, Policy of Truth, Kaleid(B-side), Sea of Sin(B-side)
Rating: 10/10
Songs of Faith & Devotion: The third of three of my favorites. Despite the difficulties and problems the band was going through, they still produced another masterpiece.
Favorite song(s): I Feel You, Walking in my Shoes, Condemnation, Judas, In Your Room, Higher Love
Best song: Walking in my Shoes
Rating: 10/10
Ultra: With Alan gone the band now a trio, they made another darkly great album. Of all the post- Alan albums is one the best, plus the second singles album after with one of my favorites "Only When I Lose Myself".
Favorite song(s): Barrel of a Gun, Home, It's No Good, Sister of Night, Useless, Insight, Only When I Lose My Self
Rating 9/10
Exciter: Massively underrated, the tone was lightened but still got some wonderfully made compositions.
Favorite song(s): Dream On, When the Body Speaks, Freelove, I Feel Loved, Goodnight Lovers
Best song: Dream On
Rating: 8.5/10
Playing the Angel: While Martyr sadly didn't make the cut, we still got a fantastic synth pop album, with Dave now contributing to writing songs.
Favorite song(s): A Pain that I'm Used To, John the Revelator, Suffer Well, Precious, Macro, Free(B-side), Martyr
Best song: Precious
Rating: 8.5/10
Sounds of the Universe: An equally great follow up with more contributions from Dave.
Favorite song(s): In Chains, Hole to Feed, Wrong, Fragile Tension, Peace, Corrupt, Oh Well(B-side)
Best song: Wrong
Rating: 8.5/10
Delta Machine: Only listened to this one a few times but it's just OK.
Favorite song(s): Soothe My Soul
Best song: Angel
Rating: 6.5/10
Spirit: Like Delta Machine it's just OK.
Favorite song(s): Cover Me
Best song: Where's the Revolution
Rating: 6.5/10
Speak & Spell 6
A Broken Frame 4
Construction Time Again 7
Some Great Reward 8
Black Celebration 9
Music For The Masses 7
Violator 10
Songs Of Faith And Devotion 8
Ultra 7
Exciter 7
Playing The Angel 6
Sounds Of The Universe 6
Delta Machine 6
Spirit 5
So here is my list. I figured I would do the same as you and list the ratings along with the best and worst track on the record (in my opinion of course). I feel like later era DM gets no love and I've really enjoyed some of their post-Alan work so here is my list. Don't beat me up too much....
Speak & Spell - 4 My least favorite DM record (Best song - New Life.....Worst - Boys Say Go)
A Broken Frame - 5.5 Much better songs but not a cohesive album (Best - Leave In Silence....Worst - Monument)
Construction Time Again - 7 The moment DM became DM (Best - And Then....Worst - Pipeline)
Some Great Reward - 7.5 (Best - Lie To Me....Worst - If You Want)
Black Celebration - 8.5 The beginning of DM phase 2...their best phase (Best - Stripped....Worst - It Doesn't Matter 2)
Music for the Masses - 8.5 Knocking on the door of superstardom (Best - Never Let Me Down Again....Worst - Pimpf)
Violator - 10 One of 2 undisputed masterpieces (Best - Policy of Truth....Worst - Blue Dress if I had to pick one)
SOFAD - 10 The second of the 2 masterpieces (Best - Higher Love....Worst - One Caress)
Ultra - 9 Brilliant and underrated album (Best - Freestate....Worst - Barrel of a Gun)
Exciter - 7.5 I love the low key vibe of this album...So underrated...The beginning of DM phase 3 (Best - Shine....Worst - Comatose)
Playing the Angel - 6 Great 1st half, second half is a letdown (Best - Precious....Worst - The Darkest Star)
Sounds of the Universe - 7 Really enjoyed this record (Best - Perfect....Worst - Hole to Feed)
Delta Machine - 4.5 Their worst album since their 1st (Best - Welcome to My World....Worst - Soft Touch/Raw Nerve)
Spirit - 6.5 Not terrible, The good songs on this are really good & the bad are bad (Best - Cover Me....Worst - Scum)
Speak & Spell: 7 (Best = Puppets, Worst = What's Your Name?)
A Broken Frame: 7
(Best = The Sun and the Rainfall, Worst = The Meaning of Love)
Construction Time Again: 7
(Best = Everything Counts, Worst = And Then...)
Some Great Reward: 9
(Best = Blasphemous Rumours, Worst = All tracks are great!)
Black Celebration: 9,5
(Best = Stripped, Worst = Sometimes)
Music for the Masses: 9
,5 (Best = Never Let Me Down/Behind the Wheel, Worst = All tracks are great!)
As a bonus!
101: 10 (Best = Black Celebration/Stripped, Worst = All tracks are great!) I especially like the Black Celebration versions in this concert, they sound so good here! Probably because the one thing that keeps the Black Celebration album from true greatness is the overdose of reverb on it!
Violator: 10
(Best = Can't choose!!!!, Worst = All tracks are great!)
Sofad: 9
(Best = Walking in My Shoes, Worst = All tracks are great!)
Ultra: 10
(Best = Home/It's No Good, Worst = Jr. Painkiller)
Exciter: 7
(Best = I Am You, Worst = Freelove)
Playing the Angel: 9,5
(Best = Impossible choice for me, Worst = Introspectre)
Sounds of the Universe: 5
(Best = Wrong, Worst = Most of the album, especially Little Soul & In Sympathy)
Delta machine: 5
(Best = Should be Higher & The 4 bonus tracks, Worst = Angel/Secret to the End)
Spirit: 8 (Best = Cover Me, Worst = The Worst Crime)
Speak & Spell: 6
A Broken Frame: 7
Construction Time Again: 8
Some Great Reward: 8
Black Celebration: 10
Music For The Masses: 10
Violator: 0
Songs Of Faith & Devotion: 9
Ultra: 8
Exciter: 7
Playing The Angel: 8
Sounds Of The Universe: 5
Delta Machine: 9
Spirit: 5
Extras:
People Are People: 8
Catching Up With Depeche Mode: 8
101: 9
World In My Eyes e.p: 10
Songs Of Faith AndDevotion Live: 9
DM 86-98: 9
Only When I Lose Myself e.p: 7
Rating/Album/Year/Songs Like to Total-Wilder?
1. Black Celebration (1986) 12/12 -Wilder
2. Music for the Masses (1987) 13/16-Wilder
3. Some Great Reward (1984) 10/17-Wilder
4. Violator (1990) 7/15-Wilder
5. Construction Time Again (1983) 8/17-Wilder
6. Songs of Faith and Devotion (1993) 6/18-Wilder
7. A Broken Frame (1982) 7/19
8. Playing the Angel (2005) 4/12
9. Speak & Spell (1981) 4/11
10. Ultra (1997) 3/20
11. Exciter (2001) 2/24
12. Spirit (2017) 1/12
13. Delta Machine (2013) 1/13
14. Sounds of the Universe (2009) 1/39
Speak and Spell - Really clever for its time, huge influence on loads of people like JX/Rex the Dog, some bits haven't aged well but on the whole it's still a really clever pop album. 7/10
A Broken Frame - A transitional album recorded under the cosh but has still got its moments. 'Leave in silence' could be viewed as the first proper Depeche Mode-as-we-knew-them-in-their-prime (compare with stadium rock Depeche Mode). 4/10
Construction Time Again - Far from perfect but a very cohesive sound, incredibly tough sounding and a quantum leap from everything preceding it thanks to the technology used (i.e. discovering a sampler and Gareth Jones). 'Everything counts' is one of the best tracks ever recorded. 8/10
Some Great Reward - Construction Time Again but with a bit more confidence and savoir-faire; by this point the band had found their groove. Listen to this back-to-back with its forebear and bookend it with 'Shake the disease' and you're golden. 9/10
Black Celebration - One of my favourites for the longest time but has gone down a bit recently in my estimation. Top songwriting yes but I think they smoked a bit too much weed in the studio and so it's a bit less boozy and bolshy compared to SGA and CTA. But again the songwriting is arguably better (and more technical) than it's ever been so far. 8/10
Music for the Masses - 'Never let me down again', an inferior version of 'Strangelove' (compared to the single mix) and a bunch of other tracks. This is where they get a whiff of the big time and start turning into a stadium rock act. 7/10 if I'm generous. The Yanks love this one for some reason.
Violator - It could have had more than nine tracks with interludes. François Kevorkian's delay units make this one hold up to this day. Everyone's favourite, 9/10.
Songs of Faith and Devotion - Big bad, grungy gonads Depeche Mode. Some tidy songs from Martin, Alan and Flood doing all of the heavy lifting, Dave singing his heart out ('like his balls were being tattooed' as I believe one journalist put it) and the tour to end all tours. 9/10
Ultra - Much better than a) you think it is and b) it has any right to be. A very fragile-sounding record, very stripped back compared to Alan's kitchen sink productions at times and the songwriting is solid. 8/10
Exciter - Hmmm.... Martin had writer's block, Mark Bell obviously was handling production and there's no real bona fide hit on here (the single version of Freelove at a push?). Still it's got a very cohesive and identifiable sound compared to what came before and after which is a point in favour. I'm not going to spend time listening to it any time soon though. 5/10
Playing the Angel - Precious, what a song. Their last proper brilliant song. The B-sides were wonderful, it's a shame they didn't make it onto the album. Dave writing songs for the first time and the band felt a bit more reinvigorated. 'Suffer well' is a nice little tune. 6/10
Sounds of the Universe - I can't remember anything about this album other than 'Wrong' is a very clever little tune but doesn't stand up to repeat plays and... That Alan Wilder remix of 'In chains' was ace, wasn't it? 3/10
Delta Machine - Came and went, just an excuse for another world tour. I can't remember any of the songs from this; my only memory of it is being really poorly recorded and mixed, not something you would normally associated with Depeche Mode. 2/10
Spirit - See my comments for Delta Machine above, except with added zeitgeist, which is neither here nor there. 2/10
Interesting the Thing you said About Delta machine. If I listed to lts say "Nothing impossible" from PTA and "Welcome to my world" or "Should be higher" from Delta machine back to back, "poorly mixed" is so much more Fitting to the Playing the Angel one ;)… But thats how opinions differ :)
@@Lofote Sorry for the slow response but I'd say all of the Ben Hillier albums just sound horrible (too 'crispy' with not enough depth, if that makes sense). Even 'Free' and 'Precious', which I really like, just sound rough.
With Playing the Angel though they were at least trying with the songs so there was something to distract from criticising the more technical aspects of it.
@@dinosavrvsrex haha ok... well, it seems Ben is history for DM now anyway, so ;)...
4. Speak And Spell
4. A Broken Frame
5. Construction Time Again
9. Some Great Reward
8. Black Celebration
7. Music For The Masses
6. Violator
10. Songs of Faith And Devotion
4. Ultra
2. Exiter
1. Playing The Angel
4. Sounds of The Universe
4. Delta Machine
3. Spirit
Top 5 DM albums for me: 5) Black Celebration 4) Ultra 3) Music for the Masses 2) Violator and 1) The masterpiece, Songs of faith and Devotion.
A very good choice there!! V:-)
I fully agree!
plus the worst album: playing the angel
@@VaughnGeorge Thanks. And thanks for your channel. Depeche Mode are a living legendary band and they deserves more appreciation and better from people with a knowledge like yours. 👌😉👍
@@sabinemuller1466 Well i really didn't like playing the angel but i like Precious and Suffer Well. ☺️👍
@@sabinemuller1466 wat??.. PTA is a great album at least 8 out of 10
I think Exciter is DM's most underrated album. The Sweetest Condition is an unbelievable track 👏
Sweetest condition has the stuttering part that is very annoying, he's mumbling at some point. But the album is good
Challenge accepted 😀
S&S - 5/10 ( the only one I actually don’t own a copy of 🙀)
BF - 6/10
CTA - 6/10 ( Told You So - amazing track!)
SGR - 8/10
BC- 7/10
MFM - 9/10
Violator 9/10
SOFAD 10/10
Ultra - 6/10
Exciter - 5/10
PTA - 5/10
SOTU - 6/10
Delta Machine - 7/10
Spirit - 6/10
Speak & Spell - 6 /10 - best track Photographic. A an ok album of its time.
A Broken Frame 5/10 very poor 2nd album, only Leave in Silence the only decent tune.
Construction time again - 6/10 - getting there, with Alan now joining the band the true Depeche Mode sound was starting to imerge. Best tracks - And then and Two minute warning.
Some Great reward 7/10 - Best tracks - Lie to me and Blaphemous Rumours.
Black Celebration 8/10 their best album up until this time, lots of greats songs, superb production - Stripped is still one of their best.
Music for the Masses - a superb electronic rock album. Loads of synths, Never Let me down again a fantastic song, just think of 101!
Next of course is the magical Violator - my all time favourite album 9/10 Opening with the Kraftwekian throb of World in my eyes, my all time greatest DM song is Halo , loads of synths, great lyrics and production from Flood and AW. Clean is still the best ending to any album ever !!!!
Songs of Faith and Devotion - 8/10 the rockier period. The heaviest album DM have done, I feel you a great opener and fab on Devoitional DVD. Waling in my shoes - Dm trying to be U2. In your room, Rush, Higher Love all superb tunes.
Ultra - 7/10 the last good DM album. With Tim Simenon on board to fill AW shoes, we have a good album but not a great one.
Exciter - 6/10 sorry to say but I do not like this album. Not played it in a long tme. Dream on the only decent track. So weak and under produced, I was thinking DM were finished at this stage, run out of ideas.
Playing the Angel - 6/10 I did like this at first but some many weak tracks. A pain that I am used to it awful, I want it all the only decent track on it really.
Sounds of the Universe - 7/10 a better album, more synths, less guitar but still not a patch on their old material.
Delta Machine - 6/10 Again I did like this to begin with but after a while it becomes boring and plodding. So many weakness. Wrong is good, thats about it.
Spirit - 7/10 a sot of return to form but 2/3 tracks are poor. I like Going backwards, No more(the last tine ) and Fail but sadly the best days of DM are gone.
I will always buy DM albums but from 1986 to 1994 this is and was the golden era of Depeche Mode.
Thank you for the comments and detail!! V;-)
I will say it is tricky as I find I like certain songs on each that elevate the album, and to paraphrase what Alan once said each album was the band trying to take it to that next level...so with that behind me...
Speak and Spell .. 8
The breakthru, it is Vince's band but still amazing and features that song they would play for the rest of their careers (Just Can't Get Enough), Martin did have one writing credit with Tora Tora Tora and a great debut solo vocal with Any Second Now. It is knocked down a bit by the one that even the band never liked "What's Your Name?
Broken Frame .. 6
Martin now leading the charge, this album has some great writing, minimalism and pulls it off despite some of it's more poppy aspects.
Construction -- 7
Alan's debut as well as the german industrial inspired sound that brought their creativity with sound to a whole new level. It did have some tracks that never would click with most people but still some great ones like "Told You So" and of course "Everything Counts"
Some Great Reward 7.5
So many great tracks on this including the iconic "Somebody" From this point on the band's sound begins to grow up.
Black Celebration - 9
One of their greatest. Such a jump in sound despite the lack of hits. Martin's writing has found it's groove as it were more than ever.
Music For the Masses - 8
Great work on this album, continuing the bands evolution. The introduction of Martin's Gretsch Anniversary guitar on some tracks is amazing.
Violator - 9
Hit after hit. Great first album for a new fan as it has a classic Mode vibe in some places and Andy's favorite track "World in my Eyes"
Songs of Faith and Devotion - 10
Their absolute peak, despite the insanity they went through to get it. Everyone on their game from Martin's writing "Walking in my Shoes" to Dave "Condemnation"
Ultra - 8
The album that wasn't supposed to happen from the band that was supposed to be toast (and lead singer who died) Only weakness is that, yeah, no Alan and a score of studio players to make the difference. Still, top writing by Martin and vocals are stunning.
Exciter - 5.5
Ok. Now their was some good tracks on this but it feels like this album was a bit more relaxed. Maybe it was a breather between parts of everyone's life. In truth the band now feels like it is entering another stage in their career.
Playing the Angel - 7
Big step forward after Exciter. Dave's writing is great and some really interesting work.
Sounds of the Universe - 8
Great writing and Martin's creativity with old equipment (and Ebay, apparently) makes this one really notable. First one I've seen in my local newspaper for exactly that reason. Great writing and everyone at top form.
Delta Machine - 7
Tricky with this as their wasn't lots of hits to latch onto but the creativity, vocals and everything were still great. Guys definitely found their groove and tracks like Heaven and Soothe my Soul were still terrific.
Spirit - 7.5
And here we are now! Naturally political, as...who isn't? (and let's leave it there lol!) Sounded amazing and some really great vocals. Even from the start we could tell this wasn't going to be loaded with hits but it still works great.
Cheers
:)
Thank you for taking the time to go into such detail!! V;-)
Speak and Spell (5.5)
Favorite: Photographic, Least Favorite: What's Your Name)
Broken Frame (6)
Favorite: Sun and the Rainfall, Least Favorite: Monument
Construction Time Again (5)
Favorite: Two Minute Warning, Least Favorite: The Landscape is Changing
Some Great Reward (7)
Favorite: Blasphemous Rumours, Least Favorite: People are People)
Black Celebration (8)
Favorite: Fly On the Windscreen, Least Favorite: It Doesn't Matter II/Sometimes
Music for the Masses (8.5)
Favorite: Never Let Me Down Again, Least Favorite: Sacred
Violator (9)
Favorite: Enjoy the Silence/Halo, Least Favorite: World in My Eyes (Too slow to the buildup, and doesn't really find a groove))
Songs of Faith and Devotion (9.5)
Favorite: In Your Room, Least Favorite: Get Right With Me
Ultra (8)
Favorite: Insight (Surrender if bonus tracks are included), Least Favorite: The Love Thieves
Exciter (8.5)
Favorite: I Am You/Dead of the Night, Least Favorite: Dream On (a solid track, but still the least interesting and shouldn't have been the lead single)
Playing the Angel (9.5)
Favorite: Sinner in Me, Least Favorite: Macro
Sounds of the Universe (7.5)
Favorite: Wrong, Least Favorite: Perfect (though the Reaps Remix of this is amazing!!!)
Delta Machine (8)
Favorite: Should be Higher, Least Favorite: The Child Inside
Spirit (7)
Favorite: Cover Me, Least Favorite: You Move
Speak & Spell - 8
A Broken Frame - 4
Construction Time Again - 6
Some Great Reward - 7
Black Celebration - 9
Music For the Masses - 9
Violator - 10
Songs of Faith and Devotion - 10
Ultra - 8
Exciter - 6
Playing the Angel - 5
Sounds of the Universe - 4
Delta Machine - 3
Spirit - 1
Actually, Marshaux did a cover of the entire "A Broken Frame" album. It's WAY better than the original and they made Satellite highly listenable. I'd score that a 9.
Speak & Spell - 8
A Broken Frame - 8
Construction Time Again - 9
Some Great Reward - 10
Black Celebration - 10
Music for the Masses - 10
Violator - 10
Songs of Faith and Devotion - 9
Ultra - 7
Exciter - 6
Playing The Angel - 7
Sounds Of The Universe - 7
Delta Machine - 6
Spirit - 7
I'm 51 yo. Fan since Everthing Counts ('83). First concert December '83. German.
Violator 11"the sweetest infection"
Sofad 10.5 "lead me to your darkness"
Mfm 10 "drive anywhere"
BC 9 "death is everywhere"
Ultra 9 "this is a strange life"
CTA 7 "in large amounts"
101 7 "Kraft"
Pta 6.5 "things get damaged"
Sgr 6.5 " i expect to find laughing"
S&s 6 "bright light dark room"
Exciter 6 "wandering around in a silent wonder"
ABF 5 "i just want to see ur sweet smile"
Delta m 4 "slow, slow happens all the time"
Sotu 3 "come back,come back to me"
Spirit 0,5 (sorry but 0,5 is too much for this album)
Thank you man, happy sunday
Ok ok so for what ever reason i miss this 9hours ago, now 7pm eastern Time, I'm done with gardening now is me time.
Thanks Vaugh for saving my Sunday
black celebration .....song of faith and devotion.....violator .....playing the angel ....music 4 the masses....havent bought the last 3 albums ....as there s nothing knew .....from depeche ....excellent video as per
Speak & Spell 5
A Broken Frame 4
Construction Time, Again 6
Some Great Reward 6
Black Celebration 8
Music For The Masses 7
Violator 9
Songs of Faith and Devotion 10
Ultra 7
Exciter 3
Playing the angel 5
Sounds of the universe 2
Delta Machine 5
Spirit 3
Speak & Spell - 6
A Broken Frame - 8
Construction Time Again - 8
Some Great Reward - 10
Black Celebration - 10
Music For The Masses - 10
Violator - 10
Songs Of Faith And Devotion - 6
Ultra - 7
Exciter - 2 (such an uninteresting album to me. I might change my mind someday though!)
Playing The Angel - 7
(I can't rate the three most recent because i have not really been listening to them enough)
It was kind of difficult to rate because i feel like Im still discovering new feelings for the old albums every other year (if that makes sense?). For example I haven't really cared much for "Playing The Angel" except for "Precious" up until very recently when I realised that "Suffer Well" and "The Sinner in Me" for example are incredible tunes! So if you ask me the question in five years again I might have have a different answer! Also some of their tracks have a really sentimental value to me so its hard to tell if its something i would have enjoyed as much if I heard it for the first time today or if I love it so much because of my own feelings and memories attached to it... I guess that doesn't really matter for me to be honest.
Anyways - Cheers from Sweden and thanks for an interesting channel!
S&S 3
ABF 4
CTA 10
SGR 10
BC 10
MFTM 10
V 10
SOFAD 10
U 6
E 5
PTA 7
SOTU 4
DM 6
S 3
There's no Depeche Mode without Alan Wilder!!!!!!!
Speak & Spell 6.5
A Broken Frame 8
Construction Time Again 7.5
Some Great Reward 8
Black Celebration 9
Music for the Masses 8
101 9
Violator 10
Songs of Faith and Devotion 9.5
Songs of Faith and Devotion Live 9
Ultra 8
Exciter 6
Playing the Angel 7
Sounds of the Universe 6
Delta Machine 6
Spirit 6
My own ranking at this time (it varies depending on the moment) would be:
14. Sounds of the Universe
13. Exciter
12. Delta Machine
11. Spirit
10. A Broken Frame
09. Speak & Spell
08. Playing the Angel
07. Ultra
06. Construction Time Again
05. Some Great Reward
04. Black Celebration
03. Music for the Masses
02. Songs of Faith & Devotion
01. Violator
Yes, not very original, but really I believe Violator and SOFAD are undoubtedly my favourite. Sometimes number 1 changes. But they're always number 1 and 2. One of them is so sweetly imperfect, SOFAD. The other one is perfection itself. It's THE perfect album. Not by Depeche Mode. By any other band standards. Just perfect.
This poll is a great idea.
Speak & Spell 9
A Broken Frame 7
Construction Time Again 8
Some Great Reward 8
Black Celebration 9
Music For The Masses 8
Violator 10
Songs Of Faith And Devotion 4
Ultra 5
Exiter 6
Playing The Angel 7
Sounds Of The Univers 6
Delta Machine 6
Spirit 7
Cheers, M
Speak & Spell -2 - And only because Photographic sounds great live
A Broken Frame -5 Without Sun and the rainfall it would be a 3
Construction Time Again -7 More than a party ascends this above mediocre
Some Great Reward -8 Amazing sound design .
Black Celebration -9 Tempted to give it a ten
Music For The Masses -9
Violator -10
Songs Of Faith And Devotion -10
Ultra -9 Last of the amazing ones
Exciter- 6 It still has 4 rather ok songs
Playing The Angel -8
Sounds Of The Universe -7
Delta Machine -7
Spirit -7 If it had more "Scum" I'd give it an 8
Speak & spell 4
A broken frame 5
Construction time again 5
Some great reward 8
Black celebration 9
Music for the masses 9
Violator 10
Songs of Faith and devotion 10
Ultra 9
Exciter 8
Playing the Angel 7
Sounds of the universe 6
Delta machine 8
Spirit 6
SS - 9/10
ABF - 10/10
CTA - 9/10
SGR - 9/10
BC - 10/10
MFTM - 8/10
101 - 8/10
V - 7/10
SOFD - 5/10
U - 5/10
E - 8/10
PTA - 7/10
SOTU - 5/10
DM - 5/10
S - 7/10
Listening to DM since 1981
(Edited) From 1 to 10, where 1 is the "less favourite" and 10 is "masterpiece":
S&S: 5
ABF: 7
CTA: 1
SGR: 7
BC: 9
MSFTM: 8
VIOLATOR: 10
SOFAD: 10
ULTRA: 8
EXCITER: 4
PTA: 8
SOTU: 3
DM: 5
SPIRIT: 7
My top albums are
1. Ultra 10
2. Songs of faith and Devotion 10
3. Music for the masses 9
4. Violator 8
5. Playing the Angel 8
6. Delta Machine 8
7. Spirit 8
8. Construction time again 6
9. Broken frame 4
10. Speak and spell 1
Speak and spell 4/10
Broken frame 6/10
Construction time again 6/10
Black celebration 6/10
Music for the masses 8/10
Violator 9/10
Songs of faith and devotion 10/10
Ultra 7/10
Exciter 7/10
Playing the angel 5/10
Sound of the universe 4/10
Delta machine 5/10
Spirit 6/10
This is sooo hard 4 me. In my early days, ever DM album (until Alan left) was a straight 10. I sure have my absolute favourites on most albums, even ABF.
But I knew DM had their best albums when Exiter appeared. The later albums bored me to sometimes death, which never happened before. I missed their focus, creative Soundwork, and, yes: catchy Melodies. Even Martins Songwriting made me sometimes laught, in a bad way (‚Where the revolution?‘ ‚ Comatose’. Really?? Here’s my list.
Speak n Spell: 6
A broken Frame: 7,5
Construction time again: 9
Some great reward: 9
Black celebration: 9
Music for the Masses: 9,5
Violator: 10
SOFAD: 11
Ultra: 6
Exiter: 6
PTA: 3
SOTU: 3,5
Delta: 3
Spirit: 2,5
I like your ratings from Ultra to Spirit. 😃
Wow,. No Alan Wilder
Speak & Spell - 5/10, A couple tracks were ok but there were still some tracks that were not the best but it definitely showed some potential
A Broken Frame - 8/10, This whole album was great with how it flowed it showed that they didn’t need Vince and that they could make another album without him and there’s some really underrated tracks on here like The Sun & The Rainfall
Construction Time Again - 8/10, This album was a turning point for the band since Alan joined and in this album Martins lyrics were more political and a lot more sampling
Some Great Reward - 7/10, Martins songwriting is way more personal and Alan’s sampling gets even better they should have included Alan’s other demos Violence, I Feel No Guilt, and Until You’ve Sown The Seed so the album could have 12 tracks instead of 9 tracks
Catching Up With Depeche Mode - 7/10, It’s pretty much a compilation album but had two singles and B Sides for them it was a smart move for the band so they could take a break from the studio
Black Celebration - 9/10, The band went back to the studio and made a completely great album like this Martins songwriting was really on point Alan really gave it a darker feel to the album I liked a lot of the tracks on the album
Music For The Masses - 9/10, They really stepped up their game I think what made this album so great is that it had such a great tour to it and it seems that’s where some of their biggest hits come from
Violator - 9/10, Amazing album but not 10/10 because every album has some flaws some of the B Sides should have made the album and had amazing songwriting to a lot of the tracks
Songs Of Faith And Devotion - 9/10, This album just changed the whole genre of music Depeche Mode makes it was a lot more heavier and more rock sounding and the sound banks Alan made for songs really changed the feel for them but they still had something original to them and it all really fits for what was going on with the band
Ultra - 8/10, For this being a post Alan album after he left the band I find it to be a great album it feels as if it’s Songs Of Faith And Devotion Part 2 even though what was going on with Dave at the time was absolutely terrible they still showed they could carry on without Alan and that they could still make Music
Exciter - 6/10, It seemed as if it was weak and as if Martin started hitting a writers block one song from the album that is good is Dream On and even though the album wasn’t the best the tour was pretty good
Playing The Angel - 8/10, This is another great Post Alan track and the songwriting on it was really good and with Dave writing a couple songs it was good and I feel as if it was underrated
Sounds Of The Universe - 6/10, Was not my favorite but I did enjoy the behind the scenes of making the album
Delta Machine - 7/10, This album was alright and I felt Dave’s voice sounded really good on a lot of the tracks
Spirit - 7/10, Some Of The songwriting was alright but it seemed very political which kinda made people not like it that much but the tour was great
Brilliantly presented!! Thank you for the detailed descriptions too!! V:-)
Hope I am not too late, just got back form holiday
Speak & Spell - 7
A Broken Frame - 8
Construction Time Again - 7
Some Great Reward - 9
Black Celebration - 10
Music For The Masses - 9
Violator - 10
Songs of Faith and Devotion - 9
Ultra - 7
Exciter - 6
Playing the Angel - 6
Sounds of the Universe - 7
Delta Machine - 7
Spirit - 6
I had to write the all over again (thanks, RUclips, for hanging up.). Sorry, if it's a bit more text than you were asking.
Speak & Spell - 5. Listenable, but nothing exceptional.
A Broken Frame - 5. Same, but general vibe is more appealing to me.
Construction Time Again - 6. Because Everything Counts.
Some Great Reward - 7. Several standout tracks, the rest fades into the background.
Black Celebration - 7. Same as previous.
Music For The Masses - 7. Same as previous.
Violator - 9. Plenty of hits, the rest is also very much enjoyable. Great replay value.
Songs Of Faith And Devotion - 10. This is the best. Almost entirely consists of exceptional tracks. The sound, the mood, the lyrics - everything is top notch.
Ultra - 8. This is like a hangover after a decadent party that was SOFAD. Very like dark and gloomy feel this one is giving me.
Exciter - 7. This one feels a bit shy and insecure, but also warm and cozy.
Playing The Angel - 9. This is the best since Alan's departure. Plenty of hits, the band sound confident, strong, with a certain swagger.
Sounds Of The Universe - 7. This one sounds very digital, overall package is pretty enjoyable. I like calm songs like Jezebel and Little Soul.
Delta Machine - 8. I think this is the best of late era DM. Like the blues influence and songs with that swagger like on PTA (Angel, Soft Touch/Raw Nerve, Soothe My Soul). Plus, bonus track Happens All The Time resonated with me deeply.
Spirit - 6. Same problem as with early albums. Although being listenable as a whole package, not much to put in a playlist.
Thank you for your detailed post and attention to detail!! I enjoyed reading that !! V;-)
Studio Albums
Speak & Spell : 7 (a combination of beautiful synth riffs and bubblegum pop, typical of the early 80s)
A Broken Frame : 5 (enter MG and a humble renewal of the band's hopes and aspirations)
Construction Time Again : 6 (not quite there but things are getting serious)
Some Great Reward : 6 (excessive use of sampling, naive at times but clever)
Black Celebration : 8 (DM's monumental effort to break away from the past and the mundane)
Music for the Masses : 7 (back to the formula of CTA & SGR but stronger and darker)
Violator : 10 (BC Reloaded - classy and awesome in all respects)
Songs of Faith and Devotion : 10 (DM's majestic leap of faith into the world of rock, soul and debauchery)
Ultra : 8 (SOFAD Part 2 but not quite)
Exciter : 9 (ground breaking album - mysterious, delicate and lush with melodic undertones)
Playing the Angel : 5 (mostly pretentious and misguided)
Sounds of the Universe : 6 (sonically good but lacks new musical ideas)
Delta Machine : 5 (melodramatic and trying hard to find a real purpose)
Spirit : 5 (have its moments but lacks the song writing brilliance of the past)
Thanks for the detail!! V:-)
I see a good number of people here criminally underrating Ultra. Yet the album lived up to its name.
I agree with you!! Ultra is a gem!! VG :-)
Speak & Spell - 6
A Broken Frame - 5 (would be lower without The Sun and the Rainfall)
Construction Time Again - 7
Some Great Reward - 8
Black Celebration - 8
Music for the Masses - 9
Violator - 10
Songs of Faith and Devotion - 10
Ultra - 8
Exciter - 2
Playing the Angel - 6
Sounds of the Universe - 7
Delta Machine - 3
Spirit - 3
Sadly, I just can’t get behind Delta Machine or Spirit. They have their moments, but overall I find them pretty empty. I really liked the Alan Wilder albums, but then again if he’d stayed then today we might be complaining as DM fans that their style change starting with Songs was the worst thing that happened to them. Maybe they’d have topped Violator. We’ll never know and guess we should just appreciate what there is for what it is.
Really enjoying the channel Vaughn. Will you also be doing any in-depth work on Recoil? Unsound Methods is a seriously underrated album in my humble opinion.
Pfffg that's too difficult for me. For now at least. Let me first start with my top 3 and let me think very well for my top 10.... comming back to that 😉
Nr3: Songs of Faith and Devotion - Condemnation
Nr2: Violator - World in my eyes
Nr1: Ultra - Freestate
Just discovered your channel... new subscriber here 😁
Hey, this is a cool idea! I'll be heading to join the Facebook group right after I send this comment/rating (out of 10):
"Speak & Spell" - 6
"A Broken Frame" - 7.5
"Construction Time Again" - 8
"In Your Memory - Slick Mix" (B -Side to "People are People" single - 11 (Wilder's best work imo)
"Some Great Reward" - 7.5
"Black Celebration" - 7.5
"Music for the Masses" - 8.5
"Violator" - 9.5
"Songs of Faith and Devotion" - 9.5
"Ultra" - 8.5
"Exciter" - 9
"Playing the Angel" - 8.5
"Sounds of the Universe" - 5
(The SixToes remixes are awesome, however, along with the Wilder remix of "In Chains")
"Delta Machine" - 7.5
"Spirit" - 6.5
Can't wait to see the rest of us viewers' averages! Keep it up, Mr. George!
Speak & Spell: 4/10;
A Broken Frame: 6/10;
Construction Time Again: 8/10;
Some Great Reward: 11/10
Black Celebration: 10/10;
Music for the Masses: 10/10;
101: 10/10;
Violator: 10/10;
Sofad: 10/10;
Ultra: 10/10;
Exciter: 9/10;
PtA: 6/10;
Sotu: 6/10;
Delta Machine: 5/10;
Spirit: 5/10;
Two years ago i posted my ranking here, but since then I've become even more of a DM and my ranking has changed drastically. I feel obligated to correct myself and post the new ranking.
Speak & Spell - 4
A Broken Frame - 7
Construction Time Again - 6
Some Great Reward - 8
Black Celebration - 8.5
Music For The Masses - 9.5
Violator - 9
Songs Of Faith And Devotion - 10
Ultra - 8
Exciter - 5
Playing The Angel - 6.5
Sounds Of The Universe - 4.5
Delta Machine - 6
Spirit - 5
* SOFAD is my favorite album of all time
Speak & Spell - 7 out of 10 -
Favorite Song: Photographic
Least Favorite Song: Nodisco!
A Broken Frame - 8 out of 10
Favorite Song: Leave In Silence
Least Favorite Song: Shouldn’t Have Done That
Construction Time Again - 8
Favorite Song: Everything Counts
Least Favorite Song: Pipeline
Some Great Reward - 9
Favorite Song: Lie to Me
Least Favorite Song: (None)
Black Celebration - 10
Favorite Song: Stripped
Least Favorite Song: Sometimes
Music for the Masses - 9
Favorite Song: Never Let Me Down Again
Least Favorite Song: Pleasure, Little Treasure
Violator - 10
Favorite Song: World In My Eyes
Least Favorite Song: (None)
Songs of Faith and Devotion - 9
Favorite Song: In Your Room
Least Favorite Song: Get Right With Me
Ultra - 9
Favorite Song: Insight
Least Favorite Song: (None)
Exciter - 10
Favorite Song: I Am You
Least Favorite Song: (None)
Playing the Angel - 7
Favorite Song: Suffer Well
Least Favorite Song: Macro
Sounds of the Universe - 6
Favorite Song: In Sympathy
Least Favorite Song: Jezebel
Delta Machine - 7
Favorite Song: Welcome to My World
Least Favorite Song: Always
Spirit - 8
Favorite Song: Going Backwards
Least Favorite Song: Eternal
Thank you for the extra detail!! V;-)
Speak and Spell - 5.5
A Broken Frame - 5
CTA - 6
SGR - 6.5
BC- 9
M4TM - 8.5
Violator - 10
SOFAD - 10
Ultra - 9
Exciter - 6.5
PTA - 8.5
SOTU - 5
DM - 7.5
Spirit - 8.5
Cheers, Rog2.0
I appreciate you interaction Roger!! V;-)
S&S - 7
ABF - 8
CTA - 8
SGR - 8
BC - 9
MFTM - 10
Violator - 10
SOFAD - 10 (1st place)
Ultra - 9
Exciter - 7
PTA - 6
SOTU - 7
DM - 8
Spirit - 5
I suppose my ranking is mostly based on the frequency of listening of one or another album's songs and quantity of these songs of the album
Hello my friend. Keep up the great work!!
Speak & Spell 7
A broken frame 8
Construction time again 8
Some Great Reward 10
Black Celebration 9
Music for the masses 10
Violator 10
Songs of faith & devotion 10
Ultra 8
Exciter 7
Playing the Angel 9
Sounds of the universe 7
Delta Machine 7
Spirit 7
Violator...the best!
2. Music for the Masses
3. Black Celebration
4. Playing the Angel
5. Construction Time Again
I'm pethead ;)
Speak and Spell - 7
A Broken Frame - 8
Construction Time again - 8
Some Great Reward - 9
Black Celebration - 10 (3rd place)
Music for The Masses - 10 (2nd place)
Violator - 10 (1st place)
Songs of Faith and Devotion - 5
Ultra - 4
Exciter - 4
Playing The Angel - 7
Sounds of The Universe - 7
Delta Machine - 7
Spirit - 8
While I really love every one of their albums (even Exciter), I really was not a fan of their changed sound after Violator. I like SOF&D, but it is one of my least favorites and represents the beginning of the 'not as good as they used to be' DM for me. I feel like they have been slowly evolving back to what the world loved about Violator since then and my ratings reflect that. Cover Me is such a great track from Spirit that could have come straight off of Violator. That said - I did see SOF&D (and many others) live in Phoenix - it was magnificent! Cheers!
When SoFaD came out, I initially didn't like it as much also, but I put it away for about 6 months & then found myself going back to it more & more. It is probably the album I listen to the most now!
@@johnj28 I listen to tracks from it regularly, but I'll have to give it another listen in full sometime soon. 👍
Speak & Spell -3
A Broken Frame - 5
Construction Time Again - 5
Some Great Reward - 6
Black Celebration - 8
Music for the Masses - 9
Violator - 10
Songs of Faith and Devotion - 8
Ultra - 8
Exciter - 7
Playing the Angel - 7
Sounds of the Universe - 6
Delta Machine - 5
Spirit - 2
Some of them need to be graded higher because they were very innovative for the times they were released. And I have to say, technically Spirit sounds very well, but just that is why I give 2 points to that album.
I consider myself a beginner audiophile and I always go back to Violator and Black Celebration for the quality in the production.
Exactly the same as me! The Depeche Mode Bell Curve..
Speak & Spell = 7
A Broken Frome = 8
Construction Time Again = 8
Some Great Reward = 9
Black Celebration = 7
Music For The Masses = 9
Violator = 9
Songs Of Faith And Devotion = 8
I own the following albums but never really got into them.
Speak & Spell: 6
A Broken Frame: 7
Construction Time Again: 8
Some Great Reward: 8
Black Celebration: 9
Music For The Masses: 8
Violator: 9
Songs Of Faith And Devotion: 10
Ultra: 8
Exciter: 6
Playing The Angel: 7
Sounds Of The Universe: 4
Delta Machine: 4
Spirit: 2
Being very critical and looking at the strength of all the songs overall...
Speak and Spell - 4
A Broken Frame - 7
Construction Time Again - 7
Some Great Reward - 9
Black Celebration - 7 (Excellent for the first half or so, but there are some really duff songs towards the end that pull it down. Also, I'm not keen on the production overall. That's said, while I love Some Great Reward and have scored it higher due to liking all the songs on it more, this album is a big step forward. (this is also the album that made me a fan, I feel very guilty giving it 7!))
Music for the Masses - 10 (My favourite. I think DM made two perfect albums, this and Violator)
Violator - 10
Songs of Faith and Devotion - 8 (let down by a couple of weak songs and I hate Condemnation)
Ultra - 6
Exciter - 3 (there's a couple of great tracks, but I have never got on with the album as a whole)
Sounds of the Universe - 7 (I really like this one, but looking at the strength of all the songs, Playing the Angel was better)
Playing the Angel - 8
Delta Machine - 4 (Meh. Another that really didn't engage me. There are songs on this that I don't even remember)
Spirit - 5
There are songs I adore on all of them, even Delta Machine.
I just don't understand the dislike for DM Exciter What a masterpiece!!!
Speak & Spell----5 ( Photographic)
A Broken Frame----6 ( See You )
Construction Time Again----3 ( Everything Counts )
Some Great Reward------6 ( Blasphemous Rumors )
Black Celebration-----7 ( New Dress )
Music for the Masses-----7 (NLMDA)
Violator------- 9( Blue Dress )
SOFAD-----9.5 ( Higher Love )
Ultra------9.5 ( Sister of Night )
Exciter-----9 ( sweetest condition )
Playing The Angel----10 ( Suffer Well---BEST DM TRACK OF ALL TIME )
SOTU------ 4 ( What a let down after the 2005 masterpiece ) sounded dated and sits well between broken frame and construction time again era. The complete opposite from the crisp progressive sound of PTA..........
Delta Machine------7( nice comeback after the 2009 calamity but nowhere near perfection----Alone was awesome)
Spirit--------7 ( DM holding serve but just cant get back to the early to mid 2000 masterpieces.
Ultra 10
Black celebration 10
Construction time again 10
Songs of the faith and deviation 10
Violator 9
Music for the masses 9
Playing the angel 9
Some great reward 8
Delta Machine 8
Exciter 8
A broken frame 8
Speak and Spell 7
Spirit 6
Sounds of the universe 6
List a bit fluid, but more or less like this:
1993 Songs of Faith And Devotion (10)
1990 Violator (9.5)
1986 Black Celebration (9)
1997 Ultra (8)
1987 Music For The Masses (7.5)
1988 101 (7)
2013 Delta Machine (6.5)
1984 Some Great Reward (6)
2001 Exciter (5.5)
2017 Spirit (5)
1983 Construction Time Again (4.5)
2005 Playing The Angel (4)
2009 Sounds of The Universe (3)
1982 A Broken Frame (2)
1981 Speak And Spell (1)
Speak and spell - 7.5
A broken frame - 5
Construction time again - 6
Some great reward - 9
Black celebration -10
Music for the masses -10
Violator - 10
Songs of faith - 10
Ultra - 8.5
Exciter -3
Playing the angel - 6
Sounds of the universe - 4
Delta machine - 3
Spirit - 5
Speak & Spell - 5
A Broken Frame - 7
Construction Time Again - 6
Some Great Reward - 7
Black Celebration - 8
Music for the Masses - 8
Violator - 9
SOFAD - 8
Ultra - 9
Exciter - 5
Playing the Angel - 7
Sounds of the Universe - 6
Delta Machine - 6
Spirit - 5
My gut reactions. A 10 would be an album I never skip any songs after repeated listening. Hasn’t happened yet.