Some Great Reward, Sire Records,1985      GLOBAL CHART ACHIEVEMENTS:                   # 16  in the UK                  # 19  in Switzerland                  # 22  in Germany            Top 20 at  MATT RADIO       View the all-time countdown here!

The peak of Depeche Mode's industrial-gone-mainstream fusion, and still one of the best electronic music albums yet recorded, Some Great Reward still sounds great, with the band's ever-evolving musical and production skills matching even more ambitious songwriting from Martin Gore.  "People Are People" appears here but finds itself outclassed by some of Depeche Mode's undisputed classics, most especially the moody, beautiful "Somebody," a Gore-sung piano ballad that mixes its wit and emotion skillfully, but also "Master and Servant," an amped-up, slamming dance track that conflates sexual and economic politics to sharp effect, and the closing "Blasphemous Rumours," a slow-building anthemic number supporting one of Gore's most cynical lyrics, addressing a suicidal teen who finds God only to die soon afterward.  Even lesser-known tracks like the low-key "Lie to Me" and the weirdly dreamy "It Doesn't Matter" showcase an increasingly confident band.  Alan Wilder's arrangements veer from the big to the stripped down, but always with just the right touch, such as the crowd samples bubbling beneath "Somebody" or the call-and-response a cappella start to "Master and Servant."  With Reward, David Gahan's singing style found the métier it was going to stick with for the next ten years, and while it's never gone down well with some ears, it still has a compelling edge to it that suits the material well.

source:   Ned Raggett, allmusic.com

Depeche Mode are part underground cult, part pop stars.
Despite their success they are still on Mute, a small independent label, and they refuse to compromise with the music business.
The four individuals have stayed out of the glare of sensational publicity that is normally focused on pop stars.
But in our exclusive series they talk frankly about the forces that have shaped their lives and music.
And they reveal a side of Depeche Mode that is often very different from their clean-living public image...


DAVE GAHAN
THE WILD BOY

"I was born in Chigwell but my parents divorced when I was very young, so mum moved the family--- my sister Sue and brothers Peter and Philip--- to Basildon.  She remarried and I always assumed my stepfather was my real dad.  He died when I was seven.  Then I came home one day and found this bloke at home who turned out to be my father.  I was very upset and we all had a huge argument because I thought I should have been told.

Later I realized what a hard time Mom had bringing us up.  I didn't help by getting into a lot of trouble.  I wasn't good at school (Bastaple).   I couldn't do with being pushed around.

You got categorized into grades, so I resented the clever kids, started bunking off, got into bother with the law.   I was suspended and ended up in juvenile court three times for things like nicking motors, setting them alight, and spraying walls.

I left at sixteen, as soon as possible.  My qualifications in art and technical drawing didn't seem much use.

Vince Clarke I met one day outside a pub in the city centre.  He looked up to me because he was a bit scared of the skins.  His friends stayed at home.

Vince had a band, French Look, with Martin and Rob Marlowe.  Then Vince started Composition of Sound with Andy and Martin.  The two groups fell out because both wanted Martin.  Typically, he couldn't make up his mind, being nice to everyone.

One day Vince asked me if I wanted to sing at a rehearsal.  I was quite shy, but it was something to do.  That was the beginning of Depeche Mode.

We got a residency at Crocs in Rayleigh as resident electronic band, and people came from London to see us. (Culture Club also built up an early Crocs following.)  Rusty Egan (club socialite, then Visage drummer) was one.  He introduced us to Stevo (Some Bizarre mentor) who was just a general nutter on the scene.

The group met Daniel Miller (of Mute Records) shortly after our first Venue gig (New Romantic package night).  He put out our first single just after the Some Bizarre track.  Lots of companies were waving cheque books and promising the earth, but only Daniel was honest.  He offered us points (a share in the profits).  We split everything fifty/fifty.

Even now we have no management deal and no contract.  We pay our own salaries and don't have aggressive marketing.

SELF CONTROL

Keeping control is important to us and to Mute.  We've kept our grass roots following.  The fans are so hardcore that singles tend to chart quickly without hyping, so we spend our money on decent stage shows and recording.

I'm not interested in image making.  Depeche Mode has never idealized group pictures on records.  We prefer visuals and imagery.  Four blokes standing against a wall wearing nice suits doesn't excite me.  A look dates.

We've matured at our own pace.  When we did Speak and Spell we were very young and naive.  We got slaggered off for being teeny bopper because we didn't care what was hip.

Even we knew we didn't have much to say, and the fans still stood by us.  We owe them a lot because they never were influenced by the knockers, or by Vince leaving.

As for the group, our working class background keeps us fairly level-headed despite the stupid amounts of money to be made.

For now the group is still going up, so I'm very happy about the future.  Depeche Mode is a group which has good ideas rather than being a great bunch of musicians first.  We learn all the time.

I've got other ambitions, like writing songs.  I have tried, but Martin is so good at it that it would be silly to offer the group something second-rate.  We've practically lived together for five years, so you know immediately when someone doesn't like what you're doing.  I'll concentrate on the singing.  I think I'm pretty good at that."

source:   Max Bell, "No. 1" magazine, May 1985