Depeche Mode

十六年前，由Stevo這位著名Futurist Club DJ所選輯的經(jīng)典新浪漫雜錦專集 Some Bizzzare Album內一首Photographic開始，Depeche Mode便正式闖進樂壇。然而那時誰也想不到，這支來自英國Essex南部市鎮(zhèn)Basildon的年青電子組合，卻可以躋身成為屹立不倒的國際級巨星。
 
在八十年代初的Synth-Pop熱潮底下所冒起那群新生代之中，Depeche Mode無可否認是一個傳奇與神話。 就如鐵一般的事實，這隊最初只靠幾部平價Analogue與Monophonic電子合成器起家的電子組合，能夠于短短幾年間在創(chuàng)意上與商業(yè)上皆迎頭趕過Soft Cell、Fad Gadget等比他們更早發(fā)跡的師兄。不單DM是那些Synth-Pop組合中最長壽的一隊，同時在日后也比很多刻意地討好美國市場的隊伍更成功地在美國大展拳腳。DM不是機會者，但卻懂得如何去改革他們的聲音。
 
踏入九十年代之后，DM已顯然處于慢產(chǎn)狀態(tài)，在至今的七個年頭里，他們就只有發(fā)表了Violator（90年）、Songs Of Faith And Devotion（93年）和Ultra（97年）這三張大碟而已，叫人感覺他們似是因達到巨星地位而懶散起來。在走上Stadium樂隊之路之馀，也有蛻變成恐龍級樂隊之危機跡象。 情況是每每等到樂迷最饑餓的時候才施施然發(fā)表新作，然后舉行盛大的世界性巡回演出，登陸大型Stadium，繼而再出版多一張現(xiàn)場演出專集......實行帶來可觀的進賬。
 
于是，當年整個Devotional Tour便足足花了十四個月時間舉行，Overplayed 的演出換來卻是一場惡夢的開始。永無止境的巡回表演旅途，令到Dave Gahan沉迷在毒品，Andrew Fletcher亦因精神崩潰而一度在中途離隊（空缺乃由Daryl Bamonte這樂隊的PA頂替），接著Alan Wilder亦在不愉快之下而脫離樂隊。那幾乎把DM送進滅亡中。
 
最大后遺癥，是令到Dave變成一位癮君子Rock Star。當他與第二任妻子Teresa Conway在洛杉磯居住時，他每天都困在大大房間里拿著匙羹吸食毒品。后來Tersa舍他而去，便導致Dave意圖透過毒品（由海洛英與可卡因混合成的Speedball）來了結生命。結果差點送掉生命的他也因而成為當時的頭條新聞人物。 毒品的問題似乎真的離不開Rock Star的故事。
 
到了今天，Martin說Alan在樂隊創(chuàng)作上愈見霸權；Alan則說他在樂隊里所付出的都得不到公平對待；Andrew打趣說Alan離隊乃因為他不是Essex的同鄉(xiāng)?？诤托牟缓偷那闆r基本上已存在著。最后釀成決裂收場，DM亦再返回82年A Broken Frame時Dave/Martin/Andrew三人陣容。
 
Alan的離去，并未令DM劃上句號，反而使到樂隊踏上重生之路。沒有了Alan，卻在Bomb The Bass主將Tim Simenon的監(jiān)制下而引進一位音響工程師、一位Programmer以及一群客席樂手 (包括有德國Krautrock教父Can的鼓手Jaki Liebziet、 來自前Melon的日本著名鼓手Gota Yashiki、敲擊手Danny Cummings、來自Living Colour/Tackhead的低音結他手Doug Wimbish等，連久違的老板Daniel Miller也落手客串System700的演奏），參與班底之多可謂DM有史以來之最， 然而卻令到樂隊得以從Songs Of Faithful And Devotion的聲音里解放出來。
 
沒有Songs Of Faithful And Devotion 時的污穢骯臟搖滾氣息，在Ultra里卻重舍了一份富有Electronica意味的音質。即使細碟Barrel Of A Gun 送上Martin一手連綿的Cyber Blues結他與重型Hip-Hop節(jié)拍、寫人際關系的第二張細碟 Its No Good那Techno-Rock骨干配DM式鍵琴，都多添上一陣未來派感覺。更懾人的是一曲Useless，在Gota的Hip-Hop鼓下配上是夢幻意境、低調情懷與有如呼號的結他獨奏。
 
然而，Ultra內最令人迷醉的，是DM再次重拾在Black Celebration時的黑暗氣氛與Violator時的科幻感，The Love Thieves有如Portishead般冷艷凄迷、動人傷感，Martin一手Moody的結他實在太美；Home筆下的自我救贖(God send the only true friend/I call mine)，帶來是Spacey背境、流麗弦樂與Robert Fripp式結他； 還有純音樂Uselink有如The Black Dog的電氣Ambient Trip Hop；Sister Of Night的疏離與夜空意境、另一純音樂Jazz Thieves 有如Tangerine Dream的太空Ambient配合似是Marimba般的演奏， The Bottom Line在沉重的Dobule Bass、Moody的Pedal Steel結他與蒼涼感覺下所談及生命與信仰的觀念，Insight的Trip Hop，都是令人雀躍的聲音。
 
在經(jīng)歷了許許多多的變故后， 終于樂隊在前不久推出了他們的新專輯《Exciter》，正是這張專輯漸漸地喚起了從前輝煌時候的靈感，人們再一次的注意到了樂隊的存在...
 
Originally a product of Britain's new romantic movement, Depeche Mode went on to become the quintessential electro-pop band of the 1980s. One of the first acts to establish a musical identity based completely around the use of synthesizers, they began their existence as a bouncy dance-pop outfit but gradually developed a darker, more dramatic sound that ultimately positioned them as one of the most successful alternative bands of their era.
 
The roots of Depeche Mode date to 1976, when Basildon, England-based keyboardists Vince Clarke and Andrew Fletcher first teamed to form the group No Romance in China. The band proved short-lived, and by 1979 Clarke had formed French Look, another duo featuring guitarist/keyboardist Martin Gore; Fletcher soon signed on, and the group rechristened itself Composition of Sound. Initially, Clarke handled vocal chores, but in 1980 singer David Gahan was brought in to complete the lineup. After one final name change to Depeche Mode, the quartet members jettisoned all instruments excluding their synthesizers, honing a slick, techno-based sound to showcase Clarke's catchy melodies.
 
After building a following on the London club scene, Depeche Mode debuted in 1980 with "Photographic," a track included on the Some Bizzare Album label compilation. After signing to Mute Records, they issued "Dreaming of Me" in early 1981; while neither the single nor its follow-up, "New Life," caused much of a stir, their third effort, "Just Can't Get Enough," became a Top Ten U.K. hit, and their 1981 debut LP, Speak and Spell, was also a success. Just as Depeche Mode appeared poised for a major commercial breakthrough, however, principal songwriter Clarke abruptly exited to form Yazoo with singer Alison Moyet, leaving the group's future in grave doubt.
 
As Gore grabbed the band's songwriting reins, the remaining trio recruited keyboardist Alan Wilder to fill the technological void created by Clarke's departure. While 1982's A Broken Frame deviated only slightly from Depeche Mode's earlier work, Gore's ominous songs grew more assured and sophisticated by the time of 1983's Construction Time Again. Some Great Reward, issued the following year, was their artistic and commercial breakthrough, as Gore's dark, kinky preoccupations with spiritual doubt ("Blasphemous Rumours") and psychosexual manipulation ("Master and Servant") came to the fore; the egalitarian single "People Are People" was a major hit on both sides of the Atlantic and typified the music's turn toward more industrial textures.
 
Released in 1986, the atmospheric Black Celebration continued the trend toward grim melancholy and further established the group as a major commercial force. After the superb single "Strangelove," Depeche Mode issued 1987's Music for the Masses; a subsequent sold-out tour yielded the 1989 double live set 101 as well as a concert film directed by the legendary D.A. Pennebaker. Still, despite an enormous fan base, the group was considered very much an underground cult phenomenon prior to the release of 1990's Violator, a Top Ten smash that spawned the hits "Enjoy the Silence," "Policy of Truth," and "Personal Jesus."
 
With the alternative music boom of the early '90s, Depeche Mode emerged as one of the world's most successful acts, and their 1993 LP Songs of Faith & Devotion entered the charts in the number one slot. However, at the peak of its success, the group began to unravel; first Wilder exited in 1995, and then Gahan was the subject of a failed suicide attempt. (He later entered a drug rehabilitation clinic to battle an addiction to heroin.) After a four-year layoff, Depeche Mode — continuing on as a trio — released 1997's Ultra, which featured the hits "Barrel of a Gun" and "It's No Good." A year later, the band embarked on a tour in support of The Singles 86>98 greatest-hits album. Depeche Mode played 64 shows in 18 countries for over a million fans. It also marked the end of a decade for the band. Each member took some considerable time off, and Depeche Mode would not regroup for another three years.
 
Exciter, the band's follow-up to 1997's Ultra, was released in 2001. Singles such as "Dream On" and "I Feel Loved" did moderately well. Two years later, Gahan issued his debut solo album, the dark and sultry Paper Monsters. Gore also followed suit by issuing his debut full-length, Counterfeit². Each member did respective tours of the U.S. and Europe; however, it wouldn't be long until Depeche Mode came back together. Playing the Angel became a Top Ten hit upon release in October 2005, produced by Ben Hillier (Doves, Blur, U2, Elbow). With the success of the "Precious" and "John (The Revelator)" singles, Playing the Angel topped the album charts in 18 countries and went multiple platinum and gold in 20 countries. Depeche Mode went to on play to 2.5 million fans worldwide, and the special-edition three-disc set Touring the Angel: Live in Milan (2006) captured the essence of one of the band's greatest shows.