Tora! Tora! Tora!
By Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode is probably one of the biggest bands to have influenced synth-pop and electronic music in general.
The band was formed in March 1980 in Basildon, Essex, and named after a popular French fashion magazine. The original lineup consisted of Dave Gahan on lead vocals, Martin Gore on keyboards, guitar, vocals, Andy Fletcher on keyboards, and Vince Clarke on keyboards, and as a chief songwriter from 1980 until 1981 when he left the band and formed Yazoo. When Vince left the band, Martin Gore took over as a lead songwriter. In 1982, Alan Wilder officially joined Depeche Mode to fill Clarke's spot, establishing a lineup that would continue for the next thirteen years.
Their debut album titled "Speak & Spell" was released in 1981 on "Mute Records" and have introduced them to a British new wave scene. The LP was quite a success.
It was re-released in more than 250 issues throughout the years. It was issued worldwide in the UK, Spain, Portugal, France, the US, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Japan, Australia, Philippines, Canada, Ireland, Yugoslavia, Greece, Belgium, South Africa, Turkey, Ukraine, Russia, Bulgaria, Argentina, Mexico...
The band was primarily inspired by the works of Kraftwerk, The Human League, OMD, The Cure, and British rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees.
Soundwise, "Speak & Spell" is heavily influenced by Kraftwerk. The sound design and synthesis took some of the most appreciated sounds from the previous work of the German band, although composition-wise, Depeche Mode had a different approach to electronic music.
All songs on "Speak & Spell" were written by Vince Clarke, except for "Tora! Tora! Tora!" and "Big Muff" written by Martin Gore.
The instruments they used for the LP are some of the most legendary synthesizers, and nowadays, you could buy a whole car fleet with the budget needed for the synths. They were expensive at that time, but now the prices on specific pieces are 20 times the original price.
They used Teisco / Kawai Synthesizer 100F, Korg Minikorg 700s, Moog Prodigy, Roland Jupiter 4, Roland SH1, Yamaha CS5, and the semi-modular beast the ARP 2600. The drums on all songs from the LP were mainly done with the Korg KR55, a drum machine from 1979.
"Tora! Tora! Tora!" is a mysterious, haunting, and spooky electro-funk with a darker atmosphere and great layers and "kraftwerkish" elements.
It is a piece that will not leave you indifferent; it's a perfectly crafted fusion of different styles with a frantic refrain, and concerning themes of nuclear holocaust, "Tora! Tora! Tora!" feels more like Depeche Mode's classic run than just about anything else on the album.
Eric Radcliffe and John Fryer were the audio engineers behind the album, and it was also produced by Daniel Otto Miller, a musician and founder of the label Mute Records. The album was recorded at Blackwing Studios, and it got a "Gold" certification in Germany, Sweden, and the UK.
"Speak & Spell" was sold in more than 400 000 copies worldwide, and it is a perfect starting point for discovering the sound of Depeche Mode.