depeche mode
formed in 1980 in Basildon, England
Members:
Dave Gahan - lead vocals, co-songwriter
Martin Gore - keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriter
Andy Fletcher - keyboards
Past members:
Vince Clark - After the album Speak and Spell in 1981 he left the band and formed Yazoo then Erasure
Do you know this about Depeche mode?
Depeche Mode were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on November 7th 2020.
In 1981, their first album "Speak and Spell" was released, putting the band on the new British wave's scenes. Soon after the release of their first album, the founding member Vince Clarke left the band.
The band Yazoo, The Assembly, and Erasure were created by Vince Clarke later on.
At first, the band was known as "Composition of Sound." Later, they picked the name "Depeche Mode" (means: Fast Fashion) from a French magazine title. The name was chosen because it sounded more charming.
Everybody knew that the band didn't have a drummer. That's why it was tough for them to get the gigs initially. To make this fact clearer, they used to put the drum machine on the riser or in the middle of the stage.
In the UK Singles Chart, Depeche Mode had 54 songs. They also had 17 top 10 albums on the UK Chart. More than 100 million of their records have been sold worldwide.
They were the 10th most successful dance club artist of all time, according to Billboard in December 2016. According to VH1's "100 Greatest Artist of all time", they are 98 on the list.
The band took their professional inspiration from many artists and scenes, but Kraftwerk was always the main inspiration. David Bowie, The Clash, Roxy Music, Brian Eno, Elvis Presley, The Velvet Underground, and The Blues were also inspiring.
When Clarke heard Wirral band OMD, it also pushed him to make electronic music after "Composition of Sound" was founded.
Dave Gahan actually died for 2 minutes in 1996 from a drug overdose. In an interview with NME he said his soul was floating above paramedics screaming that he wasn’t in his body but above them!
Depeche Mode has released 14 studio albums, ten compilation albums, six live albums, eight box sets, 13 video albums, 71 music videos, and 54 singles throughout their career.