Depeche Mode

The unexpected American success of "People Are People," which remained the band's biggest U.S. hit until the start of the '90s, prompted this stateside-only compilation, very much a dog's breakfast of new and old songs alike. Earlier album cuts such as "Pipeline" and "Told You So" appear here, but the four new tracks understandably received the biggest attention. The title track itself, though the bandmembers have long since expressed embarrassment over it, still sounds like what it became, an engaging, instantly memorable pop hit - if the lyrical sentiments are among Martin Gore's most naïvely sociopolitical before or since, David Gahan delivers them strongly, with Gore providing a fine counterpoint vocal…

Pioneering English band Depeche Mode took the underground electronic club sounds of the early '80s and expanded them to stadium-sized levels within a decade, becoming one of the best-selling international groups in the process. One of the first acts to establish a musical identity based completely around the use of synthesizers, they debuted with a bouncy electro-pop spirit which gradually developed into a darker, more dramatic synth-rock style that ultimately positioned them as one of the most quintessential alternative bands of their era. Earning a modest European following with early releases like 1981's Speak & Spell and 1983's Construction Time Again, they made their U.S. breakthrough in 1984 with their platinum-certified fourth LP, Some Great Reward…

The fourth, fifth, and sixth box sets dedicated to compiling all of Depeche Mode's single releases were put out in 2004, 13 years after the first three originally appeared. All of these sets provide a convenience for hardcore fans since they provide each single in its own slim jewel case. Needless to say, those who bought the original singles as they were released will be flustered once again. The sixth set, covering 1997 through 2001, includes the "Barrell of Gun," "It's No Good," "Home," "Useless," "Only When I Lose Myself," and "Dream On" singles. Remixes come from Dan the Automator, DJ Shadow, GusGus, Plastikman, Dave Clarke, Kid 606, Bushwacka!, and Kruder & Dorfmeister.

Consider this a primer, because there is no way a career spanning 25 years can be summarized justifiably within the cramped space of an 80-minute disc. The Best of Depeche Mode, Vol. 1 takes a very selective skip through the group's past, and it leaves no room for anything off Black Celebration - an album many fans (albeit the most depressive ones) cite as a favorite. While the relatively thorough Singles 81>85 and Singles 86>98 can be seen as the proper entry route, they don't have the benefit of covering 2001's Exciter or 2005's excellent Playing the Angel, so this disc - as of 2006, at least - is very nearly the best possible way to get a feel for the whole daunting discography. Tending to stick to the singles that made the greatest impact on the mainstream and club charts, the selections do signify that the group hasn't lost any traction…

Originally a product of Britain's new romantic movement, Depeche Mode went on to become the quintessential electropop 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…