Strangelove

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 fourth set, covering 1987 through 1990, includes the "Strangelove," "Never Let Me Down Again," "Behind the Wheel," "Everything Counts (Live)," "Personal Jesus," and "Enjoy the Silence" singles. At this point in Depeche Mode's career, each A-side was being remixed several times over; when not filled out with live material or the occasional nonalbum track, the discs contain anywhere between a few and several alternate looks.

Music For The Masses (it’s title deliberately tongue-in-cheek) was issued in 1987 and co-produced by Dave Bascombe (best known at that point for his work with Tears For Fears). Less dense than it’s predecessor, this album managed to deliver some classic singles in (particularly in ‘Strangelove’ and ‘Never Let Me Down Again’) even if, again, they weren’t massive commercial successes at the time. Music For The Masses is a personal favourite for this writer – managing to be intimate, cinematic, and industrial all at the same time – and this album and the 101 tour very much laid the groundwork for the next album Violator which of course was massive, both creatively and commercially. Music For The Masses: The 12″ Singles breaks new ground by including SEVEN 12-inch singles; two for each of the first three singles and one for slightly forgotten fourth single ‘Little 15’. It too includes a poster. All audio was remastered at Abbey Road Studios and these come with download cards offering 16- bit WAV files.