Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #935934 in Books
• Published on: 2002-02-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 296 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Following the release of their second Greatest Hits retrospective, Steve Malins publishes the first in-depth biography of the Basildon boys who rose to fame as Depeche Mode. A music combo who metamorphosed from New Romantic pop band in the early 80s into the Indie kings of electronic melancholia. Combining dark minimalism with elements of dance, Depeche Mode produced Violator in 1990 to become one of the biggest bands on the planet. Malins, author of Paul Weller and Praying to the Aliens: Gary Numan, draws on new interviews and archive material to depict the hugely successful and lengthy career of this seminal group. Although the band's treadmill activities--single, album, promotion, tour--may be a touch bland, the biography still makes for an enjoyable read as Depeche Mode's individual members are most certainly not: songwriter Martin Gore's subversive nature and dalliance with S&M (sex being a frequent inspirational source for him), Andy Fletcher's nervous breakdown, Alan Wilder's controversial departure in 1995 typifying inner-band rivalries.

It's all here in graphic detail. Not to mention Dave Gahan's transformation from clean-cut pin-up to clichéd rock god incarnate, complete with tattoos, long hair and a personal life littered with excess--fights, attempted suicide, divorce, heroin addiction and the inevitable overdose, even remarriage in Las Vegas by an Elvis impersonator. Depeche Mode also features plenty of criticism from Malins' fellow music journalists, which is generally directed at Gore's lyrics. Sure he can knock out a great tune but even teenybopper magazine Smash Hits points out that A Question of Lust is really about love, and the word "lust" is substituted solely as it rhymes with "trust" and "dust". Depeche Mode is mostly entertaining and hindered only by Malins' dry style, which simulates the restrained enthusiasm of the British fan rather than the wild adoration thrust upon the group by the rest of the world. Not quite a book for the masses, but for Depeche Mode's legions of followers, it's by far the best on the market. -- Robert Brookes

Synopsis
They began in the early 1980s, developed with the decade, profoundly influenced the dance scene, cracked in the 1990s, but have emerged triumphantly to launch the millennium with an acclaimed new album, Exciter, that caused the NME to comment "we still need Depeche Mode". No other electronic group of their early period has proved to be quite so influential or quite so successful. Written with the band's co-operation and exclusive new interviews, Steve Malins' biography throws light on this private, frequently misunderstood group and their lives which have been bizarre, hilarious, extreme and destructive through more than two decades of constant success and excessive celebration. Malins has traced the beginnings of the band from petty crime and suburban banks, through to their New Romantic period, and on from there to their re-invention and enormous success in the States. Also covered are the band's importance for the dance/techno scene and the inside story of their vast tours through the USA and Eastern Europe.

The biography looks closely at the characters that have shaped the band, and examines the dynamics of their relationships - Gore's lyrics, Gahan's addictions and desperations and Fletch's nervous breakdown. This is the most evocative, in-depth and insightful book on Depeche Mode to ever be written.

From the Publisher
This is the real story of Depeche Mode
Written with the band's co-operation, Steve Malins' biography throws light on the private, frequently misunderstood group and their lives which have been bizarre, hilarious, extreme and destructive through nearly 20 years of constant success and excessive celebration.

Customer Reviews

A Must For Fans!!
Taking you through the band's history, with in-depth interviews with the band themselves and those who have worked closely with them, this biography tells the real story of Depeche Mode & their music. Skirting no issues, it tells of the clashing personalities and inevitable arguments, and of course the addictions and troubles they have been through. A fascinating insight into this often misunderstood but extremely talented group, and a definite MUST for fans.

A step in the right direction...
Being the huge Mode fan that I am, I of course bought this book about three seconds after seeing it on the shelf. If I were to have any criticisms of the piece, it would be that the book is written from the perspective of too few people. Band-wise, the main thrust of any new text comes from Alan Wilder alone. This is no bad thing, articulate soul that he is, but other members' contributions are lacking. Still, the book is an enormously enjoyable read, and I couldn't put it down. What does come accross, is the warmth within the Depeche Mode 'family' and the general high regard in which they are held. Overall, I'd give the book a recommendation, particularly as it's cheaper now and is well worth the entrance fee. It's hard to compare it due to such a lack of competition. Hmm, where did I put that word processor...

Not a book for the fans
I saw this book in hardback towards the end of '99 and immediately stuck it on my Xmas list. Having now read it, all I can say is that it is a massive disappointment to myself and other big fans of the band who have been crying out for a decent biography since they shot to fame with the release of Violator in 1990.

Don't get me wrong, Malins is an accomplished pop writer having written similar books about Weller and Skunk Anansie to name a few, but he simply lacks the insights and material to make this a classic Depeche Mode book.

Ardent fans will instantly recognise 90% of the material as having been lifted from various music publications over the years, and even from album cover notes.

This is really a book for people with a passing interest in the band who don't already know much about them.

If you're desperate for a Depeche Mode book, get "Some Great Reward". It is not as up to date but is a far better read.

I would say that this book would have been better coming out straight away in paperback, but at the price, would-be fans would be better of buying an album from their local second hand record shop.