Depeche Mode

Rating:
Summary: Not horrible; not great, either.
Review: A worthwhile, in-depth biography of Depeche Mode was certainly long overdue when this particular volume was published, and Steve Malins obviously tries to give a balanced, behind-the-scenes portrait of the band. Is he successful? Well, yes and no.

The book happily avoids the worst kind of scandal-mongering so common in the rock biography genre, and draws heavily from interviews with the band members and close associates. It's readable, the quotes are often amusing, and Malins does a fairly good job at illuminating the various personality conflicts and interpersonal relationships at play in DM. His take on the music is generally well thought out, though he does veer into arbitrary lyric analysis a bit too often for my taste.

However, the book does have its flaws, not least of which is truly dreadful editing and an uneven, idiosyncratic writing style. The fact that the book is heavily laced with interviews from band members is on its face a good thing, but this becomes less desirable when one realizes that most quotes are merely lifted from magazine and newspaper articles. For those rather trainspottery DM fans (like me) who've already read those articles, there's very little new ground here. The book also relies quite heavily on comments from Alan Wilder (not a problem for me, personally--I found Al's comments insightful and entertaining--but if you've an anti-Alan bias, be forewarned). And again, the lack of an index is irritating. Altogether, we're left with a well-meaning but ultimately patchy history of Depeche Mode's lengthy career. It's better than nothing, I suppose.

Rating:
Summary: I was an incorrigible pessimist
Review: I was an incorrigible pessimist, who never saw the bright side of life. I was always reading books about history. I was convinced I was going to be a teacher. ~ Andrew Fletcher

A statement which shocks me so deeply and, perhaps, sums up why all the fans around the world are so attracted to Depeche Mode in the 80's, a time when industrialization ever expands and consumerism roaring nowhere. The time gave Depeche Mode so much inspiration in writing so many good lyrics like People are People, Everything Counts, Get the Balance Right etc.

Like so many fans around the world, I was ever hooked by the eternal 'See You'; the pure electronic sound mixing Kraftwerk-like clarity with purposeful, teenage pop tunes and simple love lyrics. The sense of love impacted me so deeply that I never quit following Depeche Mode.

A biography on the band, therefore, is a must read for everyone who loves Depeche Mode. However, so far, still no official biography was published. This edition, written by Steve Malins, who follows Depeche Mode's every album, most of the live shows until 1999, then seems to be the most complete, up-to-date and major work on the band.

The book largely follows a chronological order, from the formation of the band in 1980 to the temporary suspension of recording and performance in 1999. To the surprise of many, the early hits coming from the albums 'Construction Time Again' and 'Some Great Reward', heavily influenced by the 'industrial music', appeal to both the intellectual left-wing and the mechanized attitude extreme right wing group.

Mind you, this book is really 'independently' written by Steve, as the members of the group cautiously distant themselves from endorsing this book. Many 'facts' are figured out by the author through interview with the third parties (e.g. other new-romantics music band like Spanda Ballet, Culture Club, OMD etc., friends close to the band and those who worked for them), newspaper clippings, music commentaries, shows critics, album reviews, etc. The lack of originality and first-hand information poses a real problem. And the lack of an appendix hurts even more.

On the other hand, this kind of amateur-ship did permit a revelation of many behind-the-scene secrets, relationship among the band members, their friends and family members, the record company Mute and its boss Daniel Miller, who is the single most important figure in the history of the band. Characterization of the band's members pulls along the story as every albums, singles, and tours around the world are covered. I can say that this is the most complete 20-years story about DM in one book.

'This is the story of the mutations, perfections and tragedies of Depeche Mode.' (UK edition)

As quoted at the back of the book, the writer does not intend to glorify DM. The dark, gloomy side of DM was revealed as in the city nightlife of Berlin, where the band enjoyed the most successful career before moving to America. Deterministic, existentialist, DM's 'Construction Time Again was even described by left-wing columnist as virtually a rewrite of the Communist Manifesto. The social-caring perspective was brought about by simple and unpretending music and lyrics.

In the book, you can find Martin Gore a gay, son of a black American; Andrew Fletcher a too-sensitive, nervous-breaking who holds a special friendship with Martin, Dave Gahan a drug addict and Alan Wilder a talented but an uneasy man within the band. And please don't be surprised to see the books spread with no less challenging sentences for you to chew on like: Love & sex & drinks against the boredom of life; Man is inherently evil; God is sex personified.etc.

Overall, Steve did successfully gave the readers a full and detailed, albeit sometimes distorted, view on DM. It certainly worths a look and is a good start for recording Depeche Mode.

Rating:
Summary: Good job!
Review: Sometimes I loathe band biography because it's only filled with gossips and personal observations by the author that the reader didn't ask for. When I buy a book about a band, I just don't care too much about the private life of each band members. All I want is to get a better understanding of their art, their initial vision & inspirations. I can't be bothered with scandals and dirt and other insanities. It's cheap journalism to me, and sensationalism doesn't bring anything valuable to the table. Who cares if X sleeps with Y while dating Z? Who gives a damn if Joe Lunchbox likes Pop Tarts for breakfast??? I don't!

Steve Malins did a good job with DM: he traces the band's origin and background, gives a light about who's doing what in the band, where some of the songs got their inspiration from, and gives us an idea how the albums were recorded. That, to me, is a good job.

Of course, the book relates Dave Gahan's heroin problems and suicide attempt, Martin Gore's cross-dressing habits... but at least he doesn't speculates on it and avoid conclusions. For exemple, about Gore's peculiarity, he doesn't tag him as being automatically gay (which some other authors did). Quite the contrary, Malins - with interviews with Gore himself - lead to show us an guy who only likes to provock & shock & try new things out just for the sake of it. And thanks, that is not the matter of the whole book. The facts are given but usually only to show the psyche of each band members and its implication with DM & musical direction.

To me, it's a good biography which concentrate more on the band as a unit than on its individual members. Their private life is exposed only to get a better understanding of their professional life. So don't expect to find 50 full pages of juicy details of Gahan's exile to L.A. & the party animal he became there (as the press fed us up with in the past). That's ok, and I like that.

I would recommend it to DM fans who want to understand more the band works and are not looking for an archive of scandals!

Good reading.

Rating:
Summary: A Must-Have for Every Depeche Fan
Review: This is a highly informative book starting from the very beginning, showing the evolution of the band. Highlights include quotes from band members and friends, giving both positive and negative comments on the progress of Depeche Mode. Malins also shows the tensions between band members and problems they faced, such as drug addiction, breakdowns, and heavy drinking. While this book is extremely informative, Malins tends to devote a little too much attention to David's drug problems.