This album is so striking. I bought the remaster recently and have been playing it daily. If this album isn't perfection, I don't know what is!

Here's my review:

Depeche Mode- Violator
1990


Of all of the synth pop bands to spring out of the early 80s, Depeche Mode proved to be one of the few able to transcend the genre and forge a lasting and meritorious career. From their sparse beginning on Speak and Spell through its more industrial crunch of Some Great Reward and Black Celebration, they gradually gained momentum. Music for the Masses planted Depeche on the stepping stone to greatness and Violator is the result, a dark benchmark of both their career and electronic music as a whole.

The album was boosted by four monstrous singles. The first of these, "Personal Jesus" stands as an ardent middle finger to detractors claiming the band was one-dimensional. Led by a ruthless blues guitar lick (yes, guitar!), the song stomped its way through radio speakers and punched its ticket as an instant classic. The follow-up, "Enjoy the Silence" would prove to be the band's biggest hit, a mid-tempo dance smash which sees the Mode reach glorious heights while pondering the uselessness of words. "Policy of Truth" oozed with cool, drowning its paranoia in a glossy funk beat draped in fading guitars, synth horns and frenetic keyboards. Finally, the album's mysterious opener "World in My Eyes" is a dark and alluring infusion of electronica and R 'n B that effectively sets the stage.

With such great singles, the rest of the album could get by just coasting. Nevertheless, the remaining five tracks carry their weight quite well. "Halo", in particular, stands tall as one of Depeche Mode's greatest songs, complete with bubbling synthesizers, an unforgettable chorus and a desperation that bursts into a frenzied synthesized orchestra to usher it out. Drama at its finest! Elsewhere, the spooky "Waiting for the Night" creeps along thick on the atmosphere and somber as ever. The lyrics elaborate that the darkness of night will save us all from the stark reality. That we never are told what the reality is makes the song all the more chilling. The intoxicating "Sweetest Perfection" chugs along as a dark plea rife with drug references later contradicted by the ominous closer "Clean". Lastly, the tenderness of the vocals of the silky "Blue Dress" draw even more attention to the unforgettable melody.

Violator is also effective because it required a maturity the band took years to cultivate. That they refrained from attempting such an album until its release is a testimony to times when bands were allowed to slowly evolve and progress. Violator was carefully nurtured, marinating for nine long years while the members collectively harvested their style and substance. Dave Gahan has never sounded more confident and the arrangements have never sounded so effortlessly full. As a result, the album sounds much more timeless than previous efforts and served as a perfect way to usher in the 90s.

Indeed, Violator is the album that Depeche Mode was made to create. Sadly, its shadow loomed a bit too large for the band, as they were never as omnipresent nor as effective in their subsequent career. The musical zeitgeist would soon alienate most electronic bands, particularly ones with the "boy band" label tucked away in their closet. This sent the members into a bit of a tailspin later on, particularly Gahan. Nevertheless, such staggering heights are rarely reached and Violator stands as a landmark achievement- a perfect time capsule for a band at the peak of its powers.

Nice! One of my very favorite albums.

Moonbeam said:

True. Such a disappointment to me when this album was followed by the awful I Feel You. That song turned me off of that whole album.

Quit distracting me from my own musical obsessions! Now I want to listen to this. I desperately need the new remasters.

Don't know much about this band or this album.
I do know that I could put Policy of Truth on infinite repeat at times.

Spooky cool.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

"Waiting for the Night"

i love this album.

GangstaFam said:

Definitely worth it!

theAudience said:

I think if you like that song, you'd like at least half the songs on that album. Most of the songs have a similar feel. Did you like (or do you know) Enjoy the Silence?

theAudience said:

If you check out anything from Depeche Mode, this should be it. It's an absolutely flawless gem of electronic music. "Policy of Truth" is emblematic of the album's sound.

CHIC0 said:

I knew you would!

theAudience said:

You must get it!

RipHer2Shreds said:

Not hip to it.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

Moonbeam said:

Noted.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

theAudience said:

You are now!

theAudience said:

You will be...you will be.

Moonbeam said:

Aah ha. I have heard this before. Didn't know the name of the tune.

I like it.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

Just for tA, here's Policy of Truth.

While we're at it, let's add Personal Jesus and World in My Eyes.

Moonbeam said:

As much as I watched MTV back in those days, somehow I missed so much. I never even knew there was a video for World in My Eyes.

Moonbeam said:

Thank you. I'll check 'em out.

Again, I recognize Personal Jesus and didn't know it was Depeche Mode.

tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

RipHer2Shreds said:

And after watching it, I didn't miss anything. He's trying to do his best Freddie Mercury in that video.

theAudience said:

The best DM song?
[Edited 7/6/06 20:07pm]

GangstaFam said:

Sold.

I dl'd Policy of Truth a few weeks ago.
Now i'll have to get the rest of it.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

theAudience said:

I knew you were aware of more songs than just the one.

Used to bump this on the reg around `98

Even the B-sides from this album were killer. 'Dangerous', 'Sea of Sin' and 'Happiest Girl' would all have been welcome additions to the record.


Between this, the "Vogue" and the "Miss You Much" threads, I'm about to O.D. on 1989/1990 nostalgia.

just yesterday i was going through my cd collection to pick some
albums to rip to my harddrive and this album is amongst those.

both this and Songs of Faith and Devotion are my fav DM albums,
although SOFAD has one major flaw and that's it's lead single.


but yes, Violator is almost without flaw, it's an incredible cd.

Moonbeam said:

Great review! Is there a noticeable(sp) difference in sound quality? The original sounds pretty good to me, but if the remaster sounds even better...

CinisterCee said:

98?

lilgish said:

Bump it on the reg?

RipHer2Shreds said:

He used to play "Violator" regularly in 1998. I'm guessing that's when he got it.

I got the remaster along with 'Music For The Masses' recently also. I have to find the time to listen to the album in surround sound very soon. Too many recent music purchases!