Sledgehammers, wrapped in black leather and always looks serious: These were Depeche Mode in 1986. After the first major success with "Some Great Reward", the British band around frontman Dave Gahan took their look. Added to this was the participation of Anton Corbijn, a Dutch photographer who started with pictures of Joy Division and developed a good reputation over the years. This led to such an extent that he made a name as a director of music videos. Since he got the "A Question Of Time" video, the ability to turn for the first time in America, he agreed and left Depeche Mode in an abandoned house waiting for the past will bring you a lot of motorcyclists babies. OK, despite the nice visual style, the plot of the clip was a little odd, but at least it meant that Corbijn this year was an important person in the DM-cosmos ...
Black Celebration:
Besides Corbijn it was mainly the production of the new album, which had a new direction of the band. Everyone got his role in the studio and filled them with zest: while Martin L. Gore from now wrote to all texts, Dave Gahan and Andrew Fletcher introduced ideas for samples. Alan Wilder, however, grew more and more approach to sound wizard who, along with producer Gareth Jones and label boss Daniel Miller formed the sound of the plate. The result marked an important chapter in the band's history. Unlike its predecessor, which still fluctuated at times between different themes and sounds, had been created at the end with "Black Celebration", a jet-black concept album.
Already the main title welcomes the listener with a muffled sound as of the vaulted cellar, before Dave Gahan starts singing. "Fly on the Windscreen" follows on seamlessly, and, with his hypnotic drumbeats and the icy synth sound of nightmares. After these two "monsters" follows with the melancholic "A Question of Lust", the first ballad. Gore controls both of these, as well as at the following numbers "Sometimes" and "It Does not Matter Two" his voice with. After an oblique Intro Gahan also comes back into play, and supports with his dark baritone "A Question of Time" before the start of a sampled Porsches paves the way for "Stripped". Above all, the beautiful melody makes the song until today to something special, although he rather moderate pace leisurely across. For the Drumaschine hammering mercilessly the rhythm, what makes the song exciting.
The ticking of a clock takes the listener into the mid-tempo track "Here is a House", which is equipped with a strong framework of bassline and keyboard sounds. "World Full of Nothing", one of the most beautiful for me Gore ballads, follows afterwards and touched with intensive text and sad sound, before it comes to the final sprint. "Dressed in Black" sounds just as black as it leaves the title suggests: Gahan's voice is mature precisely at this piece of light years, than how to do it according to his rather humble beginnings on the albums "Speak & Spell" and "A Broken Frame" have been expected. Adopted one finally is with the rigid "New Dress", which acts very cool and monotonous, but in a positive sense. Martin L. Gore was years later it announced to regret having written the text, since it Lady Di accusations made in this, to present their latest clothes while sinking around them the country into chaos. All this was long before Gore learned of her charity work.
CONCLUSION:
"Black Celebration" celebrates the darkness in the truest sense of the word. Lyrics about love, loss and life as such are discussed. Added to this comes a bitter soundtrack, which still fairly unused sounds in 2013 and captures still. I appreciate very concept albums, like to play my affection for this in the cards. But in the end it's probably just the quality which makes this album so interesting.
Divided opinion could be compromised, the sound. It echoes being too during the "fair", especially in songs like "Sometimes" or the opening with "Black Celebration". On the other hand this reverberant primer was probably used as a stylistic device, I would be a little strange for sure, if I had to listen to the disc without all these hissing sounds and echoing echoes. The only song with the refrain I'm not warmed up today, "A Question of Lust". Ultimately, however, this does not reduce the score, as there are just only small pieces of a big cake which tastes too good than one would have to interfere at some crumbs.
With "Construction Time Again" DM began to breathe for me. "Some Great Reward" were then something like the first steps, and at the latest by its fifth factory "Black Celebration", the band had grown up. The now antiquated acting albums, "Speak & Spell" and "A Broken Frame" had nothing in common with the band, which had now found their style. Both regarded the musical point of view of the optical, as were Depeche Mode in 1986 at the beginning of its heyday. Despite recent influences on discs like "Music for the Masses", "Violator" and "SOFAD", a basic recipe was found, which delighted the ears and was still located far away from the mass taste. Personally, I can certainly understand if the numerous fans of DM pilgrims still happy about the "black masses" (concerts), but I think that is their quality on album length since "Playing the Angel" depleted. So be it: Even if not prompted me to this music from DM to rapturous applause, so I can still read with great interest the recent biography of you, and also some albums I hear always happy :)
