Depeche Mode Interviews

1984-09-xx BBC Radio 1, London, UK

Buy It :d?

Host: ...The first album you're really proud of, I read in a music paper...?

Andy and Dave: Noooo!

Dave: Well, that was probably slightly misquoted. I mean, we're very excited about this album, we feel that it IS our best album, and the best collection of songs that we've written together, in that way. But obviously we're proud of all our albums. That's part of Depeche Mode history, you know, it's building the albums.

Host: Sure. I mean, you may go back and do things differently now, but they are a fact that they're there, and why not. So what's special about this LP then, Andy, what is it that makes it all maybe just a bit better, from your point of view?

Andy: Quite a few reasons, really. I think that there's nine very good quality songs. I think it's the best collection of songs we've ever put together, and it's got a great variety of things on it, as well, and we've spent a long time over it, writing the songs, recording, really took a lot of care over it, and that's why I think it's the best.

Host: Hmm.

Dave: So buy it! [laughter]

...

Host: -Who was engineer on the last album as well, yeah? 

Dave: -That's right, yeah. Now he has sort of taken over a role with the sounds, with the actual having a say about the sounds and things as well. And the team that we've got now strong and I think the production is so much better than the last album. It's an improvement, and that's what's Depeche Mode about. It's sort of moving on all the time, trying to create a new sound-

Host: Working with Daniel, not only on the prodcution, but he is also sort of in charge in the record company as well, has he given you a lot of time to mature in your way, with no pressure?

Dave: Well, that's one thing that we had been allowed. With Mute, I think we didn't probably realise it in the beginning, but now I really realise it more than anything, that we've actually had room to develop. And if you didn't listen to the four albums in a row, the difference in sounds and song quality and the maturity as well, the maturity has sort of gone through the albums as we've been growing up. No one has pushed us in any direction, it's just something that we've done, and we're all very proud of that.

Andy: Quite perversly, Andy, I think that the fact that Vince quit when he did was probably the best thing that could have happened for Depeche Mode. Does it make you think again? Doesn't it?

Andy: Oh, yeah. I mean, we had to really just start again. And we had to really - because, before, you see, me and Martin were quite lazy people because we let Vince do a lot of the work, and all of the running about, and as soon as-

Dave: -Nothing's changed. [laughs]

Andy: -As soon as Vince left, basically we was in position, we had to keep on the name, because there was no way the group was gonna end at that time, because we had just started.

Host: And you were sort of forced to try to write, and things like that?

Dave: Well, Martin was put in a-

Andy: Martin has been writing for a long time, he has been writing for a long time, and we thought his songs wouldn't be developed into what we were doing at the time, but now, he's... he's great.

Host: Leaping ahead, yes.

...

Host:  Now, it's not all electro stuff either, isn't it? Because there's a track called "Somebody" on the LP, which is sort of back to basics, in a way. Alan on piano.

Dave: Well, basically, Martin's theory on that is the "back to basics" theory, which was actually a Jonathan Richman theory. It was going completely back to basics, with just acoustics or whatever. And it was actually recorded within three takes or something, which is Martin singing.

Host: Very live.

...

WHAAAAT

Host: What's the theory that nudity entered into this recording as well?

Dave: Well, that was, actually, you see, Martin wanted to get the feeling of, just feeling totally free, actually. So the best way of doing that was to take all his clothes off, so he did.

Host: Oh dear. I thought I read somewhere that there was a girl engineer over there?

Dave: That's right, yeah. We sent Steffi down there, who's the girl taper in Germany, to check out some wires, and Martin, not knowing she was coming down and us knowing that Martin has stripped off, and then we heard a little shriek when she got down there, and Martin going "Eh, eh, sorry, eh..."

Host: Well, you can tell he's got no clothes on, this is the track, this is called "Somebody", and it sort of fades in quietly...

...