Quoting:
Martin Gore is the man. Vince Clarke was good but they lasted so long how can you say Martin Gore is not the right man in the band?End Quote

erm...Where did I imply this?? He IS the right man in the band!! Vince Clarke leaving and Martin Gore taking over songwriting responsibilities was the best thing that ever happened to Depeche Mode!! (As well as the adding of Alan Wilder.) Martin is such a talented songwriter and has one of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard. I also must say I admire his style, charm, etc...:)

Quoting:They evolved into the 90's very well. Dave Gahan almost destroyed the band with his drug problems. The band almost broke up in 1995. Gahan got help and in 1997 they put out some good singles like "Its No Good" and "Barrel of A Gun".
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And the band lost Alan Wilder, which was quite a blow, but yes they've survived. I didn't much like the rockier edge they had with Songs Of Faith And Devotion, but they wanted to experiment with new sounds, and they have every right to do that. It's what keeps a band fresh and new instead of churning out the same stuff year after year. It probably gets a bit tiresome after a while. (But I wouldn't have minded though!)

If I somehow made you think that Martin wasn't the right man for the job, then I apologise. I totally don't think that. I personally think that Vince wasn't the right man, and that Martin becoming the chief songwriter for Depeche Mode was the greatest thing that happened for them. I have nothing but the highest admiration for the man.

Absolutely Vile

Quoting:


erm...Where did I imply this?? He IS the right man in the band!! Vince Clarke leaving and Martin Gore taking over songwriting responsibilities was the best thing that ever happened to Depeche Mode!! (As well as the adding of Alan Wilder.) Martin is such a talented songwriter and has one of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard. I also must say I admire his style, charm, etc...:)


And the band lost Alan Wilder, which was quite a blow, but yes they've survived. I didn't much like the rockier edge they had with Songs Of Faith And Devotion, but they wanted to experiment with new sounds, and they have every right to do that. It's what keeps a band fresh and new instead of churning out the same stuff year after year. It probably gets a bit tiresome after a while. (But I wouldn't have minded though!)

If I somehow made you think that Martin wasn't the right man for the job, then I apologise. I totally don't think that. I personally think that Vince wasn't the right man, and that Martin becoming the chief songwriter for Depeche Mode was the greatest thing that happened for them. I have nothing but the highest admiration for the man.

Absolutely Vile
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First off on "The Songs of Faith and Devotion era" the band really wasn't focused on that tour from what I heard on VH1 "Behind The Music". They were out partying and everything else. The tour was a mess as was the band. That was a very rocky time.

Oh no no need to apologize I was just stating opinion that Gore was the right man for the job. Vince Clark did good a job with Erasure. "Chains of Love", and "Always", are good singles. I could have sworse it was Annie Lennox singing "Always". It sounded like a female to me. Anyway's Depeche Mode always changes and never does the same thing twice. Some people didn't like the single "Dream On" but I liked it because it wasn't the same stuff they were doing in the 80's and 90's. It had an acoutic feel to it. Finally, I don't know if they are going to tour again or what the deal is. That is one of my goals in my life is to see D'Mode play live. If I can find somebody to go with and to find somebody who likes that kind of music..which is a tall order I'll go. Most people like straight up rock music. Depeche Mode is not for everybody's taste.

Quoting: Vince Clark did good a job with Erasure. "Chains of Love", and "Always", are good singles.End Quote

Unfortunately, I'm not sure who writes the songs for Erasure, whether it's Vince Clarke or Andy Bell. But if it's Vince, he's definitely gotten better over the years since his time with Depeche Mode. But their music still sounds like early Depeche Mode, which is what I thought he wanted to get away from when he left the band in 1981! My whole point in this thread was what Depeche Mode might have ended up like had Vince stayed in the band. Would they have stayed with the same fluffy pop sound that they had in the beginning, or would they have changed like they've been doing now? That is, if they hadn't broken up by now. Music careers can get stagnant after a while if you're doing the same thing over and over again. Are Erasure as popular as they used to be? No, and I don't think they're as popular as Depeche Mode is. (By the way, don't take the term "fluffy pop" as something negative. There's nothing wrong with Depeche Mode's earlier sound. Just Vince's songwriting was horrible back then. Martin Gore definitely saved them from possible obscurity.)

Quoting: Anyway's Depeche Mode always changes and never does the same thing twice. Some people didn't like the single "Dream On" but I liked it because it wasn't the same stuff they were doing in the 80's and 90's. It had an acoutic feel to it. End Quote

I like "Dream On" and some of their other later songs (especially, of course, the ones that Martin sings, like "Home" and "One Caress"). I didn't like stuff such as "I Feel You," "Barrel Of A Gun," "Condemnation," etc., but I'll forgive them. :) I do like that they've experimented and that they're mostly staying electronic. Their music has become deeper and more meaningful over the years, thanks to Martin's development as a songwriter. Martin is brilliant and definitely underrated.

Absolutely Vile

Quoting:
I think that if Vince Clarke had stuck around, DeMode would have split up because of artistic differences. I don't think any band is big enough to hold two artists of such high calibre. Look at early Roxy Music. Brian Eno had to leave the band and Bryan Ferry got total control of the band. Same with DeMode. I think Vince Clarke would have wanted to do all the Yazoo and Erasure songs, but Martin L. Gore would have quit the group come the third album and done his own projects...End Quote

Oh definitely. I don't think Martin would have gotten the opportunity to show his true genius had Vince stuck around. He would have gotten frustrated and left. And David and Andrew may have followed suit. They may have done a couple of albums then split up...and consequently become a band that was "here today, gone tomorrow" and forgotten about. A one-hit wonder. So many other bands have suffered the same fate, and it's unfortunate. Martin, thankfully, took over and turned Depeche Mode into something with more depth which people will remember for a long time to come should they decide to part ways in the future. But I don't see that happening anytime soon.

Quoting:I like Martin L. Gore's voice a lot better than David Gahan's, but David Gahan almost exclusively sings all of the band's songs. It works well live on stage since David does possess frontman charisma. Something Martin sorely lacks...End Quote

...Which is sad because it could hurt him with his solo career. He's doing a few live shows here and there with his new album coming out, but he does lack stage presence. Although, he does have his vocal talent and his...erm...unique style to compensate. I doubt his fans really care if he has stage presence or not though. They just want to hear him sing! But Martin's apparently a very shy person (when sober) and he just needs to come out of his shell and realise that people appreciate him for his talent and for who he is. Perhaps that will help him in the future when playing live with Depeche Mode or on his own.

Absolutely Vile