DEPECHE MODE - PLAYING THE ANGEL

Depeche Mode are an English electronic band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. The original lineup included Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher, and Vince Clarke. The current lineup consists of Gahan and Gore. With Clarke as their primary songwriter, Depeche Mode released their debut album "Speak & Spell" in 1981 during the British new wave movement. Clarke left the band at the end of 1981 and later formed the groups Yazoo and Erasure. Following his departure, Martin Gore became the chief songwriter, and the remaining trio recorded their second album, "A Broken Frame" (1982). The band then recruited Alan Wilder, establishing a lineup that remained stable until 1995. This period included the releases of "Construction Time Again" (1983) and "Some Great Reward" (1984). The albums "Black Celebration" (1986) and "Music for the Masses" (1987) further established Depeche Mode as a major presence in electronic and alternative music, with their June 1988 concert at the Pasadena Rose Bowl drawing over 60,000 attendees. In 1990, the band released their seventh album, "Violator," which reached number seven on the Billboard 200 and was certified triple platinum by the RIAA. The following album, "Songs of Faith and Devotion" (1993), was also commercially successful, though internal conflicts during recording and touring led to Wilder's departure in 1995. Depeche Mode continued as a trio of Gahan, Gore, and Fletcher, releasing "Ultra" in 1997. Subsequent albums included "Exciter" (2001), "Playing the Angel" (2005), "Sounds of the Universe" (2009), "Delta Machine" (2013), and "Spirit" (2017) until Fletcher’s death in 2022. Gahan and Gore have continued as a duo, releasing "Memento Mori" in 2023. Depeche Mode have achieved 54 entries on the UK singles chart, 17 Top 10 albums on the UK albums chart, and have sold over 100 million records worldwide. The band has been recognized in Q magazine’s "50 Bands That Changed the World," ranked number 98 on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of All Time," and in 2016, Billboard named them the 10th Greatest Top Dance Club Artists of All Time. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020. Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depeche_Mode Studio albums Speak & Spell (1981) A Broken Frame (1982) Construction Time Again (1983) Some Great Reward (1984) Black Celebration (1986) Music for the Masses (1987) Violator (1990) Songs of Faith and Devotion (1993) Ultra (1997) Exciter (2001) Playing the Angel (2005) Sounds of the Universe (2009) Delta Machine (2013) Spirit (2017) Memento Mori (2023) Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.