Rewind

Depeche Mode - Black Celebration

Released March 31, 1986 on Sire Records

Long before the multi-million selling Music For The Masses, Violator and Songs Of Faith And Devotion albums, Depeche Mode were actually -- believe it or not -- a cult band with a fiercely devoted following in the United States. But although big-time commercial success had proved elusive until 1988, it was actually after the band had produced its most cohesive album to date -- the one album that succeeds best as a body of work -- that monetary rewards and recognition actually rolled in. That album, ladies and gentlemen, is Black Celebration.

What can I say about Black Celebration? Well, I can start out by saying that it is, by far, my favorite album, from what I consider to be one of the most underrated bands on earth. A band that's been a frequent target of critical derision despite the fact that the trends of electronic music and brooding pop were embraced by the critical cognoscenti years after Depeche Mode had breached those realms. A band that's been unfairly categorized as "80s" despite the fact that their greatest successes came after 1990. A band that's been denied a rightful place as one of the most influential groups of the last 20 years despite the fact that every artist who uses electronic instruments to enhance or compose their sound owes them a debt of gratitude.

I remember the day in 1986 I bought Black Celebration and brought it home. I don't think I've ever been as impressed with a record -- or that any other record had made such a strong impact on me. Although I'd been a fan of Depeche Mode's for a while, Black Celebration was the record that really brought it all together for me. Listening to it now, my thoughts transcend time -- it's a record that brings back thoughts of my teens and early twenties, but yet, many of the songs are really timeless. Some of the tracks -- "Stripped" and "It Doesn't Matter 2", for example -- bring back specific memories of times and places. Yet others -- "A Question of Lust" and "Here Is The House" come to mind -- have meanings that change over time, as if they are waiting for a permanent memory to be attached to them. What's amazing is that I find myself thinking of the songs on this album as sonic snapshots of my life.

It's hard to believe 13 years have passed since this album was released. Listening to it now, you marvel at how lush and majestic and ahead of its time this album really is. Its songs alternate between despair and love and heartbreak and lust and apathy, sometimes within the same song. It is a record to fall in love to, and a record to drown your sorrows in. It is dark and romantic and dreamy, and if you can break through its cold exterior, it is warmth and emotion exemplified. In short, it touches upon every aspect of human emotion. I think of it as the most personal of Depeche Mode's albums, and yet an album whose subject matter everyone can relate to.

If you've ever wondered what this band is all about, or you want to see one of the earliest great examples of the merging of pop and electronic music, or you just want an album you can listen to over and over again, stop wasting time and pick up Black Celebration. You're already years behind the curve.