Violator (1990)
“Personal Jesus” is probably the most famous song in techno-blues: a never-before-heard, military-sounding drum beat (according to legend, the band invented the sound while jumping around on suitcases), over which a cowboy guitar is laid, while Dave Gahan sings about the false promises of telephone counselors. In the accompanying clip, the musicians rode horses through a western town full of whores. The band’s discography has included some sensational singles since 1981. At the end of the decade they quickly presented their bravest performance yet.
Opener “World In My Eyes” followed the pattern of the other great DM opener, “Never Let Me Down Again” from Music For The Masses (1987): a bombastic invocation of one person embarking on a shared spiritual journey embarked. Both songs were as big as mountain ranges and the band was clever enough to take this into account in the album configuration. Track number two could not have topped such monuments on any record, so Martin Gore takes the breath away as vocalist in “The Sweetest Perfection”; it’s one of those slow songs that requires attention to detail. His second song on the record, “Blue Dress,” is even more beautiful. Whale song with western guitar in slow motion, and everything revolves around the simple wish that the woman you love wears a very specific dress.
“Enjoy The Silence” is her most popular piece to date, a bedtime prayer with a house beat. The video with Dave Gahan as a lonely wandering landscape king was also copied hundreds of times. Apparently, Gore had originally planned to release the song with him singing and accompanied only by the harmonium. Arranger Alan Wilder listened to it and then asked Gore if he could do something with his version. The rest is history.
The sound of the album is still as fresh today as it was back then. Depeche Mode resisted all trends: house, acid, rave. Anyone who put on “Violator” in 1990 enjoyed a cutting-edge record. When played in 1994, the songs still sounded timeless. Anyone who discovered the album in 2001 would no longer be able to say with certainty when it was released, it sounded so unique. If “Violator” were released for the first time in 2023, the production could rival all others of the year.
An incredible achievement for a partially electronic album.
We last reported:
“Billboard” magazine has published the current “Boxscore” list for August 2023, which selects the most profitable tours and individual concerts of the last month. While Beyoncé took number one again, as in July, Depeche Mode reached number 13 with their “Memento Mori” tour in August.
The English synth-rock group has been touring Europe since spring 2023 and is expected to complete the 113 international shows in April 2024. At their nine concerts in August 2023, Depeche Mode achieved box office receipts of 12.7 million US dollars (almost 12 million euros) in the USA, distributed among a total of 137,000 spectators. This puts them just above the rock band Phish, who grossed $12.5 million (around €11.7 million) from their seven shows.
The “Boxscore” list already recorded two concerts by the band in July – even in Germany. Ticket sales from the two Depeche Mode performances in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium generated 14.5 million dollars (around 13.5 million euros). A total of 142,000 people are said to have seen the band live. For comparison: The total of 91,000 visitors to Harry Styles’ double shows in Frankfurt’s Deutsche Bank Park generated 9.9 million dollars (around 9.1 million euros).
Beyoncé, on the other hand, broke the record for the highest box office gross of a month in the history of the “Billboard Boxscore List” (since 1985) in July. And in August, Queen Bey also retained first place among the top tours with her “Renaissance World Tour”. According to the American magazine, Beyoncé grossed $179.3 million (around €169 million) from her 14 shows last month. This means that the “Halo” singer maintains a clear distance from the rest of the ranks. In comparison, Pink recorded income of 68.6 million dollars (almost 65 million euros) from her 15 concerts and occupies second place on the “Boxscore” list.
“Billboard” magazine also published the “Top Venues” list, which shows the most profitable venues. New York’s Madison Square Garden took first place, taking in $27.8 million (€26.2 million) in August. The Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles came in second with box office receipts of $24 million (22.6 million euros) and the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California came in second with $22.1 million (20.8 million euros). third place. While the Berlin Olympic Stadium was still in fourth place in the ranking in July, it is no longer on the list this month.