Keyboardist Andy Fletcher of Depeche Mode died of natural causes at age 60 on 26 May 2022. Rest in peace, Andy.
Keyboardist Andy Fletcher of Depeche Mode died of natural causes at age 60 on 26 May 2022. Rest in peace, Andy.
We're trying to build a monument to show that we were here
It won't be visible through the air
And there won't be any shade to cool the monument to prove that we were here. - Gene Parsons, 1973
I saw this somewhere else online today. I was never really a big DM fan but I like some of their songs. RIP.
Do not suffer through the game of chance that plays....always doors to lock away your dreams (To Be Over)
RIP
People Are People has been running through my head all morning.
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
-- Aristotle
Nostalgia, you know, ain't what it used to be. Furthermore, they tells me, it never was.
“A Man Who Does Not Read Has No Appreciable Advantage Over the Man Who Cannot Read” - Mark Twain
Sad news. Wasn't really a fan, but in the end I bought several CD's by them.(10)
I own a couple of their CDs from long ago.
60 seems like young age to die from natural causes. Maybe in 1930.
RIP
I suppose natural causes just means not in some kind of accident or drugsabuse.Originally Posted by 3LockBox
Natural causes can mean a lot of things. Of course 60 is way to young, but shit happens.
Big fan and am sad to hear this. He was never a big part of DM in a musical way, but was involved more in the financial end and keeping the peace. We are the same age so it really hits home in terms of mortality.
Violator was their classic and, in my view, the zenith of their body of work. There is not a bad track on that album and it contains 4 or 5 outstanding songs that sound great even today (see below). From wiki:
Preceded by the singles "Personal Jesus" and "Enjoy the Silence" (a top-10 entry in both the United Kingdom and the United States), the album propelled the band into international stardom, and also yielded the singles "Policy of Truth" and "World in My Eyes". Violator reached number two on the UK Albums Chart, and was the band's first album to chart inside the top 10 of the Billboard 200, peaking at number seven. The album was supported by the World Violation Tour.
For Brits of a certain age. DM among another handful of bands were responsible for the Synth Britannia phenomenon of the last year of the 70's and 1st couple of years of the 80's. Young working class lads mainly buying cheap Mono synths and producing mainly pop.
Until then synths were in the hands of the studios ,and of course the upper middle class Progressive bands.
It was really a huge game changer which allowed a massive move forward in electronic music.
RIP Fletch.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=JuQz8fHB7iw
https://cliveymacdougall.bandcamp.com/
Danger demos, jazz and warts stored here in vast amounts
https://www.soundclick.com/artist/de...bandID=1241900
Violator is excellent but for me, the previous few are right up there too, particularly Music For The Masses, which is my #1.
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
*** Join me in the Garden of Delights for 3 hours of tune-spinning... every Saturday at 5pm EST on Deep Nuggets radio! www.deepnuggets.com ***
I have always been very fond of "Construction Time Again". The first album with Alan Wilder and a big step forward into their sound.
Yes, Construction Time Again is where Depeche Mode really begins for me, starting with that deliciously moody opener Love, In Itself. From there, the albums were each leaps forward, culminating in Music For The Masses, the live album 101, and Violator.
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
*** Join me in the Garden of Delights for 3 hours of tune-spinning... every Saturday at 5pm EST on Deep Nuggets radio! www.deepnuggets.com ***
Rest In Peace !
I enjoy their music too!
Pura Vida!.
There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind. ∞
Duke Ellington.
You bought ten cds by them even though you aren't a fan?
Do not suffer through the game of chance that plays....always doors to lock away your dreams (To Be Over)
Well, when they started I wasn't really a fan. Later I liked songs like Master and servant and I've grown to like them and I only started buying their CDs since 2020. So not really a fan, but still music I like. To be a fan would mean, I would really want to get everything by them and I don't have.
Oh I see. So you are more interested in just collecting certain titles by them. I'm like that too with a lot of bands. I guess by your definiton though I'm only a fan of Yes, Rush and Genesis and bands who had maybe five albums or less.
Do not suffer through the game of chance that plays....always doors to lock away your dreams (To Be Over)
I thought that there was a major fall-down in quality of song writing and overall musicality between Violator and Songs Of Faith & Devotion. Some good tracks on Songs Of Faith, but, to my way of listening, something was lost. The first 3 cuts were quite good and continued the greatness of Violator, but the rest were starting to show signs of burn out. Still, a fascinating band with so much to offer the Prog and overall Rock fans.
I buy what I can get cheap. I'm not sure if I would call myself a fan of many artists. Probably Magma, Hoelderlin, Kraan (though I'm not that fond of their early albums), Novalis, Kayak, Heinz Rudolf Kunze (though I can't say I have all his albums) and Pekka Pohjola. Eloy I have more or less complete, but I'm not sure I would call myself a fan. It's the same with Focus, Rush and several other groups.Oh I see. So you are more interested in just collecting certain titles by them. I'm like that too with a lot of bands. I guess by your definiton though I'm only a fan of Yes, Rush and Genesis and bands who had maybe five albums or less.
I have a lot of stuff in my collection because I bought it cheap. A lot of it I don't play much though. Those are some very good bands. Magma is probably one of the most unique bands in all of progressive rock (along with Gentle Giant).
Anyway, back to Depeche Mode. It seems like Violator is usually their most recommended album. Is that the best one to start with? People are people is one of my favorite songs by them but other than that and personal Jesus I don't know much else by them.
Do not suffer through the game of chance that plays....always doors to lock away your dreams (To Be Over)
Gentle Giant is another favorite of mine. Violator is not yet a part of my collection.
Depeche Mode is one of those bands that I could probably be satisfied with a Compilation. I owned Some Great Reward and Violator and would only consider the latter to be a masterpiece. I used to call them Depressed Mode back in the day, preferring bands like New Order, Erasure or OMD of that genre (i always said the were a darker, more depressed OMD). Violator is their defining statement in my opinion with the rest of their catalog being a bit spotty. Violator has their best material and is a great, atmosphere album. I've heard Songs Of Faith and Devotion but was underwhelmed.
I think very highly of Songs of Faith and Devotion and feel it is a very strong album. Alan Wilder left after that tour and the band never really fully recovered. Playing The Angel comes close to past glories in places, but none of their post-Wilder efforts have been as strong and are quite spotty.
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