Depeche Mode vs. Erasure

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What's your opinion on these two bands? Me myself,I prefer DM they're less bubblegum than Erasure. Besides, Depeche Mode's music has held up more so than Erasure's. Finally, Depeche Mode is more diverse than say Erasure who seems to me forever stuck in synth-pop.

― Micheline Gros-Jean, Friday, 25 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Depeche Mode improved markedly once Vince Clarke left the group. _A Broken Frame_ doesn't work as a whole, but the songs "The Sun And The Rainfall" and "Shouldn't Have Done That" are both light-years better than anything on _Speak And Spell_ except possibly "New Life". By the time _Construction Time Again_ came around, DM was untouchable. Conversely, I've never been able to listen to an Erasure album in its entirety. Not even the singles collection. The closest I came was _Chorus_.

― Dan Perry, Friday, 25 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The singer's voice in Erasure makes my skin crawl.

― Sean, Friday, 25 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

At one point I was fairly pathetic addicts of both. Mind you, I enjoyed being pathetic about them, see. ;-) But I still obsess over Depeche while Erasure, one or two flashes of inspiration aside, never returned to the level of (to me) entertainment, invention and fun of their first few albums. Chorus was the last total hurrah, the next couple of albums had their points, and Cowboy just plain died in the water. Haven't been tempted to investigate more since.

Vince Clarke deserves more credit, though -- if you look at his career (early Depeche to Yaz to the Assembly to early Erasure), he spent the entire eighties trying to figure out the ultimate bouncy synth-pop song. Which is important -- there's nothing really dark about his work at all, though he might allow for a bit of delicious melancholy here and there (Yaz did that best, I think, but "Never Never" by the Assembly is particularly great). Erasure at its best for me is sheer fun -- "Sometimes," "A Little Respect," "Chains of Love," "Stop!" Others will disagree. ;-)

Depeche, meanwhile, glorious wonderful eternal Depeche...ah. Let's put this way -- never really was tempted to see Erasure live, but I *have* to see Depeche on every tour they do or I know I'm missing out. And I chase down the singles and play them to death and I think Martin Gore is a genius flat out and that Alan Wilder was the unheralded arrangement god of the early nineties and David Gahan's got a much better voice than most give him credit for and etc. etc.

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 25 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'll take Erasure, thanks: better name, better melodies, and especially better lyrically. The term "heavy-handed" was coined specifically to slag "People are People." Those rhymes are suicide-inducing. "Why should it be/...awfullLY"? Pass the ant spray, I've had enough.

Though D-Mode's "Get the Balance Right" is a pretty great single, and their earlier album covers are ace.

― John Darnielle, Friday, 25 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I don't think even Depeche fans defend "People Are People" these days, John. I know Depeche sure don't!

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 25 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Oh, but that's just one example from so many. Shooting fish in a barrel is considerably tougher than finding bad Dave Gahan lyrics. "Words like violence/break the silence." Oh man. I'm not saying Erasure wrote great poetry or anything but there's a reason the Southern California teenagers worshipped D-Mode like gods: game reckanize game, as Humpty Hump would have it.

― John Darnielle, Friday, 25 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

bad Dave Gahan lyrics

Blame Gore if anybody -- Dave only sang 'em. But what are these 'lyrics' of which you speak, anyway? ;-)

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 25 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

There is nothing wrong with the lyrics to "Enjoy The Silence". Furthermore, the lyrics to the following Depeche Mode songs are brilliant:

"Somebody"
"Lie To Me"
"Home"
"Freelove"
"I Feel You"
"Policy Of Truth"
"Shouldn't Have Done That"
"A Question Of Lust"
"But Not Tonight"
"Sea Of Sin"
"Happiest Girl"
"Strangelove"
"Stripped"
"The Sun And The Rainfall"
"Stories Of Old"
"And Then..."
"Waiting For The Night"
"Higher Love"
"Clean"
"Barrel Of A Gun"

Incontrovertible truth.

― Dan Perry, Friday, 25 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'm not even a Depeche Mode fan, but I've heard plenty of their songs and think their lyrics are fine. Can I please say again that I hate Erasure? No, I mean I hate them. They're horrible. They actually frighten me in a way. People that like them are extremely suspect. Even Ned has the good sense to have stopped liking them.

― Sean, Friday, 25 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Can I please say again that I hate Erasure?

Sean is a wise man.

― Dan Perry, Friday, 25 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The Mode, for sure. Bugs me how people can slag off lyrics, while of course THEIR preferred band is packed with lyrical geniuses. I have no complaints. That long list of DM singles is pretty impressive.

― patrick, Friday, 25 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Erasure never, ever, tried to 'rock'. End of synthpop debate, as far as I'm concerned.

― Tom, Friday, 25 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

C. Yaz

― Keiko, Friday, 25 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I was seriously fanatical about Depeche Mode back in high school, and got much MUCH less interested in them after _Violator_. A couple of years ago, a friend and I watched the D.Mode singles videotape and New Order's _Substance_ video, and kept boggling at each other about how much better New Order's songs AND videos had aged, and how creepy the Gore-->Gahan attitude toward the desired one is.

I do still love a bunch of their songs, especially "Shake the Disease," and recently pulled out _A Broken Frame_ and listened with pleasure. And some of those remixes are KILLERS, esp. Adrian Sherwood's brain- exploding attack on "Master and Servant."

I find that I enjoy Erasure in one-song doses; usually not more. Always did like "Oh L'amour."

― Douglas, Friday, 25 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

'Violator' = delicious. The only reason I would lose interest after that record would be to fall into a deep funk when I realize I may never hear a song quite as perfect as "Enjoy the Silence" ever again. That album's been in my life since I was like 12 (thanks Mom), and I still pull it out every now and then when the mood suits.

― Clarke B., Saturday, 26 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

You already possess the wisdom of the ages, Clarke. :-)

― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 26 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

There is nothing wrong with the lyrics to "Enjoy the Silence" except that they are poor. Admittedly I was put off buying any D-Mode albums by the wretchedness of the stuff on the radio, so a number of the songs on the list above are unfamiliar to me. I can say with confidence though that "Strangelove" is also quite horrid.

Yer right that it's Gore to blame and not Gahan, though. Sorry Dave.

― John Darnielle, Saturday, 26 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

There is nothing wrong with the lyrics to "Enjoy the Silence" except that they are poor.

LIES AND MISTRUTHS. I don't understand how you can say this.

I've thought of some other DM songs with classic lyrics:

"Shame"
"Shake The Disease"
"Judas"
"Goodnight Lovers"
"Dream On"
"Fly On The Windscreen"
"Black Celebration"
"To Have And To Hold"
"New Life"
"Useless"
"In Your Room"
"Two Minute Warning"
"Everything Counts"
"Blue Dress"
"Comatose"
"Here Is The House"
"The Things You Said"
"World Full Of Nothing"

The only DM songs I can think of where I won't defend the lyrics appear on _Speak And Spell_ (which is primarily Vince Clarke ickyness) and _A Broken Frame_ (which is Martin Gore trying to imitate Vince Clarke ickyness).

― Dan Perry, Monday, 28 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Depeche Mode = only good before Vince left. Erasure = tried too hard with the camp thing.

Is it true that Yazoo were called Yaz in the U of SA because Yazoo refers to the, ahem, "fanny" over there? (And if so, what was Yaz herself called? Let alone her so-called plastic so-called population?)

― Edna Welthorpe, Mrs, Monday, 28 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I've said it before here, and Edna's just said it too : Vince-era DM = classic pop. Early Erasure too.

Post Vince DM I just can't stand.

― Dr. C, Monday, 28 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I agree with Enda and the Doctor. I seem to recall that there was a pre-existing act names Yazoo in the States and the Vince-Alf combo chose 'Yaz' in preference to "the English Yazoo" or "The Baz Yazoo" or something. I prefer Edna's version.

― Tim, Monday, 28 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Vince-era DM = unbearbly twee nonsense. It's like Belle & Sebastian done with synths. The only decent songs from that era are "New Life" and "Tora Tora Tora", and Gore wrote "Tora Tora Tora". The only versions of Vince DM songs that I've liked have been growly, dark, industrial reworkings (see _I Sometimes Wish I Was Famous_ for examples).

Oh wait, I forgot that "Ice Machine" is a Vince-era song. So there are three good Vince-era songs, but Vince only wrote two of them.

― Dan Perry, Monday, 28 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Doug, no doubt that time has been kinder to early eighties New Order than to early eigties Depeche Mode, a significant NO song like Blue Monday single handedly beats DM's People are People, but DM still have some fine songs like Leave In Silence, Get the Balane Right, Lie to Me, and Blasphemeous Rumors. Your point on Gore's --> Gahan's outlook on love and women is pretty interesting could you please elaborate.

Now regarding DM during the Vince Clarke, I don't see that period as either awful or wonderful because there was an equal number of good songs and bad songs that they cancel each other out.

As for the lyrics, I think Gore's is an uneven lyricist, check out the clunkers that appear on Exciter,( Dead of Night,Sweetest Condition Shine, When the Body Speaks which is musically pretty but lyrically not profound). But then again there great songs like Waling in My Shoes,Enjoy the Silence, Question of Time.

Here's another question do people hate Depeche Mode as a result of the band's obsessive fans? I'm asking this question because ever since I joined a DM discussion board I noticed that there are fans who don't listen to anything else but Depeche Mode so they tend to be uncritical and ignorant of other types of music. Heaven forbid you make a criticism against Depeche Mode, they're ready to attack you. Now I know this true with any band but I noticed that this is more prevalent amongst dm fans, than say Pavement/Stephen Malkmus/Preston School of Industry fans ( I happen to be a big fan of all three)

― Micheline Gros-Jean, Monday, 28 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Now there's a comparison! I won't say I know any obsessive-to-the- point-of-listening-only-to-DM fans, but certainly the passion can be ratcheted up high. In America I think this has a lot to do with the fact that the band has always been seen as hard done by -- ignored/ mocked by critics and media folks from the start, only the merest grudging of acceptances since.

― Ned Raggett, Monday, 28 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ned: Alan Wilder was the unheralded arrangement god of the early nineties

Not entirely true; I've heralded him as such in private conversations on several occasions.

― OleM, Tuesday, 29 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ah good, then I'm not alone, see. :-)

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 29 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

As long as you stretch the early nineties back to "Never Let Me Down Again".

― OleM, Tuesday, 29 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'll make an exception.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 29 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

one month passes...

Erasure are by far the UK's top synth group. 'Just Can't Get Enough' is DM's only decent track, and that's only after I heard Erasure do it. I am a very proud Erasure fan and their music is absolutely the best, any1 slagging them off needs to go and hang their head in shame

― Steven Tattum, Saturday, 23 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

There's nothing wrong with being a huge Erasure fan up through the present day. But you might want to consider that others will disagree.

― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 23 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Yazoo" had to change their name to "Yaz" in the US because of pressure from YAZOO Records, the blues 78 reissue company. No sense of humor those damn Yanks. Its also a town in Mississippi. As for da'Booty...why not. >>>Be careful for what you wish for department<<< With all the recent SP revisionism folks it was only a matter of time: A YAZOO tribute is in the works from Ninthwave records! www.ninthwaverecords.com

mhtml:mid://00000017/!http://www.ninthwaverecords.com/yazm.jpg1. Science Park " Winter Kills"
2. Brain Garden featuring Allison Mayer "Situation"
3. Soviet "In My Room"
4. Empire State Human "Bad Connection"
5. Ganymede "Don't Go"
6. Strange Angels "Ode to Boy"
7. Vivid Suspense "Winter Kills"
8. The Agency "Walk Away From Love"
9. Cosmicity "Nobody's Diary"
10. Marianne Nowottny - "I Before E Except After C"
11. Electrosquad "Only You"
12. Macando "And On"
13. Blind Before Dawn "Too Pieces"
14. Steve Adams "Midnight"
15. Exhibition "Nobody's Diary"
16. Spray "Don't Go" 3.20
17. Jimmy Harris "Knocking for a Good Time"
18. davidmahr "Mr. Blue"
19. Elevated Sins "Winter Kills"

― Booty call Bob, Sunday, 24 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)