Martin Gore Truimphs.

Construction time again is a testament to Martin Gore's talent as a musician. To review this album properly we should consider first it's two predecessors Speak and Spell (1981) and A Broken Frame (1982.)



Speak and Spell was largely written by Vince Clarke resulting in a collection of masterful pop melodies inlcuding the classic 'Just Can't Get Enough.' Continuing on that trajectory Clarke has written catchy dance tunes since, but never became the talent that Gore is.



A Broken Frame (1982)was ultimately a transition album for Depeche Mode. The songwriting was muddled and Dave Gahan's singing was second rate. In all fairness this must have been a difficult album to make for Depeche Mode. Without the flair cute pop tunes, the band had to re-establish what they did, and this album proves that. It is certainly an album to own if you are a real fan, otherwise, I would skip it.



Construction Time Again truly showcases the band's talent and provides a foundation for all that has come after it. In my opinion this album is to Depeche Mode what Dark Side of the Moon was for Pink Floyd. Construction time was that point where it all came together. The songwriting takes on a more serious form. There is plenty of social criticism: 'Pipeline' and 'Everything Counts' criticizes greedy multi-nationals; 'The Landscape is Changing' calls attention to environmental degradation. The moody and serious music style is also evident on this album.



One of their best and definitely worth buying if you are familiar with their 80's albums and want to witness its genesis.

Mind Traveled too far

This is in response to mind traveler...You should check out Recoil, then compare it to Depeche Mode now... You mention you hate this album out of all of them...but then you mention you hated Ultra and Exciter...the albums that Alan wasn't on... For he made their sound more full and interesting... with the piano and strings and deep analog bass... back in the day Alan was the only one that had any musical talent in the band... and the other band members admited it... Violater, and Love, Faith, Devotion was most influenced by Alan... You should check your facts better...

The Depeche Mode Manifesto

It seem that very few listeners and reviewers pick up on the theme of this album.Construction Time Again was DMs political album with a distinctly left-wing socialist ideology. Besides that it was the first album recorded with Alan Wilder who apparently did most of the work and defined the much darker, industrial sound of this sadly long forgotten but still thouroughly relevant. Wilder even wrote lyrics of his own for the grimly apocalyptic "the landscape is changing",a warning about environmental destruction and the terrifying but fascinating "two minute warning" about nuclear war.Initially I didn't like the song "pipeline" but have learned to appreciate it for its clever experimentalism-the groaning sounds in the background were made from a sampled pygmy chant electronically altered using their newly aquired Synclavier II sampler/synthesizer.A must have for Depeche Mode and Industrial fans;)