Depeche Mode on Letterman Mon March 11

[MBTC]

Originally Posted by Berni

Nice one man, that was soooooo much better than the short DL performance. They are sounding more like a rock band than the synth pop outfit they started out as but in a good way, double kick rock drummer & all. Total class throughout & showing what a great front man Dave Gahan really is.
Thanks again

Yeah their music really started to change toward the later 80s/early 90s. I could be mistaken think Martin actually learned to play guitar after they were already very successful as a synth-only band. In the early days they were 100% synths with no drummer on stage, which I guess got a bit awkward

But overall I think their music has evolved in a direction that makes a lot of sense for them. With them it has always been more about their melodies than necessarily what was used to create them. Dave's signature voice is critical to the band, so if he ever left it would be tragic, but I think losing Alan Wilder was tragic in a less obvious sort of way. I always think of that instrumental song "Nothing to Fear" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GztQLHanQc), which if listened to on a proper sound system is a mind bogglingly good synth tune, I think he wrote that one. They were still good after he left but it left a noticable scar, IMO. They even used to refer to him as the wizard behind the band in a lot of interviews, and I think he's one reason their sound post-Vince Clark was so different.

On the other hand they've done some good stuff after he left.. I liked a lot of songs on Playing the Angel (2005 I think).