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Halo: The Story Behind Depeche Mode's Classic Album Violator

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The first in-depth look at the making of Depeche Mode’s ‘Violator’ and its enduring legacy, by Kevin May and David McElroy They trust it somehow’ … Depeche Mode in Santa Barbara, California, 2000. Photograph: 2020 Anton Corbijn The buzz amongst fans following the releases of ‘Personal Jesus’ and ‘Enjoy The Silence’, coupled with a confidence in the Depeche camp knowing that the Violator album was clearly a massive step up in its creative output, showed there was the potential for something big – bigger than Pasadena and 101 – to happen. Touring relentlessly for years and working the local radio circuit in the US is one thing; how to launch an album on the national stage, in a country as diverse and big as America, is another matter entirely. The undisputed heroes of that period are François Kevorkian and Flood. It was fantastic to read the stories describing the process of making covers, where Richard Smith from Area studio is the undiscovered hero of the second plan. While reading this fragment, I was simultaneously browsing Mute A Visual Document From 1978 -> Tomorrow (pp. 152/182 – 193). Moreover, in the book, there are many references to external sources that are worth reaching to complement the explored issue. I will not spoil your reading pleasure, so without details. Nevertheless, the stories of Pino Pischetola, Paul Kendall, and François Kevorkian are pearls.

Writers Kevin May and David McElroy are huge fans themselves, and this book has been a labour of love for them, the result of many years of interviewing everybody and anybody they could find who was involved in the creation of the album. The band are famously wary of publicity, and didn’t contribute to the book, but a vast number of people, from producers, mixers, engineers, but also video producers and editors, cover art designers and even pluggers are given the opportunity to recall the making of the album and the equally iconic videos, and their hugely important collaboration with photographer and director Anton Corbijn, which continues to this day. Mixed in with these recollections, space is given to some fans to tell their stories of their first listen to the album. I could easily imagine my own story having been included, reading the book led to me spending some time reminiscing about first hearing ‘Personal Jesus’, just after I moved to London, aged 18. Prior to the signing, Martin was interviewed by telephone on the show Request Video. The host Jim ‘The Poorman’ Trenton asked Gore if he was aware that it had been predicted that a crowd of ten thousand people would attend the event. More than an album biography, 'Halo' goes deep behind the scenes of the band's 'Violator' period. The book takes the form of a detailed oral history from those who were there in the studio with the band, working behind the cameras, designing sleeves and appearing in the videos; support acts, tour managers, publicists and fans.The touring and media schedule had worked, pushing the band towards the edges of its then cult status, as many of those in the mainstream media woke up and realised that another group of four young lads from Britain were causing a hell of a stir on college campuses. I was never a Christian but I did go to church regularly for about two years and it’s certainly rubbed off on me. I’m almost obsessed with the idea of good and evil. I suppose my songs do seem to advocate immorality but if you listen there’s always a sense of guilt. On “Halo”, I’m saying ‘let’s give in to this’ but there’s also a real feeling of wrongfulness. During an intense and pivotal two-and-a-half years in the life of the group, we follow Depeche Mode as they complete their metamorphosis into one of the most significant bands of a generation, and place the success and innovations of 'Violator' at the dead centre of the rapidly-changing late-80s, early-90s musical zeitgeist. Therefore, the timing of the release of this book couldn’t be better, with all eyes are on the band again, but no new material forthcoming for a few months. It’s an account of the making of the band’s massively successful and influential album, ‘Violator’, released in March 1990.

This article was amended on 1 June 2021. An earlier version referred to photographs of Joy Division in snow-covered Manchester, and said they were taken by Corbijn. They were actually taken by Kevin Cummins, and this reference has been removed. Eventually selling 7.5 million copies following its release in March 1990, Violator gave the cult British band – Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy ‘Fletch’ Fletcher and Alan Wilder – the critical acclaim they finally deserved. The adventurous, highly experimental approach that the band took for Violator recording sessions also yielded two of the band’s most recognisable and successful singles in Personal Jesus and Enjoy The Silence. Recorded in England, Denmark and Italy between May and September 1989,Depeche Mode’s seventh studio album‘Violator’was a landmark record beloved by fans and universally regarded as the band’s creative highpoint.

Martini: In my country, we have a saying: „You know a man not by how he starts, but how he finishes.” And you did well. Congratulations! During an intense and pivotal two-and-a-half years in the life of the group, we follow Depeche Mode as they complete their metamorphosis into one of the most significant bands of a generation, and place the success and innovations of ‘Violator’ at the dead centre of the rapidly-changing late-80s, early-90s musical zeitgeist. The first in-depth look at the making of Depeche Mode’s ‘Violator’ and its enduring legacy, by Kevin May and David McElroy. Published on 29 September 2022 by Grosvenor House Publishing. Recorded in England, Denmark and Italy between May and September 1989, Depeche Mode’s seventh studio album ‘Violator’ was a landmark record beloved by fans and universally regarded as the band’s creative highpoint. Martini: We know you as a blogger and journalist. I still remember your Violator series written to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the album. When I read it for the 1st time, I thought immediately that it could be a fantastic contribution to Kevin’s project at that time. What was your reaction when Kevin approached you with the offer of co-writing the book?

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