Depeche Mode / Tears For Fears Retrospective

by Vish Iyer

Depeche Mode and Tears For Fears are two bands that are almost synonymous with electronic new Wave music. With their unique individual styles, both these bands helped to shape the synth-pop music scene of the eighties, and have influenced countless acts in the decades following it.

The year was 1980 when four young lads from Basildon England -- singer Dave Gahan and keyboardists Vince Clarke, Martin Gore, and Andrew Fletcher -- formed the group known as Depeche Mode after the band’s several initial short-lived incarnations in the late seventies. Their debut record Speak And Spell released in 1981 was a success, fueled by the hit single “Just Can’t Get Enough.”

During the same time, a little known band called Graduate was taking a new form by the name of Tears For Fears, fronted by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, two young lads from Somerset England.  Their aspirations were driven by their bad childhoods and inspired by the works of Arthur Janov.

Much like Depeche Mode’s debut, Tears For Fears' 1983 debut The Hurting was received well, and was in fact a bigger commercial and critical success, thanks to the ambitious theme behind the record, that of the band members’ own fractured families.

Depeche Mode wasn’t as ambitious as Tears For Fears at the onset, especially with the juvenile sugary pop songs of its debut, but quickly matured and attained a darker “industrial” sound, and would end up sowing the seeds for a whole new generation of industrial rockers. The band’s biggest hit Violator was bleak and sparse. Its follow-ups Songs Of Faith And Devotion and Ultra turned out gloomier and heavier, featuring a layered guitar-dominated sound.

Tears For Fears took a different approach, and evolved its approach by incorporating elements of jazz on its sophomore Songs From The Big Chair, and further adorning it with contemporary R&B on The Seeds Of Love.

The broad musical influence and persistent critical acclaim achieved by Depeche Mode and Tears For Fears marked them as exemplars of a major musical genre and therefore a perfect pairing for the Daily Vault's January 2009 retrospective.

Throughout their careers, both Depeche Mode and Tears For Fears have soldiered through various lineup changes, which has also contributed to the various changes in the bands’ music styles. For Depeche Mode, the departure of Vince Clarke (and replacement with Alan Wilder) drove the band further away from the writing simple synth-pop numbers and towards experimenting with moodier, more complex ones. Curt Smith’s exit from Tears For Fears left Roland Orzabal alone as a one-man outfit, whereupon he took it in the direction of adult contemporary rock.

In spite of the uncertainties in both the bands, repeated disbanding and regrouping, solo stints, and even suicide attempts (Dave Gahan), each continued not only to make music into the nineties and the present decade, but also managed to stay relevant to this day in the constantly metamorphosing music scene.

This January Daily Vault showcases the ever-changing music of Depeche Mode and Tears For Fears with reviews of 13 Depeche Mode and seven Tears For Fears albums, with reviews of each band al;ternating for most of the month.  From its January 5 kick-off, the retrospective runs every weekday through Friday, January 30. The majority of these reviews will be appearing on the Vault for the first time.