The early ‘90s weren’t good for most people, and for Depeche Mode it was a living hell. The wild success of their Violator and Songs Of Faith And Devotion albums brought with it a number of pitfalls, with drug addiction being the most serous. After experiencing a scary world tour in 1994, Alan Wilder decided to leave the band entirely. Martin A. Gore and Andrew Fletcher knew they had a monster on their hands that they needed to beat into submission, namely lead singer Dave Gahan. Totally strung out on every drug he could get his hands on, Gahan was becoming a danger to himself and others. After a botched suicide attempt, he was faced with the arduous task of rehabilitation. Only with a clean bill of health would he be permitted to rejoin his band-mates in the studio to record their ninth album, 1997’s Ultra.
As it turns out, changing his unhealthy ways certainly paid off -- Ultra was perhaps the best Depeche Mode album since 1987’s breakthrough, Music For The Masses. The problem was in how the album was received by most critics and fans, who undoubtedly had grown weary of Dave Gahan’s tabloid antics. Despite the chilly response and Wilder’s departure, Ultra returns the band to familiar sonic territory. The singles are distinctive as ever, though they didn’t exactly set the music charts on fire. Seeing David Gahan on The Tonight Show looking and sounding better than ever as he performed “It’s No Good” was all I needed to give this record its due credit. Somewhat interesting is the fact that Martin wrote all the songs, especially considering how personal and autobiographical some of them were when it came to Gahan’s recovery (like the aptly titled “Bullet Of A Gun”). Even if they aren’t his words exactly, Dave makes them his own in the way he solidly delivers them. As strong as the writing is here, the singing is even more impressive. Martin does sing a couple of tracks himself, with “Home” and “The Bottom Line” standing out as some of his best work to date.