Construction Time Again is the third studio album by the English electronic band Depeche Mode, released on 22 August 1983 by Mute Records. It was the band's first album to feature Alan Wilder as a member, who wrote two of the album's songs. The album's title comes from a verse of the track "Pipeline". It was recorded at John Foxx's The Garden studios in London, mixed at Hansa Studios in West Berlin, and supported by the Construction Time Again Tour in Europe, which ran from September 1983 through March 1984.
Depeche Mode in 1983; Construction Time Again was the band's first studio album with Alan Wilder, pictured on the far right.
Depeche Mode had released their previous album, A Broken Frame in September 1982[4] and supported it with their A Broken Frame Tour, which lasted through May 1983.[5] In early 1983, while still on tour, the band started to plan how to approach recording their new material; according to producer Daniel Miller, it was "the first record where you could say we actually sat down before we started and really decided how we were going to utilize the technology that was available at the time."[6] In April, while on the Asian leg of the tour in Thailand, the band were unsettled by the poverty and open child exploitation.[7][8] New band member Alan Wilder noted that songwriter Martin Gore "wrote pretty much all [the songs of Construction Time Again] in a couple of weeks straight after those trips. They seemed to come together pretty quickly and it was obvious that all these bizarre places such as Bangkok had opened up a few eyes in the band."[8] This was the first Depeche Mode album to include Wilder in the writing and recording process, who had been inducted into the band in late 1982, after their previous album had been recorded and released.[9]
The band, as well as Miller, wanted to change up their recording process for this new album, and collectively they decided to work at a new studio, and so the first time did not record at Blackwing Studios,[10] instead choosing to work at John Foxx's Garden Studios in London.[11] There, they worked with Gareth Jones as their sound technician, who had worked with Foxx on his debut solo studio album Metamatic (1980).[11] Jones had also worked with German new wave band Ideal on their album Bi Nuu (1982).[6] Initially, Jones was reluctant to work with Depeche Mode as he felt they were too commercial and viewed them as "pop" and "lightweight."[11] However, Foxx had persuaded Jones to work with the band as he felt that due to his appreciation for Mute Records' musical output, such as Miller's "Warm Leatherette" the band would be worthwhile as Miller was their producer and they were a Mute label artist.[11] In the studio, Gore and Jones bonded over their interest in the band in German experimental music group Einstürzende Neubauten, who Gore had seen at a show in January that year, giving him the idea to experiment with the sounds of industrial music in the context of pop.[7] Said Jones, "It turned out that we had compatible approaches to the studio. We all wanted to discover new sound worlds, and give a sense of depth, scale and edge to the songs and music."[10] Since he was the newest member of the group, Wilder felt he had to be diplomatic about how he asserted himself in the studio without appearing pushy, but the other members of the band appreciated Wilder's input, presence and classical music training, with Gore saying "I quite liked the fact that he was there. It was almost like having a teacher check your work before it goes out."[12]
For the album, Wilder and Miller had brought both a Synclavier and an Emulator, which allowed the band to capture and manipulate sounds in a way they hadn't been able to prior.[6][13] They were inspired to buy the expensive piece of equipment after it was used to produce Michael Jackson's album Thriller (1982), which was on its way to becoming the best-selling album in history.[14] The band found the Synclavier cumbersome to use, but were happy with the results on their previous single, "Get the Balance Right!".[13] To get a "tougher" sound out of their music, they often hooked up the synthesizer to amplifiers and recorded the sounds in the studio space, as Jones said, "we often recorded the sound of the space as well as the sound of the synthesizer".[12] They also had a portable Stellavox tape recorder, which allowed them to record sounds outside the studio for inclusion on the album.[6] Wilder remember that initially, recording the album "was like a pioneering expedition. All of us would go off to derelict areas armed with a hammer and tape recorders."[15] Gore found the approach to be "a revelation": "We were going out, smashing pieces of metal with sledgehammers, raiding the kitchen drawer for utensils to make percussion sounds."[15] With regards to the heavy amount of sampling, the band would sample various 'found' sounds, such as toy instruments or other objects like stones and objects found in construction sites which they would manipulate using the Synclavier. Wilder said, "You can take the purest voice in the world, and fool around with it digitally until it's the most evil, monstrous sound. Or you can take a moose fart and make it beautiful."[16] Miller recalled "Martin [Gore] would turn up with some toy or some other weird instrument and we just started recording it, sampling it, doing shit with it."[17] He looked back on the recording process as one of the most enjoyable he has been through stating "I sit at home with my synthesizers making great noises, but when you can put those experiments into the pop form that's thrilling."[16]
A 30-second sample of "Pipeline" demonstrating the use of sampled sounds to construct a melody as well as a demonstration of the more socially conscious lyrics the group sang on this album.
Despite calling themselves a "non-political" band,[8] Gore started to write more socially-conscious lyrics, especially after the trip to Thailand.[18] "Everything Counts" was, according to Gore, "about things getting out of hand. Business getting to the point where individuals don't count, and you'll tread on anybody."[18] Wilder wrote two of the songs on the album, "The Landscape is Changing" and "Two Minute Warning", both of which reflected the band's growing political and social lyrical focus.[19]
The song "Pipeline" reflected the "found sound" ethos of the album the most; for the vocals, Martin sang on location beside train tracks near Shoreditch.[20] According to Miller, Gore sang the song while standing under an arch of an old building: "You can hear the trains in the background, and all sorts of stuff."[21] The song's final mix didn't include any additional overdubs, the only changes were adjustments to balance levels.[12]
Although they had a reputation as an all-synth band, two tracks from the album incorporated guitar ("Love, in Itself" and "And Then..."), as had their previous single, "Get the Balance Right!",[22] which, despite having been recorded only a few months prior to the Construction sessions, was not included on the album, as the band felt that the song had little in common with the newer material they were recording.[23] Miller described the recording process as "a massive leap forward" from previous albums.[11]
In July 1983,[21] the band moved to Hansa Studios in Berlin to mix the album.[24] Lead vocalist Dave Gahan explained that, as Hansa had the only 56 track mixing desk in the world at the time,[a] "we had used so many channels on the recording that we couldn't possibly have mixed the record at the studio we recorded it [The Garden in London] – they only had a 24 track desk. Plus, we wanted to sample a different atmosphere. If you work in just the one place it can get quite boring."[24] Gore, who had been engaged to his childhood sweetheart Anne Swindell while living in England, broke off the engagement shortly after moving to Berlin.[25] Describing Swindell, Gore said "she had me on the reins. She was ridiculous - anything was perverted! If I watched something on TV, and there was somebody naked, I was a pervert."[25] Enjoying his newfound freedom in Berlin, Gore found a new girlfriend, a German woman named Christina Friedrich.[25] Gore, Friedrich, and most of the band took to partying in the city's all-night clubs.[25] Jones later said that "Everyone got the Berlin vibe and started wearing black leather, me included!"[25]
Album cover
The album cover was designed by Martin Atkyns and photographed by Brian Griffin, both of whom had worked with Depeche Mode on the earlier album and single covers.[26] The cover, with its "worker-with-sledgehammer design", was a continuation of the concept started by their earlier single, "Get the Balance Right!".[26] Atkins would explain the cover as influenced by socialist realism: "that kind of political look at things was more fashion than specific statement. It was exciting-looking stuff and I think that nobody had really exploited it, had never marketed it in an everyday product like a record."[26] Griffin took the cover image in Zermatt, Switzerland to shoot the model, who was his assistant's brother and a Royal ex-Marine,[12] with the Matterhorn in the background.[26] Griffin said later that, due to the composition of the photograph, he's occasionally asked if the cover is Photoshopped, but he reminds people that it was taken prior to that technology existing.[12]
Title
The album got its name from album track "Pipeline", which contained the lyric "construction time again", which tied into the cover's "work" concept.[19] According to Wilder, the lyric seemed a good statement how the band was getting on after Vince Clarke had left the band two years before.[12]
Release and promotion
Promotional poster for the Construction Time Again Tour
"Everything Counts" was released as the lead single from the album in July 1983,[27] and a month later, Construction Time Again was released on 22 August 1983 by Mute Records in the UK with catalogue number STUMM13.[28][29][19] In Germany, Intercord Records released the album (catalogue number INT 146.807) as well as a 'special edition' that came packaged with a poster and the 12" single for "Get the Balance Right!".[30]
The band worked to evolve their look over the course of the album's release, moving away from "respectable pull-overs and checked shirts" and towards wearing black; Gore started wearing fetish leather harnesses in photoshoots, which became part of the band's image over the next few years.[26]
Upon release, Construction Time Again faired well in the UK, reaching number 6 on the album charts, and in Germany where it reached number 7.[31] Although the German press had been good to the band, they were confused about their relative success in Germany, where the album sold twice as many copies as in the UK.[32] Said Andy Fletcher, "We never saw ourselves as having vaguely Germanic overtones to the music. If you've ever heard German pop music ... I can't see the connection."[33] By contrast, reception in the US was lackluster, resulting in the planned US leg of their upcoming tour being cancelled.[32]
At the end of 1983, RCA Records released the album track "Told You So" as a promo single on 7" vinyl under catalogue number ESP-611, and in early 1984, Warner Records in the US released a rare promotional cassette sealed inside a soft drink can that contained the 12" remix of "Everything Counts" as well as select tracks by other contemporary artists such as The Smiths and The Cure (catalogue number SR-1A).[34]
Tour
The Construction Time Again Tour, which took place in Europe, began in September 1983 in Hitchin, England.[35] For the first time, the band had a stage concept for the show, which included podiums for the keyboardists and a light show from three lighting towers on stage.[33] Following an initial leg of dates in the United Kingdom and Ireland, a second leg in December reached Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands and West Germany.[35] In March 1984, the group performed its first dates in Italy and Spain.[35] on 2 June 1984, three months after the previous show of the tour, Depeche Mode played a one-off show supporting Elton John in Ludwigshafen, West Germany.[35][36] The BBC recorded and broadcast the show on 6 October 1983 on BBC Radio 1 and later released a 7-track sampler from that show on promotional vinyl (catalogue number CN 4304/S).[34]
On the album's politically inclined lyrics, Anne Lambert of Number One wrote: "[Martin Gore]'s protest songs are serious and sharply observed, but they retain that distinctive ear for a commercial melody". She concludes: "It's impossible to pick out tracks, as the whole effect is sharp, tight, smooth and absolutely riveting!"[38] In Smash Hits, Peter Martin notes that the band's attention is now turned "outwards to the world (and all its problems)", pointing out the Russian, European and Oriental influences apparent in the music.[44] He goes on: "The songs are still electronically based, but the brilliantly melodic and bouncy edge is contrasted by a brooding 'Tin Drum'-type sparseness."[44] Summing up, Martin calls the album "[a] brave departure"[44] and that the band had "made a bold and lovely pop record. Simple as that."[46]
NME hailed the album, saying that "Everything Counts" "is Mode's best ever single [...] It sold because it combines edgy and poignant melodies held in thrilling tension; a tough, urgent dancebeat; and a gleamingly modern sound with an element of quirkiness to mark it out in the crowd. And the same goes for every other track on the album." Reviewer Mat Snow qualified Wilder's composition "Two Minute Warning" as "a haunting melody whose transition from verse to chorus explodes in one of those breathtakingly uplifting moments" and concluded that Depeche Mode "have made a bold and lovely pop record. Simple as that."[47]
Commenting on the results of the band's new line-up, AllMusic's Ned Raggett considers Construction Time Again to be "a bit hit and miss... [although] when it does hit, it does so perfectly". Singling out "Love, in Itself", Raggett observes: "Depeche never sounded quite so thick with its sound before, with synths arranged into a mini-orchestra/horn section and real piano and acoustic guitar spliced in at strategic points." Regarding Wilder's songwriting, Raggett states: "Wilder's... songwriting contributions are fine musically, but lyrically, 'preachy' puts it mildly, especially the environment-friendly 'The Landscape Is Changing'."[29]
PopMatters reviewer Michael Keefe claimed it "marked the shift of this movement away from the band's bouncier beginnings. Leaving behind the perky synth pop of 'Just Can't Get Enough' (from Speak & Spell) and 'See You' (of A Broken Frame), 'Love, in Itself' consented to offer a beat you could dance to, but it bore a heart of darkness. Martin Gore expressed his gloomy view on the redemptive potential of love to cure 'All of the absurdities that lay before us / All of the doubts and uncertainties that lay in store for us.' The track 'Pipeline', meanwhile, is unrelentingly depressing. It's also overly lethargic. 'More Than a Party' is up-tempo, but far from upbeat. It's seething, pre-industrial groove prefigured the following album's musically similar, yet vastly superior, 'Master and Servant'."[48]
"And Then..." (includes the hidden track "Everything Counts (Reprise)")
5:39
Total length:
42:26
CD
No.
Title
Length
9.
"And Then..."
4:35
10.
"Everything Counts (Reprise)"
1:05
Total length:
42:27
US and Canadian CD
No.
Title
Length
9.
"And Then... / Everything Counts (Reprise)"
5:40
10.
"Everything Counts" (Long Version)
7:23
Total length:
49:50
2007 Collectors Edition (CD + DVD)
A short film
No.
Title
Length
1.
"Depeche Mode: 1983 (Teenagers Growing Up, Bad Government, and All That Stuff)" (written and produced by Roland Brown; directed by Ross Hallard and Phil Michael Lane)
38:56
Construction Time Again (DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM Stereo)
↑ "News in brief..."(PDF). Music & Video Week. 20 August 1983. p.3. ISSN0265-1548– via World Radio History. Depeche Mode, currently in the singles chart with Everything Counts, release their third album, Construction Time Again STUMM 13), on Mute Records on August 22.
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