People Are People | ||||
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Compilation album by | ||||
Released | 2 July 1984 | |||
Recorded | 1981–1984 | |||
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Length | 43:00 | |||
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Depeche Mode chronology | ||||
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People Are People is a compilation album by British electronic band Depeche Mode, released in North America by Sire Records on 2 July 1984. [1] [2] Sire sensed it needed a new approach in its release policy since the band's 1983 effort Construction Time Again had failed to chart in the US.
Two of the nine tracks were new to the American audience: the latest single "People Are People" and "Now, This Is Fun", the B-side of the non-American 7" "See You". It was also the first time that the 7" versions of "Leave in Silence" and "Get the Balance Right!" were released in the United States. The album version of "Love, in Itself" was selected for this compilation, but with a "clean" ending, since on Construction Time Again the track fades into "More Than a Party".
The album was released in July 1984 to relatively little notice. It re-entered the charts and sold better, when the title track became a summer hit in 1985. [3] The album later was certified Gold by the RIAA for shipments of half a million copies. [4] Its success led to the release of yet another compilation album in late 1985: Catching Up with Depeche Mode .
The album, with photography by Brian Griffin, [5] was originally released on LP and CD with the band name and album name missing from the album cover. These names were then added to the covers for later re-releases.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
AllMusic were mixed in their reception to the album, rating the album two-and-a-half stars out of five. [6]
All tracks are written by Martin L. Gore, except "Work Hard", written by Gore and Alan Wilder. All vocals by Dave Gahan, except "Pipeline", sung by Gore
No. | Title | Original album | Length |
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1. | "People Are People" | Some Great Reward | 3:45 |
2. | "Now This Is Fun" | "See You" 7-inch single | 3:23 |
3. | "Love, in Itself" | Construction Time Again | 4:21 |
4. | "Work Hard" | "Everything Counts" 7-inch single | 4:21 |
5. | "Told You So" | Construction Time Again | 4:27 |
6. | "Get the Balance Right!" | Non-album single | 3:13 |
7. | "Leave in Silence" | A Broken Frame | 4:00 |
8. | "Pipeline" | Construction Time Again | 6:10 |
9. | "Everything Counts (In Larger Amounts)" | "Everything Counts" 12-inch single | 7:20 |
Total length: | 43:00 |
Country | Release date | Cat. no. |
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Canada | 2 July 1984 | LP: Sire 9 25124-1 |
United States | Cas: Sire 9 25124-4 | |
CD (US, Can) | 16 March 1987 | CD: Sire 9 25124-2 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA) [9] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed by the lineup of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists of Gahan and Gore.
Violator is the seventh studio album by English electronic music band Depeche Mode. It was first released on 19 March 1990 by Mute Records internationally, and by Sire and Reprise Records in the United States.
Construction Time Again is the third studio album by English electronic music 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 the songs "Two Minute Warning" and "The Landscape Is Changing". The album's title comes from the second line of the first verse of the track "Pipeline". It was recorded at John Foxx's Garden Studios in London, and was supported by the Construction Time Again Tour.
Black Celebration is the fifth studio album by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 17 March 1986 by Mute Records. Daniel Miller devised "a plan to capture the essence of the dark works" that Martin Gore created because Martin Gore had no intention of compromising the mood that his demos had set. With the release of the album, Daniel Miller and Gareth Jones presented Black Celebration which they produced to be more like an environment rather than a collection of songs. Their production created "a tech-noir future dystopia" that "glitters of gloom".
Speak & Spell is the debut studio album by English electronic music band Depeche Mode. It was released on 5 October 1981, or possibly 29 October 1981, by Mute Records. It was the band's only album to feature Vince Clarke, and is much lighter in tone than their subsequent releases.
Some Great Reward is the fourth studio album by the English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 24 September 1984 by Mute Records. The album peaked at number five in the United Kingdom and number 51 in the United States, and was supported by the Some Great Reward Tour. This also saw the band using samplers, much like they did in their previous studio album Construction Time Again (1983), which they would continue to use in their following studio albums Black Celebration (1986) and Music for the Masses (1987).
Music for the Masses is the sixth studio album by the English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 28 September 1987 by Mute Records. The album was supported by the Music for the Masses Tour, which launched their fame in the US when they performed at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The tour led to the creation and filming of the documentary/live album titled 101. This saw the band using heavy amounts of sampling, much like they did in their previous studio album Black Celebration (1986).
Catching Up with Depeche Mode is a compilation album by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released solely in North America on 11 November 1985 by Sire Records.
A Broken Frame is the second studio album by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 27 September 1982 by Mute Records. The album was written entirely by Martin Gore and was recorded as a trio after the departure of Vince Clarke, who had left and formed Yazoo with singer Alison Moyet. Alan Wilder was part of a second band tour in the United Kingdom prior to the release of A Broken Frame, but had not officially joined yet and does not appear on the album.
"Stripped" is a song by British electronic music band Depeche Mode. It was released as the lead single from their fifth studio album Black Celebration (1986) on 10 February 1986, through Mute Records. Written by the band's lead songwriter Martin Gore, "Stripped" introduces the more dark and sample oriented composition that featured on the Black Celebration album. It incorporates various samples into its instrumental; most notably, the sound of an idling motorcycle engine was recorded, altered slightly, and inserted as a percussive element.
Alan Charles Wilder is an English musician, composer, arranger, record producer and member of the electronic band Depeche Mode from 1982 to 1995. After his departure from the band, the musical project Recoil became his primary musical enterprise, which initially started as a side project to Depeche Mode in 1986. Wilder has also provided production and remixing services to the bands Nitzer Ebb and Curve. In 2020, Wilder was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Depeche Mode. He is a classically trained musician.
The Singles 81→85 is a greatest hits album by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 14 October 1985 by Mute Records. The compilation was not originally released in North America, where it was replaced by its counterpart Catching Up with Depeche Mode. This was the first release to feature a picture of the band on the cover.
Playing the Angel is the eleventh studio album by English electronic music band Depeche Mode. It was first released on 17 October 2005 by Mute Records in the UK, and a day later by Sire Records and Reprise Records in the United States. It was supported by the Touring the Angel tour and the four singles "Precious", "A Pain That I'm Used To", "Suffer Well", and "John the Revelator" / "Lilian". The album reached number one in over 10 countries and entered the top 10 in the United Kingdom and United States.
"Just Can't Get Enough" is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode. It was their third single, released on 7 September 1981, a month before the release of their debut studio album, Speak & Spell. It was recorded during the summer of that year at Blackwing Studios, and was the band's first single to be released in the United States, on 18 February 1982. A riff-driven synth-pop song, "Just Can't Get Enough" was the final single to be written by founding member Vince Clarke, who left the band in November 1981.
"See You" is the fourth UK single by Depeche Mode, and the first Depeche Mode single written by Martin Gore. The single was released on 29 January 1982 and was later included on the band's second album A Broken Frame. It was the first single the band released as a trio, due to Vince Clarke's departure the previous year.
"Get the Balance Right!" is the seventh single by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 31 January 1983. Recorded at Blackwing Studios in December 1982, it is the first Depeche Mode single with Alan Wilder as an official band member; Wilder also co-wrote the B-side track "The Great Outdoors!" with Martin Gore. It is also one of the first Depeche Mode songs to feature guitar; according to Andy Fletcher, the guitar was processed through a synth and phased out of time to make it sound more interesting.
"A Question of Lust" is a song by the English electronic music band Depeche Mode from their fifth studio album, Black Celebration (1986). It was released on 14 April 1986 as the album's second single.
Strange – A Black and White Mode by Anton Corbijn is the second music video compilation by Depeche Mode, featuring the first five Depeche Mode videos directed by Anton Corbijn, released in 1988. Corbijn shot the entire video album in Super 8.
Some Great Videos is the first music video compilation by Depeche Mode, featuring ten music videos directed by Clive Richardson or Peter Care, released on 14 October 1985. It coincides with The Singles 81→85.
Spirit is the fourteenth studio album by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 17 March 2017 by Columbia and Mute Records. The album was recorded with new producer James Ford, and was preceded by the single "Where's the Revolution". It was the final Depeche Mode studio album to feature co-founder and keyboardist Andy Fletcher before his death on 26 May 2022. The album produced three singles.