People Are People (album)

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People Are People
Depeche mode people are people 1984.jpg
Compilation album by
Depeche Mode
Released2 July 1984
Recorded1981–1984
Genre
Length43:00
Label
Producer
Depeche Mode chronology
Construction Time Again
(1983)		People Are People
(1984)		 Some Great Reward
(1984)

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.

Contents

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.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]

AllMusic were mixed in their reception to the album, rating the album two-and-a-half stars out of five. [6]

Track listing

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.TitleOriginal albumLength
1."People Are People" Some Great Reward 3:45
2."Now This Is Fun""See You" 7-inch single3:23
3."Love, in Itself" Construction Time Again 4:21
4."Work Hard""Everything Counts" 7-inch single4:21
5."Told You So"Construction Time Again4:27
6."Get the Balance Right!"Non-album single3:13
7."Leave in Silence" A Broken Frame 4:00
8."Pipeline"Construction Time Again6:10
9."Everything Counts (In Larger Amounts)""Everything Counts" 12-inch single7:20
Total length:43:00

Release history

CountryRelease dateCat. no.
Canada2 July 1984LP: Sire 9 25124-1
United StatesCas: Sire 9 25124-4
CD (US, Can)16 March 1987CD: Sire 9 25124-2

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [9] Gold500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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References

  1. ↑ "People Are People". depechemode.com. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  2. ↑ "DEPMOD · People Are People" . Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  3. ↑ "Billboard Hot 100 - August 3, 1985" . Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  4. ↑ "RIAA – Searchable Database" . Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  5. ↑ "Photography Album Covers: People Are People". Brian Griffin. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  6. 1 2 Raggett, Ned. Depeche Mode – People Are People at AllMusic. Retrieved 14 June 2011.
  7. ↑ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). London: Omnibus Press. ISBN   978-0-8571-2595-8.
  8. ↑ Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Depeche Mode". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. pp.  229–230. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  9. ↑ "American album certifications – Depeche Mode – People Are People". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved 21 July 2022.
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