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Depeche Mode music biography continued...

outfit. The band, whose name was inspired by a French fashion magazine, was formed in 1980, in Basildon, Essex, England, with an original line-up consisting of Dave Gahan (lead vocals), Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, vocals, chief songwriter after 1981), Andrew Fletcher (keyboards) and Vince Clarke (keyboards, chief songwriter 1980-81). Vince Clarke left the band after the release of their 1981 debut album, and was replaced by Alan Wilder (lead keyboards) who was a band member from 1982 to 1995. Following Wilder's departure, Gahan, Gore, and Fletcher have continued as a trio. Depeche Mode's commercial and artistic breakthrough came with 1984's Some Great Reward as one critic said: that "Gore's dark, kinky preoccupations with spiritual doubt and psychosexual manipulation came to the fore, while the egalitarian single "People Are People" was a major hit on both sides of the Atlantic and typified the music's turn toward more industrial textures."



With the alternative music boom of the early '90s, Depeche Mode emerged as one of the world's most successful acts, and their 1993 LP Songs of Faith & Devotion entered the charts in the number one slot. The band subsequently weathered through several line-up changes, but emerged with 2001's Exciter which did moderately well, and built a foundation for 2005's Playing the Angel. With the success of the "Precious" and "John (The Revelator)" singles, Playing the Angel topped the album charts in 18 countries and went multiple platinum and gold in 20 countries. Depeche Mode went on to play to 2.5 million fans worldwide and released a wildly successful live three-disc set which broke several sales records. Now well into their third decade, Depeche Mode has sold over 72 million albums worldwide, including one US and two UK number one albums, and shows no sign of slowing down. Due to their innovative recording techniques, Depeche Mode have also influenced many of today's most popular recording artists, ranging from Linkin Park to Slayer, and have set a standard that their fans know is hard to beat.