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Alan Wilder
Alan Charles Wilder (born 1 June 1959) is an English musician, composer, arranger, record producer and former member of the electronic band Depeche Mode from 1982 to 1995. Since his departure from the band, the musical project called 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. Alan Wilder was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020 as a member of Depeche Mode. He is a classically trained musician. Early years Alan Charles Wilder was born the youngest boy born into a middle class family of 3 boys and was raised in Acton, West London. He began piano at the age of eight, through the encouragement of his parents. Later on, he learned the flute at St Clement Danes grammar school and became a leading musician in his school bands. After school, Alan worked as a studio assistant at DJM Studios. This led to him e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. It is bordered by Shepherd's Bush to the north, Kensington to the east, Chiswick to the west, and Fulham to the south, with which it forms part of the north bank of the River Thames. The area is one of west London's main commercial and employment centres, and has for some decades been a major centre of London's Polish community. It is a major transport hub for west London, with two London Underground stations and a bus station at Hammersmith Broadway. Toponymy Hammersmith may mean "(Place with) a hammer smithy or forge", although, in 1839, Thomas Faulkner proposed that the name derived from two 'Saxon' words: the initial ''Ham'' from ham and the remainder from hythe, alluding to Hammersmith's riverside location. In 1922, Gov ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
St Clement Danes
St Clement Danes is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London. It is situated outside the Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand. Although the first church on the site was reputedly founded in the 9th century by the Danes, the current building was completed in 1682 by Sir Christopher Wren. Wren's building was gutted during the Blitz and not restored until 1958, when it was adapted to its current function as the central church of the Royal Air Force. The church is sometimes claimed to be the one featured in the nursery rhyme "Oranges and Lemons" and the bells do indeed play that tune every day at 9 am, noon, 3pm and 6pm—as reported in 1940 the church's playing of the tune was interrupted during World War II due to Nazi bombing. However, St Clement's Eastcheap, in the City of London, also claims to be the church from the rhyme. St Clement Danes is known as one of the two 'Island Churches', the other being St Mary-le-Strand. History Connection to the Danes There ar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Violator (album)
''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. Preceded by the singles " Personal Jesus" and " Enjoy the Silence" (a top-10 entry in both the United Kingdom and the United States), the album propelled the band into international stardom, and also yielded the singles "Policy of Truth" and "World in My Eyes". ''Violator'' reached number two on the UK Albums Chart, and was the band's first album to chart inside the top 10 of the ''Billboard'' 200, peaking at number seven. The album was supported by the World Violation Tour. Background and recording Compared to previous efforts, the band decided to try a new approach to recording. Alan Wilder said, "Usually we begin the making of a record by having extensive pre-production meetings where we decide what the record will actually sound like, then go into a programm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Enjoy The Silence
"Enjoy the Silence" is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode. Recorded in 1989, it was released as the second single from their seventh studio album, '' Violator'' (1990), on 5 February 1990. The single is certified Gold in the US and Germany. The song won Best British Single at the 1991 Brit Awards. "Enjoy the Silence" was re-released as a single in 2004 for the Depeche Mode remix project ''Remixes 81–04'', and was titled "Enjoy the Silence (Reinterpreted)" or, more simply, " Enjoy the Silence 04". Background Songwriter Martin Gore created a ballad-like first version of the song, which the band took into the studio in 1989. At band member Alan Wilder's insistence, the song was re-worked into the up-tempo version released on the album. Release "Enjoy the Silence" was released as a single on 5 February 1990. It was initially released as a 7-inch and 12-inch vinyl single as well as a cassette and CD single. There are two instrumental B-sides to "Enjoy the S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Devotional Tour
The Devotional Tour was a 1993 concert tour by English electronic band Depeche Mode in support of the group's eighth studio album, ''Songs of Faith and Devotion'', which was released in March 1993. The group continued to promote ''Songs of Faith and Devotion'' the following year on the Exotic Tour/Summer Tour '94, which included an additional North American leg. '' Q'' magazine refers to Devotional Tour as "the most debauched rock tour ever". The tour began with an eleven-week European leg, which kicked off in Lille, France, in mid-May and culminated in London in late July. In September 1993, the group began a North American leg, which commenced in Quebec City, Canada. The 50-date tour continued until early December, when it wrapped up in Mexico City. Later in the month, the band returned to Europe for a short tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland. The five date jaunt began in Dublin and ended, once again, in London. Releases The concerts in Barcelona, Liévin and Frankfu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Songs Of Faith And Devotion
''Songs of Faith and Devotion'' is the eighth studio album by English electronic music band Depeche Mode. It was first released on 22 March 1993 in the United Kingdom by Mute Records and a day later in the United States by Sire Records and Reprise Records. The album incorporated a more aggressive, darker rock-oriented tone than its predecessor '' Violator'' (1990), largely influenced by the emerging alternative rock and grunge scenes in the United States. Upon its release, ''Songs of Faith and Devotion'' reached number one in several countries, and became the first Depeche Mode album to debut atop the charts in both the UK and the US. To support the album, Depeche Mode embarked on the fourteen-month-long Devotional Tour, the largest tour they had undertaken to date. Recording the album and the subsequent tour exacerbated growing tensions and difficulties within the band, prompting Alan Wilder to quit in 1995, making this album the final one with him as a band member, and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
101 (album)
''101'' is a live album and documentary film by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 13 March 1989 by Mute Records. It chronicles the final leg of the band's Music for the Masses Tour and the final show on 18 June 1988 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Band member Alan Wilder is credited with coming up with the album's title; the performance was the 101st and final performance of the tour (and coincidentally also the number of a famous highway in the area). The film was directed and produced by D. A. Pennebaker. Background and development The band's original concept for the film was going to be about how Depeche Mode "fit into" the 1980s. After discussions with an "experienced director", they came to the conclusion that the (unnamed) choice was going to do something "too glossy" and that they wanted to present something more nuanced and interesting. At this point, they reached out to renowned documentary filmmaker D. A. Pennebaker. He accepted ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blasphemous Rumours / Somebody
"Blasphemous Rumours"/"Somebody" is Depeche Mode's twelfth UK single and first double A-side single, released on 29 October 1984. Both A-side songs are from the album '' Some Great Reward''. Song information Blasphemous Rumours The verses to "Blasphemous Rumours" describe a 16-year-old girl who attempts suicide but fails. She experiences a religious revival but then "Hit by a car / Ended up / On a life support machine" (from the lyrics). The chorus uses these incidents to conclude, "I don't want to start any blasphemous rumours / But I think that God's got a sick sense of humour / And when I die, I expect to find him laughing." Like other songs on '' Some Great Reward'', the song uses a dense sound with extensive sampled percussion. The song stems from the times that Martin Gore would go with bandmate Andy Fletcher and former bandmate Vince Clarke to the church. When Martin initially showed Andy the song, he found it quite offensive and said, "It certainly verges on the offens ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Black Celebration
''Black Celebration'' is the fifth studio album by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 17 March 1986 by Mute Records. The album further cemented the darkening sound created by Alan Wilder, which the band later used for their subsequent albums ''Music for the Masses'', '' Violator'', and ''Songs of Faith and Devotion''. ''Black Celebration'' reached number four on the UK Albums Chart, and has been cited as one of the most influential albums of the 1980s. To promote the album, the band embarked on the Black Celebration Tour. Three years after its release, '' Spin'' ranked it at number 15 on its "25 Greatest Albums of All Time" list. Critical reception Contemporaneous reviews for ''Black Celebration'' in the British press were mixed. '' Melody Maker''s Steve Sutherland lambasted the album and wrote that Depeche Mode came off as "pussycats desperate to appear perverted as an escape from the superficiality of teen stardom" and ''Sounds'' published a similarly ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Some Great Reward
''Some Great Reward'' is the fourth studio album by 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 album '' Construction Time Again'', which they would continue to use in their following albums ''Black Celebration'' and ''Music For The Masses''. Additionally it also saw the band addressing more personal themes such as sexual politics ("Master and Servant"), adulterous relationships ("Lie to Me"), and arbitrary divine justice ("Blasphemous Rumours"). "Blasphemous Rumours" was released as a double A-side with "Somebody". This was the first album where they achieved chart success in the US with the single ' People Are People' which reached No. 13 on the charts in mid-1985 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and was a Top 20 hit i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Construction Time Again
''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. Background and themes In January 1983, shortly before the release of the " Get the Balance Right!" single, songwriter Martin Gore attended an Einstürzende Neubauten concert, giving him the idea to experiment with the sounds of industrial music in the context of pop. This album introduced a transition in lyrical content for the group. ''Construction Time Again'' would include a bevy of political themes, sparked by the poverty Gore had seen on a then-recent trip he had taken to Thailand. Tour The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Get The Balance Right!
"Get the Balance Right!" is the seventh single by British electronic band Depeche Mode, released on 31 January 1983. Recorded at Blackwing Studios, 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. "Get the Balance Right!" was not included on the following album ''Construction Time Again'' (although it appears on the deluxe edition of the album), but does appear on the American compilation ''People Are People'' and the compilation '' The Singles 81–85''. B-sides The B-side is "The Great Outdoors!", an instrumental written by Martin Gore and Wilder. It was featured on the Broken Frame Tour as the introduction theme for selected shows, after an incident with their Revox machine t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
