''The Singles 81→85'' is a greatest hits album by English
electronic music
Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...
band
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed with the line-up of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher (musician), Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists ...
, released on 14 October 1985 by
Mute Records
Mute Records is a British independent record label owned and founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller (music producer), Daniel Miller. It has featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Depeche Mode, Erasure (duo), Erasure, Einstürze ...
. 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 (aside from the compilation album ''
People Are People'', which was released exclusively in North America in 1984).
In 1998, to coincide with the release of ''
The Singles 86>98'', the album was reissued and remastered under the title ''The Singles 81>85'', featuring new cover art and two bonus tracks. As of April 2006, the 1998 reissue had sold 283,000 copies in the United States.
Artwork
On the inner sleeve of both the original LP and the reissue, as well as in the CD booklet and cassette inlay, each single's cover is pictured along with comments by certain reviewers, both positive and negative. Pre-
Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 100 million records worldwide and were listed as the most successful duo in UK music h ...
era,
Neil Tennant
Neil Francis Tennant (born 10 July 1954) is an English singer, songwriter and music journalist, and co-founder of the synth-pop duo the Pet Shop Boys, which he formed with Chris Lowe in 1981. He was a journalist for '' Smash Hits'', and assist ...
's dismissive ''
Smash Hits
''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand ...
'' review from the actual release date of the double A-side single "Blasphemous Rumours"/"Somebody" is featured.
The photograph by
Eric Watson featured on the cover was displayed at the
National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to:
* National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra
* National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred
*National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C.
*National Portrait Gallery, London
...
in London.
Track listing
All tracks written by
Martin L. Gore, except where noted. All tracks produced by
Daniel Miller and Depeche Mode, except where noted
Original 1985 releases
LP
CD
Notes
* Original 1985 cassette release: side A (tracks 1–8), side B (tracks 9–15).
Remastered 1998 releases
CD
Tracks 1–15 on remastered edition are the same as on originally 1985 release; brand-new tracks listed as tracks 16 and 17.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
External links
Album information from the official Depeche Mode website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Singles 81-85, The
1985 greatest hits albums
Albums produced by Daniel Miller (music producer)
Albums produced by Gareth Jones (music producer)
Depeche Mode compilation albums
Mute Records compilation albums