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(More customer reviews)'some great reward' is perhaps depeche mode's funniest album title. as the band inched closer and closer to the global domination that would one day be theirs, one can help but wonder if a be-skirted martin looked at sun-in'd-bangs dave and said, 'is this all we get?' or maybe it's the bands nod to its increasing fanbase, or a middle-finger to those who thought there were going to get another mildly poppy, pleasant, inoffensive DM album (though it started with 'construction time again, let's face it, this was the death knell of the 'photograph of you,' 'see you,' 'new life,' 'just can't get enough' dm brand of music).
no, no, dear friends, this wasn't your daddy's dm. suddenly martin was clad in s&m gear, handcuffs, leather (or was it pleather?), dave put a little sun-in in his hair, alan was a full-feldged member, and fletch, well, he was fletch (pushing his mic back and forth on stage and little else). 'some great reward,' i believe, was the blueprint for albums like 'pretty hate machine,' everything nitzer ebb did do, front 242 would do, and spawned a generation of knock offs (red flag, seven red seven, cause and effect). 'industrial' music? it started with 'some great reward.'
'some great reward' is the album that came to define the depeche mode *sound.* it's cold and detached, it's pervy undertones bubbling just below the surface. from the get-go 'some great reward' sounds like an album recorded squarely under the fist of the iron curtain. 'something to do' sounds like heavy machinery dropped off a 100ft ledge--agressive and relentless. 'lie to me' and 'if you want' drip in ambiguous sexuality. of course there's 'master and servant' and it's fairly blatant s&m references and 'blasphemous rumors' in which martin (?) questions God's role in every day life. i'll forgive martin for 'somebody'--a song so sweet it should by right come packaged with a tube of toothpaste and mouthwash.
'some great reward' pointed DM in a new direction they would later build on with 'black celebration,' 'music for the masses,' and culminate with 'violator.' in this regard it serves as an important stepping stone in the band's evolution--it was a precursor to the defining DM sound. perhaps that reason alone is enough to merit buying this album. and if that reason's not enough, it's still got some KILLER songs, truly memorable singles, and just enough dark matter to keep the trenchcoat kids and enough catchy melodies and verses to keep the preppy polo-wearing goofs happy.
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No Description AvailableNo Track Information AvailableMedia Type: CDArtist: DEPECHE MODETitle: SOME GREAT REWARDStreet Release Date: 07/07/1987
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