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"Never Let Me Down Again" is the first song here. Despite a relatively simple melody (try singing it and you'll realize that it's almost entirely down on two notes that are only a half step apart) the song is strong due to the beautiful backing vocal line and very strong synth work. This is a dance classic, and the semi-dangerous lyrics (most often interpreted to have something to do with drugs, despite the bands general aversion to them) help to make this song memorable. "The Things You Said" is more artistic; slower paced and gradually building into a strong song. While fitting more on this album than Black Celebration, in many ways it hearkens back to that album, as a slower, more artistic piece. The style had changed somewhat, though, and while Black Celebration was very much a descendant of Some Great Reward which in turn was a very obvious descendant of Construction Time Again, with many songs that provided clear links between them, Music For the Masses is more stand-alone, and nothing sounds particularly Black Celebration-like. Maybe this has to do with the change in producers- Daniel Miller, at the helm from the very first, is mostly replaced on this album, and seemingly completely absent from the next one, Violator. Perhaps this is part of the differences that led to the eventual "sell-out" of the band in the next few years, but I really don't know for sure. Next on the album is "Strangelove," the biggest hit and one that hardly needs explanation. The various versions of this song available through singles are remarkably varied, including one on a German cd single that was called the album version, yet which certainly wasn't (at least not on my album!) Overplay has perhaps dulled the edge of this song, but it was still always one of my favorites. That honor (from this album) now goes to the next track, "Sacred." I've heard various stories about the genesis of this song, non of which I believe. The subject matter is very unusual for a Depeche Mode song (at least it was at the time) and the actual sound of the song is one of the best. It is also a very good example of the subtle guitar work that added such a new dimension to Depeche Mode's sound before it got carried away in Violator. "Little 15," the next song, is kind of strange and has no reference point to which I can compare. I like it, and part of the reason may be because at the time I first bought this album I was reading Dracula and this gothic (in the old sense, not the modern "goth" movement) song fit perfectly with the tone and mood of the book. Really, the whole album did, but this song most of all. While the subject matter was miles away (this is more reminiscent of "A Question of Time") the sound was almost a modern version of Victorian gothic horror. This was continued on "Behind the Wheel" which is another very well known song from this cd. The driving pace and haunting vocals combined with the dark and menacing sound nearly spawned a whole new genre of dance music, and tons of "sound-alikes" popped up in the late 80s, like Camouflage, Seven Red Seven, Cause and Effect, Red Flag and others. "I Want You Now," is the next song, and is the infamous "song I can't stand" for this album. The yodelling background and restricted breathing, along with Martin's somewhat uncharismatic vocals sounds absolutely ridiculous to me. The next song, "To Have and To Hold" fits perfectly into the tonal framework of the album, although it is short and seemingly unmemorable. In fact, the "Spanish Taster" version of this song, which is included as a "bonus track" is much more interesting. This blends perfectly into "Nothing," which was included as the b-side to "Strangelove," at least on the US 12-inch and 7-inch single releases. It seems a shame that such a good song would be relegated to such an inglorious fate, since "Nothing" is really the equal of anything else on the album. Not so the strange instrumental "Pimph" in which the video is much more exciting than the song itself. As a dark, Victorian-like gothic instrumental, it is strong, but as the swan song for Music for the Masses it seems like less than an ideal choice.
The next songs are technically bonus tracks, but since even the cassette version of the album had them, they hardly seem like bonuses. While they don't fit exactly in which the album proper, it is pretty obvious that they were all recorded around the same time and follow pretty much the same sound format. "Agent Orange" is a slow, dark instrumental, ok when you're in the mood for such things, but boring otherwise. Likewise, the "Aggro Mix" of "Never Let Me Down Again" is simply a slightly faster and more intense extension of the three instrumental track run. It's not until the "Spanish taster" mix of "To Have and To Hold" comes up that a really interesting bonus track comes up. I already mentioned this, and although they cut out about a third of the lyrics, it's still more interesting than the original. But the real strong point of the bonus tracks is "Pleasure, Little Treasure" which, despite it's silly sounding title, is actually a good song. In fact, I recommend getting the "Never Let Me Down Again" cd single which contains it as a b-side in several versions. The guitar is more obvious here, and the trends that would surface in Violator are previewed in this song. This doesn't really detract: "Pleasure, Little Treasure" would have been one of the better tracks on Violator so it doesn't hint at the disappointment that that album was to be. This stronger guitar sound was to be further previewed on my not reviewed 101 live album recorded the year after Music For the Masses. Again, while the guitar sound is much more obvious, it is still integrated much more seamlessly into the whole sound, while on Violator it was so out of place.
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