Depeche Mode - 101 (CD)

Depeche Mode onstage

By Yahoo! Shopping User  Jan 30, 2007

Pros: Solid live album from the Mode

Cons: Biased listeners may scoff at a live album from a synthpop group

It would be easy to laugh contemptuously at the thought of a synth pop act releasing a live album (a double one, at that), but Depeche Mode have done so and pulled it off quite well. "101" is a recording of their famous concert at Pasadena,... which elevated them to a full-blown live act capable of selling out at huge American venues. Rock purists will complain that these performances are too clean and efficient, but that's the reason why "101" works. Unlike other rock live albums, there's hardly any off-key singing or shrill, distracting noises. The Mode pulls off the recording like seasoned pros. I really liked the live rendition of the love ballad "Somebody," and the single "Strangelove" loses none of the bite of the original studio recording. Dave Gahan really gets the crowd roused during "Just Can't Get Enough" and "Question of Time," two energetic, upbeat numbers. But the CD hits its high point with their hit "Everything Counts," which eventually was released as a single. Quite frankly, I've heard better live albums, but "101" is sufficient evidence that electronic acts can hold their own on the stage just as well as their rock peers. Read more Less