Happy 35th Anniversary to Depeche Mode’s live album 101, originally released March 13, 1989.
A live album. From Depeche Mode. Really?
That was my, and I assume many people’s, first reaction to news of the impending release of a live recording from Depeche Mode’s sell-out show at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena in June of 1988. For a band that unashamedly used pre-recordings to augment their heavily synth-based shows, the announcement of 101 was enough to give anyone pause. Just how “live” would it be and how riveting could a double disc be as a listening experience?
What we didn’t know at the time was that 101 was more than just a live album, but would also be a documentary film that tracked the band as it conquered the US on its Music for the Masses tour that culminated in this Rose Bowl performance—their 101st show.
Helmed by D.A. Pennebaker, who had previously shot rockumentaries on Dylan and Bowie, the 101 movie was a rapturous road trip heightened by the inclusion of an eclectic group of fans who shadowed the band on their very own tour bus. In what was a precursor to road trip reality TV series, 101 (the documentary) was engaging and entertaining, splicing together various live performances with “the bus kids” on tour.
So with the movie being a fully immersive and visceral experience, how would the live album stack up? After all, live albums can only capture half of the concert-going experience, missing out on the visual performance of the show can cover a world of audio sins.
And for Depeche, their live shows were very much carried by moody lighting and a spinning top that is in frontman Dave Gahan. For all the musicianship of Martin Gore, Alan Wilder, and an arm-waving Andy Fletcher, it is Gahan that is the focal point. His energy, his gyrations, his raucous bellowing, that would sweep the crowd up night after night.
Listen to the Album:
So what 101 does right is lean into this. With very little variation in the production of songs from studio recordings or 12” extended mixes, the live elements of Gahan’s vocals, the occasional twang of Gore’s guitar moments, and the excitement of the crowd is what carries 101 and makes it a fun and enjoyable listen.
The album also acts as a sonic trigger for your favorite moments from the 101 film. The anticipation in the musical prologue of “Pimpf” and the deafening roar that greets show opener “Behind the Wheel”—complete with Gore on guitar—carries you throughout the album. When you hear “Never Let Me Down,” you picture a stadium of waving arms swaying from side to side. When you hear “Somebody” or “The Things You Said,” you picture a meek Martin L. Gore stepping forward from the safety of his synths into the spotlight and you not only hear but see his vulnerability.
The setlist is packed with crowd favorites from “Stripped” to “Everything Counts” to “People are People” which ratchets up the frenzy within the audience with each new song. The crowd’s excitement as a new track drops is intoxicating, vibrating out of the speakers and into your body. It’s their screams and joyous outbursts that give 101 its live energy.
After this tour, Depeche Mode would experiment with the addition of more live instruments in their studio recordings and live tours, and as a result, subsequent live releases provide a superior listening experience. But 101 will forever be a delectable nostalgia hit of a band breaking big in a music scene that was anything but welcoming to synth-led endeavors. A “Good evening, Pasadena!” indeed.
Listen: