A Broken Frame
A Broken Frame is the second studio album by the British group Depeche Mode, released in 1982. The album was written entirely by Martin Gore and recorded after the departure of Vince Clarke, who had left the band to form Yazoo with singer Alison Moyet. Alan Wilder was part of a second tour in the United Kingdom occurring prior to the release of this album, but he had not officially joined the band yet, and thus, does not appear on the album.
Critical reception and legacy
Melody Maker noted that "A Broken Frame – as its name suggests – marks the end of a beautiful dream". Reviewer Steve Sutherland considered that the songs of A Broken Frame "sound like puerile infatuations papering over anonymity" with "weary words". He found that "Shouldn't Have Done That" is the only "ambitious departure" from their previous work.[3]
Cover image
The cover artwork is a photograph, but is intended to resemble a painting. It depicts a woman cutting grain in an East Anglian field, near Duxford in Cambridgeshire. It was taken by Brian Griffin (who had previously done the cover photograph for Speak & Spell and press photos for the band) using a mixture of natural and artificial lighting. Griffin cited as inspirations Ukrainian and Russian art, especially the work of Kazimir Malevich, and German romantic art.[4][5] Griffin has displayed on his website a gallery of alternative images from the same shoot.[6]
It was featured on the cover of Life Magazine's 1990 edition of "World's Best Photographs 1980 - 1990".[7]
Track listing
All tracks written by Martin Gore.
1. |
"Leave in Silence" |
4:51 |
2. |
"My Secret Garden" |
4:46 |
3. |
"Monument" |
3:15 |
4. |
"Nothing to Fear" |
4:18 |
5. |
"See You" |
4:34 |
6. |
"Satellite" |
4:44 |
7. |
"The Meaning of Love" |
3:06 |
8. |
"A Photograph of You" |
3:04 |
9. |
"Shouldn't Have Done That" |
3:12 |
10. |
"The Sun & the Rainfall" |
5:02 |
1. |
"Leave in Silence" |
6:28 |
2. |
"My Secret Garden" |
4:46 |
3. |
"Monument" |
3:15 |
4. |
"Nothing to Fear" |
4:18 |
5. |
"See You" |
4:34 |
6. |
"Satellite" |
4:44 |
7. |
"The Meaning of Love" |
3:06 |
8. |
"Further Excerpts From: My Secret Garden" |
4:20 |
9. |
"A Photograph of You" |
3:04 |
10. |
"Shouldn't Have Done That" |
3:12 |
11. |
"The Sun & the Rainfall" |
5:02 |
- Some original US CD copies of the album tacked on the intro of "The Sun & the Rainfall" onto the end of "Shouldn't Have Done That", making "The Sun & the Rainfall" 4:54.
- All compositions by Martin Gore.
- Dave Gahan sings lead vocals on all songs except "Shouldn't Have Done That" which is a duet with Gore. "Nothing to Fear" and "Further Excerpts From: My Secret Garden" are instrumental.
2006 re-release
Mute: DM CD 2 (CD/SACD + DVD) / CDX STUMM 9 (CD/SACD)
- Disc 1 is a hybrid SACD/CD with a multi-channel SACD layer. The track listing is identical to the 1982 UK release, except "Satellite" which is 4:43 long and contains a slight edit, or error, at the beginning of the track.
- Disc 2 is a DVD which includes A Broken Frame in DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM Stereo plus bonus material.
11. |
"My Secret Garden" (Live at the Hammersmith Odeon, October 25, 1982)) |
7:28 |
12. |
"See You" (Live at the Hammersmith Odeon, October 25, 1982)) |
4:11 |
13. |
"Satellite" (Live at the Hammersmith Odeon, October 25, 1982)) |
4:28 |
14. |
"Nothing to Fear" (Live at the Hammersmith Odeon, October 25, 1982)) |
4:28 |
15. |
"The Meaning of Love" (Live at the Hammersmith Odeon, October 25, 1982)) |
3:14 |
16. |
"A Photograph of You" (Live at the Hammersmith Odeon, October 25, 1982)) |
3:21 |
17. |
"Now, This Is Fun" |
3:27 |
18. |
"Oberkorn (It's a Small Town)" |
4:07 |
19. |
"Excerpt From: My Secret Garden" |
3:14 |
Additional Material:
- "Depeche Mode 1982 (The Beginning of Their So-Called Dark Phase)" [27 Minute video]
Vinyl
1. |
"Leave In Silence" |
6:28 |
2. |
"A Photograph of You" |
3:04 |
3. |
"My Secret Garden" |
4:45 |
4. |
"Further Excerpts From: My Secret Garden" |
4:20 |
All songs were written by Martin Gore.
Charts and certifications
Charts
1Re-release chart position
|
Certifications
|
Album credits
- Depeche Mode
- Production
Marsheaux cover version
In 2015, the Greek synthpop duo Marsheaux released a complete cover version of A Broken Frame on Undo Records. While the reviewer for Release Magazine wrote that this version was not "anything essential" but well done, other reviews were more detailed.[14] The Electricity Club found influences of And One in the cover of "The Sun & the Rainfall" and concluded that Marsheaux had "used unconventional sounds and vocals to make this record their own".[15] Reviews from Germany noted that Marsheaux had elaborated on the assetts and downsides of the original release. According to Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, the kitschy sides of the early Depeche Mode album were deliberately uncovered in tracks like "The Meaning of Love" while the Sonic Seducer lauded Marsheaux's darker and slower interpretation of this song.[16][17]
References
- ↑ Raggett, Ned. "A Broken Frame – Depeche Mode". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
- ↑ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 229–30. ISBN 0-743-20169-8.
- ↑ Sutherland, Steve (25 September 1986). Depeche Mode: A Broken Frame. Melody Maker.
- ↑ Burrows, Tim. "A Broken Frame at 30". The Quietus. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
- ↑ "Brian Griffin interview". Electricity Club. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
- ↑ Griffin, Brian. "Album covers: Depeche Mode". Brian Griffin Photography. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
- ↑ "Featured Album Cover Artist Portfolio – Brian Griffin".
- ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Depeche Mode – A Broken Frame" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
- ↑ "Discography Depeche Mode". SwedishCharts.com. Retrieved 24 February 2009.
- ↑ "Depeche Mode | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved 7 Sep 2013.
- ↑ "Depeche Mode > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Retrieved 24 February 2009.
- ↑ "Discographie Depeche Mode". LesCharts.com. Retrieved 24 February 2009.
- ↑ "British album certifications – Depeche Mode – A Broken Frame". British Phonographic Industry. Enter A Broken Frame in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
- 1 2 Carlsson, Johan. "Marsheaux – A Broken Frame". Release Magazine. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
- ↑ Goss, Monika Izabela (29 January 2015). "Marsheaux A Broken Frame". The Electricity Club. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
- ↑ Reinke, Stefan (10 February 2015). "Marsheaux verpassen Depeche Mode eine Frischzellenkur". Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 8 November 2016.
- ↑ Karstedt, Jörn. "Marsheaux 'A Broken Frame'". Sonic Seducer. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
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