Supriya Ghosh (Editor)

The Singles 81→85

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Released
  
14 October 1985

Length
  
59:17

Recorded
  
December 1980 – July 1985

Genre
  
Synthpop, new wave, industrial, dark wave

Label
  
Mute Sire Reprise (1998) (US/Canada)

Producer
  
Depeche Mode, Daniel Miller, and Gareth Jones

The Singles 81→85 is a singles compilation album by Depeche Mode, released on 14 October 1985 by Mute Records. The compilation was not originally released in North America, being replaced by its counterpart Catching Up with Depeche Mode. This was their first ever release with a picture of the band on the cover (other than the album People Are People, which was released in 1984 in North America). In 1998, to coincide with the release of The Singles 86>98, the band remastered, repackaged, and re-released the compilation worldwide. Upon re-release there was a typographical change to The Singles 81>85 in order for consistency with the later release The Singles 86>98. Two bonus tracks (one of which had never appeared on an official CD to date) were included on the 1998 re-release.

Contents

The 1998 re-issue has sold 283,000 units in the U.S. as of April 2006.

CD: Mute / LCDMUTEL1 (1998 Reissue bonus tracks)

Songs written by Martin Gore, except tracks 1, 2, 3, 16, and 17 written by Vince Clarke.
Dave Gahan sings lead vocals on all songs except "Somebody" which is handled by Martin Gore.
Track 16 originally released on Some Bizzare Album.
Track 17 originally released on 12Mute16.

Cover and leaflet

Both the re-issue and the original LP has each single pictured on the leaflet and comments by certain reviewers, both positive and negative. Pre-Pet Shop Boys era, Neil Tennant's dismissive Smash Hits review from the actual release date of the double A side single Blasphemous Rumours/Somebody is featured.

The photograph by Eric Watson featured on the cover was displayed at the National Portrait Gallery in London.

References

The Singles 81→85 Wikipedia