Quite how popular this band still is after roughly 26 years of bouncy pop songs, synthesizer hits and dark, dramatic sounds, was quite evident in Jacaranda 94.2’s recent Depeche Mode Weekend. A flood of entries from Mode fans poured in from everywhere, all commenting how amazing it was to celebrate this band’s achievements in a weekend dedicated to their music.

Formed back in 1980, Depeche Mode is one of the longest-lived and most successful bands to have emerged from the New Wave and New Romantic era. They have gone through one or two line-up changes, losing Vince Clarke to Erasure very early on in their career, a move Vince must be regretting to this day as their last big hit was the covers they did of Abba’s songs a few years ago.

Of course, it’s not the first Best Of collection from Depeche Mode. They have released two others before, one focusing on the earlier part of their career (1981 – 1985) and the other on the years between 1986 – 1998. But this is the first Depeche Mode album that tries to capture all the biggest songs from this band on one CD. Tough task. A lot of DM fans will argue that some of their earlier hits included on here should’ve been left off in favour of omissions from the second, darker period of their musical career. And vice versa. As a true fan myself, I must be honest… some of the band’s earlier work is not ageing well. But “Just can’t get enough” still is, and will always be a classic, perfectly capturing the mood of the early 80’s. The CD booklet sums it up best: “Just can’t get enough” bounced with horny hopeful boy band glee…” And, as to re-enforce the fact that you cannot quite “box” the DM sound, the song is also described as “A song that seemed made out of wood, terror and soul as much as metal, code and glam.” Huh?

For new fans discovering the weird and wonderful sounds of Dave Gahan, Andrew Fletcher and Martin Gore or for the fans who stopped buying their albums when they became more adventurous, this is a great buy. Two songs from their “Music from the Masses” CD make the cut, namely “Never let me down again” and “Strangelove,” a song that should feature on any Top 5 list from the 80’s. But where’s “Behind the Wheel?” From one of their other biggest albums “Violator”, “Enjoy the Silence” and “Personal Jesus” are included. But there’s no sight of “Policy of Truth” or “World in my Eyes.” I guess what I’m trying to say is that I wish this was a double album… because as great as it is to have a Best Of capturing 26 years of Mode, you end up missing some other massive songs.

All in all, a good album, nicely balanced with a bit of the old and a splash of new. For every “Master and Servant” there’s an “I feel you.” For every “Everything Counts” there’s a “Precious.” And with only one new track, “Martyr,” included, maybe it’s time you stop feeling sorry for yourself because you don’t have all their CD’s. Get this one. And work your way back.