This "Singles 86<98" collection is, then, a more honest representation of the music that most people "understand" as Depeche Mode. It's brooding, foreboding and seductive, and often not without the kinky undertones that you can easily find on earlier songs like "Blasphemous Rumors" or "Master and Servant." (Think of how the line "Pain, will you return it" leaps away from the hooky chorus of "Strangelove.") But once DM discovered a consistent knack for the pop hook, there was no holding their fortunes back.

The push/pull of a song like "Personal Jesus" drives the brilliant obsessive lyric home, to a point where even Johnny Cash could recognize the universality of the words. It, along with "Policy Of Truth," are probably the most honest of Martin Gore's songs on this double set. But even after the worldwide stardom granted them after "Violator," DM tried frequently to experiment with the sound.

"Songs Of Faith and Devotion" found the band flirting with guitar rock and gospel, and it's the crunch of "I Feel You" that opens the second half of "The Singles 86<98." Fans of the moodier keyboard driven DM may have been put off by this elaborate amount of experimentation (and by the fact that Alan Wilder's exit had left the group to carry on as a trio), but they would have missed the pleading beauty of "Walking in My Shoes." Which, given Dave Gahan's oncoming near death from a heroin addiction that kicked in during the "Violator" world tour, seems to make more sense. The music of "Ultra" even seemed to capture the aftermath (titles like "It's No Good," "Useless" and "Barrel of a Gun") as Martin Gore watched his partner's parade of madness, but it was also a major return to classic DM form. "Gun" in particular sounds like a descent through a numb fog, just the kind of depression obsession fans of "Black Celebration" had probably been missing. (The 2001 album "Exciter" came after this anthology, but is a cool minimalist CD worthy of your time.)

The remaining tracks, "Little 15" and "Everything Counts" are noteworthy but not exceptional. The single mix of "Little 15" was only released in France. The live version of "Everything Counts" ducks the issue of having been released in its original form before 1986 by taking the version from the "101" concert album and movie, and holds its status as an audience fave even before the days of superstardom.

Also, would it be too much to ask to get a full CD of DM's amazing bonus tracks and soundtrack selections? "Route 66," "Dangerous" "Sea of Sin," etc., deserve a better fate than to be bonus tracks on CD singles.

While I have a hard time telling anyone to just jump off a hits collection and get an individual DM album, it's still hard not to with bands that were making great whole sets. I'd certainly recommend anything from the period from "Some Great Reward" to the hit laden "Violator." Still, both of "The Singles" collections are fine places to either fill gaps or get some DM on a budget.


best road trip album   October 30, 2005
 14 out of 19 found this review helpful

This has so many good songs. I cant go on a trip without bringing it. My kids know all the songs.


Good collection   November 7, 2003
 13 out of 15 found this review helpful

New Wave was one of the most dominant musical styles worldwide in the eighties. Though very few of the bands in the genre managed to find any true success, there were a few major exceptions - Depeche Mode was a major one. Though the band had its share of successes in the former half of the decade, it was the latter half that would bring the band its greatest achievements. Even with founding member Vince Clarke gone, the guys still managed to shell out killer new wave tunes. The guys even had their share of hits in the nineties, an era when new wave had died out for the most part! Read on for my review of The Singles 86-98.

PROS:
-Are you the casual fan of Depeche Mode who just wants the big hits your local radio station plays on a regular basis? This is the collection for you. People Are People, Policy Of Truth, Enjoy The Silence, and Personal Jesus are all here for your listening pleasure.
-The number of underrated masterpieces this compilation serves up is surprisingly high. There's A LOT more to this band than the big hits, you know.
-This is a readily available, still in production set that most major retailers of compact discs carry.

CONS:
-Why did the band have to release a dual-disc singles collection, when they could have just done a single-disc career-spanning Best Of that would ultimately have been just as good?
-Two discs means a higher price.
-Since Just Can't Get Enough came out BEFORE the years this compilation covers, it's not a part of this compilation.
-The two compact discs don't even come close to filling the eighty minutes that will fit on each disc. They should have used some other, fairly notable non-single tracks as filler
-I'm not sure, but I think this is a DIFFERENT version of Policy Of Truth than the one that gets played on the radio on a regular basis.

OVERALL:
This is by no means a perfect Depeche Mode collection, but if you're a casual fan, this should be enough for you. If you like new wave/eightes pop/synthpop/etc., don't pass Depeche Mode by.


The best CD ever, period.   November 5, 1999
 12 out of 19 found this review helpful

Depeche Mode's music is, in my opinion, the best of all generations because it incorporates synth pop, alternative, Brit, and deep lyric all in one style. This album is a must-have. For those who have never heard dm before, they will be hooked instantly. Even if you have every dm album except this, don't be cheap: buy it. It's more than worth the money. Plus, you can have the best songs all on 2 CDs instead of many. You'll want to listen to the album all the time. As for the songs, enjoy the silence is the best song ever made (EVER), while stripped, strangelove, never let me down again, behind the wheel, personal jesus, policy of truth, world in my eyes, i feel you (god, i can't possibly fit them all) are all magnificent. [Did you notice the newest Gap commercial? It pleases me greatly that dm is remembered so.] 5 stars just isn't enough for this, the best band of all time.


Bloody essential.   January 20, 2000
 11 out of 13 found this review helpful

Well our time here is far too short to go into all of the great songs found here in this collection. Let me say that DM have made some of the most over-looked music ever. Sure, they have a large die-hard fanbase, sure their first releases were a little daft, but no one ever says anything to the sheer brilliance of some of their songs. Even the WAY-UNDERRATED "Ultra" stuff is here, complimenting the last 12 years of the band. Was I there the whole twelve years? No. Should've I been? Most definitely. DM's albums like Violater and Music for the Masses, will always be welcomed into any CD player, years and years from now, and so will this collection. This is a very, very strong group of electro-pop based masterpieces that no-one should be without.