Violator (album)
Encyclopedia
Violator is the seventh studio album by the English electronic
group Depeche Mode
, released by Mute Records
on 19 March 1990.
Preceded by the hit singles "Personal Jesus
" and "Enjoy the Silence
" (a Top 10 hit on both sides of the Atlantic), Violator propelled the band into international stardom. The album yielded two further hit singles, "Policy of Truth
" and "World in My Eyes
". This album is the first of the band to achieve the Top 10 on the Billboard 200
—reaching No. 7—and staying 74 weeks in the chart. It was supported by the World Violation Tour
.
, "Usually we begin the making of a record by having extensive pre-production meetings where we decide what the record will actually sound like, then go into a programming studio. This time we decided to keep all pre-production work to a minimum. We were beginning to have a problem with boredom in that we felt we'd reached a certain level of achievement in doing things a certain way." Martin elaborated, "Over the last five years I think we'd perfected a formula; my demos, a month in a programming studio, etc. etc. We decided that our first record of the '90's ought to be different."
Wilder formed with co-producer Mark 'Flood' Ellis a complementary working relationship, with Flood able to provide the technical know-how while Wilder worked on the arrangements and song textures. "That's how we made the group work at that time," clarifies Wilder. "by accepting that we all had different roles and not actually all trying to do the same thing. So we ended up with this unwritten agreement in the band, where we'd all throw together a few ideas at the beginning of a track. Then Fletch and Mart would go away, and they'd come back after we'd worked on it for a while to give an opinion."
There was also a notable change in Gore's demos. After the rigid, limiting effects of almost-finished demos for Music for the Masses
, Gore kept them less complete this time around. Several of the basic recordings consisted of vocals over simple guitar or organ part, with the odd percussion loop but less sequenced material. The sparse demos allowed the band to take creative liberties with the songs. For instance, "Enjoy The Silence
" started out as a slow ballad, but at Wilder's suggestion became a pulsating, up-tempo track.
The band convened to work on the record with Flood at Mute's WorldWide programming room in London for three weeks after which they flew to Milan for the new sessions at Logic studios. According to Flood, they didn't do substantial amount of work in Milan, except for the song "Personal Jesus
", which was crucial in setting the tone and spirit of the album. "Everybody was feeling each other out, because they wanted to try working in a different way. The idea was to work hard and party hard and we all enjoyed ourselves to the full." After Milan band relocated to Puk studios in northern Denmark, where most of the album was recorded.
Martin called the track "World in My Eyes" a very positive song. "It's saying that love and sex and pleasure are positive things." The song "Blue Dress," which Gore called "pervy," is simply about "watching a girl dress and realising that this is 'what makes the world turn.'" With "Halo," Gore said "I'm saying 'let's give in to this' but there's also a real feeling of wrongfulness. ... I suppose my songs do seem to advocate immorality but if you listen there's always a sense of guilt."
As for the album name itself, Martin said:
+ DVD-Video
package on 3 April 2006 which included two-channel and 5.1 surround mixes of the album. The six B-sides to the Violator singles—"Dangerous", "Memphisto", "Sibeling", "Kaleid", "Happiest Girl", and "Sea of Sin"—also appear, albeit without the surround sound treatment. The reissue didn't reach the US till 6 June 2006. The US version lacked the hybrid SACD and instead just had a CD, but the DVD was included, and was identical to the European DVD but in NTSC format instead of PAL. The lack of SACD is due to the titles being distributed in North America by Warner, who do not support the SACD format.
A 32-minute short film entitled Depeche Mode 1989–90 (If You Wanna Use Guitars, Use Guitars) and featured interviews with the band Daniel Miller, Flood, François Kevorkian
(who mixed the album), Anton Corbijn
(who directed the music videos and did the album's photography/cover), and others. It also includes news footage from the infamous "riot" in Los Angeles which gave the band media publicity the day before Violator came out. The band were scheduled to do autographs in an LA music store, and the line reached into the 20,000's. The event had to be canceled shortly after it began due to problems keeping the line in order. There is also footage from Strange Too
, notably clips from the music videos for "Halo" and "Clean".
The remastered album was released on "deluxe" vinyl 2 March 2007, in Germany and 5 March 2007, internationally.
chart of 1990.
The album is considered one of the best recordings of the 90's. It is featured on various lists of the greatest albums of that decade.
In 2003, the album was ranked number 342 on Rolling Stone
magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time
. It is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
. Violator is also featured on lists of the greatest albums of all time made by magazines like Q and Spin
.
:
According to the band's web site the original title for "Waiting for the Night" was "Waiting for the Night to Fall" and the rest of the title was omitted due to a printing error.
Both the original US and the original UK vinyl editions have a shorter version of "Personal Jesus".
Dave Gahan sings lead vocals on all songs except "Sweetest Perfection" (Gahan can also be heard singing in the last chorus) and "Blue Dress", which Martin Gore sings.
CD2
Guest musicians
Production
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
group Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
, released by Mute Records
Mute Records
Mute is an independent record label based in the UK. It was founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller and featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Goldfrapp, Depeche Mode, Yazoo, Erasure and Fad Gadget.-Beginnings:...
on 19 March 1990.
Preceded by the hit singles "Personal Jesus
Personal Jesus
"Personal Jesus" is Depeche Mode's 23rd UK single, released on August 29, 1989, and the first single from the album Violator. The single reached No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100...
" and "Enjoy the Silence
Enjoy the Silence
"Enjoy the Silence" is Depeche Mode's twenty-fourth UK single, released on 16 January 1990, and the second single from the then upcoming album Violator....
" (a Top 10 hit on both sides of the Atlantic), Violator propelled the band into international stardom. The album yielded two further hit singles, "Policy of Truth
Policy of Truth
"Policy of Truth" is Depeche Mode's twenty-fifth UK single, released on May 7, 1990, and the third single for the album Violator.The cover art for "Policy of Truth" has the blurred image of a nude woman. The camera angles and poses differ on the 7" Vinyl, the 12" Vinyl, the CD and Cassette. Usually...
" and "World in My Eyes
World in My Eyes
"World in My Eyes" is Depeche Mode's twenty-sixth UK single, released on September 17, 1990, and the fourth and final single for the album Violator....
". This album is the first of the band to achieve the Top 10 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
—reaching No. 7—and staying 74 weeks in the chart. It was supported by the World Violation Tour
World Violation Tour
World Violation Tour was a 1990 concert tour by English electronic group Depeche Mode in support of the act's seventh studio album, Violator, which was released in March 1990. It was estimated that by the end of the tour, Depeche Mode had toured to 1.2 million fans.-Tour details:The band rehearsed...
.
Album and song development
The band decided to try something new with regards to how they made this album compared to previous efforts. Said Alan WilderAlan Wilder
Alan Charles Wilder is a British musician, formerly of Depeche Mode. His current musical project is called Recoil, started as a side project to Depeche Mode. When he left the latter in 1995, it became Wilder's primary project...
, "Usually we begin the making of a record by having extensive pre-production meetings where we decide what the record will actually sound like, then go into a programming studio. This time we decided to keep all pre-production work to a minimum. We were beginning to have a problem with boredom in that we felt we'd reached a certain level of achievement in doing things a certain way." Martin elaborated, "Over the last five years I think we'd perfected a formula; my demos, a month in a programming studio, etc. etc. We decided that our first record of the '90's ought to be different."
Wilder formed with co-producer Mark 'Flood' Ellis a complementary working relationship, with Flood able to provide the technical know-how while Wilder worked on the arrangements and song textures. "That's how we made the group work at that time," clarifies Wilder. "by accepting that we all had different roles and not actually all trying to do the same thing. So we ended up with this unwritten agreement in the band, where we'd all throw together a few ideas at the beginning of a track. Then Fletch and Mart would go away, and they'd come back after we'd worked on it for a while to give an opinion."
There was also a notable change in Gore's demos. After the rigid, limiting effects of almost-finished demos for Music for the Masses
Music for the Masses
Music for the Masses is the sixth studio album by Depeche Mode. It was released by Mute Records on September 28, 1987, and was supported by the Music for the Masses Tour.-Mainstream success in the United States:...
, Gore kept them less complete this time around. Several of the basic recordings consisted of vocals over simple guitar or organ part, with the odd percussion loop but less sequenced material. The sparse demos allowed the band to take creative liberties with the songs. For instance, "Enjoy The Silence
Enjoy the Silence
"Enjoy the Silence" is Depeche Mode's twenty-fourth UK single, released on 16 January 1990, and the second single from the then upcoming album Violator....
" started out as a slow ballad, but at Wilder's suggestion became a pulsating, up-tempo track.
The band convened to work on the record with Flood at Mute's WorldWide programming room in London for three weeks after which they flew to Milan for the new sessions at Logic studios. According to Flood, they didn't do substantial amount of work in Milan, except for the song "Personal Jesus
Personal Jesus
"Personal Jesus" is Depeche Mode's 23rd UK single, released on August 29, 1989, and the first single from the album Violator. The single reached No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100...
", which was crucial in setting the tone and spirit of the album. "Everybody was feeling each other out, because they wanted to try working in a different way. The idea was to work hard and party hard and we all enjoyed ourselves to the full." After Milan band relocated to Puk studios in northern Denmark, where most of the album was recorded.
Martin called the track "World in My Eyes" a very positive song. "It's saying that love and sex and pleasure are positive things." The song "Blue Dress," which Gore called "pervy," is simply about "watching a girl dress and realising that this is 'what makes the world turn.'" With "Halo," Gore said "I'm saying 'let's give in to this' but there's also a real feeling of wrongfulness. ... I suppose my songs do seem to advocate immorality but if you listen there's always a sense of guilt."
As for the album name itself, Martin said:
2006 re-release
As part of Mute's 2006 reissue schedule, Violator was re-released as a hybrid Super Audio CDSuper Audio CD
Super Audio CD is a high-resolution, read-only optical disc for audio storage. Sony and Philips Electronics jointly developed the technology, and publicized it in 1999. It is designated as the Scarlet Book standard. Sony and Philips previously collaborated to define the Compact Disc standard...
+ DVD-Video
DVD-Video
DVD-Video is a consumer video format used to store digital video on DVD discs, and is currently the dominant consumer video format in Asia, North America, Europe, and Australia. Discs using the DVD-Video specification require a DVD drive and a MPEG-2 decoder...
package on 3 April 2006 which included two-channel and 5.1 surround mixes of the album. The six B-sides to the Violator singles—"Dangerous", "Memphisto", "Sibeling", "Kaleid", "Happiest Girl", and "Sea of Sin"—also appear, albeit without the surround sound treatment. The reissue didn't reach the US till 6 June 2006. The US version lacked the hybrid SACD and instead just had a CD, but the DVD was included, and was identical to the European DVD but in NTSC format instead of PAL. The lack of SACD is due to the titles being distributed in North America by Warner, who do not support the SACD format.
A 32-minute short film entitled Depeche Mode 1989–90 (If You Wanna Use Guitars, Use Guitars) and featured interviews with the band Daniel Miller, Flood, François Kevorkian
François Kevorkian
François Kevorkian, alias François K, is a French DJ of Armenian origin, remixer, producer and record label owner. Having started his career in renowned clubs such as the Paradise Garage and Studio 54, the New York City resident is widely considered as one of the forefathers of house...
(who mixed the album), Anton Corbijn
Anton Corbijn
Anton Corbijn is a Dutch photographer, music video and film director. He is the creative director behind the visual output of Depeche Mode and U2, having handled the principal promotion and sleeve photography for both for more than a decade...
(who directed the music videos and did the album's photography/cover), and others. It also includes news footage from the infamous "riot" in Los Angeles which gave the band media publicity the day before Violator came out. The band were scheduled to do autographs in an LA music store, and the line reached into the 20,000's. The event had to be canceled shortly after it began due to problems keeping the line in order. There is also footage from Strange Too
Strange Too
Strange Too - Another Violation by Anton Corbijn is the third music video compilation by Depeche Mode, featuring more videos directed by Anton Corbijn, released in 1990....
, notably clips from the music videos for "Halo" and "Clean".
The remastered album was released on "deluxe" vinyl 2 March 2007, in Germany and 5 March 2007, internationally.
Reception
As of 2010, Violator has sold more than 15 million copies. It remains the band's best selling album worldwide. Violator reached number 17 on the Billboard Year-EndBillboard Year-End
Billboard Year-End charts are a cumulative measure of a single or album's performance in the United States, based upon the Billboard magazine charts during any given chart year. Billboard's "chart year" runs from the first week of December to the final week in November...
chart of 1990.
The album is considered one of the best recordings of the 90's. It is featured on various lists of the greatest albums of that decade.
In 2003, the album was ranked number 342 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is the title of a 2003 special issue of American magazine Rolling Stone, and a related book published in 2005.Related news articles:...
. It is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die is a musical reference book edited by Robert Dimery, first published in 2005. The most recent edition consists of a list of albums released between 1955 and 2010, part of a series from Quintessence Editions Ltd...
. Violator is also featured on lists of the greatest albums of all time made by magazines like Q and Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
.
Track listing
All tracks written by Martin L. GoreMartin Gore
Martin Lee Gore is an English songwriter, lyricist, singer, guitarist, keyboardist, remixer and DJ. He is a founding member of Depeche Mode and has written the vast majority of their songs...
:
- "World in My EyesWorld in My Eyes"World in My Eyes" is Depeche Mode's twenty-sixth UK single, released on September 17, 1990, and the fourth and final single for the album Violator....
" – 4:26 - "Sweetest Perfection" – 4:43
- "Personal JesusPersonal Jesus"Personal Jesus" is Depeche Mode's 23rd UK single, released on August 29, 1989, and the first single from the album Violator. The single reached No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100...
" – 4:56 - "Halo" – 4:30
- "Waiting for the Night" – 6:07
- "Enjoy the SilenceEnjoy the Silence"Enjoy the Silence" is Depeche Mode's twenty-fourth UK single, released on 16 January 1990, and the second single from the then upcoming album Violator....
" – 6:12- "Interlude #2 – Crucified" – 1:52 (hidden song starting at 4:21)
- "Policy of TruthPolicy of Truth"Policy of Truth" is Depeche Mode's twenty-fifth UK single, released on May 7, 1990, and the third single for the album Violator.The cover art for "Policy of Truth" has the blurred image of a nude woman. The camera angles and poses differ on the 7" Vinyl, the 12" Vinyl, the CD and Cassette. Usually...
" – 4:55 - "Blue Dress" – 5:41
- "Interlude #3" – 1:23 (hidden song starting at 4:18)
- "Clean" – 5:28
According to the band's web site the original title for "Waiting for the Night" was "Waiting for the Night to Fall" and the rest of the title was omitted due to a printing error.
Both the original US and the original UK vinyl editions have a shorter version of "Personal Jesus".
2006 Collectors Edition: Mute / DM CD 7 (CD/SACD + DVD)
- Disc 1 is a hybrid SACD/CD with a multi-channel SACD layer, with the same track listing as the 1990 release. Bonus tracks are in PCM Stereo [48 kHz/16bit].
- Disc 2 is a DVD which includes the documentary Depeche Mode 1989–90 (If You Wanna Use Guitars, Use Guitars), Violator in DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM Stereo [48 kHz/24bit] plus the following bonus tracks:
- "Dangerous" – 4:22
- "Memphisto" – 4:03
- "Sibeling" – 3:18
- "Kaleid" – 4:18
- "Happiest Girl" (Jack Mix) – 4:58
- "Sea of Sin" (Tonal Mix) – 4:46
Dave Gahan sings lead vocals on all songs except "Sweetest Perfection" (Gahan can also be heard singing in the last chorus) and "Blue Dress", which Martin Gore sings.
Violator (Japan Limited Edition)
This is the rare 1st Japan press of Depeche Mode's Violator 2XCD set. It comes in a fat double CD jewel case with the 12-page lyric inlay booklet, 16-page Japanese insert, "Enjoy the Silence" insert and 40-page 1991 picture calendar. The second edition double CD was fixed and included "Enjoy the Silence (Hands and Feet Mix)" instead the edited Ecstatic Dub Mix.CD2
- "Enjoy the Silence (Single Version)" – 4:17
- "Enjoy the Silence (Ecstatic Dub)" – 5:54
- "Enjoy the Silence (Ecstatic Dub Edit)" – 5:45
- "Sibeling (Single Version)" – 3:13
- "Enjoy the Silence (Bass Line)" – 7:42
- "Enjoy the Silence (Harmonium)" – 2:42
- "Enjoy the Silence (Ricki Tik Tik Mix)" – 5:28
- "Memphisto (Single Version)" – 4:01
Personnel
Depeche Mode- Andy Fletcher – vocoder ("Interlude 2 - Crucified")
- Dave Gahan – lead vocals, backing vocals ("Sweetest Perfection"), guitar ("Interlude 2 - Crucified")
- Martin GoreMartin GoreMartin Lee Gore is an English songwriter, lyricist, singer, guitarist, keyboardist, remixer and DJ. He is a founding member of Depeche Mode and has written the vast majority of their songs...
– keyboards, guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals ("Sweetest Perfection", "Blue Dress"), songwriting - Alan WilderAlan WilderAlan Charles Wilder is a British musician, formerly of Depeche Mode. His current musical project is called Recoil, started as a side project to Depeche Mode. When he left the latter in 1995, it became Wilder's primary project...
– keyboards, bass guitar ("Clean"), programming, drums ("Clean"), backing vocals
Guest musicians
- Nils Tuxen – pedal steel guitar ("Clean")
Production
- Mark "Flood" Ellis – productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, mixing on "Enjoy the Silence" - François KevorkianFrançois KevorkianFrançois Kevorkian, alias François K, is a French DJ of Armenian origin, remixer, producer and record label owner. Having started his career in renowned clubs such as the Paradise Garage and Studio 54, the New York City resident is widely considered as one of the forefathers of house...
– mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
, except "Enjoy the Silence" - Daniel Miller – mixing on "Enjoy the Silence"
- Pino Pischetola, Peter Iversen, Steve Lyon, Goh Hotoda, Alan Gregorie, Dennis Mitchell, Phil Legg – engineering
- Daryl Bamonte, Dick Meaney, David Browne, Mark Flannery – assistance
Charts
| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
42 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 4 |
| Canadian RPM 100 Albums RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
5 |
| Dutch Mega Album Top 100 | 15 |
| French SNEP Albums Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
1 |
| German Album Top 100 Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
2 |
| Italian FIMI Albums Chart Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... |
2 |
| Norwegian VG-Lista Albums Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
12 |
| Spanish PROMUSICAE Albums Chart | 93 |
| Swedish Topplistan Albums Top 60 Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
6 |
| Swiss Albums Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
2 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
2 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
7 |