Black Celebration

Black Celebration is the fifth studio album by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 17 March 1986 by Mute Records. The album's co-producer Daniel Miller devised "a plan to capture the essence of the dark works" that Martin Gore created because Martin Gore had no intention of compromising the mood that his demos had set. Miller and Gareth Jones produced the album to be more like an environment rather than a collection of songs. Their production created "a tech-noir future dystopia" that "glitters of gloom".^[3]

Black Celebration
Studio album by Depeche Mode
Released	17 March 1986 (1986-03-17)
Recorded	November 1985 – January 1986
Studio	Westside and Genetic (London) Hansa Mischraum (Berlin)
Genre	Synth-pop[1] industrial post-punk[2] darkwave
Length	41:01
Label	Mute
Producer	Depeche Mode Gareth Jones Daniel Miller
Depeche Mode chronology
Catching Up with Depeche Mode (1985) Black Celebration (1986) Greatest Hits (1987)
Singles from Black Celebration
"Stripped" Released: 10 February 1986 "A Question of Lust" Released: 14 April 1986 "A Question of Time" Released: 11 August 1986 "But Not Tonight" Released: 22 October 1986

Black Celebration reached number four on the UK Albums Chart, and has been cited as one of the most influential albums of the 1980s.^[4] To promote the album, the band embarked on the Black Celebration Tour. Three years after its release, Spin ranked it at number 15 on its "25 Greatest Albums of All Time" list.^[5]

The album was promoted by the single "Stripped" released 10 February, and was followed by "A Question of Lust", released 14 April, "A Question of Time" released 11 August. Instead of "Stripped", "But Not Tonight" was released as a single in the US, due to its more commercial appeal, on 22 October.

Background

The band wanted to change their working routine yet again to make sure that things would not lead to boredom or lack of production. Daniel Miller stated: "I was a bit frustrated because I couldn't get the guys to think about working in different ways." He admired the working methods of the German film director Werner Herzog, which meant that the band had "lived the album", meaning they attended the studio every day and worked endlessly on the songs and production. Miller felt that he wanted "a kind of intensity", as he had felt that production was slowing down since their debut Speak & Spell, which had snappy recording and production, with the exception of Construction Time Again, which he claims was due to there being "so many new things going on".^[6]

With regard to the recording processes and song formation, samples were yet again at the forefront of the sound. Gareth Jones stated that they would always use their own samples and tried to avoid using samples from other sources. For example, the opening title track initially was to have samples of Winston Churchill saying "A brief period of rejoicing" because they enjoyed "that idea of a brief moment of rejoicing." However, instead of sampling Churchill saying it, they had Miller say the quote instead.^[7] He said that, though they admired hip hop, they had no desire to sample in the same fashion. "We didn't want to collage other people's work and drop it into Martin's songs. We used samplers to grab real sounds from the real world to make sure our samples were original." On the song "Fly on the Windscreen", Jones recalled: "You can hear a rather young sounding Daniel again saying 'over and done with.' The breath sample noise at the start is interesting too."^[8] On Alan Wilder's Shunt website, in the Q&A section, he stated that these "breath samples" were in fact Miller saying "'Horse' repeatedly very fast."^[9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[10]
The Austin Chronicle	[11]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[12]
NME	7/10[13]
PopMatters	9/10[14]
Q	[15]
Record Mirror	[16]
Rolling Stone	[17]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[18]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	7/10[19]

Contemporaneous reviews for Black Celebration in the British press were mixed. Melody Maker's Steve Sutherland lambasted the album and wrote that Depeche Mode came off as "pussycats desperate to appear perverted as an escape from the superficiality of teen stardom"^[20] and Sounds published a similarly scathing review,^[21] while criticizing chief songwriter Martin Gore's "adolescent fragments of despair",

Sean O'Hagan of NME nonetheless praised Black Celebration's "perfectly constructed jigsaw melodies" and concluded, "When the songs address topics other than the composer's state of mind – as on the evocative exploration of loneliness that is 'World Full of Nothing' – Depeche Mode sound like a lot more than just a high tech, low-life melodrama."^[22] Betty Page of Record Mirror felt that the band should be admired for their "refusal to follow anything but their own fashion" and "unswerving ability to come up with great, fresh melodies."^[16]

Black Celebration has since been reappraised in retrospective reviews. In 2007, Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone referred to the album as an "instant classic for the band's fans" that at the time of its release had seemingly been "utterly ignored by everybody else."^[17] Bandmate Andy Fletcher recognised that it was a "classic Depeche Mode fan favourite" among their albums in The Singles 86>98 Electronic Press Kit, saying "a collection of songs on there that's absolutely fantastic."^[23]

Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails cited Black Celebration, and its subsequent tour, as an influence and said it helped inspire him to write the album Pretty Hate Machine, saying "DM was one of our favorite bands and the Black Celebration record took my love for them to a new level."^[24]

Tour

The tour began with a European leg, starting in Oxford, England in late March 1986 and finishing in Rüsselsheim, West Germany in late May. A North American jaunt followed in early June, commencing in Boston and culminating mid-July in Irvine, California. Shortly after the North American leg, the group headed to Japan to play three dates.

In early August, the group began a second run of European shows, starting in Fréjus, France. The group performed four additional dates in France, as well as two shows in Italy, before wrapping up the tour in Copenhagen.^[25]

Book of Love joined the tour as the opening act on 29 April in Hanover, West Germany, and continued for the rest of the first European leg and throughout all tour dates of the North American leg (ending on 15 July).^[26]

Re-release

In 2007, Black Celebration was re-released with a bonus DVD. It was released on 20 March 2007 in the United States, on 26 March in the United Kingdom and on 2 April in the rest of Europe, as a part of the third wave of reissues (along with Construction Time Again). The first CD was remastered and (except in the United States) released as a CD/SACD hybrid. The bonus DVD includes the album's B-sides in addition to the singles and B-sides for "Shake the Disease" and "It's Called a Heart", two singles released in the interim between Some Great Reward and Black Celebration. The reissue also includes several live versions of some of the songs from Black Celebration. The album is released as originally intended and ends with "New Dress" (not "Black Day" or "But Not Tonight").

As with the other reissues, the accompanying DVD includes a documentary film. The film's title, The Songs Aren't Good Enough, There Aren't Any Singles and It'll Never Get Played on the Radio, is a quote from the film in which Martin Gore paraphrases Daniel Miller's reaction to the album's early demos. The documentary includes much detail about the making of the album, its singles and the ensuing tour. Other highlights include the band meeting the Cure and behind-the-scenes footage of several of the music videos.

The remastered album was released on vinyl on 2 April 2007 in Europe and on 11 September 2007 in the United States.

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"Black Celebration"		4:55
2.	"Fly on the Windscreen – Final"		5:18
3.	"A Question of Lust"	Gore	4:20
4.	"Sometimes"	Gore	1:53
5.	"It Doesn't Matter Two"	Gore	2:50

All tracks are written by Martin L. Gore, except where noted. All lead vocals by Dave Gahan, except where noted.

Side two

No.	Title	Lead vocals	Length
6.	"A Question of Time"		4:10
7.	"Stripped"		4:16
8.	"Here Is the House"	Gahan Gore	4:15
9.	"World Full of Nothing"	Gore	2:50
10.	"Dressed in Black"	Gahan Gore	2:32
11.	"New Dress"		3:42
Total length:			41:01

CD bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
12.	"Breathing in Fumes"			6:07
13.	"But Not Tonight" (extended remix)			5:13
14.	"Black Day"	Gore Alan Wilder Daniel Miller	Gore	2:36
Total length:				54:57

US LP, CD and cassette bonus track

No.	Title	Length
12.	"But Not Tonight"	4:15
Total length:		45:16

2007 Collectors Edition (CD + DVD)

A short film

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Depeche Mode: 1985–86: (The Songs Aren't Good Enough, There Aren't Any Singles and It'll Never Get Played on the Radio)" (written and produced by Roland Brown; directed by Ross Hallard and Phil Michael Lane)	57:40

Black Celebration (DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM Stereo)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Black Celebration"	4:55
2.	"Fly on the Windscreen – Final"	5:18
3.	"A Question of Lust"	4:20
4.	"Sometimes"	1:53
5.	"It Doesn't Matter Two"	2:50
6.	"A Question of Time"	4:10
7.	"Stripped"	4:16
8.	"Here Is the House"	4:15
9.	"World Full of Nothing"	2:50
10.	"Dressed in Black"	2:32
11.	"New Dress"	3:42

Live in Birmingham, April 1986 (DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM Stereo)

No.	Title	Length
12.	"Black Celebration"	6:11
13.	"A Question of Time"	4:37
14.	"Stripped"	6:34

Additional tracks (PCM Stereo)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
15.	"Shake the Disease"		Gahan Gore	4:52
16.	"Flexible"			3:14
17.	"It's Called a Heart"			3:51
18.	"Fly on the Windscreen"			5:07
19.	"But Not Tonight"			4:19
20.	"Breathing in Fumes"			6:08
21.	"Black Day"	Gore Wilder Miller	Gore	2:39
22.	"Christmas Island"	Gore Wilder	instrumental	4:52

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Black Celebration

Depeche Mode

• Alan Wilder
• Andrew Fletcher
• David Gahan
• Martin Gore

Technical

• Gareth Jones – production
• Daniel Miller – production
• Richard Sullivan – engineering assistance
• Peter Schmidt – engineering assistance
• Dave Allen – recording on "Fly on the Windscreen – Final"
• Phil Tennant – recording assistance on "Fly on the Windscreen – Final"

Artwork

• Tatsuki Fujimoto – design
• David A. Jones – design
• Mark Higenbottam – design
• Brian Griffin – photography
• Stuart Graham – photography assistance

Charts

Weekly charts 1986 weekly chart performance for Black Celebration Chart (1986) Peak position Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[27] 69 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[28] 26 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[29] 47 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[30] 35 European Albums (Music & Media)[31] 5 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[32] 17 French Albums (IFOP)[33] 11 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[34] 2 Italian Albums (Musica e dischi)[35] 9 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[36] 34 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[37] 5 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[38] 1 UK Albums (OCC)[39] 4 UK Independent Albums (MRIB)[40] 1 US Billboard 200[41] 90 2013 weekly chart performance for Black Celebration Chart (2013) Peak position Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[42] 29 2017 weekly chart performance for Black Celebration Chart (2017) Peak position Polish Albums (ZPAV)[43] 37

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for Black Celebration Chart (1986) Position European Albums (Music & Media)[44] 24 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[45] 19 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[46] 23

Certifications

Certifications for Black Celebration

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
France (SNEP)[47]	Gold	100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[48]	Platinum	500,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[49]	Silver	60,000^
United States (RIAA)[50]	Gold	500,000^
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Zaleski, Annie (26 February 2015). "Where to start with '80s U.K. synth-pop". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 24 January 2019. A late-night record alternating between brittle ballads and industrial-sounding synth-pop—a poignant tug of war between man and machine.
2. Cinquemani, Sal (29 September 2003). "Review: Depeche Mode, Violator". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
3. Lindsay, Matthew (30 May 2022). "Making Depeche Mode – Black Celebration". Classic Pop Magazine. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
4. "Xfm launches '25' series for influential albums". Music-News.com. 31 January 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
5. "The 25 Greatest Albums Of All Time". SPIN. Vol. Five, no. One. April 1989. p. 46. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
6. ""It's almost too personal": Daniel Miller contemplates the Depeche Mode catalogue". Telekom Electronic Beats. 26 March 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
7. "Black Celebration - Depeche Mode Live Wiki". dmlive.wiki. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
8. "Fly On The Windscreen - Depeche Mode Live Wiki". dmlive.wiki. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
9. "Shunt the Official Recoil Website - q+a archives". 28 October 2021. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
10. Raggett, Ned. "Black Celebration – Depeche Mode". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
11. Gray, Christopher (15 June 2007). "Reissues". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
12. Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
13. "Depeche Mode: Black Celebration". NME. London. 1 July 1995. p. 50. ISSN 0028-6362.
14. Keefe, Michael (9 May 2007). "Depeche Mode: Black Celebration / Construction Time Again". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
15. "Depeche Mode: Black Celebration". Q. No. 106. London. July 1995. p. 139. ISSN 0955-4955.
16. Page, Betty (15 March 1986). "Depeche Mode: Black Celebration". Record Mirror. London. ISSN 0144-5804.
17. Sheffield, Rob (April 2007). "Into the Mode". Rolling Stone. New York. p. 66. ISSN 0035-791X.
18. Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Depeche Mode". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 229–30. ISBN 0-743-20169-8.
19. Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. New York: Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
20. Sutherland, Steve (15 March 1986). "Black in the Night". Melody Maker. London. ISSN 0025-9012.
21. Murphy, Kevin (15 March 1986). "Comic Strip". Sounds. London.
22. O'Hagan, Sean (15 March 1986). "Nipple Erectors". NME. London. ISSN 0028-6362.
23. "1998-08-04 Singles 86-98 EPK, Mute Records - Depeche Mode Live Wiki". dmlive.wiki. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
24. Legaspi, Althea (11 May 2017). "Trent Reznor, Tony Hawk Talk Depeche Mode Fandom". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 14 February 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
25. "free tour copenhagen". Retrieved 21 February 2023.
26. Book of Love (September 1986). "Depeche Mode/Book of Love Itinerary". Love Letter (5). Book of Love: 3.
27. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 88. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
28. "Austriancharts.at – Depeche Mode – Black Celebration" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
29. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0681". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
30. "Dutchcharts.nl – Depeche Mode – Black Celebration" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
31. "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 17. 3 May 1986. p. 17. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
32. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
33. "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste". InfoDisc (in French). Retrieved 24 January 2019. Select "DEPECHE MODE" from the drop-down menu and click "OK".
34. "Offiziellecharts.de – Depeche Mode – Black Celebration" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
35. "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 1 June 2022. Select "Album" in the "Tipo" field, type "Black Celebration" in the "Titolo" field and press "cerca".
36. "Charts.nz – Depeche Mode – Black Celebration". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
37. "Swedishcharts.com – Depeche Mode – Black Celebration". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
38. "Swisscharts.com – Depeche Mode – Black Celebration". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
39. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
40. Lazell, Barry (1997). "Depeche Mode". Indie Hits 1980–1989: The Complete U.K. Independent Charts (Singles & Albums). Cherry Red Books. ISBN 0-95172-069-4. Archived from the original on 5 February 2009. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
41. "Depeche Mode Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
42. "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2013. 21. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
43. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
44. "European Hot 100 Albums – Hot 100 of the Year 1986" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 51/52. 27 December 1986. p. 35. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
45. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 1986" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
46. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1986". hitparade.ch (in German). Retrieved 7 May 2022.
47. "French album certifications – Depeche Mode – Black Celebration" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 16 November 2021. Select DEPECHE MODE and click OK. 
48. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Depeche Mode; 'Black Celebration')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
49. "British album certifications – Depeche Mode – Black Celebration". British Phonographic Industry. 21 March 1986. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
50. "American album certifications – Depeche Mode – Black Celebration". Recording Industry Association of America. 11 August 1989.

External links

• Black Celebration at Discogs (list of releases)
• Album information from the official Depeche Mode website
• Official remaster info