TS: Depeche Mode vs. New Order vs. Pet Shop Boys

And I might mention, I have no idea who's gonna win this one. Pretty much the reason I started the poll.

Depeche

easiest poll ever! new order.

Tough call between New Order and Depeche Mode. PSB are awesome for about 20 minutes at a time, and then I want to wipe the slate with Slayer or something equally abrasive...so they're out.

They are indeed.

New Order = greatest band of all-time. Next.

any PSB voters in da haus?

I love PSB, they're really great. But I kinda think I'd trade all of my PSB albums for just one of New Order's best songs. "Temptation," "Ceremony" (yea I know it's a JD tune but NO's version is better), say, or "Age of Consent" >>>>>>>>>>>>> PSB's entire discography.

Adore the PSB, but, god, it's New Order.

I love PSB, they're really great. But I kinda think I'd trade all of my PSB albums for just one of New Order's best songs.

I think this really sums it up.

"Master and Servant" vs "1963" vs "Rent"

but, Neil Tennant's lyrics >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Bernard Sumner's lyrics

New Order: music
Depeche Mode: lyrics
Pet Shop Boys: intangible pop savvy

The real question is who's a better non-singer: Tennant or Sumner.

Depeche Mode: best albums
New Order: best singles
Pet Shop Boys: best lyrics

That problem is solved by buying Electronic albums. xpost

ooof.

New Order: best singles

Except Technique is the best album by any band in this discussion.

Tennant sings so much better than Sumner it isn't even funny.

True. I may love that first Electronic album more than any NO, and I wish there were most songs like "The Patience of a Saint" in the NO catalogue.

(xxxpost)

Tennant sings so much better than Sumner it isn't even funny.
-- HI DERE, Tuesday, October 30, 2007 4:09 PM (8 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

OTM

Pet Shop Boys by a long way, their B-sides album is better than all but three of New Order's albums.

depeche doesn't even enter into this for me and even on the strength of singles, i think i'd go for PSB

Definitely vote for Pet Shop Boys, because out of these three they're the least rock, most pop, and most gay.

Most fun also.

I've liked some of the early more poppy Depeche Mode I've heard, but at some point they seemed to have turned into a goth band. And New Order obviously were a goth band already before becoming New Order.

...what's wrong with turning into a goth band, Tuomas?

;__________;

easiest poll ever! new order

yep.

i love DM and the PSBs, don't get me wrong. but really. come on.

Depeche Mode will probably get the fewest votes. Which is a shame because they are the best out of these three, really.

The worst, really. But still a damn fine outfit.

I'd rather the opposite. Depeche Mode are obviously the best, but Pet Shop Boys are also a damn fine outfit and nothing wrong about New Order either.

HI DERE OTM. Tuomas' comments make me a bit surprised that the PSB are the only one I would even say I like. (DM have some good moments.)

I really like "Always On My Mind," "Flamboyant," and "Suburbia." Is there an album worth checking out? (I don't care for the "Go West" cover.)

Try, in this order, Discography, Actually, Very, Alternative, Please, Behaviour, Introspective.

Hmm. Try Actually, based on those choices.

Ha, x-post! I would have said Discography first too but I figured, "Well, if he wants an actual album..."

The Actually singles sound good (except for "What Have I Done...," ha.)

"What Have I Done" sounds bad to you???

Behaviour, Introspective.

Soto, does this mean you prefer the former to the latter? Or is that just how you'd lay it out for a newbie?

Both! My first purchase as a newbie was Behaviour in early '91, and it's my favourite, but maybe not the first I'd burn for a newbie in 2007.

Introspective remains the worst PSB album, I'd even rank "Release" as better.

Regardless of my commentary about vocal prowess, I would rank these as:

Depeche Mode
PSB, New Order (tie)

My first purchase as a newbie was Behaviour in early '91, and it's my favourite,

Wait a minute, wait a minute. Behaviour is your fave PSB album...ever?

The absence and subsequent shittiness of New Order in the 90s-now makes them not much of a contender overall. Between DM and PSB, tough call. Allright it's Mode for their ability to be so utterly bleak.

pet shop boys are some bleak dudes too. i would rank it psb>new order>>>>>>>>>>depeche

I love New Order but I don't really consider them as great a pop band as DM or PSB. They're a better band overall than PSB, but they don't do pop as well as the Boys. Depeche Mode are miles above either. (nb I stop listening to all of them after about 1989.)

when u were 3?

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh i get it

you should get 'very', dude

depeche mode's post-89 output is pretty great too!!! songs of faith and devotion! "precious"! etc

new order had good songs into '93 at least ("regret"), DM i pretty much cut off at violator (so '90), PSBs have had some intermittently good singles for the past decade-plus but "go west" is their last GREAT single and that was '93 also

you guys are missing out on some great DM songz

actually i'm probably talking out my ass about the PSBs there but i stand by the others

you guys are missing out on some great DM songz

That's for goddamn sure.

i don't like songs of faith and devotion very much, and the post-violator singles haven't done much for me either. what would you recommend max?

ok I lied - I've heard Violator and Playing the Angel (and NO's Republic & a few PSB tunes) but in general my perceptions of these bands are pre-1990

It's New Order. End thread. Move along, nothing to see here.

"Walking In My Shoes" turned me off of ever listening to Songs of Faith

ahhh curt1s maybe you were listening to a different song?? "WIMS" is one of my favorites!

You're missing out, Curtis...

i do enjoy several of the singles from 'ultra'

guys keep in mind I like the "bad" Depeche Mode songs like "It's Called A Heart"

so basically I have horrible taste

harlot, if you dont like the singles im not exactly sure what to recommend you--i <3 "i feel you," "walking in my shoes," "dream on," "precious".... i think songs of faith and devotion is great, not as good as violator... playing the angel is probably the next best after that. exciter and ultra both have their moments but rank lower.

new order easy, and though tennant's voice may be technically better than sumner's (not too hard there) it's also way more annoying

my favorite DM song is probably "shake the disease" ("enjoy the silence" close second)

it might be worth pointing out that i got into DM thru the singles compilation so im not as attached to whole albums or specific periods of their work

"Lilian" is awesome.

i like the early songs with really, um, questionable lyrics also (cf. "everything counts")

i like "creepy boyfriend" DM lyrics, cf. "enjoy the silence and "it's no good":

don't say you want me
don't say you need me
its understood
don't say you're happy
out there without me
i know you can't be
cause it's no good

"creepy boyfriend" DM lyrics

LOL

the michael mayer balearic mix of "precious" is great too. as far as im concerned.

Dominations the name of the game
In bed or in life
Theyre both just the same
Except in one youre fulfilled
At the end of the day

Lets play master and servant
Lets play master and servant

!!!
xpost

the jlc mix of "pain that i'm used to" is good too

ewan pearson mix of "enjoy the silence" kind of disappointing

ALSO WORTH POINTING OUT:

Chester Bennington, vocalist of Linkin Park, was inspired by the band. [32] [33] Another Linkin Park member Mike Shinoda, "Depeche Mode is one of the most influential groups of our time. Their music is an inspiration to me..." [34]

i wont lie though: i love the shit out of depeche and new order, but new order punches me in the gut in a way the other two bands just dont.

lol should read " i love the shit out of depech and pet shop boys"

re: gutpunching, i can name at least three PSB songs that have caused an inadvertent uh-no-i've-just-got-something-in-my-eye-thanks-i'm-fine-really reaction, and one of them was just the other day on the subway

And they were all sung by Chris Lowe.

thank god i was wearing those sunglasses i never take off, even indoors

sometimes "Rent" is the best song in the universe.

All very good bands, but really, New Order, no question, right? Right.

"Walking In My Shoes" turned me off of ever listening to Songs of Faith

That one is the only great song from that album.

All of their later albums have been great though. SOFAD was a one-off step in the wrong direction, a direction that is otherwise only found on Dave Gahan's first solo album.

Yeah, it took me a while after SOFAD to get bak into DM. The last album has however completely reconciled me with them and is up there with 'Violator' in my book. Same with 'Waiting for the Sirens Call' actually.
But, anyway, NO wins this quite comfortably in my book.

This is so close, but I think it's the PSBs.

Sod it, I'm leaving this one till the final bump as well.

i like the early songs with really, um, questionable lyrics also (cf. "everything counts")

my teenage political philosophy was based pretty much entirely on "everything counts".

come to think of it, not much has changed ...

"Rent" is the single best song from all three of these bands, I think.

1. New Order
2. PSB
3. Depeche Mode

new order in a mfing heartbeat.

xp Nearly right, Matt :)

1. New Order
2. PSB
3. Every other band ever
4. Depeche Mode*

*except for the Vince Clarke era singles which are great

!

1. New Order
2. Depeche Mode
1003. Pet Shop Boys

Hello, I New Order.

1. New Order
2. Pet Shop Boys
3. Depeche Mode

but 1 is way ahead for me from the others (though I ordered Very last week so we'll see soon)

1. Depeche Mode
NO and PSB tied somewhere around the 20s or 30s.

i think NO are far ahead of PSBs. depeche are a laughable goth band.

depeche are a laughable goth band.

RONG

PSB for me—even though NO are the greater band, of course. They’re also, nonetheless, somewhat lacking when it comes to songwriting—at least when compared to Neil's awesome feats in that department. As for DM: I really should try paying attention to them someday. Maybe.

Norwegian electronic pop band Lorraine are back.

New Order, Depeche Mode and Pet Shop Boys influences all present !

The Norwegian electro pop trio is gearing up for the release of a new single, titled "Saved," in December that will be followed by another single in February, which will lead up to a full-length album around Easter that will consist of all new tracks plus some rarities.

Have a listen to an exclusive audio stream of "Saved" below.

http://www.arjanwrites.com/arjanwrites/2007/10/listen-to-new-l.html

http://www.myspace.com/lorrainemusic

I've never been bothered to delve into DM much aside from some of the singles and Violator, so I'm going to discount them.

PSB live in the past few years v NO live in the past few years clinches it for me.

PSB are still fine showmen, while Bernard and Hooky make me cringe to watch (beer belly dancing and yelping flanked by bassist lunging at the audience from the edge of the stage).

Also, Intropsective is a great album.

gukbe, stop discounting and start immersing! there's a world of listening pleasure there. wd suggest starting with "music for the masses" but geir will shout at me for that.

and you're right: NO are something of an embarrassment these days (even the arguing is cringeworthy), but i am prepared to overlook that because ... well, they're new order, and they are still arguably gods. just about.

I've tried every now and again over the years, but it hasn't worked out just yet. I'll give it another go at some point. (this is when Fopp would have been handy)

and you're right: NO are something of an embarrassment these days (even the arguing is cringeworthy), but i am prepared to overlook that because ... well, they're new order, and they are still arguably gods. just about

tough decisions call for desperate criteria though. i considered weighing the case for both using their collective remixes, but it was difficult. 80's NO remixes are slightly better than 80's PSB remixes, but both are generally excellent. 90's thru today PSB remixes are far better than the NO ones of the same period, but PSB have released a lot more, etc...

all too difficult to really decide, but I still think PSB edge out NO.

i must admit, i was surprised by my immediate kneejerk NO response, given that i've spent so much of the past four years slagging off all their new stuff ;)

Well, this is an interesting divide.

1. Depeche Mode
2. PSB
3. New Order

I like all three, but I didn't even hestitate when it came to putting them in order.

I've only had limited exposure to each band (I have best-ofs for NO and PSBs), but from what I've heard I'd rate New Order as the best. PSBs aren't far behind, and they have songs that easily match the best of NO, but some of their output doesn't appeal to me at all. As for DM I've only heard some of "Violater" and it was OK-ish, but I didn't like Gahan's vocals.

xpost - but you're wrong about the new stuff, grimly!

I think NO are pretty much the same as they've ever been : fantastic in the studio and hit or miss live. Sure Barney's woots and dancing is kind of embarrasing, but no more or less than back in early 80's when he sometimes used to take the stage so pissed he could barely stand. Actually the autocue that he's been using for the last 5 or so years is pretty embarrassing.

Of course it's not the same without Gill pushing the buttons.

i saw both recent tours for PSB and NO and have to disagree with Gukbe. i'm not sure if you saw the last PSB tour but that was embarrassing. the backup dancers, the pathetic stage set, the "press play on the Lp version" renditions of the songs. everything about it was cheap and off-putting to me. i did get to hear Heart though, so that was positive.

New Order, on the other hand, were as good in 05 as a band as they've ever been live. i'm not saying if i had my choice i'd choose to see an 05 show, but as far as technique (!) goes, the band were on top form.

New Order as a whole have always had some cringe-inducing moments. no band has meant more to me than New Order though. you make excuses for the things you love and i've got millions of excuses for New Order. i love all 3 of the bands in this poll, but for me it comes down to emotions and memories. New Order provides the stongest and most dear of both.

John, did you see the Violator poll?

I thought Waiting for the Siren's Call was mostly a dud. Even when they're still writing great songs, like "Krafty", the lyrics are almost too awful to ignore.

"They've got violence, wars and killing too
All shrunk down in a two-foot tube
But out there the world is a beautiful place
With mountains, lakes and the human race"

I enjoyed the recent PSB tours (both with the cube and without), but mostly because Neil and Chris were still class. Might have been the crowds influencing me as well, as NO attracted the same crowd as the Charlatans (one very unfortunate gig experience).

Let's not start on the lyrics :) They are what they are.

But I think they were better live back in the era 81-85 when it was a different set every night, prototypes of new songs performed before they were fully written, and learning how to use the new technology on the fly.

They sounded great in 2005, but you pretty much knew what they were going to play before the gig (i.e. what Roger Lyons has already programmed in for them.) I gotta say that Phil miming some keyboard parts was pretty disappointing. And then there's the fuckin' autocue!

Still the best band ever though. PSB are a very great singles band. DM are totally worthless.

I thought Waiting for the Siren's Call was mostly a dud. Even when they're still writing great songs, like "Krafty", the lyrics are almost too awful to ignore.

You're forgetting how beautiful the melody wrapped around those lyrics are, and that's why I love New Order.

what is it you dislike so much about DM? i'm surprised and a little shocked ;)

Of course it's not the same without Gill pushing the buttons ... But I think they were better live back in the era 81-85 when it was a different set every night, prototypes of new songs performed before they were fully written, and learning how to use the new technology on the fly

OTM in a variety of ways (qv the lengthy ranting about this i've done passim).

as for "krafty": actually, i think that's a wonderful lyric. but that's barney for you :)

(the first bit of that was an xpost to dr C, obviously!)

IIRC, anything that is tinged with goth that isn't Joy Division is worthless in Dr. C's eyes.

You're forgetting how beautiful the melody wrapped around those lyrics are, and that's why I love New Order.

The problem is I'm not forgetting the melody. It's amazing and one of the best singles of that year, but that lyric nearly destroys the experience. It is one of the more maddening aspects of recent NO.

Killers "Mr Brightside" TWD remix one of the better NO songs of recent years.

of "recent" NO?

off the top of my head:

"well we had a party at our hotel last night
it ended up in an awful fight
my friend left me and my heart too
i hope i don't end up like you

oh you know what i mean
oh yes you do"

i think low-life was when it became obvious that barney's vignettes were as frequently a miss as a hit. still: when he gets it right, he gets it bang fucking on: "oh how i cannot bear the thought of you" being a perfect example.

I kind of don't see why "Krafty" gets singled out for rapturous melodic praise when the verse doesn't move away from the first three notes of "Three Blind Mice"; pretty much every other song on WFTSC is more interesting.

agh these threads.

i love new order and the pet shop boys. i can't justify going either way without feeling some level of guilt.

xpost to Dan

Well thanks for that Dan, but I like the Cure up to about Disintegration at least. And I love practically everything that Siouxsie has ever done - and there's none more goth at times.

Nah - I'll try and articulate what it is about DM that renders them useless, when I have a bit of time to think. For now let's just say, they don't belong in the same company as NO or PSBs because they've never done anything that just fucking well wallops you over the head emotionally, and leaves you gasping for air. (The first 30 seconds of It's A Sin, the intro to Ceremony, fragements of lyrics "for these last few days/leave me alone". DM are just so...earthbound and dull in comparison. Gahan is a big part of the problem too.

when the verse song doesn't move away from the first three notes of "Three Blind Mice" being suspiciously like "deep sleep" by red turns to.

^ fixed

Yes, Dan OTM about Krafty. But WFTSC is still a marvellous record.

Well thanks for that Dan, but I like the Cure up to about Disintegration at least. And I love practically everything that Siouxsie has ever done - and there's none more goth at times.

Okay I'm very confused because I thought you were the person who said everything Siouxsie did after The Scream was worthless goth nonsense?!!?!? Who am I confusing you with?

For now let's just say, they don't belong in the same company as NO or PSBs because they've never done anything that just fucking well wallops you over the head emotionally, and leaves you gasping for air.

Last minute of Enjoy The Silence to thread.

DM is basically fun early singles, and Enjoy teh Silence which is sublime.
NO are tiny-teeny fraction ahead of PSB. just. today

I kind of don't see why "Krafty" gets singled out for rapturous melodic praise when the verse doesn't move away from the first three notes of "Three Blind Mice"

I don't know about rapturous praise; I argued that you can't separate the lyrics from the wonderful melody.

xpost - I dunno Dan. I've loved Tinderbox, Kaleidoscope, JuJu etc since they all came out. It's true though that The Scream is the best.

That's not to say that I didn't say that. I do talk bollocks as you know.

See also on ILM:

Taking Sides: Pet Shop Boys vs. New Order
Taking Sides: Pet Shop Boys vs. New Order

(circa 2004)

New Order, on the other hand, were as good in 05 as a band as they've ever been live.

The New Order live DVD from like 2001 is absolutely embarrassing. The performances from the early '80s are great. I don't want to see Hooky and Bernard "rocking out."

New Order's peaks are higher, PSBs more consistent. Both amongst the greats.

As for DM, until I got the internet I had no idea anyone actually liked them anymore. I'm guessing that none of the fans above are from the UK, too portentous to be taken seriously at home. ("Just can't get enough" was good though).

too portentous to be taken seriously at home

You people love Coldplay. Gimme a better excuse.

I'm guessing that none of the fans above are from the UK, too portentous to be taken seriously at home

i am an out-and-proud UK DM fan.

I'm guessing that none of the fans above are from the UK, too portentous to be taken seriously at home.

Why won't people let the "portentous American" stereotype die?

I'm surprised so many people dislike Depeche Mode and/or think they're goth.

("Just can't get enough" was good though).

a friend of mine, a brit who has been a DM fan since back in the day, switched this song off in disgust when we were driving once. i was surprised by extreme dislike of that particular song.

but that's a great song :-(

i'm going to try to put something in Dan's head

ALL DAY ALL DAY
ALL DAY ALL DAY

(all day, all day) watch them all fall down
(all day, all day) domino dancing
(all day, all day) watch them all fall down
(all day, all day) domino dancing

omar little would like the pet shop boys. teh gay.

o indeed

"West End Girls" alone is better than anything DM or NO have ever done, so the Pets of course. New Order have a couple of tracks that are ALMOST as good though. So for me it's

PSB>NO>>>DM

ALL DAY ALL DAY
ALL DAY ALL DAY

-- omar little, Wednesday, October 31, 2007 10:46 PM (36 minutes ago)

I thought you were going for the Ministry angle w/that one.

Hahaha

"Domino Dancing" is great, fuck the haters

grimly aside DM, post-vince c anyway, does seem to be an american thing, bidfurd otm.

nonsense

i'm just talking from experience. the only anglo DM fan i ever met was a goth.

DM, post-vince c anyway, does seem to be an american thing, bidfurd otm.

I would like to call your attention to this Wikipedia page on Depeche Mode's discography where among other things all the UK chart placements for albums and singles are noted.

hahahahahahahaha well thats pretty conclusive i think.

Regarding DM I think this it's Vince's exit that is the turning point regarding UK (or Europe in its entirety) vs. US.

Generally, the US started to pick up on Depeche Mode around the "Music For The Masses" album, which was about the time they became more "rock'n'roll" in their sound ("Music For The Masses" doesn't contain any guitars from my knowledge, but more live sounding sounds, like a lot of piano presets, for instance). Also, around this time they started working with Anton Corbijn, and he played an important part in helping them get a "darker" and more "serious" visual image, which means they were easier to take seriously from a "rockist" point of view. The fact that there wasn't really something called "synthpop" anymore may also have helped them, as that meant they weren't lumped with a bunch of bands they had little in common with anymore.

Musically, the Depeche Mode of "Violator" isn't too different from the Depeche Mode of "Some Great Reward" though. It's all about sampling, lots of metallic sounds, and the somewhat dark minor-key atmosphere that some goths consider goth enough to like. And apart from their U2/NIN-wannabe album SOFAD, this is roughly where they have been staying musically ever since "Construction Time Again" in 1983.

DM is so good. better than NO who are next. i love me some NO but not like i love DM. DM had at least 7 great albums or so. PSB are okay, but nothing to write home about. give me the remix album and thats all i need. come to think of it, thats all i own by them!

really?? of any potential PSB album...a remix album?

damn.

also, Geir surprisingly OTM above ^^^

Generally, the US started to pick up on Depeche Mode around the "Music For The Masses" album

"People Are People" was a bigger hit than anything off MFTM, wasn't it?

bidfurd and That One Guy are right in as much as DM have far less indie cred than either NO or PSB in the UK, probably because of their offputting 'big rock band' image & myths etc. also Gahan is a tit and a rockstar, unlike Sumner or Tennant who are both all-time archetypal english heros.

heroes, even. anyway i'm voting PSB.

"really?? of any potential PSB album...a remix album?

damn.

-- stephen"

shep pettibone doing west end girls? arthur baker on in the night? gold!

http://www.discogs.com/release/333023

rock vs. postpunk vs. disco.

i pick pet shop boys, but not because i necessarily pick disco over rock and postpunk. more because their synthesis (which enlists rock and postpunk in the service of disco) is smarter and funnier and has a better beat.

alternately, high school vs. college vs. adulthood. i'll still take the grown-ups.

As far as these bands are all great and fun and everything, I'm having a really hard time figuring out why anyone wouldn't pick New Order over the other two. It's bewildering.

ned's chart stats don't prove shit -- goths can get a band into the low teens but that doesn't make them okay. their reputation had pretty much vanished by the 90s, whereas i don't think NO or PSBs have ever gone out of fashion.

DM's stock does seem to have risen in the UK in the last five years or so, but even still.

i can't really get my head round the idea of new order as 'post-punk'; it just seems to limit them to the grey early 80s. anything after 'blue monday' is not post-punk.

<i>1. New Order
2. PSB
3. Every other band ever
4. Depeche Mode*</i>

OTM if a wee bit harsh on Depeche, they are crap tho unless you're American or Argentinian or Polish or something

Oops old skool tags!

yeah depeche are better than, like, the killers.

With the exception of last year's return to form album from PSB, I would say Depeche Mode is the one out of those three that has been most consistently great also recently.

for me, New Order miserably fails the "good record in last 15 years" assessment. and that's enough to not vote 'em into first.

so, who does everyone *think* is gonna win this thing?

I'm thinking based on thread feedback, it'll be 1. NO, 2. PSB, 3. DM

but i'm prepared to be shocked - PSB in first, maybe??

for DM to pull into first, there'd have to be an awful lot of lurkers voting for em - then again, DM are arguably the best-known commercially of the three. maybe they have the biggest lurking fanbase here?

????????

ned's chart stats don't prove shit -- goths can get a band into the low teens but that doesn't make them okay.

The question is not whether you find them okay, ya dipstick. It's trying to pretend a fanbase doesn't exist and hasn't existed in the UK, for both albums and singles for that matter. If you just want to think that a goth or two down the road consists of the sole fans you know of, that's your call.

New Order miserably fails the "good record in last 15 years" assessment.

But that's a bogus assessment to begin with. Sly Stone hasn't made a great record since 1973 and he'd get my vote for practically anything.

Sly Stone hasn't made a great record since 1973

Also a bogus assessment

Anyway, I don't know that Depeche Mode have never made a great record so New Order still win

With the exception of last year's return to form album from PSB

Ok now I'm convinced that Geir Hongro is a computer program designed to annoy the shit out of 99% of the globe.

Fwiw, that was their WORST album, even worse than Behaviour which latter I'm praying is not Sot's fave PSB.

This is not counting those hideous remix albums which some psycho above was actually pumping.

Sly Stone hasn't made a great record since 1973

Also a bogus assessment

Ok, 1982 then. What's the dif?

Sot's = Soto's

Fwiw, that was their WORST album, even worse than Behaviour which latter I'm praying is not Sot's fave PSB.

This is not counting those hideous remix albums which some psycho above was actually pumping.

there is so much wrong here.

Anyway, I don't know that Depeche Mode have never made a great record so New Order still win

Correction: Anyway, I don't know that Depeche Mode have ever made a great record so New Order still win!

Fwiw, that was their WORST album, even worse than Behaviour which latter I'm praying is not Sot's fave PSB.

I like Fundamental a lot and love Behaviour dearly.

Fwiw, that was their WORST album, even worse than Behaviour

you've gotta be fuckin kidding me. Fundamental is excellent, and Behavior is their best album.

i don't think PSBs or NO have done anything good since 1993.

WTF all three are great, calm down ppl

There is a lot to love on Get Ready, and some to love on Siren's Call.

For every PSB "Metamorphosis" misstep there was a "To Step Aside" throughout the 90's. Release even had "Home and Dry", which is still fantastic. One can't forget classic b-sides like Truck Driver and His Mate either.

Fundamental is a damn fine album, and the b-sides, remixes, and "flamboyant"/"Didn't get where I am Today" from PopArt era are tops.

PSB obviously. Ok, DM is great stadium rock when you are up for it, New Order is probably the most influential when it comes to the pop/dance music of today, and they sure have the best beat. DM forgot the beat in 90? 91? didn't they? But PSB is the perfect pop group, had they had a blond pretty singer they would be as perfect as Saint Eteinne. And yes, Behaviour is their best album.

DM forgot the beat in 90? 91? didn't they?

No.

i don't think PSBs or NO have done anything good since 1993.

"Fundamental"=excellent
"Nightlife"=way underrated

Neither PSB nor NO has ever come up with anything remotely as great as "Playing The Angel" or "Ultra" though.

"The question is not whether you find them okay, ya dipstick. It's trying to pretend a fanbase doesn't exist and hasn't existed in the UK, for both albums and singles for that matter. If you just want to think that a goth or two down the road consists of the sole fans you know of, that's your call."

You're probably right. They do sell here. But their fans are all in that grey area that nobody's really interested in that isn't Top 40 Pop people or "people who are into music"/hipsters. The mythical 12 CD a year people maybe? (Though the only fan I know is also an (ex)Goth).

Of course this is no good reason not to like them! The fact that they're turgid, po-faced and plodding is though.

Okay make that 90% of the globe.

You're probably right. They do sell here. But their fans are all in that grey area that nobody's really interested in that isn't Top 40 Pop people or "people who are into music"/hipsters.

you think Depeche Mode are totally rocking the charts here all the time?

you think Depeche Mode are totally rocking the charts here all the time

If you mean the US, No. As someone else said above they seem to be the sort of band that are most popular in mainland Europe, Latin america, non-english speaking countries. (The Cure are a bit like this also).

Of course this is no good reason not to like them! The fact that they're turgid, po-faced and plodding is though.

-- bidfurd, Thursday, November 1, 2007 9:28 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Link

lols. seriously, except for a few impressionable types my age who got into them in the last few years, it's like 'who the fuck?' they were a laughing stock in the music press. it's partly cos gahan is such a junkie d-bag.

PSB > New Order > Depeche Mode

PSB draw the strongest emotional connection overall, although Substance may be the equal of Discography. I have never found any New Order album consistently great (I've heard the first five), whereas I'd venture that PSB have at least three such albums (Please, Actually, Very).

DM have never moved me that much, apart from a few singles — their personality has always eluded me somehow.

x-post

that's what i mean - no cred compared to the other two. having said that you're more likely to hear DM in a dance club these days than NO or PSB. the drugginess goes over well with...people on drugs.

ton of great DM remixes in last few years has helped them too

i just cant believe the DM hate on here. do you people have ears? i mean really, i love NO, but they cant fuck with DM's run of albums from "speak and spell" through "violator". in fact, im not sure *any* band had such a strong run of albums ever! its just awesome track after awesome track. to be honest, i cant really say that PSB even belong in this comparison, yet people seem on teh dick!

ALSO WORTH POINTING OUT:
Chester Bennington, vocalist of Linkin Park, was inspired by the band. [32] [33] Another Linkin Park member Mike Shinoda, "Depeche Mode is one of the most influential groups of our time. Their music is an inspiration to me..." [34]

And this is supposed to make me like Depeche Mode?

There are some people here who seem to think that the only use of music is dancing.

Well, you can dance to a lot of Depeche Mode stuff too, but that's just not the point of their music. That's not why it was made in the first place. And I tend to believe that there's a lot more to New Order and Pet Shop Boys than just stupid dance music too. There's so much more to music than brainless dancing!

posted while doing the same dance the Scissor Sisters do in the video for "I don't feel like dancing" no doubt.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

who's gonna win???????

Surely not Depeche. Which sucks because they should have.

PSB by a million miles! This is an easy poll.

New Order will win. Surely that's obvious! Pet Shop Boys: too arch, too calculated, despite at least 10 perfect songs. Depeche: almost all their best moments are ripped off from other bands, such as - New Order: mystical, transcendent, dumb, magical, inexplicably brilliant. And yes, they've made some shite too.

put it this way: i'll be very surprised if NO don't win it, comfortably.

then PSBs, then depeche -- lagging a bit, i fear.

Pet Shop Boys: too arch, too calculated

how are these bad things?

HITLER was arch and calculated!

uh...so was Martin Luther King Jr.

what's yr point?

Anthony, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you've used up your quota of Hitler references for at least a year in the past week alone, no?

Depeche: almost all their best moments are ripped off from other bands, such as - New Order: mystical, transcendent, dumb, magical, inexplicably brilliant.

Okay, I'm having trouble parsing this sentence, but... are you saying Depeche Mode, who were a synth pop band years before New Order were (and who make better synth pop than New Order), ripped off New Order?

(NB I am a huge New Order fan.)

AKA, pretty much the most impossible ILM poll, ever.

Not really. New Order handily trounces both with one hand.

word

are you saying Depeche Mode, who were a synth pop band years before New Order were (and who make better synth pop than New Order), ripped off New Order?

THANK YOU

New Order is a "synth pop band"?

They were a synth pop band before they turned into a goth band.

i think flood/francois k-era dep-mode ripped off mid-late-80s new order.

I'd rather say Joy Division were a goth band before they turned into a synth band (not synth pop though, wouldn't call them pop with the exception of "True Faith" and maybe a few more singles)

Flood era Depeche Mode was "Songs Of Faith And Devotion", and that album isn't a Depeche Mode album. Most true and devoted Depeche fans hate that particular album.

indie dance

that's you that is.

xxpost

i quite like it!

THAN YOU MUST NOT BE A TRUE OR DEVOTED DEPECHE MODE FAN

REAL DEPECHE MODE FANS THINK THE BAND BROKE UP IN 1990

Some true Depeche Mode fans gave up on the band after their U2/NIN wannabe album. But the fact is that already on "Ultra", they had their good old synthpop style back. And they have kept it since.

They were a synth pop band before they turned into a goth band.

New Order were neither.

Whoops, for some reason I mixed NO and DM there!

ah, okay.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

accurately predicted

hey, not bad! go me.

These results were really quite obvious if you know ILM.

don't spoil it for me, tuomas.

New Order is a "synth pop band"?

THIS POLL IS FUCKING ABOUT SYNTH POP:

I've always seen these guys as the 3 giants of synth-pop

Which is why I didn't vote for them!!! I love New Order, but while they're great at many things (post-punk/dance) they're not a synth pop band!!!

Can someone please tell me how Depeche Mode ripped off New Order? I'd really love to know!

i think maybe this forum should be called "i love questionable music more than depeche mode". stupidest poll results ever.

Which is why I didn't vote for them!!! I love New Order, but while they're great at many things (post-punk/dance) they're not a synth pop band!!!

Yes.Can someone please tell me how Depeche Mode ripped off New Order? I'd really love to know

Once in a while Martin Gore plays twang guitar.

Whoops, for some reason I mixed NO and DM there!

-- Tuomas, Sunday, 4 November 2007 23:46 (Yesterday) Bookmark Link

I eagerly await Blue Monday - Tuomas mix

Just seen the results! I didn't know DM got so much love here! I thought it was just Geir plus one!

i think maybe this forum should be called "i love questionable music more than depeche mode". stupidest poll results ever

calm down, dear, it's only a poll.

(also: much roffling at "questionable music". what, is everything that isn't pure DM "degenerate art" or something?)

justice was done.

I've always seen these guys as the 3 giants of synth-pop

only just noticed this wtfness.

They bestride the land, like colossi of the Roland.

"(also: much roffling at "questionable music". what, is everything that isn't pure DM "degenerate art" or something?)"

i mean, DM are definitely one of my favorite artists, i own more records by them than by any other artist except theo parrish, "violator" is one of my all time favorite albums and has been for many many years. but i dont hold them as anything more than fantastic musicians. New Order are definitely awesome too. but really, the Pet Shop Boys? come on, now. they were not bad but they shouldnt even be in a discussion with depeche mode.

Why not?

any winner in this poll is the right winner

xpost to pipecock: guess what? i disagree. and hey, they are, and have been for several hundred posts.

next up: a discussion involving depeche mode, dumpy's rusty nuts and dom's spunk, spread on a boot. because, hey, that's the joy of ILM, as opposed to -- say -- monomaniacal DM fans' private DM-only DM discussion board (DM).

grimly otm. Just because you disagree with the poll results, you shouldn't start saying "the poll is illegitimate".

sorry, i don't see what's so WTF about calling new order a synth pop band. a lot of their music (sure, not all), even their best known stuff, could be described that way

xposts

yep, it was a generalization guys; sorry to get yr panties in a wad

any winner in this poll is the right winner

This is completely correct. The only thing I dislike about this poll is the outright/implied hatred expressed towards Depeche Mode. I understand why some people want to leave their mopey teen years behind but DM expresses so much of that angst so well and in a manner far more adult than it should be expressed that I don't understand how people don't enjoy them. (I also don't understand how people can hate the singing, especially from Violator onwards, but that's a completely different thing.)

"xpost to pipecock: guess what? i disagree. and hey, they are, and have been for several hundred posts.

next up: a discussion involving depeche mode, dumpy's rusty nuts and dom's spunk, spread on a boot. because, hey, that's the joy of ILM, as opposed to -- say -- monomaniacal DM fans' private DM-only DM discussion board (DM)."

again, i do not put DM up on a pedestal or anything like that. but comparing them to PSB is like comparing John Coltrane to Kenny G. sure theyre both jazz sax players, but to compare them in any way is pretty stupid.

so which one is Kenny G, o enlightened one?

but to compare them in any way is pretty stupid

i) ever heard of objectivity?

ii) ever heard of criticism?

iii) ever heard of internet message boards?

iv) ever thought that calling everyone else "stupid" repeatedly might make you look ... well, you can work it out for yourself?

pipecock: He's not a pipe.

dan OTM!!! i cant figure out why you all hate depeche mode... and i got into these guys at age 21, just last year, so its not as though i love em for the "mope"--theyre just really fucking terrific songwriters

i actually don't think there's very much mode hate here at all, is there?

i don't hate them, i just lose interest in everything they did past a certain point. likewise new order and pet shop boys!

"so which one is Kenny G, o enlightened one?

-- Alfred, Lord Sotosyn"

come on now, surely you can tell by my posts....

"i) ever heard of objectivity?

ii) ever heard of criticism?

iii) ever heard of internet message boards?

iv) ever thought that calling everyone else "stupid" repeatedly might make you look ... well, you can work it out for yourself?

-- grimly fiendish"

i am not concerned with how i look to people. i truly dont give a fuck what you think about me. anyway, as i was saying, you can compare things all you want, but it doesnt make the comparison make any real sense. what really are the similarities between the PSB and DM? they both used synths and were around in the early 80s and were british. what else? i can think of so much music that fits into those categories, does that mean it all should be compared? in feeling and in quality, DM and PSB are not peers. one is a joke, one is not.

right, i give up. you clearly have the cognitive skills of a whelk.

I love Depeche Mode but I kind of hate Depeche Mode fans.

i love music but i kind of hate music fans.

"right, i give up. you clearly have the cognitive skills of a whelk.

-- grimly fiendish"

youre so superior to me beacuse you use $.50 words. congratulations, dood! you rule! have fun listening to the pet shop boys.

Tears For Fears >>>>>> Depeche Mode

oops.

Is pipecock 15-years-old?

Probably 45.

And very very lonely.

Sundar, you don't like New Order? wow... it's like i don't even know you!

i missed voting, but it would have been DM, NO, almost neck and neck for a while, but at the end, DM takes it easily when i think about which has affected me most. PSB distant 3rd. if the Cure had been in this poll also, they would have been riding right on NO's ass.

Just to annoy the goth even more, I venture that:

New Order > PSB > Human League > Depeche Mode

That's how I'd order those bands, FWIW.

I guess Erasure could have been another option, but they'd probably have come a distant fourth.

xpost bah pshaw. Human League don't have the career longevity.

we need a similar poll involving the cure.

xpost: which version of the human league?

NO > DM > dare-era human league > PSBs > human league post-dare

human league mk I >>> almost everything else in the world. new order being one of the exceptions, mind.

(i know, i know: we didn't break down NO or DM into versions either. but with the HL there's a spectacular and staggering divide, along the lines of JD/NO, so i think it's valid.)

(in fact: dare-era HL are more different to pre-dare HL than JD are to early NO.)

(i'll stop now.)

(A likely story!)

I love New Order, PSB, Depeche Mode, Human League, and Erasure and I don't care how you order them.

I thought we'd established that liking Depeche Mode is an American thing?

Or non-British at any rate

no, we hadn't. because it isn't.

that said: it is less "cool" to like DM in the UK than it is ... well, almost anywhere else. funny ... i was pondering this (no, really) in the gym this morning, listening to "playing the angel". i read somewhere, ages ago, that the reason for this was martin gore looking like such a knobber in his leather vest etc, but i can't believe this is the case.

hey ho. i've always loved 'em. in 1991 i had a massive poster of them (circa some great reward) on my bedroom wall. my friend shumon, probably the coolest man i've ever known, always thought they were cool. so i've been out and proud about them for years ;)

that said: it is less "cool" to like DM in the UK than it is ... well, almost anywhere else.

That's exactly what I mean. I think a lot of people in the UK thought they (Depeche Mode that is) were trying far too hard to come over all rawwwwwwwwwwwwwk 'n' roll with the leather trousers and the heroin and the whatnot when they stil considered them a nancyboy plinky-plonky synth band

A lot of people in the UK have cloth in their ears.

Depeche Mode were at their best as a nancyboy plinky-plonky synth band. Fantastic!

Nancyboy plinky-plonky synth bands have always been more popular in the UK than leather-trousering smacked-up pseudo-rockers

actually, you've cracked it: it's the KNOW YOUR PLACE mentality, innit?

A bit... also that wearing leather trousers and trying to be Jim Morrison was crap even when Jim Morrison did it

thing is, when i'd left school and was working for the DSS, i had hair, beard and leather trousers exactly like SOFAD-era dave gahan. i never got round to the tattoos, although i keep thinking about fixing that ;)

"Is pipecock 15-years-old?

-- JN$OT"

"Probably 45.

-- HI DERE"

if you average your two guesses, youd be pretty close.

"And very very lonely.

-- Ned Raggett"

it certainly depends on your definition of lonely. being married and having a kid and a cat could be lonely i guess, but not for me.

What's wrong with a nancyboy plinky-plonky synthband?

I mean, the same question should be applied to DM members themselves (AND Flood!!!!!!) in 1993 too, but, still....

NEW ORDER!!! Depeche Mode second, but only if you stop before late 80s.

I'm only about 1/3 of the way plowing through Depeche Mode's massive discography (currently jamming the one with "Blasphemous Rumours" on it), but I gotta say the haters in this thread are insane.

The correct answer to this thread is "all of 'em" ...

Poll remains correct.

Democracy workes in this case

Although if we're talking about the acts in terms of level of high quality over a sustained length of time, it's Pet Shop Boys, followed by Depeche Mode, followed by New Order.

i think i might have even voted for "Blue Monday" over PSB and DM. Or "Confusion" even. And I LOVE 80s PSB and DM.

Discography is never far from me. Wait, was it DJP who hates "Domino Dancing"? Why do I even remember that? Best song!

throw OMD onto this list and we might coax Turrican into making the longest post in ilx history

At this point, I am pretty sure my tombstone is going to read "He died as he lived; hating the fuck out of fucking 'Domino Dancing'."

Throw OMD and The Cure onto this list and the answer would still be "all of them"