So these last couple years have really been all about Depeche Mode. But really, my life has been all about Depeche Mode and Dave Gahan. I still remember the day I first heard "People are People" for the first time. My life was really changed forever. This man named Dave Gahan has influenced countless bands  and artists. And much like Morrissey and the Smiths, I really can not imagine what music would be like without him. I am sure many would  like to imagine music without him, but not me. Generations before had The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Or Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. For me and thousands of others, we had Depeche Mode and The Smiths. Siouxsie and The Cure. I think most of us who grew up in the 80s and 90s either loved or hated Depeche Mode. You were either a proud devoted fan or you made fun of them on a daily basis. The mutual love of Depeche Mode helped to create friendships and bring together countless boyfriends and girlfriends. Really, where would I be without Dave Gahan. After releasing his first solo album in 2003, "Paper Monsters," he went on tour as the solo Dave Gahan. The shows of course included many Depeche Mode songs. But his solo tours really lacked the energy of a Depeche Mode show. I have probably said this before, but there is really nothing like seeing them live. Just watch Depeche Mode 101 again, if you don't understand. Luckily Depeche Mode was not yet done. They released "Playing the Angel" in 2005 and it was really one of their best in many years. I had never stopped loving this band but it was really nice to know that they were still as good as ever. The band released another live album and another greatest hits. They released a great compilation of all their mixes. But most importantly they reissued their entire catalog of albums as deluxe cd/dvd combos. The albums really needed some remastering. The final two albums just came out a couple of weeks ago. They really are amazing. Each album has its own complete mini documentary about the making of the album. Dave Gahan is now releasing his second album today, "Hourglass." Some might say, enough already, Mr. Gahan. But for those of us still in love with the man that brought us "Dreaming of Me" 26 years ago, there can really never be enough.

I'm a big fan of the reissues. So many of my favorite albums from the 80s need a good remastering. It's also always fun to rediscover your old favorites with new bonus tracks and added video content. The packaging is also usually redone and made all fancy. This last couple years has seen the reissue of the entire Depeche Mode catalogue. Last month we just got the latest two reissues,  Black Celebration and Construction Time Again. The only thing left is Ultra and Exciter. I don't think they will be reissuing Playing the Angel since it did just recently come out for the first time.

First up is Construction Time Again. This album was originally released in 1983. This was their third album, following A Broken Frame. It was always easy to remember the order of the early album because construction obviously follows something that is broken! While they had started to make an impact in the U.S., they were still not to the point of playing stadiums quite yet. This album has a slightly more industrial feel to it. It includes more samples than their albums had before. This album included some of my favorites, "More Than a Party", "Everything Counts" and "And Then..." Alan Wilder had joined the band as a full time member at this point. He even wrote the environmentally friendly song "The Landscape is Changing." He joined Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, and Andrew Fletcher. Depeche Mode were now the band they would be all the way through Songs of Faith and Devotion. All of their albums were really their own thing. And they all still hold up today. They were breakthrough at the time and are still influencing bands today.