As far as capturing the mood of the times, Depeche Mode had a perfect moment when they released "Violator." They were suddenly jerked out of their status as the band disenfranchised Goth kids moped along with to arena rock superstars. Although a few of the singles from the classic "Black Celebration" had made them alternative gods when alternative still meant you were in the alienated minority and "Music For The Masses" had already moved them to the forefront of MTV Video makers, it was songs like "Enjoy The Silence" and "Personal Jesus" that made them truly mass music makers.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The above editorial review suggests that DM included the live version of "Everything Counts", which was originally released in 1983, to milk a cash cow, and even "fudged chronology" to do so. This isn't the case at *all*. This live version was released as a hit single in 1989 (Mute Cat# Bong16) and therefore fits perfectly into the chronology and theme established by the title.

As for this record itself, it's a fantastically put together and very historically accurate document of DM's output of hit singles during the years in question. The idea is simple and straightforward: compile the 7" versions of each of their singles between the years 1986-1998 (with a few technical exceptions that would only be noticed by the most devoted fans). It's not by any means their most consistent or best album; look to either "Violator" or "The Singles 81-85" for such an item. Never-the-less, the album itself is very, very good and an excellent place to start for anybody who wants to become acquainted with the band and hear some excellently written and produced electronic music.

My sole complaint with this album is that the singles "Little 15" and "Everything Counts Live" aren't put in their proper chronology but rather placed at the very end of the album for whatever reason.

But as for accusations of milking cash cows...that's alomst complete nonsense. This compliation was built with historical accuracy in mind and if the cash comes, it's only a result of the suberb music and production on this record. Get this along with "The Singles 81-85" for a very good introduction to this superlative pop band.

I am a huge fan of Depeche Mode. They are basically the fathers of tecno and house but, they are much more than that. Their Music is full of incredible lyrics and vocals. There are great songs on this compilation but, I wouldnt say these songs are the best songs they have. If you are a first time listener to depeche mode this will probably be good for you. But, if you like rock I would suggest getting the album "songs of faith and devotion" it has great guitar in it and it leans more towards a rock sound. If you are into dance or house music I suggest the album "violator" it is Depeche Modes best selling album and it is virtually made for the night club. If you are into dark slow music with a lot of bass then I suggest "ultra" This album is my personal favorite and the lyrics are some of Martin Gore's best. And if you are into old school synth pop then I suggest any depeche mode album before 1986 or you can just get "81-84 singles compilation" But, other than that if you want the full feel of depeche mode than get this album!

The first disc in the two disc set The Singles 86>98 effectively compiles the best songs from Black Celebration, Music for the Masses, and Violator (with a few exceptions-"Here Is the House," "But Not Tonight," "Nothing," and "Halo" are not included because they were not released as singles). The second disc covers, in my opinion, the weaker singles from DM's most recent albums: Songs of Faith & Devotion and Ultra. Oddly, "Little 15" and a live version of "Everything Counts" show up at the end of disc two on this otherwise chronologically ordered compilation. In many cases, the single versions found here are not the same as the album versions, and while most of the single versions are as good, if not better, than there corresponding album versions, the single version of "Behind the Wheel" is noticeably weaker than the version found on Music for the Masses. In addition, a couple of Depeche Mode's albums, namely Black Celebration and Violator, contain strong material throughout and I would recommend purchasing them in addition to this compilation.

Anything superlative that can be said about Depeche Mode is probably true but the one thing that is 100% undoubtable is that rank amongst the top 5 when it comes to the most influential bands ever to walk this planet.

Unanimously loved by metalheads, pop lovers, electronica afficionados and anyone with an ear for good music, the Mode have proved time and time again that you can make commercial music without surrendering quality, a feat accomplished by very, very few.

More than that, if ever there was a case for musical genius then this is definately it. Other groups, with much less the influence and far less the creativity and originality have been hailed as geniuses and messiahs over time but Depeche Mode incarnate that image to the very core of it.

Being as it is, this compilation -small objections aside- does very much justice to the group. Leaving out the work between 81-85 (included in a different compilation). It contains some of the most drastically catchy songs ever written, in quite faithful chronological order and that lets you easily realise that D.Mode have aged graciously. It's no coincidence that one of their most complete albums came only 4 years ago (Ultra) when they were already counting 2 decades in the circuit.

Often blamed for being a hit band (in contrast with one that releases "balanced albums") the truth actually is that when they landed a hit it usually was one of monstrous quality and appeal. So much so that hearing their songs today takes nothing away from their incredible power. Equal on musical prowess and lyricism alike this is is a group you need to discover if you're young and one to rediscover if you've been a long time fan. I've repeatedly found that there's always things to rediscover about their music.

Powerhouse songs like "Personal jesus" (one of the most often covered songs ever), "Never let me down" (a simply monumental drug-track) , "Barrel of a gun" (electrodoom for the masses), "World in my eyes" (simply beautiful), or the S&M "Master and Servant" are all on offer here, but this double CD is one you could play through and through without tiring.
An absolute "must" if ever there was one.