This CD was released in 1985 and DM had only been around for only 5 years at this point and grabs selected tracks off their first five albums from 1981s Speak & Spell to 1984s Some Great Reward. Keep in mind that this is not a 'Best of' CD. It's just a sampler of their earlier tracks and most of them are not even hits. This CD does have some 'New' tracks on here such The ever-so-creepy Shake The Disease and the quirky Flexible. There is also the 1985 version of the disturbing track Fly On The Windscreen which was reworked and improved on the masterpiece Black Celebration.

The first three songs are from Depeche Modes cheesier days with charming and brainless fun tracks like Dreaming Of Me, New Life, and Just Can't Get Enough. As the album progresses though, their music got much darker and better with the gloomier tracks like the suicidal Blasphemous Rumors, the BDSM theme Master & Servant, and the eerie Shake The Disease. Then there's the tearful piano ballad Somebody. The version on Some Great Reward is mostly a simple piano ballad. The one on here has some added drum and sound effects that make the song dreamier, and more airy. Shake The Disease is the highlight with it's disturbing intro and alienated atmosphere.

This is a decent collection of DMs early material but it's almost unnecessary for most fans anymore as almost all the tracks on here except Flexible, are on the 1999 release, the singles: 81-85. For completists though who are dissapointed at Flexible not being included on the 1999 release, Catching Up With Depeche Mode is a good buy. I'll repeat once more, this is only a sampler, not a 'Best of' CD!

I don't see why everyone goes and critisizes Depeche Mode for their early 80's songs.

Yes, they are somewhat raw, and almost cheesy at times... but let me ask you, what did *you* look like in the early 80's? :) If you were alive in the early 80's, your guilty!

But seriously speaking, this compilation has a nice collection of Depeche Mode singles from 81-85. Most Depeche Mode fans (who favour their 1986 (and on) singles) will not find this album of any interest. Although Shake the Disease and Blaspehmous Rumors are great songs that showed thier potential as more than just a pop band. The songs earlier on aren't as deep as anything you'll find on thier later albums, but still showed some origionality (well it was origional for the early 80's)...

Although, I can't imagine why on earth they would have neglected other hits like Everything counts (1983), People are People (1984) and others. I figure its because they released another post-Clarke singles complation entitled "People are People" that contains these songs... So you bascially have to buy both compilations for all those songs.

Well thats what I did, then they released "The Singles 81-85" (1998) with two other mixes and completely remastered.

With the new compilation out, I can't think of a good reason to buy this one. Its not remastered and its missing some key songs in Depeche Mode's early career.

The main reason why I'd buy this if I didn't already own it would be for the "Fly on the Windscreen" song. Although, the "final" mix on Black Celebration (1986) is a bit darker and definately worth listening to.

All things considered, this compilation is really not worth purchasing since the release of their 81>85 Singles collection.

Depeche Mode scored their first hit in the United States shortly before the release of this collection, when "People Are People" went to #13 on the Top 100. However, the group had been having hits for years in the U.K. and on U.S. college-rock stations. "Catching Up with Depeche Mode" was thus released so that late-comers could hear the group's excellent early work. Some of the highlights include:

Dreaming of Me - My introduction to the group and still one of my favorite Depeche Mode songs. This song is perhaps their most "new-wave" sounding record and signaled the beginning of a major talent.

Just Can't Get Enough - Has an incredible intro synth line that's impossible to forget, as well as a great chorus. This song is one of their most playful (UK peak - #8 in 1981).

Master and Servant - One of their best-known and most memorable early songs. This song really previewed the direction the group would take with a fuller sound and intriguing lyrics (UK peak - #9 in 1984)

Blasphemous Rumours - Took the group in a new direction - one they'd continue with "Personal Jesus." It includes some of their best lyrics - I don't want to start/ Any blasphemous rumours/ But I think that God's/ Got a sick sense of humour/ And when I die/ I expect to find Him laughing.

Somebody - perhaps their most beautiful ballad ever with an effective heart-beat sound effect (Released with "Blasphemous Rumours" as a two-sided single; UK peak - #16 in 1984)

Overall, this CD collection is first-rate, early 80s synth-pop. However, the group later released "Singles 81-85," a re-mastered CD which includes most of the songs here as well as "Leave in Silence," "Everything Counts," and "People Are People." I don't own "Singles 81-85," so I suggest that you check out the reviews for that CD as well before deciding which (or both) to purchase.

I was hardly 8 years old when this compilation came out, & I wouldn't find out who DM was until "Violator". Still, this became a nice addition to my cd collection a couple of years ago, due to overplay from a diehard-DM-fan friend of mine. I thought a couple of the openers might be too cheesy for me, but soon found myself helplessly singing along. It's hard to say what my favorite song is on here. "Just can't get enough" was my favorite for a while, even though I knew it since high school. "Master & Servant" was relatively new to me, so that became a favorite real quick. A few of my favorite non-radio tracks include "See You", "Fly on the Windscreen", & of course, the lyrics to "Somebody" are just too sweet. This is a must-have for die-hard DM fans, who probably all have this & every other DM album to date already. If you're a new-comer to DM, I'd suggest where I started with "Violator". I'm still trying to figure out why they released an almost identical cd... Oh yah, DM rules :)

While "Catching Up With Depeche Mode" is supposedly a collection of DM's more popular songs from the early 80s, there are quite a few more obscure tracks on here than hits, excluding such better-known tunes as "People Are People" and "Everything Counts" for a handful of cheesy ballads like "Dreaming of Me," "New Life," "See You," and "Somebody." This certainly isn't a CD I'd recommend unless you're an avid DM fan. The two main reasons why I bought it was because 1) it was on sale, and 2) for my favorite four tracks on here: "Master and Servant," "Blasphemous Rumours," "Shake the Disease," and "Fly on the Windscreen." A small plus to this CD, though, is the brief bio in the booklet and the several dozen small color photos of the band inside (some are rather amusing). Yet, this CD is really lacking in popular hits. I'd recommend listening to one of DM's earlier 80's albums instead (like "Some Great Reward") or try the similar version of this CD: "The Singles: 81-85," which includes the two aforementioned hits missing from "Catching Up..."