Wow. I'm really surprised that I'm going to be the first person to mention this: The thing which makes this reissue disappointing for me is that every incarnation of this album up to this point (well, maybe not on vinyl) flowed from Pimpf straight into the pseudo "bonus" tracks "Agent Orange," "Never Let Down Again (Aggro Mix)," "To Have And To Hold (Spanish Taster)" and "Pleasure Little Treasure." Now, the album ends with "Pimpf." If over the years you've listened to this album 10,000 times like I have, you're going to feel a bit cheated, like you aren't getting the whole album. Those kind-of-kind-of-not bonus tracks have always felt like an integral part of this album. "Agent Orange" and "Pleasure Little Treasure" are now seated at the kids' table, pushed into their own, separate little section along with some additional B-sides on the DVD. You have to navigate around on the DVD menu to access them. It seems particularly weird to regard "Pleasure Little Treasure" as a "bonus" track, given that it was one of the first cuts from the album to be pushed as a single. And sadly, "To Have And To Hold" and the Aggro mix of "Never Let Me Down Again" are nowhere to be found.

The sound mix is great, as is the documentary, but you really should approach this reissue as something to complement one of your favorite albums, not as a replacement for it.

Depeche Mode revolutionized music with a collection of great songs, revolutionary recording techniques, and one of the biggest cult followings in music history. Back in March of 1987, Music For The Masses proved to be another defining moment in an already legendary band's catalogue. Released only a year after their seminal "Black Celebration" album, Music For The Masses was strangely both dark and danceable. The fusion of the two elements of "goth" and "dance" opened up Depeche Mode's sound to a whole new audience of clubgoing teens who could appreciate not only the beat heavy polyrhythms, but also the honestly bleak lyrics. Coincedentally, Music For The Masses would prove to be released at the height of the 80's dance scene of 1987 and 1988 - this timing would prove to be a boon for Depeche, as Music For The Masses sold more copies in the U.S. than any of their previous recordings. With the first single, "Strangelove," the band actually scored their first stateside top 40 hit since 1985's "People Are People." They even got regular play on MTV for the first time, and earned a performance on 1987's MTV Video Music Awards. Not only did Music For The Masses open up Depeche Mode's commercial influence, but it also revolutionized their sound as well. Never before had the band relied so heavily on rhythm to carry their songs. Recordings such as "Strangelove," "Behind The Wheel," and "Nothing" display the bands intimate knowledge of layered percussives and employ them to brilliant effect. Never since have Depeche Mode incorporated such complex rhythms into their music as on Music For The Masses. This album, in my opinion is the paradigm of eighties dance-pop. Brilliant lyrical motifs that reflect life, love and friendship coupled with strangely impersonal, yet passionate, synth-noise. The glowing, almost orgasmic in heights, "Never Let Me Down Again" opens the album on a blissful exuberant note as Martin sings "Everything is alright tonight." "The Things You Said" is one of the moodiest pieces the band has ever recorded, focusing on the gossip of daily life - "I heard it from my friends about the things you said, but they know me better than that..." perfectly conveys the adolescent experience. "Strangelove," the album's most danceable track, is accented with everything from metallic beats and glass breaking percussion to electronic crickets. "Sacred" explores the depth of love with a gorgeous echoing chorus and beat-heavy verse. Without a doubt it is one of the best album tracks the band has ever recorded. Next comes the downbeat "Little 15" with a repetitive cello synth and lyrics that will touch the heart of any adolescent - a perfect reflection of the powerless feeling that accompanies youth. "Behind The Wheel," despite being one of my least favorite Depeche Mode tracks, is still a wonderful work-out in dance rhythms. The intro with the "wheel rolling" effect is one of the most recognizable in pop history. "I Want You Now" wins the MostDisturbingDepecheModeSong award. Its spooky breathing effects beneath a possessive lyric are nothing short of scary. But, a nice melody and the inventive arrangement save it from being merely shocking and turn it into a compelling peice of music. "To Have And To Hold" is one of the bands most experimental songs ever. You can barely hear the lyrics beneath the noise piled over top of them. But it is also strangely affecting because of this. It is near-perfect in conveying a sense of paranoia. "Nothing" is one of the most nihilistic songs the band has ever performed. "Sitting Target, sitting praying, and God is saying... Nothing." Is that dark or what! But this is also one of my favorites, because it is so rhythmic in spite of all the gloominess. Finally, "Pimpf" rounds out the album on an instrumental note. This is clearly Alan Wilder's moment to shine. This one can be categorized under "unsettling." And that was it. With these ten tracks, Depeche Mode revolutionized the pop music scene of the late 80's. The complex interplay between darkness and danceability has only been seen since in the music of Nine Inch Nails and Garbage, both of which proved themselves to be very influential as well. Depeche Mode has never again toyed with pop music in the manner found on "Music For The Masses" again, but their one foray into the genre left a timeless impression upon pop music. I recommend that you check this one out.

If I had to only choose 3 DM albums to take with me to a desert island, this would be one of them. It has classic tracks like Strangelove, Little 15, Pleasure Little Treasure, and Never Let Me Down Again that make it a must have. But there is no filler, this is all well done DM music. From the more experimental PIMPF to the more mainstream stuff, this stands out as one of DM's crowning achievments. I consider myself one of their biggest fans, having everything of theirs I can get my hands on, and this is one of the best.

I can't stress enough how wonderful this album is. If you are into electronic music, new wave, or just want to relive high school memories, this is the album to get. Never Let Me Down Again will forever be an anthem for me and my high school friends. Check out the video if you can.

Get it. It is great. Enough said...

I ordered the import SACD version (shakes fist at Rhino) I guess US audiences do not merit the SACD release. Shrug. Regardless, I'd like to comment on the sound quality of Music for the Masses.

First of all, true remasters take the 2-track master, bring it into a mastering studio, and work from there. Don't expect a remix from the multitrack, although the 5.1 mixes obviously have to be remixed from the multitrack, unless they take the ultra cheap way out and synthesize a surround mix out of the 2-track master. Anyway, I'm not commenting on the surround mix. This is strictly about the stereo remaster.

With today's mastering technology, working on something that is 20 years old noticeably improves the sound quality - regardless of delivery format, CD, SACD, whatever. You're going to hear the difference. The Violator and Speak & Spell remasters benefitted from the remastering. Music for the Masses... not so much. I don't think this is the fault of the mastering engineer, I suspect this is simply the best they could do with the material. Overall, and I'm speculating here, it sounds like early digital. Somewhere along the signal path it sounds like it has been irrevocably committed to an early digital technology.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of digital recording, but some early systems really didn't sound so great, and this is a big reason why digital adopted an early reputation of sounding rather harsh. This release really sounds like that kind of technology in the original recording, and if that is the case, all the mastering kung-fu in the world isn't going to make it sound appreciably better.

"Never Let Me Down Again" should sound huge. It doesn't. It sounds pinched. And flat. Some of the quieter songs revel more detail. You can hear the reverb on the kick drum of "The Things You Said" more clearly, for example. Every sample edge is clear on "I Want You Now", due to the increased average level. It is the 'big' songs that seem to suffer: "Strangelove" sounds pretty much as it did before, but with less dynamic range, and less punch.

I'm really looking forward to Black Celebration, which I feel is Depeche Mode's worst-mastered album. However, from my experience with other remasters from that era, I'm afraid the quieter details, like reverb, will become overwhelming when mastered to today's standards. A new stereo remix is really warranted under those circumstances.

i got both violator and music for the masses last night and they are well worth the 22.99 asking price. as the gentleman below mentioned, the sound quality is incredibly improved. this won't matter much to the average fan, but to mode-geeks like me, it's a godsend. i won't go into the details of the album, because if you already own music for the masses, you already know what a great album it is.

the documentary included is great. as with the violator album, it's great to hear david bascombe, the album's producer, talk about the the making of the album. the creative process has always fascinated me and getting a behind-the-scenes look at 'masses' is a treat. to hear dave bascombe say the intro to 'never let me down again' was a 'happy accident' was a treat. it was also great to see how 'masses' made depeche mode one of the biggest acts in the world. it's not every band, you know, that can sell 70,000 seats at the rose bowl. as with 'violator,' you'll get plenty of interviews with the band, the most impressive of which, in my opinion, is the interview with alan wilder. you can't help but be impressed with the man and wish he were still a part of the band.

for life-long depeche mode fans, these reissues are fantastic. sure, they could've had a few more bells and whistles, but the audio is first-rate, the dvd is fantastic, and listening and watching will take you back to the time when depeche mode were the center of the known universe.