On 14 March 1984 the English synth pop band Depeche Mode presented their brand new single ‘People Are People’ which was only released two days before (12 March 1984) on the German Top-pop TV show Flashlights.
Six weeks later the single reached the first place in the German single charts and stayed on this number one position for 3 weeks. In West Germany, it was used as the theme to West German TV's coverage of the 1984 Olympics, alluding to East Germany's participation in the Soviet-led boycott of the games.

The single was taken from the album ‘Some Great Reward’ which made it to the 3rd position in the German pop album charts. The album also became gold record with over 150,000 copies sold.

It also became their first hit-single in the US where the single would eventually peak at no. 13. In the UK, the single reached number 4, which was at the time the band's highest singles chart position in their homeland.

In 2011 the song was included on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of the "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll"

People are People (Lyrics)

People are people so why should it be
You and I should get along so awfully
So we're different colours
And we're different creeds
And different people have different needs
It's obvious you hate me
Though I've done nothing wrong
I never even met you
So what could I have done

I can't understand
What makes a man
Hate another man
Help me understand

People are people so why should it be
You and I should get along so awfully
Help me understand
Now you're punching and you're kicking
And you're shouting at me
I'm relying on your common decency
So far it hasn't surfaced
But I'm sure it exists
It just takes a while to travel
From your head to your fist

I can't understand
What makes a man
Hate another man
Help me understand

Songwriter: Martin Gore
© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Today, 38 years ago, American Industrial band Ministry released their second studio album Twitch (12/03/1986). Unlike their synth-pop sounding debut album With Sympathy and due to the influences of bands like Front 242 and Cabaret Voltaire, Twitch received a more dark and aggressive production approach by Adrian Sherwoord and the bands head and voice Al Jourgensen.

Over The Shoulder, accompanied by a video directed by Peter Christopherson (Throbbing Gristle /Coil) was the only single taken from this album.

In 1990 Twitch was reissued on CD and contained two extra tracks, being the exclusive tracks on the Over The Shoulder 12” single until that time.

Tracklist Twitch:
1. Just Like You
2. We Believe
3. All Day Remix
4. The Angel
5. Over the Shoulder
6. My Possession
7. Where You at Now? / Crash & Burn / Twitch" (Version II)

CD bonus tracks
8. Over the Shoulder (12" Version)
9. Isle of Man" (Version II)

DISCOGS

On 12th March 1980, renowned long term BBC radio journalist and DJ John Peel (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004) played Joy Division's Dead Souls for the first time after he discovered the track as a B-side on the 7" Licht und Blindheit.

This single, with Atmosphere on the A-side, was released in 1980 as a France only and limited edition of 1,578 copies. The 7" came with a 3 page colour gatefold booklet with a translation, text written by Jean-Pierre Turmel, a painting by Jean-Francois Jamoul and a photograph by Anton Corbijn.

Today it’s exactly 39 years ago that The Sister of Mercy released their first studio album First and Last and Always. It was released on 11 March 1985 through Merciful Release and WEA, with Elektra Records handling the US release.

The album was recorded during the second half of 1984 and multiple recording sessions took place in various recording studios. It was mixed and produced by David M.Allen who also produced for the likes of The Cure, Depeche mode, Wire and The Human League.

Less then a month later, on 1 April, lead guitarist and band co-founder Gary Marx played his last concert with The Sisters of Mercy before deciding to leave the band. Later Eldritch would suggest the song ‘Walk Away’ was directed at Marx.

Although Wayne Hussey and Gary Marx wrote and sang some of the initial lyrics for some of the demo tracks, Eldritch eventually wrote all the final lyrics as they would appear on the finished album. Both Wayne and Marx re-used some of those lyrics later for their own projects The Mission and Ghost Dance.

Two (demo) songs that didn’t make the album, Serpents Kiss and Wake, would later be re-recorded and released by The Mission.

To represent Dr. Avalanche, The Sisters Of Mercy’s nickname for their drum machine, an Oberheim DMX drum machine was acquired for the recording of this album.

The album went silver (with 60,000 sold) in the UK on 30 October 1987 and gold (with 100,000 sold) on 8 May 1989. Its highest position in the UK album charts was no. 14. In Germany, the group's second largest market after the UK, the album went gold (with 250,000 sold) in 2011. Its highest position in the German album charts was no. 40.

Nevertheless, the production of the album left the band initially in enormous debt. According to Andrew Eldritch, the album recouped the production costs only by 1988.

First Last And Alway - Track listing

2006 CD re-issue Bonus Tracks

The Sisters Of Mercy - Personnel

• Andrew Eldritch – vocals, sleeve design, mixing
• Craig Adams – bass guitar
• Wayne Hussey – guitar, vocals
• Gary Marx – guitar
• Doktor Avalanche (drum machine) – drums

DISCOGS

Today it’s exactly 39 years ago that The Klinik (at that time called Absolute Controled Clinical Maniacs) performed at Xenon (10.03.1985, Aarschot, Belgium). Two tracks, Sick In Your Mind and Vietnam which were recorded during this live show, appeared later that same year on the first The Klinik album Sabotage.
After this release The Klinik soon made a name for themselves with their cold and harsh EBM sound and their live shows, where they performed with their heads wrapped in gauze, wearing long black leather coats.
Even today, Sabotage is still considered as one of the most influential electro-industrial-EBM albums and became a must have collector item.

Sabotage (Tracklist)