Today, 39 years ago, Depeche Mode released its fifth studio album Black Celebration!
On 17 March 1986, 39 agao, Depeche Mode released its fifth studio album Black Celebration through Mute Records. The album further cemented the darkening sound created by Alan Wilder. The album reached the fourth place on the UK Albums Chart, making it the group's highest-peaking album of the 1980s decade in their native country. Three years after its release, Spin ranked it at number 15 on its list of "The 25 Greatest Albums of All Time".
Four singles were taken from this album, ‘Stripped’, ‘A Question Of Lust’, ‘A Question Of Time’ and ‘But Not Tonight’ and released throughout the following year.
Upon its release Black Celebration received mixed critics in the British press. Melody Maker's Steve Sutherland brought the album down and wrote that Depeche Mode came off as "pussycats desperate to appear perverted as an escape from the superficiality of teen stardom”, also Sounds published a similar unsparing review criticizing chief songwriter Martin Gore's "adolescent fragments of despair". NME on the other hand praised Black Celebration's "perfectly constructed jigsaw melodies" and concluded "When the songs address topics other than the composer's state of mind – as on the evocative exploration of loneliness that is 'World Full of Nothing' – Depeche Mode sound like a lot more than just a high tech, low-life melodrama”…
Nevertheless the album entered the charts all over the world with some of its highest peaks in Switzerland (1st position, Swiss Hitparade), Germany (2nd of the Top 100), UK (4th of UK album) and Sweden (5th Swedish Top list). It also received Platinum in Germany (500.000 copies sold) and Gold in the US (500.000 copies sold).
But since then Black Celebration has been regularly reappraised in retrospective reviews. In 2007, when the album was re-released Rolling Stone magazine referred to the album as an "instant classic for the band's fans" that at the time of its release had seemingly been "utterly ignored by everybody else".
Depeche Mode (1986)
- Alan Wilder
- Andrew Fletcher
- David Gahan
- Martin Gore
Black Celebration LP (1986)
01. Black Celebration 4:55
02. Fly on the Windscreen – Final 5:18
03. A Question of Lust 4:20
04. Sometimes 1:53
05. It Doesn't Matter Two 2:50
06. A Question of Time 4:10
07. Stripped 4:16
08. Here Is the House 4:15
09. World Full of Nothing 2:50
10. Dressed in Black 2:32
11. New Dress 3:42
On 16 March 1987, Siouxsie and the Banshees released their cover version of Iggy Pop's 'The Passenger', it was recorded for their 1987 all-cover-versions album Through the Looking Glass. The band revamped the song by adding brass arrangements. Released as the second single from that album, it peaked at number 41 in the UK singles charts.
Iggy Pop later praised their version and stated: "She sings it well and she threw a little note in when she sings it, that I wish I had thought of, it's kind of improved it [...]. Also the horn thing is good."
It was released as 7" and 12" vinyl by Polydor.
The Passenger - 7" - Tracklist
A. The Passenger 4:06
B. She's Cuckoo 4:16
The Passenger - 12 " - Tracklist
A. The Passenger (Llllloco-motion Mix) 8:00
B1. She's Cuckoo 4:15
B2. Something Blue 3:54
Today, 41 years ago, Siouxsie And The Banshees released the single Swimming Horses!
Today, 41 years ago, Siouxsie And The Banshees released the single Swimming Horses (16.03.1984) which was taken from the band's sixth studio album Hyaena. The song was co-written by Steven Severin and Robert Smith (The Cure)
The 7" B-side featured Let’s Go while the 12" version also feartured a third song called The Humming Wires.
Upon release Siouxsie explained to British music magazine Melody Maker what events inspired her to write this song:
“This song is based on a programme I saw about a female version of Amnesty, called 'Les Sentinelles'. They rescue women who are trapped in certain religious climates in the Middle East, religions that view any kind of pre-marital sexual aspersion as punishable by death – either by the hand of the eldest brother in the family, or by public stoning. And there was this instance of a woman whose daughter had developed a tumour, and, of course, gossip abounded that she was pregnant. The doctor who removed the tumour allowed her to take it back to the village to prove that, no, it wasn't a baby – but they wouldn't believe her. The woman knew her daughter would have to be stoned to death so she poisoned her, out of kindness, to save her from a worse fate. Now this organization has all these escape routes for women like her, mainly through the elder brother who pretends to have killed them. But once they've been saved, they can never go back. So the song starts, "Kinder than with poison..." I also used the imagery of "He gives birth to swimming horses", from the fact that male sea horses give birth to the children, so they're the only species that have a maternal feel for the young. It was, I suppose, an abstract way of linking it all together without being sensationalist. I remember just being really moved by that programme, and wanting to get the sorrow out of me.“
Swimming Horses - Lyrics
Falling in your, falling in your arms
Fish on a line, learns to live on dry land
Thrown back again to drown
Kinder with poison
Than pushed down a well - or a face burnt to hell
Feel the cruel stones breaking her bones
Dead before born
Words fall in ruins - but no sound
She's dying of your shame - she maimed by your paw
He gives birth to swimming horses
Fish on a line, walking on dry land
But, back in the water to drown we drown
Floating in sky
He gives birth to swimming horses
Take a ride on the tide with the assassin at your side
The weightlessness under water -- forgets in slow motion
And washes pointless tortures
He gives birth to swimming horses
Floating in sky like fishes can fly through your arms
Songwriters: Robert Smith / Siouxsie Sioux / Steven Severin
On this day 21 years ago, Kraftwerk released the single "Aerodynamik" (15 March 2004) which was taken from their album Tour de France Soundtracks (2003).
The track embodies Kraftwerk’s signature minimalist and futuristic style, blending sleek synthesizer melodies with driving, rhythmic beats that evoke the precision and speed of aerodynamics.
The song was a highlight of Tour de France Soundtracks, an album inspired by the world of cycling, technology, and human endurance. "Aerodynamik" stands out for its mechanized, pulsating beats and crisp electronic textures, reflecting Kraftwerk’s deep fascination with motion, efficiency, and innovation. It combines robotic funk basslines, filtered synth sweeps, and hypnotic sequences, making it both a danceable and cerebral listening experience.
Following its release, "Aerodynamik" was reworked into several remixes, including a notable version by Alex Gopher and Étienne de Crécy, which added a French touch-inspired electro-house feel. In 2005, Kraftwerk reimagined the song in "Aerodynamik/La Forme (Hot Chip Remix)," infusing a more modern electronic groove while staying true to their signature aesthetic.
The track became a staple in Kraftwerk’s live performances, often enhanced by visually striking stage projections and cycling-inspired imagery, reinforcing its connection to speed and movement. "Aerodynamik" reflects Kraftwerk’s enduring influence on electronic music, bridging the gap between their pioneering 1970s work and contemporary dance music.
Even two decades after its release, "Aerodynamik" remains a testament to Kraftwerk’s timeless innovation and precision-engineered sound, inspiring countless electronic artists and cementing their status as pioneers of the genre.
On this day, 5 years ago, Genesis P. Orridge passed away at the age of 70...
On this day, 5 years ago Genesis P-Orridge (1950–2020) – Artist, Musician, and Cultural Provocateur passed away in New York City after being diagnosed with Chronic Leukemia in 2017.
Genesis Breyer P-Orridge (born Neil Andrew Megson on February 22, 1950) was a groundbreaking English artist, musician, writer, and occultist. As a pioneering figure in industrial and avant-garde music, P-Orridge left an indelible mark on experimental sound and transgressive art.
P-Orridge first gained recognition in the late 1960s as a member of the performance art collective COUM Transmissions, which pushed boundaries of social and artistic norms. COUM's provocative work led to the formation of Throbbing Gristle in 1975, a band widely credited with founding the industrial music genre. With its aggressive soundscapes, confrontational themes, and radical anti-establishment stance, Throbbing Gristle influenced countless artists in electronic, noise, and experimental music.
Following Throbbing Gristle’s initial disbandment in 1981, P-Orridge formed Psychic TV, a multimedia project blending psychedelic, electronic, and industrial elements. Psychic TV became a central figure in the "acid house" movement and released an extensive discography, often exploring themes of identity, sexuality, and esoteric spirituality. Alongside the musical work, P-Orridge co-founded Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth (TOPY), a countercultural network focused on magick and personal transformation.
In the 1990s and 2000s, P-Orridge embarked on the "Pandrogeny Project" with longtime partner Lady Jaye Breyer, aiming to dissolve traditional gender binaries by undergoing body modification and exploring new identities. This deeply personal and artistic endeavor positioned P-Orridge as an early advocate for gender fluidity and nonbinary identity, inspiring contemporary discussions on identity politics and self-expression.
Despite facing controversy, censorship, and exile from the UK in the early 1990s, P-Orridge continued to create, perform, and challenge societal norms until the end of their life. Their influence extended beyond music into performance art, literature, and gender discourse.
Genesis P-Orridge passed away on March 14, 2020, at the age of 70, leaving behind a legacy of artistic defiance, cultural revolution, and fearless self-reinvention. Their impact continues to resonate with artists, musicians, and free thinkers worldwide.
