| Ultra | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 14 April 1997 (1997-04-14) | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 60:07 | |||
| Label | Mute | |||
| Producer | Tim Simenon | |||
| Depeche Mode chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Ultra | ||||
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Ultra is the ninth studio album by the Englishelectronic music bandDepeche Mode, released on 14 April 1997 byMute Records. It was the band's first album following the departure ofAlan Wilder. Wilder's departure and lead singerDave Gahan's drug problems, which culminated in a near-fatal overdose, had caused speculation that Depeche Mode was finished.[3]
Ultra was the first album the band recorded as a trio sinceA Broken Frame (1982); it was also their first where the band members were not involved with production, with these duties being handled byTim Simenon ofBomb the Bass fame. Though not directly supported by a full-length tour, it was promoted via a brief series of concerts promoted as Ultra Parties.
The album debuted at number one on theUK Albums Chart and at number five on the USBillboard 200. By April 2006, it had sold 584,000 copies in the United States.[4] In 1999, Ned Raggett ranked the album at number 50 on his list of the "Top 136 or So Albums of the Nineties".[5] That same year, the annualUltra Music Festival inMiami was named after the album by its co-founderRussell Faibisch,[6] and acknowledging its influence on thePolish rock scene,Tylko Rock ranked it at number 71 on its list of the "100 Albums That Shook Polish Rock".[citation needed]
The album was preceded by the singles "Barrel of a Gun", released on 3 February and "It's No Good" which was released on 31 March. It was followed by the singles "Home", released on 16 June and "Useless", released on 20 October.
Lyrically, much of the album was inspired by the turmoil the band had faced throughout the 1990s.Martin Gore said that the opening track "Barrel of a Gun" is about realising that you do not have to fit someone else's view of the world.[7] The demo version is similar in feel to the final version, although it was recreated from scratch. The drum pattern was cut up from a loop and re-sequenced, as Gore did not want to use an unedited drum loop, but also felt that loops can provide an "immediate atmosphere".[8]
Musically, the band explored many sounds within the realms ofalternative rock but with larger electronic and trip-hop influences. The band also felt that they wanted to do something different since Alan Wilder had left the band.[9]Tim Simenon served as the album's sole producer, who had previously created two remixes for the limited 12" release of the live version of "Everything Counts" withMark Saunders. He had also been a large fan of the band's music as far back as their appearance onSome Bizzare Album in 1981 with the track "Photographic". As Gore and Gahan were impressed withGavin Friday's 1995 albumShag Tobacco, which he had produced,Daniel Miller arranged for him to meet with the band.
"Sister of Night", "Useless" and "Insight" were the first demos to have been written. The band played these demos to Simenon when they met, and despite their simplicity he was impressed. Upon hearing the demo of "It's No Good", he considered it to be a classic Depeche Mode song.[10][11] While the project started out as a small set of songs, it eventually evolved into a full album.[12]
Gahan continued to struggle with hisheroin addiction during the early months of the album's production. He rarely turned up to scheduled sessions, and when he did, it would take weeks to get any vocals recorded; one six-week session atElectric Lady in New York produced just one usable vocal (for "Sister of Night"), and even that was pieced together from multiple takes.[13] Gore was forced to contemplate breaking the band up and considered releasing the songs he had written as a solo album.[14] In mid-1996, after his near-fatal overdose, Gahan entered a court-ordereddrug rehabilitation program to battle his addiction to cocaine and heroin.[15] Recording sessions continued after he came out of rehab; according to Simenon, he sang "Barrel of a Gun" as if nothing had happened. Mixing of the album took place atAbbey Road in London, between November and December 1996.[10]
On 2 October 2007 (3 October in North America),Ultra was re-released as a two-disc set, along withExciter, completing the Depeche Mode collector's edition catalog. The first disc is a remastered version of the original album, on a SACD/CD hybrid (except in the United States, where it is a CD only). The second disc is a DVD which features the album in DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM Stereo. The B-sides from the album's singles can be listened to as well, including the standalone single "Only When I Lose Myself" and its B-sides.
Like the other albums, there is a documentary on the making ofUltra titledDepeche Mode 95–98 (Oh Well, That's the End of the Band...), the subtitle of which comes from Gore's initial thoughts about Wilder's departure. The documentary begins with discussion from all parties of Wilder's departure before moving on to early album sessions with Dave Gahan's drug issues present. Eventually, it moves on to Gahan's "death" and rehab. The documentary then covers the recording ofUltra and ends with a discussion onThe Singles 86>98 and its corresponding singles tour. The whole band is interviewed, along withAlan Wilder,Daniel Miller, producerTim Simenon, Mute executives, touring keyboardistPeter Gordeno, touring drummer Christian Eigner,Anton Corbijn and others. The remastered version of the album was released on vinyl 30 March 2007 in Germany and 1 October 2007 internationally.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [16] |
| Chicago Tribune | [17] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[18] |
| The Guardian | [19] |
| Los Angeles Times |  [20] |
| NME | 6/10[21] |
| Pitchfork | 8.4/10[22] |
| Q | [23] |
| Rolling Stone | [24] |
| Spin | 6/10[25] |
Greg Kot of theChicago Tribune stated the album "ranks with their best work... this veteran British combo has made a disc that should please their millions of followers and provide a few guilty pleasures for the rest of us."[17] Jim Farber in his review forEntertainment Weekly commented, "Ultra, their first work in four years, combines up-to-the-second synth effects (courtesy of producer Tim 'Bomb the Bass' Simenon) with rippling melodies—all supported by the grim sonic architecture that long ago made DM the darlings of many a sour teen. Imposing spires of synths, industrial rivets of percussion, churchy organs, and grave vocals erect an edifice of reverent dread."[18] Writing forThe Guardian, Caroline Sullivan deemedUltra "dark even by [Depeche Mode's] standards", and on its songs, remarked that "anyone doubting the potency of pop music should hear these, then pretend they're unshaken."[19]Rolling Stone reviewer Elysa Gardner observed a lack of "snappy singles" onUltra but concluded that the album's "moody, pulsating ballads" are "ideal vehicles for Gahan's brooding baritone and for the band's ever-increasing sense of tender intuition."[24]
Los Angeles Times critic Sara Scribner was less enthusiastic, finding that Depeche Mode had not progressed musically onUltra apart from incorporating "Simenon's emotive, multilayered, high-tech sound, which would be far better suited for a subtler band but tends to wash out any hooks on this gloom-and-doom-y album."[20]NME's James Oldham observed, "This album is at least partly the product of one of the most harrowing rock'n'roll sagas in recent memory. It's the tale of an unassuming quartet transformed into a colossal financial machine designed to bring gravitas to the masses: four cherubs from Basildon who were lauded as deities in America—only to discover they couldn't handle it... There is no dramatic reinvention, and as such we're left with an album that's every bit as flawed as its predecessors."[21]
In a retrospective review forAllMusic, Ned Raggett stated that "Depeche delivered a strong album as a rejuvenated band" withUltra, giving particular praise to Gahan's "new control and projection" as a vocalist.[16] Writing forPitchfork in 2022, Raggett described the album as "a crucial bridge between the increasing ambition of their early years and the easy confidence of their later ones."[22]
All tracks are written byMartin L. Gore. All lead vocals byDave Gahan, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Barrel of a Gun" | 5:35 | |
| 2. | "The Love Thieves" | 6:34 | |
| 3. | "Home" | Gore | 5:42 |
| 4. | "It's No Good" | 5:58 | |
| 5. | "Uselink" | instrumental | 2:21 |
| 6. | "Useless" | 5:12 | |
| 7. | "Sister of Night" | 6:04 | |
| 8. | "Jazz Thieves" | instrumental | 2:54 |
| 9. | "Freestate" | 6:44 | |
| 10. | "The Bottom Line" | Gore | 4:26 |
| 11. | "Insight" (includes thehidden track "Junior Painkiller", starting at 6:27) |
| 8:37 |
| Total length: | 60:07 | ||
| No. | Title | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Insight" |
| 6:26 |
| 12. | "Junior Painkiller" | instrumental | 2:10 |
| Total length: | 60:06 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Barrel of a Gun" | 5:35 |
| 2. | "The Love Thieves" | 6:34 |
| 3. | "Home" | 5:42 |
| 4. | "It's No Good" | 5:58 |
| 5. | "Uselink" | 2:21 |
| 6. | "Useless" | 5:12 |
| 7. | "Sister of Night" | 6:04 |
| 8. | "Jazz Thieves" | 2:54 |
| 9. | "Freestate" | 6:44 |
| 10. | "The Bottom Line" | 4:26 |
| 11. | "Insight" (includes thehidden track "Junior Painkiller", starting at 6:27) |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Depeche Mode: 1995–98 (Oh Well, That's the End of the Band...)" (a short film) | 50:00 |
| 2. | "Barrel of a Gun" | 5:35 |
| 3. | "The Love Thieves" | 6:34 |
| 4. | "Home" | 5:42 |
| 5. | "It's No Good" | 5:58 |
| 6. | "Uselink" | 2:21 |
| 7. | "Useless" | 5:12 |
| 8. | "Sister of Night" | 6:04 |
| 9. | "Jazz Thieves" | 2:54 |
| 10. | "Freestate" | 6:44 |
| 11. | "The Bottom Line" | 4:26 |
| 12. | "Insight" (includes thehidden track "Junior Painkiller", starting at 6:27) |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Barrel of a Gun" | 6:00 |
| 14. | "It's No Good" | 4:08 |
| 15. | "Useless" | 5:23 |
| No. | Title | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16. | "Painkiller" | instrumental | 7:29 |
| 17. | "Slowblow" | instrumental | 5:25 |
| 18. | "Only When I Lose Myself" | 4:35 | |
| 19. | "Surrender" | 6:20 | |
| 20. | "Headstar" | instrumental | 4:25 |
Credits adapted from the liner notes ofUltra.[26]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Belgium (BRMA)[57] | Gold | 25,000* |
| France (SNEP)[58] | Gold | 100,000* |
| Germany (BVMI)[59] | Gold | 250,000^ |
| Russia | — | 10,000[60] |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[61] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| Sweden (GLF)[62] | Gold | 40,000^ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[63] | Gold | 25,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[64] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[65] | Gold | 584,000[4] |
| Summaries | ||
| Europe (IFPI)[66] | Platinum | 1,000,000* |
| Worldwide | — | 4,000,000[67] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)