Ultra (Depeche Mode album)

Ultra
Depeche Mode studio album
Publication (s)	April 14, 1997
Label (s)	Mute Records
Genre (s)	Synth pop , industrial rock , alternative rock , synth rock
Title (number)	11 + 1
running time	60:04
occupation	Dave Gahan Martin Gore Andrew Fletcher Christian Eigner Dave Clayton
production	Tim Simenon
Studio (s)	Abbey Road, Eastcote, Westside, Strongroom & RAK in London; Electric Lady in New York; Larrabee West in Los Angeles
chronology Songs of Faith and Devotion (1993) Ultra Exciter (2001)
Single releases February 3, 1997 Barrel of a Gun March 31, 1997 It's no good June 16, 1997 Home October 20, 1997 Useless

Chart positions Explanation of the data

Albums

Ultra   DE 1 04/28/1997 (48 weeks)   AT 5 04/27/1997 (16 weeks)   CH 4th 04/27/1997 (15 weeks)   UK 1 04/26/1997 (11 weeks)   US 5 05/03/1997 (19 weeks)

Singles

Barrel of a Gun   DE 3 02/17/1997 (9 weeks)   AT 15th 02/23/1997 (5 weeks)   CH 30th 02/16/1997 (6 weeks)   UK 4th 02/15/1997 (4 weeks)   US 47 02/22/1997 (5 weeks) It's no good   DE 5 04/07/1997 (13 weeks)   AT 28 05/04/1997 (7 weeks)   CH 30th 05/04/1997 (10 weeks)   UK 5 04/12/1997 (5 weeks)   US 38 05/17/1997 (20 weeks) Home   DE 11 06/30/1997 (9 weeks)   CH 47 07/27/1997 (1 week)   UK 23 06/28/1997 (4 weeks)   US 88 December 06, 1997 (3 weeks) Useless   DE 16 11/03/1997 (10 weeks)   UK 28 11/01/1997 (2 weeks)

Ultra is the ninth studio album by the synth-pop band Depeche Mode . It was the band's first album after Alan Wilder's departure in 1995 and the second with Gore, Gahan and Fletcher after A Broken Frame in 1982.

The first recordings began in mid-1996, but had to be interrupted again and again because of Dave Gahan's drug problems. At this point in time, many expected the band to break up. But after Gahan's rehabilitation in a rehab clinic, work on the album was completed. The band decided not to go on tour, but made up for it in 1998 after the release of the compilation The Singles 86-98 . Tim Simenon (also known as " Bomb the Bass ") was hired as the producer . Since 1988 he has produced numerous remixes for the band . In addition, various studio musicians such as keyboardist Dave Clayton filled the gap left by Alan Wilder for the recordings .

Ultra reached high positions in the sales charts in many countries, including No. 1 in Germany and Great Britain, No. 5 in the USA.

Track list

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 - 6:26
12. Junior Painkiller - 2:11 unlisted bonus track

All songs were written by Martin Gore, who also sings the songs Home and The Bottom Line . The other songs are sung by Dave Gahan, Uselink , Jazz Thieves and Junior Painkiller are instrumental pieces .

Single releases

1. Barrel of a Gun - February 3, 1997
2. It's No Good - March 31, 1997
3. Home - June 16, 1997
4. Useless - October 20, 1997

The single version of Useless is a remix by Alan Moulder . In the US, Home and Useless were published together as a double A-side .

Set list of the Ultra Parties 1997

1. Barrel of a Gun
2. Useless
3. It's no good
4. Home
5. Never Let Me Down Again

Setlist from The Singles Tour 1998

1. Painkiller (intro)
2. A question of time
3. World in My Eyes
4. Policy of Truth
5. It's no good
6. Never Let Me Down Again
7. Walking in My Shoes
8. Only When I Lose Myself
9. • A Question of Lust
   • Sister of Night
10. Home
11. Condemnation
12. In your room
13. Useless
14. Enjoy the silence
15. Personal Jesus
16. Barrel of a Gun
17. Somebody
18. • Stripped
    • Behind the wheel
19. I feel you
20. Just Can't Get Enough

Republication

On October 1, 2007, Ultra was re-released as SACD and DVD . In addition to the multi-channel album songs and the documentary Depeche Mode 1995–98: "Oh well, that's the end of the band ..." , the new edition also contains the following bonus tracks:

• Barrel of a Gun (Live in London, April 1997)
• It's No Good (Live in London, April 1997)
• Useless (Live in London, April 1997)
• Painkiller
• Slowblow
• Only When I Lose Myself
• Surrender
• Head star

Trivia

• The album was recorded in various studios in London , New York and Los Angeles .
• Due to Gahan's drug problems, it was thought that the recordings would be canceled, the songs would then have been re-recorded with Gore and released as a solo album.
• After his voice was badly affected by drug problems, Dave Gahan took singing lessons for the first time in his life.
• The song Sister of Night has a special place for Dave Gahan: "I can hear how scared I was," he told Q magazine in March 1997.
• Christian Eigner was hired for the recordings and has since supported the band in all live performances on drums.
• In the novel strangers soul dark forest of Reinhard Kaiser Mühlecker hear the protagonist Jacob the album "every spare minute" since he "had found under Alexander's things ..." the CD.
• The founders of the Ultra Music Festival named their electronic event after the album.

Web links

• Ultra , Barrel of a Gun , It's No Good , Home and Useless on the official band homepage

Individual evidence

1. ↑ musicline.de: Depeche Mode in the German single charts ( Memento of the original from April 22, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
2. ^ Austriancharts.at: Depeche Mode in the Austrian charts
3. ↑ hitparade.ch: Depeche Mode in the Swiss charts
4. ↑ Depeche Mode in the Official UK Charts (English)
5. ↑ billboard.com: Depeche Mode on the US Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart
6. ↑ musicline.de: Depeche Mode in the German album charts ( Memento of the original from April 22, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
7. ↑ billboard.com: Depeche Mode on the US Billboard 200 album charts
8. ^ "I can hear how scared I was". Quoted from: Jonathan Miller: Stripped: Depeche Mode. Omnibus Press, London 2009, ISBN 978-0-85712-026-7 , Chapter 29, From Exodus To Ultra , without page.
9. ↑ Frankfurt a. M. 2016. p. 223.
10. ↑ 20 times Ultra Music Festival at djmag.de