This, to me, is the definitive Depeche Mode album. It also marked the beginning of many listeners’ fascination with the self-proclaimed all-electronic group. The famous (but tiringly repetitive) “People Are People” emerged from this album, but there are other songs I much prefer. “Somebody” is one of the first, if not the first, really good Depeche Mode ballads in the band’s catalog, which is an aspect of Depeche Mode’s sound that I think they made a big mistake in not pursuing. There’s also “Blasphemous Rumours”, a brutally harsh song that’s probably been burned or banned somewhere in the Bible Belt, though its lyrics seem to be aimed at a teen/young adult audience and one has to 
wonder just what the message is. But the best thing on here is “It Doesn’t Matter”, easily one of my favorite Depeche Mode songs by miles – and yep, it’s another ballad. Why they shunned that path in favor of going the industrial route baffles me, especially when they were so good at it.
- Something To Do (3:45)
- Lie To Me (5:04)
- People Are People (3:52)
- It Doesn’t Matter (4:45)
- Stories Of Old (3:12)
- Somebody (4:26)
- Master and Servant (4:13)
- If You Want (4:40)
- Blasphemous Rumours (6:21)
Released by: Mute
Release date: 1984
Total running time: 40:18
