How the shitting hell did I miss this one?? I’ve been a devoted (pardon the pun) Depeche Mode fan since 1997’s “Violator” and have worked backwards as well as including all subsequent releases to ensure I get my full fix.

At the moment I’m obsessed with Gary Numan, both as a human being and born again musician of true relevance. During a couple of interviews he’s mentioned this record (and NIN’s “Pretty Hate Machine”) as a major influence on the direction he’s taken - and it’s a very successful direction I must say. I “own” (*) a lot of DM’s record but surprisingly not this one so I’m streaming this via Tidal.

It’s pretty fucking good. I feel so embarrassed calling myself a “completist”

(*) What does to “own” music really mean? You may have physical or streaming media but you never “own” it really.

• Allmusic.com - Review