Ultra (Depeche Mode album)
Ultra is the ninth studio album by English electronic music band Depeche Mode. It was released on 14 April 1997 by Mute Records. It was the band's first album following the departure of Alan Wilder, who had become disillusioned with life in the band. Wilder's departure and lead singer Dave Gahan's drug problems, which culminated in a near-fatal overdose, had caused speculation that Depeche Mode was finished.[11] Ultra was the first album the band recorded as a trio since A Broken Frame (1982); it was also their first where the band members were not involved with production.
Ultra | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 14 April 1997 | |||
Recorded | January 1996 – February 1997 | |||
Studio |
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Length | 60:04 | |||
Label | Mute | |||
Producer | Tim Simenon | |||
Depeche Mode chronology | ||||
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Singles from Ultra | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Chicago Sun-Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Chicago Tribune | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | B+[4] |
The Guardian | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Los Angeles Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
NME | 6/10[7] |
Q | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Spin | 6/10[10] |
The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and at number five on the US Billboard 200. By 2006, it had sold 584,000 copies in the United States.[12] In 1999, Ned Raggett ranked the album at number 50 on his list of the "Top 136 or So Albums of the Nineties".[13] That same year, the annual Ultra Music Festival in Miami was named after the album by its co-founder Russell Faibisch,[14] and acknowledging its influence on the Polish rock scene, Tylko Rock ranked it at number 71 on its list of the "100 Albums That Shook Polish Rock".[15]
2007 re-release
On 2 October 2007 (3 October in North America), Ultra was re-released as a two-disc set, along with Exciter, 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 of Ultra titled Depeche Mode 95–98 (Oh Well, That's the End of the Band...), the subtitle of which comes from Gore's thoughts about Wilder's departure. The documentary begins with discussion from all parties of Wilder's departure before moving on to early album sessions despite Dave Gahan's drug issues present. Eventually, it moves on to Gahan's "death" and rehab. The documentary then covers the recording of Ultra and ends with a discussion on The Singles 86>98 and its corresponding singles tour. The whole band is interviewed, along with Alan Wilder, Daniel Miller, producer Tim Simenon, Mute executives, touring keyboardist Peter 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.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Martin L. Gore.
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 a hidden track "Junior Painkiller", starting at 6:27) | 8:37 |
2006 Collectors Edition CD + DVD
- Disc one is a hybrid SACD/CD with a multi-channel SACD layer.
- Disc two is a DVD which includes "Ultra" in DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM Stereo plus the following bonus material:
Live tracks in London, April 1997 (in DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, PCM Stereo)
- "Barrel of a Gun"
- "It's No Good"
- "Useless"
Bonus tracks (in PCM Stereo)
- "Painkiller"
- "Slowblow"
- "Only When I Lose Myself"
- "Surrender"
- "Headstar"
Additional material
- Depeche Mode 95–98 (Oh Well, That's the End of the Band...) (50-minute documentary)
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Ultra.[16]
Depeche Mode
Additional musicians
- Kerry Hopwood – programming
- Dave Clayton – keyboards, keyboard programming (all tracks); string arrangements (track 3)
- Victor Indrizzo – percussion (tracks 1, 4)
- Jaki Liebezeit – percussion (track 10)
- B. J. Cole – pedal steel guitar (track 10)
- Gota Yashiki – drums (track 6)
- Keith LeBlanc – drums (track 6)
- Danny Cummings – percussion (tracks 6, 9)
- Doug Wimbish – bass (track 6)
- Daniel Miller – System 700 (track 5)
- Richard Niles – strings score, strings conducting (track 3)
- Graeme Perkins – strings coordination (track 3)
Technical
- Tim Simenon – production, mixing
- Q – mixing, engineering
- Paul Hicks – engineering assistance
- Guy Massey – engineering assistance
- Lee Fitzgerald – engineering assistance
- Tom Rixton – engineering assistance
- Gary Forde – engineering assistance
- Lee Phillips – engineering assistance
- Jamie Campbell – engineering assistance
- Jim – engineering assistance
- Greg – engineering assistance
- Audie Chamberlain – engineering assistance
- Robbie Kazandjian – engineering assistance
- Mike Marsh – mastering
- Evelyn Halus – vocal coach
- Gareth Jones – mixing (tracks 5, 8); additional vocals engineering (tracks 2, 3, 9)
Artwork
- Anton Corbijn – art direction, photography, front cover
- Brian Dowling – colour prints
- Area – sleeve design
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications and sales
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Belgium (BEA)[46] | Gold | 25,000* |
France (SNEP)[47] | Gold | 100,000* |
Germany (BVMI)[48] | Gold | 250,000^ |
Italy (FIMI)[49] | Platinum | 100,000* |
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[50] | Gold | 50,000^ |
Sweden (GLF)[51] | Gold | 40,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[52] | Gold | 25,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[53] | Gold | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[54] | Gold | 584,000[12] |
Summaries | ||
Europe (IFPI)[55] | Platinum | 1,000,000* |
Worldwide | — | 4,000,000[56] |
*sales figures based on certification alone |
See also
References
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- Kim, Jae-Ha (13 April 1997). "Depeche Mode, 'Ultra' (Mute/Reprise)". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2017 – via HighBeam Research.
- Kot, Greg (18 April 1997). "Depeche Mode: Ultra (Mute)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
- Farber, Jim (18 April 1997). "Ultra". Entertainment Weekly. No. 375. New York. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
- Sullivan, Caroline (11 April 1997). "The Mode test". The Guardian. London. ISSN 0261-3077.
- Scribner, Sara (13 April 1997). "That Same Gloom and Doom Mode". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
- Oldham, James (4 April 1997). "Common Synths". NME. London. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
- Malins, Steve (May 1997). "Downbeat". Q. No. 128. London. p. 118. ISSN 0955-4955.
- Gardner, Elysa (10 April 1997). "Ultra". Rolling Stone. New York. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
- Weisbard, Eric (May 1997). "Depeche Mode: Ultra". Spin. Vol. 13 no. 2. New York. pp. 110–11. ISSN 0886-3032. Retrieved 8 January 2017 – via Google Books.
- "Especial Depeche Mode: Ultra" (in Spanish). Hipersonica. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2009.
- Caulfield, Keith (5 April 2006). "Ask Billboard: New Depeche Order Mode". Billboard. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
- Breathe internet Archived 20 January 2000 at the Wayback Machine
- Duran, Jose D. (14 March 2013). "How Russell Faibisch Built Ultra Music Festival – and Whom He's Battled Along the Way". Miami New Times. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
- Acclaimed Music - Ultra
- Ultra (liner notes). Depeche Mode. Mute Records. 1997. CDSTUMM148.CS1 maint: others (link)
- "Australiancharts.com – Depeche Mode – Ultra". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
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- "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14 no. 18. 3 May 1997. p. 22. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 12 January 2019 – via American Radio History.
- "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 109 no. 19. 10 May 1997. p. 49. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 8 January 2017 – via Google Books.
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- デペッシュ・モードのアルバム売り上げランキング [Depeche Mode album sales ranking] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 7 December 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
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