Artist	Song
David Bowie	Heroes
from Heroes (Remastered) (1999)
Kraftwerk	Computer Love
from Computer World (2005)
Gary Numan & The Tubeway Army	Are Friends Electric?
from Replicas Redux (2008)
Sparks	Amateur Hour
from Kimono My House (2008)
Roxy Music	Love Is the Drug
from Siren (2000)
Can	I Want More
from Flow Motion (2006)
The Stooges	Dirt
from Funhouse (Deluxe Edition) [Remastered] (2005)
The Human League	Being Boiled (Fast Version)
from Reproduction (2003)
John Lee Hooker	Boogie Chillen
from The Classic Early Years 1948-1951 (2006)
The Velvet Underground	White Light / White Heat
from White Light / White Heat (1996)
John Foxx	Underpass
from Metamatic (2008)
Leonard Cohen	Coming Back to You
from Various Positions (1995)
The Adverts	Bored Teenagers
from Crossing the Red Sea With The Adverts (2002)
The Rolling Stones	Brown Sugar
from Sticky Fingers (Remastered) (2009)
Gerry & The Pacemakers	I Like It
from You'll Never Walk Alone (The EMI Years 1963-1966) (2008)
Johnny Cash	Man In Black
from Life (2004)
T. Rex	Monolith
from Electric Warrior (Remastered) (2003)
Slade	Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me
from Greatest Hits (2007)
Crouch End Festival Chorus & The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra	Excalibur - O Fortuna from Carmina Burana
from Epics - The History of the World According to Hollywood (2005)

Comment:

Considering that they've rarely strayed from the synth-pop wheelhouse since the days of the Reagan administration, you might think that Depeche Mode's musical diet consists solely of new wavers and prog pioneers. And you would be wrong. Of course, nobody who's stood behind a keyboard in the last 30 years could escape the Krautrock virtuosity of Kraftwerk, whose techno-electro classic "Computer Love" catches them in transition from Teutonic sonics to a frothier pop sound. Believe it or not, if it weren't for the avant-art theatricality of David Bowie's "Heroes," Depeche Mode might never have existed at all, since it was Dave Gahan's performance of this very song that persuaded Vince Clarke to invite him into the band. But maybe the strangest root of all springs from Tennessee soil, as you can see in the film [i]101[/i], as Martin Gore grabs a fistful of country cassettes (remember them?) including some by Johnny Cash. The Man in Black's "Man In Black" isn't merely fashion — it's passion, a whole brooding philosophy corralled into three short minutes. From Gary Glitter to Gary Numan, from the Stones to the Stooges, we've got the essential artists and crucial tracks that set the mood for Depeche Mode.

Feedback: