Depeche Mode stays true to original sound

Thursday, September 17, 1998

NEW YORK (AP) - To pen his melancholy lyrics, Martin Gore often returns to the topic that's closest to him.

''Songs about relationships are always quite high on my priority list,'' said Gore, co-founder and songwriter for Depeche Mode. ''It's something that's happening around me all the time.'' Depeche Mode was formed in 1980 and is known for such hits as ''Just Can't Get Enough'' and ''Personal Jesus.''

On the British band's new single, ''Only When I Lose Myself,'' Gore again explores topics like co-dependence and obsessive love. The song is featured on a new retrospective record, ''The Singles 1986-98,'' scheduled for release Oct. 6.

Gore, singer Dave Gahan and keyboardist Andy Fletcher were in Manhattan in July to film a video, which Gore described as very ''ethereal,'' with many images of wrecked cars. ''Our bit was very simple, basically rocking backwards and forwards out of lights,'' Gore said. ''I suppose it'll all be done in post-production.''

The band recently launched the European leg of a world tour, its first in five years, in Helsinki, Finland. U.S. tour dates include Madison Square Garden in New York on Oct. 28, with shows also scheduled in Miami, Houston, Denver and San Diego until the end of the year.

Veteran band photographer and visual collaborator Anton Corbijn designed the low-key, 1930s-inspired stage for the tour. Corbijn has been documenting Depeche Mode for the past 12 years, as the band steadily gained worldwide fame. The future of Depeche Mode became uncertain when Gahan almost died after a drug overdose in a West Hollywood hotel room in 1996.

''There was a period that lasted for a week where I very seriously considered if this was a viable option anymore,'' Gore recalled.

Prior to launching its new world tour, the band stayed away from the rigors of the road.

Gore is confident that the respite has made Depeche Mode more mentally fit. ''We have to see it more as a work scenario and not as 'just go out and party every night,''' he said. ''Before, I think the music was very secondary. If you could remember a show, it was a rare night.''