Depeche Mode - Violator [180g, Gatefold] (LP) Vinyl

Violator is the seventh studio album by the English electronic band Depeche Mode, released on 19 March 1990 by Mute Records internationally and by Sire and Reprise Records in the United States. It followed the studio album Music for the Masses (1987) and the live album 101 (1989), and it was the record that propelled the band to international stardom.

The Album

Violator was recorded between May and September 1989, with sessions at Logic Studios in Milan, Puk Recording Studios in Gjerlev, Denmark, and The Church in London. It was produced by Depeche Mode with Mark Ellis, better known as Flood, who was brought in at the suggestion of Mute founder Daniel Miller, and it was mixed by François Kevorkian. Martin L. Gore wrote all nine songs and deliberately brought simpler, less finished demos to the sessions so that the band could work them up together in the studio; guitar was given a far larger role than on any previous Depeche Mode record. Dave Gahan sings lead throughout except on "Sweetest Perfection" and "Blue Dress", both sung by Gore, and "Waiting for the Night", which the two share. Anton Corbijn photographed the sleeve.

Reception

The album reached number two on the UK Albums Chart and number seven on the US Billboard 200, the first Depeche Mode album to chart inside the American top ten. Four singles were taken from it: "Personal Jesus" (August 1989), "Enjoy the Silence" (February 1990), "Policy of Truth" (May 1990) and "World in My Eyes" (September 1990). By 2006 it was estimated to have sold more than 7.5 million copies worldwide, making it the band's best selling album. It was certified Gold in the United Kingdom by the BPI in March 1990 and 3x Platinum in the United States by the RIAA in 1996. Rolling Stone placed it at number 57 in its 2010 list of the 100 best albums of the 1990s and at number 167 in the 2020 edition of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

This Pressing

This is the remastered reissue on Mute and Sony Music, catalogue number STUMM64, pressed on a single 180 gram black vinyl LP in a gatefold sleeve with a printed inner sleeve carrying the lyrics and credits. The remastering was carried out at Super Audio Mastering, Mike Marsh cut the lacquers at The Exchange, and the records were pressed by Record Industry.

Tracklist

Side A

1. World in My Eyes (4:26)
2. Sweetest Perfection (4:43)
3. Personal Jesus (4:56)
4. Halo (4:30)
5. Waiting for the Night (6:07)

Side B

1. Enjoy the Silence (6:12)
2. Policy of Truth (4:55)
3. Blue Dress (5:41)
4. Clean (5:32)