Some Great Reward (Remastered)

iTunes Review

Some Great Reward was a tight, polished, and well-planned effort that left little confusion about the true potential of Depeche Mode. After pulling themselves in different directions on A Broken Frame, where you could feel the band trying to set themselves apart from the New Orders and Soft Cells of the world, Some Great Reward hit the US charts in a big way, cracking the Billboard Top 50 with two tracks. "Master and Servant" was not only brazenly subversive in its topic matter, but also served as one of the stronger examples of the band using unadulterated industrial sounds in a pop format. (Of course, the titillating whip-like effects probably didn't hurt.) Balancing out the dark side of "Master and Servant" was the life-affirming, bouncy "People are People," a call for everyone to just get along. "Something to Do" was another light, bubbling track juxtaposed against fairly dark subject matter; the sensual and pleading "Lie to Me" was one to drive the girls crazy; and the faith-questioning "Blasphemous Rumours" (covered by a number of artists later) was released as a third single. New fans found the accessible sound and David Gahan's improved, more confident vocals appealing.