Love Spirit! An album lyrically ahead of it's time.

When this album first came out, this song was my favorite! I remember that there's was a lot of negativity because of the lirics, but Depeche Mode was always critical of politics. Glad you liked it 😁

Seph, it's a Lenin, Marks and Engels

Depeche return to political commentary after so long. Awesome track as well.

Funny, how I always hear: „Get on bored.“ (-: Love the song and the clip, though.

And comming soon, The whorst crime a banger song,,,, can wait for it

On the next song from Spirit ("The Worst Crime"), Dave sings everything all himself

Good song. I love guitars on this one too ❤

A curious fact about the recording of this album is that Dave comments that it was one of his most difficult albums to make, because he was not feeling what he was doing, he was not enjoying the process, so sometimes he put obstacles in his way, it was a It is a struggle for the James Ford product to get Dave and Martin to talk and connect more on this album, since the atmosphere was very indifferent and unenthusiastic.. Greetings!!

The next 3 or 4 songs are my favorite from the album

Though Ilyich (Lenin) didn’t have so big beard, I believe that Dave acted like him in the video (in fact, this is Anton Corbijn’s idea, as Dave said: “Made it in a marxist style”). To be honest, I like this album in a nutshell, but sometimes it’s strange to hear lines like: “Hey scum, for being so shallow”, - and realise that they complain about all the people around. But I can understand that they tell about themselves too (according to some interviews, like Dave said that Scum is about him too). And the next ones are ruder. Speaking about the song: good enough, with industrial-like samples, I like it. Also: did you hear In Your Room (single version)? Original track was changed by Nirvana’s producer and released as a single (Zephyr mix), and DM often performes this version since 1998. It’s still great in my opinion.

One of my favourite songs, lyrics outstanding and tune unique. The album is about humans and what we have done/not done. I think i heard somewhere Dave alluded once some were based on Trump and America , without actually saying it ! Its about the Nazis against Jews, Russian revolution etc, its a very thought provoking song, as is the evolution album

All is about politic, propaganda, the fact governments love to use religion and fears to obtain population sleeping without letting people really think by themselves. All the album is about actual society… Some kind of «deconstruction time » again ;) of our society… with above us all the fears about war, nuclear, government… a current findings, bad accusation judgement about our civilisation. In a few words all this LP is about « wake up people » it’s really time to stand up for the good if we don’t want all comes to collapse…

This is maybe their most political album of all - Lyric-way anyway... I read it somewhere, that Spirit was very difficult album to make. They did argue a lot while making it... 🤧

The next album is where it’s at 😉

Hi seph 👋 very good song il love it ! So DM

Lots of DM fans were chocked to the fact they're left winger. It's so desilusional, because it's just read their lyrics.

Seph, don’t think much about political things. I consider that I learnt something precious about it: if you’re not so interested in this, it’s OK, you’re normal)

The album received a lot of hate from fans, but when you listen it again is surprisely good. Is a different Depeche Mode, because Dave was envolved in Soulsavers and Martin in his techno projects MGVC and MG. But i hear less sustance of Andy, i mean less production and keyboards and more programming by himself, not like Sounds of the Universe.

I am also not too much into this song. For me, personally, the „Train-Part“, you referred to, is the best part. It’s also more extended in the album version. Message wise this song and „Going Backwards“ (my favourite on this album) this couldn’t be any more relevant today. Still. Unfortunately.

They are disguised as Marx and Engels, but all the video is a bit parodic, and finally red flags are thriwn to the floor😂

I love this song and the Video.

I think this is the first time I've ever been one of the first to see your reaction! Like the message, meh about the song. Politics are nothing new to DM -- Everything Counts, Master and Servant, Get the Balance Right, People are People, New Dress just off the top of my head. But there's something I can't "get on board" (haha) -- with this one, so to speak. I wish there was a twist in the lyrics somewhere, they're too simplistic maybe.

I agree Half Banger 😂

Everyone hates the Spirit album, but this political commentary was very timely. I personally think Spirit is a MUCH better album than Delta Machine.

Andrew Fletcher provides backing vocals (again), on the chorus & bridge (I believe)

This album came out a year after Trump was elected president and the line “The train is coming, the train is coming…” refers to the Trump’s campaign saying get on the Trump train, so Martin is taking a direct stab and the president. He and Dave have lived in the US for many years now so I’m sure they have plenty of things to say about how things are run here.

One thing I have to argue against here is around 3:30 roughly where you said that "things don't change either...it doesn't matter which decade your in..." My issue with this statement is that things DO change, I mean, we don't live in feudal society anymore right? It took a revolution to bring down feudalism, and it always will take a revolution to build something new, by throwing out the old. The old rulers will never give up their power and privilege willingly, so that's why revolutions are the only way of actually changing society. Which is why the video to this song is so fitting, in that they are taking the symbolic beards of Marx and Engels together with the body language of Lenin, who was an actual revolutionary, who pioneered (not by himself, but as a leading figure amongst hundreds of thousands of proletarians and peasants) an actual struggle to build a new society removed from our current system, capitalism.

Next song's so hopeless, prepare your heart

It is possibly the most commercial song on the album, which is not a good sign, I have to say that the lyrics are mostly quite good, it is what I would really highlight about this album, because musically it seems a little weak to me, not as much as Exciter , but close, the production doesn't drive me crazy, and the sound is basically Depeche mode doing once again Electronica with an acoustic section in between... it's nothing new anymore, that is, it's not like Exciter that at least the sound concept is that it is a warm and soft album, or Playing the Angel that has a dirty and more industrial sound with heavy guitars at times, or in Delta Machine that the concept is Blues and arpeggiated and mechanical electronics so to speak. Although on this album there is also blues in some songs, I don't think it is done in the best way, it is a sound without much relevance, perhaps the most personal thing about this album in terms of sound would be Dave's voice, which is very old. through filters and it is very opaque and dull, I didn't like that at all. but it's still a decent album in my opinion, I don't think Depeche Mode has bad albums per se, but the last two are the least original in terms of sound

A neither particularly good nor bad Depeche song this - my opinion of Where´s the revolution. If it's not unusually stiff, then it's hard and raspy, which is the sound Depeche Mode has leaned towards during the last few records - the last record Memento Mori not included. It can be ok on occasion, but becomes a little unimaginative in the long run.

Compare the tune with CORRUPT from sounds of the universe

So clearly the imagery is harkening Marxism, Communism, I hope somewhat in jest. With the beards, it's clearly a joke. Remember, Anton Corbin has a silly sense of humor, just look at It's No Good. I agree with your assessment, nice chorus, but the verses... Where's the Melody? It's funny cause this album was written at the tail end of Obama's time in office, and Martin is definitely far left, so clearly that time was a failure, as he seems to be disappointed. The last song is called Failed for crying out loud. (First and only Fbomb dropped in a Depeche song, look out for it!) You'd think if far left liberalism didn't work, maybe you should try something else. You could just as easily turn these lyrics around. Religion? Some of the most "religious" people I've ever encountered were far leftists. Alright, how's that for some controversy?

Hey Seph 👋, thanks for sharing this video of the react, I think I heard this song but I guess I haven't paid much attention to Depeche mode that well, well this song is okay but...well that's all for now [meh]?🫤😕 Thank you.

Actually quite like the song however “the engines humming, the engines humming” is weak and childlike which lets it down. Dave’s voice is strong on this. Not their greatest album but certainly not their worst, that accolade goes to Exciter, dreadful from start to finish

Not the worst on the album. Sounds are good. The way Dave's moving reminds me I Feel You. I advise you, Dave's voice in live is horrible....the Spirit tour is awful in terms of Dave's voice...he's always shouting. Not DM best period.

I agree, no banger. It is an okay song, but especially when you ask „Where‘s the revolution?“, people can expect a bit more revolution, musically. There are better songs on this album

Spirit ist sicherlich eines der schlechteren Alben von Depeche Mode, aber das bedeutet nicht, dass es schlecht ist. Depeche Mode haben die Messlatte sehr weit nach oben gelegt und daran wurden sie immer gemessen. Auch als Where is the Revolution als erste Single rauskam, war es ähnlich. Als Song im Grunde okay, aber als Single zu schwach, aber es sollte auch ein politisches Statement sein. Es kommen noch ein paar ordentliche Songs auf Spirit, aber das folgende Album ist einfach wieder besser geworden, ich meine natürlich Memento Mori

It's a signal that you have to shave off ur beard.

Oh, this one is really hard to listen to. The lyrics and vocals feel so forced, awkward, and uninspired. "You've been pissed off for too long. Your rights abused. Your view refused." (2:22) **major sigh** "The train is coming. So get on board. Get on board." (4:07) Perhaps the least inspiring call to action lyrics ever written. And this was the album's first single! I take no pleasure in saying Martin's well has gone dry. And for a moment in your wrap-up you try to give it a positive spin, but it's clear you're not feeling it because you aren't selling it. "The words are what make this.... wow." (5:34) Delivered with the sincerity of a hostage video. 😉 This isn't "Controversial Mode", unfortunately. It's "Crap Mode". I do love when you do a mini-deliberation to determine the banger status at the very end, scrunching up your face into that of a pirate. (7:26) 🏴‍☠