Black Celebration

Black Celebration
Studio album by
Depeche Mode
Released17 March 1986 (1986-03-17)
RecordedNovember 1985 – February 1986
Studio
  • Westside and Genetic (London)
  • Hansa Mischraum (Berlin)
Genre
Length41:01
LabelMute
Producer
  • Depeche Mode
  • Gareth Jones
  • Daniel Miller
Depeche Mode chronology
Catching Up with Depeche Mode
(1985)		 Black Celebration
(1986)		 Greatest Hits
(1987)
Singles from Black Celebration
  1. "Stripped"
    Released: 10 February 1986
  2. "A Question of Lust"
    Released: 14 April 1986
  3. "A Question of Time"
    Released: 11 August 1986
  4. "But Not Tonight"
    Released: 22 October 1986

Black Celebration is the fifth studio album by the English electronic rock band Depeche Mode. It was released on 17 March 1986. Mute Records and Sire Records distributed the album in the UK and US, respectively. It was recorded in London and West Berlin. The album was produced by Depeche Mode, Daniel Miller and Gareth Jones. Miller prompted the band to record the album using the "live the album" ethos. This was inspired by the film director Werner Herzog. The results were tension between the band and both Miller and Jones. As such, neither of them worked on subsequent Depeche Mode albums.

The album was promoted by the singles "Stripped", "A Question of Lust", and "A Question of Time". In the US, "But Not Tonight" was released as a single instead of "Stripped". In support of the album, Depeche Mode embarked on the five-month-long tour Black Celebration Tour. It was across Europe, North America, and Japan. The four ran from early to mid-1986.

Black Celebration is considered the start of a four album series of Depeche Mode's best albums. This is continued by Music for the Masses (1987), Violator (1990) and Songs of Faith and Devotion (1993). Three years after its release, Spin ranked it the 15th-greatest album of all time.[4] Radio X in 2011 cited it as one of the most influential albums of the 1980s.[5] Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails also cited Black Celebration as influencing his debut album, Pretty Hate Machine (1989).

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic4/5 stars[6]
Mojo4/5 stars[7]
NME7/10[8]
Number One4/5 stars[9]
PopMatters9/10[10]
Record Mirror4/5[11]
Rolling Stone4.5/5 stars[12]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide4.5/5 stars[13]
Smash Hits8/10[14]
Sounds2.5/5 stars[15]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Martin L. Gore, except where noted. All lead vocals by Dave Gahan, except where noted.

Side one
No.TitleLead vocalsLength
1."Black Celebration" 4:55
2."Fly on the Windscreen – Final" 5:18
3."A Question of Lust"Gore4:20
4."Sometimes"Gore1:53
5."It Doesn't Matter Two"Gore2:50
Side two
No.TitleLead vocalsLength
6."A Question of Time" 4:10
7."Stripped" 4:16
8."Here Is the House"
  • Gahan
  • Gore
4:15
9."World Full of Nothing"Gore2:50
10."Dressed in Black"
  • Gahan
  • Gore
2:32
11."New Dress" 3:42
Total length:41:01
CD bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
12."Breathing in Fumes"  6:07
13."But Not Tonight" (extended remix)  5:13
14."Black Day"
Gore2:36
Total length:54:57
US LP, CD and cassette bonus track
No.TitleLength
12."But Not Tonight"4:15
Total length:45:16

2007 Collectors Edition CD + DVD

Disc one (CD)
No.TitleLength
1."Black Celebration"4:55
2."Fly on the Windscreen – Final"5:18
3."A Question of Lust"4:20
4."Sometimes"1:53
5."It Doesn't Matter Two"2:50
6."A Question of Time"4:10
7."Stripped"4:16
8."Here Is the House"4:15
9."World Full of Nothing"2:50
10."Dressed in Black"2:32
11."New Dress"3:42
Disc two (DVD): DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM Stereo
No.TitleLength
1."Depeche Mode: 1985–86 (The Songs Aren't Good Enough, There Aren't Any Singles and It'll Never Get Played on the Radio)" (a short film)57:40
2."Black Celebration"4:55
3."Fly on the Windscreen – Final"5:18
4."A Question of Lust"4:20
5."Sometimes"1:53
6."It Doesn't Matter Two"2:50
7."A Question of Time"4:10
8."Stripped"4:16
9."Here Is the House"4:15
10."World Full of Nothing"2:50
11."Dressed in Black"2:32
12."New Dress"3:42
Disc 2 (DVD) additional tracks live in Birmingham, April 1986: DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM Stereo
No.TitleLength
13."Black Celebration"6:11
14."A Question of Time"4:37
15."Stripped"6:34
Disc 2 (DVD) additional tracks: PCM Stereo
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
16."Shake the Disease" 
  • Gahan
  • Gore
4:52
17."Flexible"  3:14
18."It's Called a Heart"  3:51
19."Fly on the Windscreen"  5:07
20."But Not Tonight"  4:19
21."Breathing in Fumes"  6:08
22."Black Day"
  • Gore
  • Wilder
  • Miller
Gore2:39
23."Christmas Island"
  • Gore
  • Wilder
instrumental4:52

Personnel

Depeche Mode

Technical

  • Depeche Mode – production
  • Gareth Jones – production
  • Daniel Miller – production
  • Richard Sullivan – engineering assistance
  • Peter Schmidt – engineering assistance
  • Tim Young – mastering
  • Dave Allen – recording on "Fly on the Windscreen – Final"
  • Phil Tennant – recording assistance on "Fly on the Windscreen – Final"

Artwork

  • Martyn Atkins – design
  • David A. Jones – design
  • Mark Higenbottam – design
  • Brian Griffin – photography
  • Stuart Graham – photography assistance

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Black Celebration
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
France (SNEP)[37] Gold 100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[38] Platinum 500,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[39] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[40] Gold 500,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Notes

References

  1. ↑ Zaleski, Annie (26 February 2015). "Where to start with '80s U.K. synth-pop". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 24 January 2019. A late-night record alternating between brittle ballads and industrial-sounding synth-pop—a poignant tug of war between man and machine.
  2. ↑ Vowell, Lee (June 19, 2024). "Five albums from the 1980s that have no business being as great as they are". AudioPhix. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  3. ↑ Uhlig, Christian (March 14, 2020). "Making of Special: Depeche Mode - Violator (1990)". AMAZONA.de (in German). Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  4. ↑ "The 25 Greatest Albums of All Time". Spin. Vol. 5, no. 1. New York. April 1989. pp. 46–48, 50–51. ISSN 0886-3032. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  5. ↑ "Xfm launches '25' series for influential albums". Music-News.com. 31 January 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  6. ↑ Raggett, Ned. "Black Celebration – Depeche Mode". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  7. ↑ Eccleston, Danny (April 2023). "A Question of Time". Mojo. No. 353. London. p. 72. ISSN 1351-0193.
  8. ↑ Robinson, John (1 July 1995). "Re-Release the Bats". NME. London. p. 50. ISSN 0028-6362.
  9. ↑ Thomas, Pat (22 March 1986). "Albums". Number One. No. 144. London. p. 46. ISSN 0266-5328.
  10. ↑ Keefe, Michael (9 May 2007). "Catching Up (Again) with Depeche Mode". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
  11. ↑ Page, Betty (15 March 1986). "Depeche Mode: Black Celebration". Record Mirror. London. p. 21. ISSN 0144-5804.
  12. ↑ Sheffield, Rob (19 April 2007). "Into the Mode". Rolling Stone. No. 1024. New York. p. 66. ISSN 0035-791X.
  13. ↑ Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Depeche Mode". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 229–230. ISBN 0-743-20169-8. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  14. ↑ Heath, Chris (12–25 March 1986). "Depeche Mode: Black Celebration". Smash Hits. Vol. 8, no. 6. Peterborough. p. 59. ISSN 0260-3004.
  15. ↑ Murphy, Kevin (15 March 1986). "Comic Strip". Sounds. London. ISSN 0144-5774.
  16. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 88. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  17. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Depeche Mode – Black Celebration" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  18. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0681". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  19. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Depeche Mode – Black Celebration" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  20. ↑ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 17. 3 May 1986. p. 17. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  21. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  22. ↑ "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste". InfoDisc (in French). Retrieved 24 January 2019. Select "DEPECHE MODE" from the drop-down menu and click "OK".
  23. ↑ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  24. ↑ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 1 June 2022. Select "Album" in the "Tipo" field, type "Black Celebration" in the "Titolo" field and press "cerca".
  25. ↑ "Charts.nz – Depeche Mode – Black Celebration". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  26. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Depeche Mode – Black Celebration". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  27. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Depeche Mode – Black Celebration". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  28. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  29. ↑ Lazell, Barry (1997). "Depeche Mode". Indie Hits 1980–1989: The Complete U.K. Independent Charts (Singles & Albums). Cherry Red Books. ISBN 0-95172-069-4. Archived from the original on 5 February 2009. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  30. ↑ "Depeche Mode Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  31. ↑ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2013. 21. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  32. ↑ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  33. ↑ "Official IFPI Charts Top-75 Albums Sales Chart (Combined) – Εβδομάδα: 03/2025". IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on 22 January 2025. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  34. ↑ "European Hot 100 Albums – Hot 100 of the Year 1986" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 51/52. 27 December 1986. p. 35. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  35. ↑ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 1986" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  36. ↑ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1986". hitparade.ch (in German). Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  37. ↑ "French album certifications – Depeche Mode – Black Celebration" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 16 November 2021. Select DEPECHE MODE and click OK. 
  38. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Depeche Mode; 'Black Celebration')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  39. ↑ "British album certifications – Depeche Mode – Black Celebration". British Phonographic Industry. 21 March 1986. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  40. ↑ "American album certifications – Depeche Mode – Black Celebration". Recording Industry Association of America. 11 August 1989.
  • Burmeister, Dennis; Lange, Sascha (2017). Depeche Mode: Monument. New York: Akashic Books. ISBN 978-1-61775-593-4.
  • Miller, Jonathan (2003). Stripped: The True Story of Depeche Mode. Omnibus Press. ISBN 1-84449-415-2.
  • Gittins, Ian (2018). Depeche Mode: Faith and Devotion. London: Palazzo Editions. ISBN 978-1-78675-064-8.

Other websites

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.