Halo: The Story Behind Depeche Mode's Classic Album Violator

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The band had played some 40 shows in North America over two legs in late-1987 and mid-1988, culminating in the 101st show at the Pasadena Rose Bowl in June, but also taking in destinations as diverse as Austin in Texas, Salt Lake City in Utah and Iowa's Cedar Rapids.

During an intense and pivotal two-and-a-half years in the life of the group, we follow Depeche Mode as they complete their metamorphosis into one of the most significant bands of a generation, and place the success and innovations of ‘Violator’ at the dead centre of the rapidly-changing late-80s, early-90s musical zeitgeist.Depeche Mode performing at Wembley Arena on the World Violation Tour, November 1990 (photo credit: Michael Rose) The rhythmic vocal rhythm audible in the opening moments of "Halo" is confirmed by Violator engineer Roberto Baldi as having been sampled from a pornographic film. The film is likely to have released on VHS or Betamax cassette and would have been in circulation by May 1989. Eventually selling 7.5 million copies following its release in March 1990, 'Violator' gave the cult British band - Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy 'Fletch' Fletcher and Alan Wilder - the critical acclaim they finally deserved. The adventurous, highly experimental approach that the band took for 'Violator' recording sessions also yielded two of the band's most recognisable and successful singles in 'Personal Jesus' and 'Enjoy The Silence'. More than an album biography, Halo goes deep behind the scenes of the band’s Violator period. The book takes the form of a detailed oral history from those who were there in the studio with the band, working behind the cameras, designing sleeves and appearing in the videos; support acts, tour managers, publicists and Depeche Mode fans.

The first in-depth look at the making of Depeche Mode’s ‘Violator’ and its enduring legacy, by Kevin May and David McElroy. Published on 29 September 2022 by Grosvenor House Publishing. Recorded in England, Denmark and Italy between May and September 1989, Depeche Mode’s seventh studio album ‘Violator’ was a landmark record beloved by fans and universally regarded as the band’s creative highpoint.

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Recorded in England, Denmark and Italy between May and September 1989,Depeche Mode’s seventh studio album‘Violator’was a landmark record beloved by fans and universally regarded as the band’s creative highpoint.

The event was broadcast live on KROQ with Richard Blade interviewing the band before the doors opened at 9pm. It was already obvious that the size of the crowd outside the store had far exceeded all expectations. Gahan told Richard that he was “very moved” by the sheer volume of fans at The Wherehouse adding that he hadn’t expected many people to turn up at all.

Halo: The Story Behind Depeche Mode's Classic Album Violator by Kevin May, David McElroy, Kevin May, David McElroy

Reflections of Darkness [RoD]: This album is still an etalon and is considered essential in the band discography. For this very reason, my interest was immediately piqued when I read the first news about the making of this book. In less than a month this exciting read will be released and I got in touch with the authors so you can learn a bit more about this project. If you dedicate an entire book to a particular DEPECHE MODE album, is it evident that ‘Violator’ is still at the top of your list? Why did you choose this particular album for an in-depth study? Kevin: Tour manager Andy Franks told us about how confident the Los Angeles Police Dept were with regards to crowd control ahead of the event at Wherehouse Records. After the infamous event unfolded, Andy said the same officer was “a broken man”. I thought that was a pretty funny anecdote. The triumph of the Rose Bowl gig and the fever surrounding the release of the subsequent 101 movie and live record had shown that not only was there an enormous fan base in the US but it was one that could help propel Depeche even further into the consciousness of the country's mainstream record-buying public. But in many respects, Depeche were in uncharted territory, as was its UK label Mute Records. This period in the band’s history also found them forging a deeply trusted and influential partnership with photographer and designer Anton Corbijn, often viewed as the fifth member of Depeche Mode at this time. Corbijn’s work with the Area creative agency for the Violator project delivered iconic, integrated artwork, photography, videos and short films across the album, its singles, and tour design.

Kevin: I started work on ‘Halo’ quite a few years ago (pre-COVID, pre-bad things in life intervening quite often!), primarily because I felt that for such a landmark album there should be a thorough look at what it meant for the band to create such a masterpiece, how it came together, who was involved behind the scenes and what it was like taking it on the road. David and Kevin also hear from those involved in the iconic artwork of the album and its single releases, videos, publicity and other figures associated with the band before, during and after Violator’s release in March 1990. Depeche Mode, on the other hand, were a synthpop band from Basildon, Essex, whose career already appeared to be in trouble after only two hit singles. Ominously, Vince Clarke, the band’s chief songwriter, failed to turn up for one of Corbijn’s shoots, and would announce his departure a couple of months later. As for singles, 'Halo' was on a short-list but was never really a major contender. We ended up using it in a roundabout way by making a video (as well as one for 'Clean') to fill out the 'Strange Too' compilation."With ‘Halo’, authors Kevin May and David McElroy have produced an essential guide for Depeche Mode fans and anyone inquisitive about the making of a classic, genre-defining album. Kevin: It’s a landmark album for many reasons, not just the songs. Everything came together at the same time, such as mainstream crossover, artwork, videos, the tour, and of course, the high quality of the production on Violator. Blade first announced that he had heard from the police that fans were to “keep it mellow or the cops will close it down.” He later advised listeners that “things are pretty serious” and he sounds genuinely worried on the broadcast.