Ultra (album)

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Ultra
Ultra cover
Studio album by Depeche Mode
Released April 15, 1997
Recorded Abbey Road - Eastcote - Westside - Strongroom - RAK, London; Electric Lady, New York; Larrabee West, Los Angeles.
Genre Synth Rock

Alternative Rock

Length 60:04
Label UK: Mute / US: Reprise
Producer(s) Tim Simenon
Professional reviews
Depeche Mode chronology
Songs of Faith and Devotion Live
(1993)
Ultra
(1997)
The Singles 86>98
(1998)


Ultra is Depeche Mode's ninth full-length album, which was released on April 15, 1997. The album is the first album after the departure of Alan Wilder, who left to focus on his solo project Recoil. The long time that separates this album from the previous was due to David Gahan's near suicide and recovery from addiction to drugs. These two events caused many to speculate the end of Depeche Mode, but this turned out to not be the case.

Instead Ultra was eventually released, reaching number one in the UK Chart, and producing several hit singles. As of April 2006, Ultra has sold 584,000 units in the U.S.

The remastered album is set to be released on "deluxe" vinyl 30 March 2007 in Germany and 2 April 2007 internationally.

Contents

[edit] Track listing

  1. "Barrel Of A Gun" – 5:35
  2. "The Love Thieves" – 6:34
  3. "Home" – 5:42
  4. "It's No Good" – 5:58
  5. "Uselink" – 2:21
  6. "Useless" – 5:12
  7. "Sister Of Night" – 6:04
  8. "Jazz Thieves" – 2:54
  9. "Freestate" – 6:44
  10. "The Bottom Line" – 4:26
  11. "Insight" – 6:26
  12. "Junior Painkiller" – 2:11*
  • All songs written by Martin L Gore. Martin sings lead on "Home" and "The Bottom Line", while Dave Gahan sings the other songs. "Uselink", "Jazz Thieves", and "Junior Painkiller" are instrumental interludes.
  • * Unlisted bonus track.

[edit] 2007 re-release: (CD/SACD)

  • Disc 1 is a hybrid SACD/CD with a multi-channel SACD layer.
  • Disc 2 is a DVD which includes "Ultra" in DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM Stereo plus bonus material
  1. "Barrel Of A Gun" – 5:35
  2. "The Love Thieves" – 6:34
  3. "Home" – 5:42
  4. "It's No Good" – 5:58
  5. "Uselink" – 2:21
  6. "Useless" – 5:12
  7. "Sister Of Night" – 6:04
  8. "Jazz Thieves" – 2:54
  9. "Freestate" – 6:44
  10. "The Bottom Line" – 4:26
  11. "Insight" – 6:26

Bonus tracks (in DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, PCM Stereo)

  1. "Painkiller"
  2. "Slowblow"
  3. "Only When I Lose Myself"
  4. "Surrender"
  5. "Headstar"

Live tracks in London, April 1997 (in DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, PCM Stereo)

  1. "Barrel Of A Gun"
  2. "It's No Good"
  3. "Useless"

Additional Material

  • "Depeche Mode 95-98 (TBC)

[edit] Singles

  1. "Barrel Of A Gun" (03 February, 1997)
  2. "It's No Good" (31 March, 1997)
  3. "Home" (16 June, 1997)
  4. "Useless" (20 October, 1997)

[edit] Personnel

  • Additional musicians:
    • Victor Indrizzo (misspelled in the credits as "Endrizzio"), percussion: "Barrel Of A Gun" & "It's No Good".
    • Jaki Liebezeit, percussion: "The Bottom Line".
    • BJ Cole, pedal steel guitar: "The Bottom Line".
    • Gota Yashiki, drums: "Useless".
    • Keith Le Blanc, drums: "Useless".
    • Danny Cummings, percussion: "Useless" & "Freestate".
    • Doug Wimbish, bass: "Useless".
    • Daniel Miller, System700: "Uselink".
  • Vocal coach Evelyn Halus.
  • "Home", "Love Thieves" & "Freestate": Additional vocals engineered by Gareth Jones at RAK Studios
  • "Home":
    • Strings arranged by Dave Clayton;
    • Strings scored by Richard Niles;
    • Strings coordinated by Graham Perkins.
  • Special thanks to: Daniel Miller, Howie Klein, Anton Corbjin, Andy Ferguson, Donna Vergier, Pepe Jansz, Gerald Myers, everyone at Mute Records, Craig Kostich, Rich Fitzgerald, Steve Tipp, everyone at Reprise Records, Ronnie Harris, Andrew Thompson, Keith Drinkwater, Michael Pagnotta, Bernard Doherty, Karen Stringer, John Kennedy, Daryl Bamonte, Lynn Newcombe, Michaela Olexova, Richard Bell, Richard Smith, Ian McAndrew, Emma Feather, Philip Bagenal, Dundas Brothers.
  • Management: Jonathan Kessler for Baron Inc.
  • London office: JD Fanger.
Depeche Mode
David Gahan | Martin Gore | Andrew Fletcher
Vince Clarke | Alan Wilder
Depeche Mode discography

Studio albums: Speak & Spell | A Broken Frame | Construction Time Again | Some Great Reward | Black Celebration | Music for the Masses | Violator | Songs of Faith and Devotion | Ultra | Exciter | Playing the Angel

Compilations: People Are People | The Singles 81>85 | Catching Up with Depeche Mode | The Singles 86>98 | Remixes 81 - 04 | The Best Of, Volume 1 | The Complete Depeche Mode

Live Albums: 101 | Songs of Faith and Devotion Live | Recording the Angel

Tribute Albums: For the Masses | A Techno Tribute to Depeche Mode | Color Theory presents Depeche Mode

Singles: Dreaming of Me | New Life | Just Can't Get Enough | See You | The Meaning of Love | Leave in Silence | Get the Balance Right | Everything Counts | Love, in Itself | People Are People | Master and Servant | Blasphemous Rumours / Somebody | Shake the Disease | It's Called a Heart | Stripped/ But Not Tonight | A Question of Lust | A Question of Time | Strangelove | Never Let Me Down Again | Behind the Wheel | Little 15 | Everything Counts (Live) | Personal Jesus | Enjoy the Silence | Policy of Truth | World in My Eyes | I Feel You | Walking in My Shoes | Condemnation | In Your Room | Barrel of a Gun | It's No Good | Home | Useless | Only When I Lose Myself | Dream On | I Feel Loved | Freelove | Goodnight Lovers | Enjoy the Silence 04 | Precious | A Pain That I'm Used To | Suffer Well | John the Revelator / Lilian | Martyr

Videography

Videos: The World We Live In and Live in Hamburg | Some Great Videos | Strange | 101 | Strange Too | Devotional | The Videos 86>98 | One Night in Paris | Touring the Angel: Live in Milan

Related articles
Synthpop | Depeche Mode Tours | Mute Records | Paper Monsters | Counterfeit e.p. | Counterfeit² | Toast Hawaii | Recoil
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