List of Depeche Mode sample sources by album/Some Great Reward
Glossary Terms used in this article |
In audio production, sampling refers to the use of a portion (or sample) from a sound within another recording. As pioneers of the electronic music genre, Depeche Mode were among the most prolific acts to make use of sampling technology within a traditional pop music format. Among the many original samples recorded and utilized by Depeche Mode to enhance the atmosphere of their musical output are many that originated elsewhere, including brief passages of musical recordings by other artists, snippets of audio from television shows, radio broadcasts, films, environmental sounds, and more. Analysis of these sample sources and how they are manipulated is a popular topic of discussion amongst fans of the group.
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The sample is confirmed to have been used in the specified song by a past/present member of Depeche Mode, an individual involved in its production, or band archivist Daniel "BRAT" Barassi. | |||
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The sample is independently confirmed to have been used in the specified song. | |||
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The sample is likely to have been used in the specified song but has not yet been confirmed. | |||
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The sample is not yet confirmed to have been used in the specified song. | |||
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The sample is confirmed to not have been used in the specified song. | |||
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It is unclear if the sample was used in the specified song. |
Information
This page aims to document all verifiable sound sources for many of the musical parts used by Depeche Mode in the production of their 1984 album Some Great Reward.
Due to the manipulated nature of the samples described in this article, there is unavoidable potential for error or sample misattribution. To ensure accuracy, this article strives to use verified quotes from band members and recording personnel with citations wherever possible, audio examples, and independent research voluntarily contributed by Depeche Mode and Recoil fans worldwide. This article provides an interesting document on this topic in a tabular format that is organized, well-researched, and reasonably accurate. Please bear in mind that due to the limited number of relevant quotes for each sample from band members or associates involved in producing the music described on this page, audio samples that lack official confirmation are not guaranteed to be accurate.
This article differentiates samples by origin: Self-made samples, which describe any material initially recorded by Depeche Mode or Recoil, and Sourced samples, which describe samples not initially recorded by either group. In addition to confirmed samples, this article also covers samples commonly misreported as having been used but directly refuted by a member or associate of Depeche Mode or Recoil.
If you notice an error or wish to contribute or request the removal of information contained within this article, please feel free to contact us.
Some Great Reward (1984)
1. "Something To Do"
"Something To Do" - Depeche Mode 1984
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Sample | Source | Status | Notes | Audio | |
Synthesizer elements | Synclavier II System Disk Timbres - 1285 Horn Honk |
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A horn melody audible during the instrumental break sections of "Something To Do" is likely derived from an edit of "1285 Horn Honk", a factory timbre included on the Synclavier II System Disk Timbres disk. |
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2. "Lie To Me"
"Lie To Me" - Depeche Mode 1984
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Sample | Source | Status | Notes | Audio | |
Lead melody | Synclavier II Timbre Directory Diskette #2 - 2263 Oboe Source |
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The lead melody heard throughout "Lie To Me" is derived from the "Oboe Source" timbre of Synclavier II timbre directory diskette #2. Notably, similar edits of this timbre are also used throughout "Blasphemous Rumours" and the middle eight section of "It Doesn't Matter Two". | Click to display/hide audio example
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3. "People Are People"
"People Are People" - Depeche Mode 1984
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Sample | Source | Status | Notes | Audio | |
Synthesizer elements | Yamaha DX7 factory ROM #1 Bank A: "TUB BELLS" |
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A synthesizer element used sporadically throughout "People Are People" is derived from the Yamaha DX7 factory ROM #1 Bank A program "TUB BELLS". |
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4. "It Doesn't Matter"
"It Doesn't Matter" - Depeche Mode 1984
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Sample | Source | Status | Notes | |
Kalimba | Synclavier II Timbre Directory Diskette #1 - 2136 Calimba #2 |
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The kalimba instrument audible throughout the verse sections of "It Doesn't Matter" is derived from the "Calimba #2" timbre of Synclavier II timbre directory diskette #1. Notably, this timbre is also used during the chorus sections of "Love, In Itself" and the middle eight of "If You Want".
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5. "Stories Of Old"
"Stories Of Old" is not yet known to contain samples from any identifiable sources.
6. "Somebody"
"Somebody" is not yet known to contain samples from any identifiable sources.
7. "Master And Servant"
"Master And Servant" - Depeche Mode 1984 |
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Middle eight melody | In May 2020, fan "DMK" kindly provided DM Live Wiki with documentation for a series of Emulator II floppy disks that accompanied a collection of restored studio equipment used by Music For The Masses producer Dave Bascombe during the production of music albums for artists other than Depeche Mode in the mid to late eighties. One floppy disk, labeled "Glass (10)", features an untitled preset ("NULL PRESET"), which contains a bell-like sample. This bell element is used to play a G♯ octave, which is subsequently sampled and layered with a manipulated piano sound to form the melody played on every second bar during the middle eight of "Master And Servant" as it was performed on the Music For The Masses and World Violation tours. Notably, this sound is also used as a melodic accent throughout the Music For The Masses tour arrangement of "Just Can't Get Enough".
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Sample | Source | Status | Notes | |
Middle eight melody | Yamaha DX7 factory ROM #1 Bank B: "TOY PIANO" |
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A metallic bell-like melody performed during the middle eight section of "Master And Servant" as it was performed on the Music For The Masses tour is derived from the Yamaha DX7 factory ROM #1 program "TOY PIANO".
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8. "If You Want"
"If You Want" - Depeche Mode 1984
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Sample | Source | Status | Notes | |
Middle eight kalimba melody | Synclavier II Timbre Directory Diskette #1 - 2136 Calimba #2 |
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9. "Blasphemous Rumours"
"Blasphemous Rumours" - Depeche Mode 1984 |
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Sample | Notes | Audio | |||
Verse snare | The snare heard during the verse sections of "Blasphemous Rumours" was produced by recording the sound of a hammer smashing against a concrete floor.[1] Alan Wilder states in the November 1984 issue of International Musician and Recording World:
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Sample | Source | Status | Notes | Audio | |
Synthesizer, oboe elements | Synclavier II Timbre Directory Diskette #2 - 2263 Oboe Source |
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The atmospheric oboe melody heard throughout "Blasphemous Rumours" is derived from the "Oboe Source" timbre of Synclavier II timbre directory diskette #2. Wilder comments on the composition of this sound in the Shunt "The Singles 81-85" editorial:
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Synthesizer, music box elements | Synclavier II Timbre Directory Diskette #3 - 2383 Music Box |
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A music box melody audible during the first of two middle eight sections of "Blasphemous Rumours" is partly comprised of the "Music Box" timbre of Synclavier II timbre directory diskette #3. | ||
Synthesizer elements | Yamaha DX7 factory ROM #1 Bank B: "TOY PIANO" |
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A metallic, bell-like sound derived from the Yamaha DX7 factory ROM #1 program "TOY PIANO" is used to perform a melody during the first middle eight section of "Blasphemous Rumours" as it was performed on the Music For The Masses tour. | ||
Synthesizer elements | Yamaha DX7 factory ROM #2 Bank A: "SAX BC" |
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The metallic saxophone-like synth melody following the first and second chorus sections of "Blasphemous Rumours" as it was performed on the Music For The Masses tour is comprised of a sample derived from the Yamaha DX7 factory ROM #2 program "SAX BC". | ||
Synthesizer elements | Yamaha DX7 factory ROM #2 Bank A: "LOG DRUM" |
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A synthesizer element audible throughout "Blasphemous Rumours" is derived from the Yamaha DX7 factory ROM #2 Bank A program "LOG DRUM". | ||
Drum elements, hi-hats | Roland Corporation - Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer - 1980 |
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A series of hi-hat drum elements audible during the chorus and outro sections of "Blasphemous Rumours" are derived from the Roland TR-808 drum machine. |
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B-sides, bonus tracks and remixes
"Are People People?"
"Are People People?" - Depeche Mode 1984
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Sample | Source | Status | Notes | |
Doo-wop vocal sample | The Citadels - "When I Woke Up This Morning" - 1964 |
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Credit to Daniel Barassi for this discovery.[3]
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"In Your Memory"
"In Your Memory" - Depeche Mode 1984
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Sample | Source | Status | Notes | Audio | |
Synthesizer elements | Yamaha DX7 factory ROM #1 Bank A: "TUB BELLS" |
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A synthesizer element audible throughout "In Your Memory" is derived from the Yamaha DX7 factory ROM #1 Bank A program "TUB BELLS". |
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"In Your Memory (Slik Mix)"
"In Your Memory (Slik Mix)" - Depeche Mode 1984
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Sample | Source | Status | Notes | Audio | |
Synthesizer elements | Yamaha DX7 factory ROM #1 Bank A: "TUB BELLS" |
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A synthesizer element audible throughout "In Your Memory (Slik Mix)" is derived from the Yamaha DX7 factory ROM #1 Bank A program "TUB BELLS". |
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"Master And Servant" (Slavery Whip Mix)
"Master And Servant" (Slavery Whip Mix) - Depeche Mode 1984
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Sample | Source | Status | Notes | |
Drum elements | Frankie Goes To Hollywood - "Relax" - 1983 |
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Magazine The Face reported in February 1985:
In 1986, Electronics & Music Maker magazine reported: "In response to a complaint that Depeche Mode stole a Frankie Goes To Hollywood drum sound, Frankie's engineers replied that the Frankie drum sound was actually a Linn - itself a recording!" Wilder directly refutes this claim in response to a fan question during a Q&A on Shunt, the official Recoil project site:
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"(Set Me Free) Remotivate Me (Release Mix)"
"(Set Me Free) Remotivate Me (Release Mix)" - Depeche Mode 1984
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Sample | Source | Status | Notes | |
Drum elements | E-mu Systems - E-mu Drumulator - 1983 |
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A series of drum elements derived from the E-mu Drumulator programmable drum machine are utilised throughout the "Release Mix" of "(Set Me Free) Remotivate Me".
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References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Source: SHUNT : ARCHIVES : DEPECHE MODE : SOME GREAT REWARD
- ↑ "The Singles 81-85". oldsite.recoil.co.uk
- ↑ Source: Depeche Mode archivist and webmaster Daniel Barassi ('fishureprice') Instagram post
Notes