For the Masses, a tribute to
Depeche Mode released in 1998, featured appearances from more-known artists (
the Cure,
Smashing Pumpkins,
Veruca Salt,
Deftones) and didn't contain anything worth hearing more than once, so the odds were likely that this tribute from the Cleopatra label wouldn't stand a chance of faring any better. True to Cleopatra form, it didn't, with competent but forgettable and over-reverent covers rendered in industrial dance, synth pop, and Euro-dance. The compilation's greatest tribute to the band isn't in any one particular song, but in the range of selections made by those who appear on it. Ranging from
Freezepop's "Photographic" (1981) to Orphans of Infamy's "It's No Good" (1997), the selections demonstrate how
Depeche Mode have continued to leave an imprint with nearly everything they've done across two full decades (and then some). ~ Andy Kellman