Depceche Mode, Playing the Angel
Depeche ModePLAYING THE
ANGEL.
Playing the Angel brought Depeche Mode back to a harder electronic sound while also changing the band's internal writing dynamic, giving Dave Gahan a larger creative role than on previous studio albums.
Album artwork shown for commentary and historical reference. Image source: Cover Art Archive / MusicBrainz.
SEVEN THINGS
WORTH KNOWING.
Recording stories, personnel, physical details and numbers worth keeping with the record.
Playing the Angel was released in the UK on October 17, 2005 and in the United States on October 18, with 12 tracks on the standard album.
It was the first Depeche Mode album produced by Ben Hillier.
Recording ran from January through July 2005 at Sound Design in Santa Barbara, Stratosphere Sound in New York and Whitfield Street Studios in London.
Ben Hillier and Steve Fitzmaurice mixed the album at Whitfield Street Studios.
Dave Gahan co-wrote three songs with Christian Eigner and Andrew Phillpott: "Suffer Well," "I Want It All" and "Nothing's Impossible."
The deluxe edition was the first Depeche Mode album package to include a bonus DVD, and the album was also the band's first release issued in the PlayStation Portable UMD format.
Depeche Mode's official archive lists Playing the Angel at No. 6 in the UK and No. 7 in the United States.
WHY THIS
ALBUM MATTERS.
Playing the Angel matters because it combines a recognizable Depeche Mode atmosphere with a genuine shift in the band's creative structure. Dave Gahan was no longer only interpreting Martin Gore's material, while Ben Hillier pushed the production toward distorted electronics, analog textures and harder rhythmic edges.
THE
NUMBERS.
TRACKS
The standard album contains twelve songs.
UK
The album reached No. 6 in the United Kingdom.
U.S.
The album reached No. 7 in the United States.
THE
PHYSICAL OBJECT.
The album appeared in multiple physical configurations, including standard CD, double vinyl, deluxe SACD and DVD, and even UMD for the PlayStation Portable. The deluxe package included the album in surround sound, a making-of film, the "Precious" video and a filmed performance of "Clean."
RESEARCH SOURCES
Facts are checked against artist archives, release databases and recording-credit sources before publication.
KEEP
DIGGING.
More recording stories, strange credits, cover art, chart numbers and details hiding inside the records.