Depeche Mode

Depeche Mode was at the leading edge of the British synth-pop revolution in the early '80s. But not only did they become one of that scene's most popular exponents, they outlived and transcended it to become long-lived alternative rock icons. At first they were just four lads from Basildon, mostly still in their teens when their first single, "Dreaming of Me," was released in 1981. While that record didn't do a ton of business, their first album, Speak & Spell, made the band all the rage in England.

At the time, their lineup-singer Dave Gahan fronting an all-synth outfit of Vince Clark, Andy Fletcher, and Martin Gore-seemed revolutionary in the musical mainstream. And their knack for pure pop hooks on tunes like "Just Can't Get Enough" put them over the top. But after the album's release, main songwriter Vince Clarke quit to form Yazoo, and the heavy lifting fell to Gore, resulting in a somewhat darker but still radio-friendly vibe on 1982's A Broken Frame.

The band began experimenting more with emerging digital technology on the following year's Construction Time Again and added a new member: synth player Alan Wilder. 1984's Some Great Reward saw the emergence of the aesthetic most commonly associated with Depeche Mode, as Gore began turning out dark, transgressive tunes like "Master and Servant" and "Blasphemous Rumours," adopting a moodiness that brought the goth kids into the band's camp. It was during this period that they really began breaking through in America.

The next few albums followed suit and amplified Depeche Mode's global profile. But it was the hits "Personal Jesus" and "Enjoy the Silence" from 1990's Violator that truly cemented Depeche Mode's status as worldwide stadium-filling superstars. Wilder left the band after 1993's Songs of Faith and Devotion, and Depeche Mode continued on as a trio. Nearly alone among their peers, the band would maintain both their commercial success and artistic credibility as recording artists and live performers for decades to come.