4 weeks at number one from w/e 13th August 1983
“With someone like Crass, all you can get drawn in by is the lyrics and that’s it… the music is so hard that a lot of people won’t go near it. But with ‘Everything Counts’ they’ll give it a chance and then they’ll hear the lyric” – Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode talking to X Moore, NME 17th September 1983.
The crisis continues. Crass may have vacated the number one spot, heaving the doors open and drunkenly chanting as they left, but the broader British malaise continued; the problem of what being left-wing meant in a society where Thatcherism and the harder edges of capitalism were portrayed as the only answer. You would have expected Crass to have something to say on the matter but Depeche Mode? Politics didn’t really seem to be their thing.
There had been hints of it on “A Broken Frame”, of course, but only in an obvious, non-committal way. Their sinister anti-Hitler Youth deep cut “Shouldn’t Have Done That” didn’t say anything new beyond “Fascism is a bad idea”; something even a Daily Telegraph reader could have got on board with (back in those days at least. Who knows now?) At the time, too, the sleeve offered little, the image of a peasant woman with a scythe being only the barest of hints.
In 1983, their third album “Construction Time Again” emerged with the cover art showing a man swinging a large hammer over his head while standing high on a mountainside, backed by an antiseptic mouthwash sky. It looked like something from a political propaganda poster, an idealised, romanticised view of the European working man. A few critics and fans were quick to spot something else – what if the scythe on the sleeve for “A Broken Frame” could also be interpreted as a sickle? What were they trying to tell us?
While Depeche Mode didn’t design their own sleeves, “Construction Time Again” wasn’t shy about the band’s left-leaning political ideas. It was an album I bought as a teenager and instantly fell in love with, because it expressed its ideas so starkly and simply, echoing my own emerging thoughts without clouding the messaging with doubts or ifs and buts. These days, some of it feels naive and the album has toppled in my estimations as a result – at its most preachy, there’s a thin line between the broad socialism they present on tracks like “Pipeline” (“Taking from the greedy, giving to the needy”) and “Shame” (“Do you ever get that feeling when the guilt begins to hurt/ seeing all the children wallowing in dirt”) and Michael Jackson at his most pious.
The key difference here, the artistically (rather than lyrically) revolutionary aspect, is that Depeche, influenced by the industrial music scene sprouting around them, introduced a digitally sampled crashing and clattering to the simple sentiments, not new in itself, but certainly a fresh idea in a pop context – its release date even beats ZTT’s debut record, The Art of Noise’s “Into Battle EP”, by some margin.
The record’s uneasy, irate mood was influenced by Martin Gore’s world opening up beyond the confines of South East Essex. Having travelled to Thailand and witnessed crippling poverty, then returning home again to comfort, he became struck by the concept of a world shrinking thanks to the availability of technology and air travel, but failing to ‘eradicate its problems’ despite the glaring obviousness of the disparity between wealth and poverty. The excuses of ignorance and television’s distancing effect could not longer be leant on if the problem was right there, literally in front of most of us, and also very literally begging and appealing to our better nature.
“Everything Counts” is so central to the album’s theme that it appears twice – once in full, at the end of Side One, then again as a brief, muted reprise at the end of Side Two, nudging us in the ribs gently. Its initial appearance is far from subtle. It begins with a grinding, panning, metallic effect, like the work of a panel beater echoing around a mountain valley, then adds large, cinematic, sombre notes and a wailing, unearthly Shawm noise created by a synthesiser. Within barely twenty seconds, the track has managed to enter into conflict with itself; modernity versus ancient art, progress against tradition.
More than just about any other track on the album, “Everything Counts” works by reflecting on the flaws of extreme capitalism, showing rather than telling: “The grabbing hands grab all they can”, “Confidence taken in by a suntan and a grin”, “the handshake seals the contract/ from the contract there’s no turning back”. It’s backed up by stunning melodies, an anthemic chorus, and a song that’s so restless in its ambition that the group never seemed to give up on trying to expand on the possibilities its arrangement afforded – live shows at this point, and much later on, extended the mournful outro and some of the verses to incorporate fresh melodies and ideas. When a live version was released as a single in 1989 it had evolved not into something better, but refreshed, reemerging like a friend you haven’t seen in years with a more confident personality.
It differs from much of what we’ve heard so far in 1983 in that while people like Elvis Costello and Crass were pushing for change, this single often seems to lead towards resignation. “After all,” Gore almost sighs in the background while Gahan pushes and throws his weight behind “It’s a comp-e-tit-ive world”, splitting the syllables slowly in case we need it spelt out. There’s no victory in it; it’s Thatcherism and Reaganism presented as a sombre, imperfect option, the fallback method for a society bereft of a stronger imagination.
“If you like Russia so much, why not go and live there?” was a common catchphrase among wealthy celebrities in the eighties, a statement which seemed to deliberately misunderstand that shades of grey existed between the poles of Communism and Hyper-Capitalism. “Everything Counts” doesn’t agree with this, but seems too exhausted and disgusted to come up with a counter-argument against the excess, choosing to reflect on its gauche, discriminating ugliness instead.
Unlike some political pop, it’s aged beautifully as a result. “Everything Counts” is still relevant, and perhaps more urgent given pressing global issues, making that sigh of resignation feel increasingly poignant. If in 1983 we were living under the shadow of “the bomb” and the idea that Communism might be a threat, we’ve now moved on to the after-effects of unchecked capitalism and grasping greed, watching as oligarchs attempt to grab unchecked control of the wheel. The lies and deceit, bit by bit, have indeed grabbed a little more power, painting the rest of society into a corner.
By 2017 Depeche Mode even called back to their “Construction Time Again” days with the single “Where’s The Revolution?” - “Come on people you’re letting me down!” hollered Dave Gahan, signalling perhaps that when Gore wrote “All that we need at the start is universal revolution” on the final “Construction Time Again” track “And Then”, he meant it and never truly gave up on the idea.
9. The Redskins – Lean on Me (CNT)
Peak position: 5
Formed by Chris Dean and Nick King, The Redskins were another group bringing political messaging into 1983 – unlike the punk scene from which both emerged, though, they took messages of left-wing unity and determination and in this case, backed them with a keen Dexys beat.
The Redskins benefited from the fact that Dean was a music journalist who wrote for the NME under the name X Moore (among other things, he noticed with excitement Depeche Mode’s sudden political clarity as “Construction Time Again” arrived) and therefore were almost guaranteed some IPC coverage. A cynic might argue that this put them in a more privileged position than any of the no-budget groups with smudgy Xeroxed sleeves they were surrounded by, but there’s little doubt they would have cut through anyway – a sound this strident couldn’t be more 1983 if it tried.
But perhaps that was also the problem. Following this single the group were snatched by an excited Decca Records, who managed to push them into the fringes of the mainstream before spitting them back out after a few singles and an album. The deeper we got into the slicker, less direct eighties, the less their earnestness and passion struck a chord.
15. Red Guitars – Good Technology (Self Drive)
Peak position: 5
More polemic, this time with luddite leanings, as Hull’s Red Guitars steadily run off a list of technological innovations, sounding as if each is being dropped off a conveyor belt with a thud to be inspected by the group’s critical eye.
In common with Depeche Mode, some of it is aggravatingly naive – it’s hard to know exactly what the problem is with “Water that is good for us” (whatever would Feargal Sharkey say to that?) but a large number of the contents hold up, including the prophetic “We’ve got computers that can find us friends” (how did they know?) and “We’ve got plastics that are indestructible”. Melodically too, this is a taut, muscular anthem which predicts, for better or worse, the path alternative rock would eventually take into the nineties and the noughties.
The group recently re-recorded the track and surprised me by creating a version which actually sounds better, rather than messing up their legacy. The original version sold 60,000 copies, meaning they had a clear reputation to uphold.
17. The Varukers – Die For Your Government (Tempest)
Peak position: 16
Leamington punk revolutionaries The Varukers – I’d be willing to bet they never used “Royal Leamington Spa” when giving their address to people – warn about fighting for your country in no uncertain terms: “The government are safe they're underground/ Don't care about the bodies lying around/ They don't care who they kill/ Just as long as they get their thrill.”
While it’s hard to imagine even Margaret Thatcher pumping her fist in the air during the bangs and crashes of the Falklands War, like most of their fellow punks, The Varukers keenly addressed the psychopathy at the heart of global politics.
22. Everything But The Girl – Night And Day (Cherry Red) (re-entry)
Peak position on re-entry: 9
24. Jazzateers – Show Me The Door (Rough Trade)
Peak position: 24
Ex-Postcard types arrive in the charts arguably a bit too late to take advantage of their connections. “Show Me The Door” is marvellous, though, having a skittish swagger to it, tight rhythms running up against squally detuned guitars. “Since there’s no manual for what to do/ show me the door and push me through” they declare, only for the staff at Rough Trade to point towards a brightly painted door blocked by the towering presence of Morrissey and Marr who got there first.
Week Two
7. Conflict – To A National Of Animal Lovers (EP) (Crass)
Peak position: 3
Vegetarianism was a key aspect of the Crass political philosophy, and while other artists such as Paul McCartney gently broached the subject, the band and label took a more strident approach – you either stopped eating meat, or you were tacitly approving barbaric slaughter.
On track 3 “Meat Still Means Murder” Conflict beat Morrissey to the slogan and were less forgiving too.
18. One Way System - Cum On Feel The Noize (Anagram)
Peak position: 18
More second wave punkers picking up old glam rock hits. There’s little doubt that the harder edge glam sounds pre-empted some of punk’s ideas, and Slade’s tinnitus inducing top-heavy rackets were a prime source, but the fact so many groups were fishing around in those waters for cover versions did hint at desperation.
This version of “Cum On Feel The Noize” makes Slade sound like Motorhead having a soundcheck. If that’s what you want, it’s there for the taking.
25. The Toy Dolls - Cheerio and Toodlepip (Volume)
Peak position: 10
Really rather questionable bit of twee novelty punk from the Dolls, as lead singer Olga questions the decisions a mate’s girlfriend has made about his attire - “You're looking like a puff... Stop and take a look at yourself for a while”. “She’s yapping in the background… she will never keep her mouth shut” he continues, persuading his pal to dump the troublesome talkative lady, who also (shock horror) has the audacity to send him out to get fish and chips just as he’s getting comfy to watch “Coronation Street”. Ring the spousal abuse hotline now.
“Cheerio and Toodlepip” is essentially Chas & Dave’s “Rabbit” for homophobic punks who wanted all their friends to stay single and bond together forever to watch Splodgenessabounds play The Clarendon Arms every year. I’ve met some who probably did exactly that, and it doesn’t seem to have been the recipe for happiness you might suppose.
“Stop analysing The Toy Dolls, Dave, they’re a joke!” Yes, but this one’s rubbish, like a strange Gary Wilmott parody of a punk record created for old people to hoot at on "That's Life".
28. Shriekback - Lined Up remix (Y)
Peak position: 13
29. The Bananamen – The Crusher (Big Beat)
Peak position: 7
Week Three
16. The Danse Society – Wake Up (Society)
Peak position: 16
20. Alien Sex Fiend - Ignore The Machine (Anagram)
Peak position: 9
Theatrical goth goings on are the order of the day here, as “Heart Of Glass” styled drum machine loops combine with buzzing guitars and chanting, howling vocals. Despite early threats, it never quite disentangles itself from being chaotic, rambling and scattershot.
22. Venom - Die Hard (Neat)
Peak position: 22
Heavy Metal at its absolute rawest here, leaning very close to the current punk noises – if it weren’t for the fact that Venom seem keener to talk about Satan than the tragedy of the Falklands Conflict, you possibly wouldn’t be able to tell the difference in places. Still, that guitar solo puts us in no doubt about their musical prowess and isn’t something your average band signed to No Future could have pulled off.
Venom were a primary influence on the emerging Black Metal and Thrash Metal scenes and remain a name to bandy about today if you’re keen to prove your None More Metal credentials in heated pub debates.
24. Kane Gang - Brother Brother (Kitchenware)
Peak position: 24
Debut appearance from low budget funksters Kane Gang who unimpressed Mark E Smith so much that he began the track “Gut Of The Quantifier” with the lines: “I’m not saying they’re really thick/ But all the groups who’ve hit it big/ make the Kane Gang look like an Einstein chip”.
A tad harsh. The Kane Gang were among the first of many eighties NME and Melody Maker approved groups who looked towards funk and soul for inspiration, performing in dingy pubs while singing as if they wanted to be on the Casino circuit. It eventually paid off for them to a modest extent, but “Brother Brother” wasn’t the track to give them the payout – that would come in 1984 with the major label backed “Closest Thing To Heaven”.
29. Red London - Sten Guns In Sunderland EP (Razor)
Peak position: 29
30. Major Accident - Leaders Of Tomorrow (Flicknife)
Peak position: 25
Week Four
18. Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin - Busy Doing Nothing (Broken)
Peak position: 18
While ex-Hatfield and The North types Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin had an unexpectedly successful number one on Stiff Records in 1981 (“It’s My Party”) they found themselves at loggerheads with the label over the commerciality of the rest of their work.
“Busy Doing Nothing” was a track Stiff staff rejected as having no prospects, but the pair managed to carry it to number 49 on their own label, which is a better result than Stiff managed with Pookiesnackenburger singing the theme tune to the Cornetto adverts.
It begins sounding like an irritatingly quirky electro take on an old song, before restlessly peeling off layers of ambience, bouncy prog, twitchy synth-pop and the kind of vocal trilling you’d expect from a Steeleye Span outtake. It’s as if Gaskin and Stewart had a contest with each other to see who could take the source material in the least likely direction, then committed all their ideas to one slab of vinyl.
21. The Sisters of Mercy - Body Electric (Merciful Release)
Peak position: 21
27. Hanoi Rocks - Until I Get You (Lick)
Peak position: 18
29. The Escalators - Monday (Big Beat)
Peak position: 8
Garage rockers with a slightly misleading chart credit here – although “Monday” was the A-side, in reality many customers grabbed this record for their twangy take on the Munsters Theme on the flip.
“Monday” is a heavy handed chugging piece of rock and roll by comparison, combining 1966 group sounds with a slight punk sneer.
For the full charts, please head over to the UKMix Forums.
Unlike some political pop, it’s aged beautifully as a result. “Everything Counts” is still relevant, and perhaps more urgent given pressing global issues, making that sigh of resignation feel increasingly poignant. If in 1983 we were living under the shadow of “the bomb” and the idea that Communism might be a threat, we’ve now moved on to the after-effects of unchecked capitalism and grasping greed, watching as oligarchs attempt to grab unchecked control of the wheel. The lies and deceit, bit by bit, have indeed grabbed a little more power, painting the rest of society into a corner.
By 2017 Depeche Mode even called back to their “Construction Time Again” days with the single “Where’s The Revolution?” - “Come on people you’re letting me down!” hollered Dave Gahan, signalling perhaps that when Gore wrote “All that we need at the start is universal revolution” on the final “Construction Time Again” track “And Then”, he meant it and never truly gave up on the idea.
New Entries In The Charts
9. The Redskins – Lean on Me (CNT)
Peak position: 5
Formed by Chris Dean and Nick King, The Redskins were another group bringing political messaging into 1983 – unlike the punk scene from which both emerged, though, they took messages of left-wing unity and determination and in this case, backed them with a keen Dexys beat.
The Redskins benefited from the fact that Dean was a music journalist who wrote for the NME under the name X Moore (among other things, he noticed with excitement Depeche Mode’s sudden political clarity as “Construction Time Again” arrived) and therefore were almost guaranteed some IPC coverage. A cynic might argue that this put them in a more privileged position than any of the no-budget groups with smudgy Xeroxed sleeves they were surrounded by, but there’s little doubt they would have cut through anyway – a sound this strident couldn’t be more 1983 if it tried.
But perhaps that was also the problem. Following this single the group were snatched by an excited Decca Records, who managed to push them into the fringes of the mainstream before spitting them back out after a few singles and an album. The deeper we got into the slicker, less direct eighties, the less their earnestness and passion struck a chord.
15. Red Guitars – Good Technology (Self Drive)
Peak position: 5
More polemic, this time with luddite leanings, as Hull’s Red Guitars steadily run off a list of technological innovations, sounding as if each is being dropped off a conveyor belt with a thud to be inspected by the group’s critical eye.
In common with Depeche Mode, some of it is aggravatingly naive – it’s hard to know exactly what the problem is with “Water that is good for us” (whatever would Feargal Sharkey say to that?) but a large number of the contents hold up, including the prophetic “We’ve got computers that can find us friends” (how did they know?) and “We’ve got plastics that are indestructible”. Melodically too, this is a taut, muscular anthem which predicts, for better or worse, the path alternative rock would eventually take into the nineties and the noughties.
The group recently re-recorded the track and surprised me by creating a version which actually sounds better, rather than messing up their legacy. The original version sold 60,000 copies, meaning they had a clear reputation to uphold.
17. The Varukers – Die For Your Government (Tempest)
Peak position: 16
Leamington punk revolutionaries The Varukers – I’d be willing to bet they never used “Royal Leamington Spa” when giving their address to people – warn about fighting for your country in no uncertain terms: “The government are safe they're underground/ Don't care about the bodies lying around/ They don't care who they kill/ Just as long as they get their thrill.”
While it’s hard to imagine even Margaret Thatcher pumping her fist in the air during the bangs and crashes of the Falklands War, like most of their fellow punks, The Varukers keenly addressed the psychopathy at the heart of global politics.
22. Everything But The Girl – Night And Day (Cherry Red) (re-entry)
Peak position on re-entry: 9
24. Jazzateers – Show Me The Door (Rough Trade)
Peak position: 24
Ex-Postcard types arrive in the charts arguably a bit too late to take advantage of their connections. “Show Me The Door” is marvellous, though, having a skittish swagger to it, tight rhythms running up against squally detuned guitars. “Since there’s no manual for what to do/ show me the door and push me through” they declare, only for the staff at Rough Trade to point towards a brightly painted door blocked by the towering presence of Morrissey and Marr who got there first.
Week Two
7. Conflict – To A National Of Animal Lovers (EP) (Crass)
Peak position: 3
Vegetarianism was a key aspect of the Crass political philosophy, and while other artists such as Paul McCartney gently broached the subject, the band and label took a more strident approach – you either stopped eating meat, or you were tacitly approving barbaric slaughter.
On track 3 “Meat Still Means Murder” Conflict beat Morrissey to the slogan and were less forgiving too.
18. One Way System - Cum On Feel The Noize (Anagram)
Peak position: 18
More second wave punkers picking up old glam rock hits. There’s little doubt that the harder edge glam sounds pre-empted some of punk’s ideas, and Slade’s tinnitus inducing top-heavy rackets were a prime source, but the fact so many groups were fishing around in those waters for cover versions did hint at desperation.
This version of “Cum On Feel The Noize” makes Slade sound like Motorhead having a soundcheck. If that’s what you want, it’s there for the taking.
25. The Toy Dolls - Cheerio and Toodlepip (Volume)
Peak position: 10
Really rather questionable bit of twee novelty punk from the Dolls, as lead singer Olga questions the decisions a mate’s girlfriend has made about his attire - “You're looking like a puff... Stop and take a look at yourself for a while”. “She’s yapping in the background… she will never keep her mouth shut” he continues, persuading his pal to dump the troublesome talkative lady, who also (shock horror) has the audacity to send him out to get fish and chips just as he’s getting comfy to watch “Coronation Street”. Ring the spousal abuse hotline now.
“Cheerio and Toodlepip” is essentially Chas & Dave’s “Rabbit” for homophobic punks who wanted all their friends to stay single and bond together forever to watch Splodgenessabounds play The Clarendon Arms every year. I’ve met some who probably did exactly that, and it doesn’t seem to have been the recipe for happiness you might suppose.
“Stop analysing The Toy Dolls, Dave, they’re a joke!” Yes, but this one’s rubbish, like a strange Gary Wilmott parody of a punk record created for old people to hoot at on "That's Life".
28. Shriekback - Lined Up remix (Y)
Peak position: 13
29. The Bananamen – The Crusher (Big Beat)
Peak position: 7
Week Three
16. The Danse Society – Wake Up (Society)
Peak position: 16
20. Alien Sex Fiend - Ignore The Machine (Anagram)
Peak position: 9
Theatrical goth goings on are the order of the day here, as “Heart Of Glass” styled drum machine loops combine with buzzing guitars and chanting, howling vocals. Despite early threats, it never quite disentangles itself from being chaotic, rambling and scattershot.
22. Venom - Die Hard (Neat)
Peak position: 22
Heavy Metal at its absolute rawest here, leaning very close to the current punk noises – if it weren’t for the fact that Venom seem keener to talk about Satan than the tragedy of the Falklands Conflict, you possibly wouldn’t be able to tell the difference in places. Still, that guitar solo puts us in no doubt about their musical prowess and isn’t something your average band signed to No Future could have pulled off.
Venom were a primary influence on the emerging Black Metal and Thrash Metal scenes and remain a name to bandy about today if you’re keen to prove your None More Metal credentials in heated pub debates.
24. Kane Gang - Brother Brother (Kitchenware)
Peak position: 24
Debut appearance from low budget funksters Kane Gang who unimpressed Mark E Smith so much that he began the track “Gut Of The Quantifier” with the lines: “I’m not saying they’re really thick/ But all the groups who’ve hit it big/ make the Kane Gang look like an Einstein chip”.
A tad harsh. The Kane Gang were among the first of many eighties NME and Melody Maker approved groups who looked towards funk and soul for inspiration, performing in dingy pubs while singing as if they wanted to be on the Casino circuit. It eventually paid off for them to a modest extent, but “Brother Brother” wasn’t the track to give them the payout – that would come in 1984 with the major label backed “Closest Thing To Heaven”.
29. Red London - Sten Guns In Sunderland EP (Razor)
Peak position: 29
30. Major Accident - Leaders Of Tomorrow (Flicknife)
Peak position: 25
Week Four
18. Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin - Busy Doing Nothing (Broken)
Peak position: 18
While ex-Hatfield and The North types Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin had an unexpectedly successful number one on Stiff Records in 1981 (“It’s My Party”) they found themselves at loggerheads with the label over the commerciality of the rest of their work.
“Busy Doing Nothing” was a track Stiff staff rejected as having no prospects, but the pair managed to carry it to number 49 on their own label, which is a better result than Stiff managed with Pookiesnackenburger singing the theme tune to the Cornetto adverts.
It begins sounding like an irritatingly quirky electro take on an old song, before restlessly peeling off layers of ambience, bouncy prog, twitchy synth-pop and the kind of vocal trilling you’d expect from a Steeleye Span outtake. It’s as if Gaskin and Stewart had a contest with each other to see who could take the source material in the least likely direction, then committed all their ideas to one slab of vinyl.
21. The Sisters of Mercy - Body Electric (Merciful Release)
Peak position: 21
27. Hanoi Rocks - Until I Get You (Lick)
Peak position: 18
29. The Escalators - Monday (Big Beat)
Peak position: 8
Garage rockers with a slightly misleading chart credit here – although “Monday” was the A-side, in reality many customers grabbed this record for their twangy take on the Munsters Theme on the flip.
“Monday” is a heavy handed chugging piece of rock and roll by comparison, combining 1966 group sounds with a slight punk sneer.
For the full charts, please head over to the UKMix Forums.
Number One In The Official Charts
KC & The Sunshine Band - Give It Up (Epic)
UB40 - Red Red Wine (DEP International/ Virgin)
UB40 - Red Red Wine (DEP International/ Virgin)
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