Depeche Mode's 101

Depeche Mode's 101 is a live double-album that marked their arrival as stadium rockers and the power of Southern California radio station KROQ in the 1990s alternative rock explosion.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 136 pages
Publication date: 30 May 2024
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Depeche Mode's 101 is a remarkable live double-album that captures the moment when the band, despite low American album sales and critical acclaim, declared their arrival and ascended to the rare air of stadium rock. The concert, held on June 18, 1988, at Pasadena's Rose Bowl, drew 65,000 screaming, singing Southern Californians, solidifying Depeche Mode's coronation as a major force in the music industry. The concert also showcased the power of Southern California radio station and event host KROQ, which had played a crucial role in turning Los Angeles into Depeche Mode's American stronghold through years of fervent airplay. KROQ's innovative format, which brought "new music" to its avid listeners, soon spread across the country, leading to the explosion of alternative rock in the 1990s.

Depeche Mode, rooted in 1970s Krautrock, combined old-fashioned touring, well-crafted songs, and the steadfast support of KROQ to dominate Southern California, the United States, and then the world. Eight years after its founding in Basildon, Essex, Depeche Mode's 101 is the hidden-in-plain-sight hinge of modern music history.

Weight: 120g
Dimension: 122 x 165 x 9 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781501390326