Depeche Mode “Everything Counts (In Larger Amounts)” b/w “Work Hard (East End Remix)” 1983. 12″ single on Mute/12Bong3 (UK import). This past Thanksgiving holiday weekend we were visiting family and I met up with an old friend – it’s probably been close to 30 years since I’ve seen him – who is selling a lot of his vinyl. I spent much of the 80′s trying to keep up with him and another friend in vinyl acquisition (mostly failing) and have since been trying to recreate their excellent collections, including the plethora of early Depeche Mode 12″ singles. This is one of many that I was lucky enough to get from him.

“Everything Counts” has always been one of my favorite DM tracks – it appears on their 1983 album Construction Time Again – the harmoniously sweet chorus belying the venom of the lyrics which decry corporate greed. The B-side, “Work Hard,” is a truly industrial dance track, with synth, machine clanks and a dark drum machine beat.