Depeche Mode “Music For the Masses” released on this date September 28th, 1987. Yes this is supposed to be Vinyl from the Vault but today will have to be Cassettes from the Vault because in September ‘87 I still didn’t own a CD player and my not-so-bright teenage brain thought vinyl was “out.” But I bought this pretty much the day it was released and remember listening to it for the first time in the hallways of high school on my Walkman (before, inevitably, the tape started to get munched – but I still held onto the cassette because obviously I don’t get rid of my music).

“Music For the Masses” is Depeche Mode’s 6th studio album, its title purposely misleading as the band did not intend the record to be commercially accessible; instead making a more minimal, introspective and moody synth (un)pop album. Despite this, it reached #10 on the UK charts and #35 in the US and was supported by a massively successful  world tour. The single “Strangelove” was released months before the album, in April ‘87, hitting #16 in the UK and a more uptempo version (“Strangelove ‘88″) made it to #50 in the US. “Never Let Me Down Again,” one of my favorite tracks on “Music For the Masses,” came out in August ‘87. “Nothing” is another favorite, so very very dark and the stark desperation of “I Want You Now” is heart-wrenching. “Little 15″ pretty much freaked me out – and it still does.