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Ultra: The Story Behind Depeche Mode's Darkest Rebirth
Paperback
MusiciansGeneral SociologyMusic Reference
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Aug 17 2026
Pages: 90
Weight: 0.29
Height: 0.22 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
ULTRA: The Story Behind Depeche Mode's Darkest Rebirth
In June 1995, Alan Wilder walked away from Depeche Mode. A year later, Dave Gahan's heart stopped for two minutes in a Los Angeles apartment. Somewhere in between, three men with no producer, no plan, and no guarantee they would survive each other made one of the most quietly essential albums of their career.
This is the full, chapter-by-chapter story of Ultra - from the exhausted final days of the Devotional Tour, through Wilder's departure and the search for outsider producer Tim Simenon, to Gahan's addiction, overdose, arrest, and recovery, and the fractured sessions that stretched across London, New York, and Abbey Road before the album finally reached listeners in April 1997.
Inside, you'll find:
- The full story behind Alan Wilder's departure - announced, by coincidence, on his own 36th birthday
- Dave Gahan's addiction, the near-fatal overdose of 28 May 1996, and his recovery at Exodus
- A track-by-track walk through every song on Ultra, with the musicians and stories behind each one
- The album's B-sides, remixes, and the two low-key Ultra Parties that stood in for a tour
- How critics received the album in 1997 - and how its reputation has grown since
- A full timeline, complete track listing and credits, and a note on sources
Written by a longtime fan for fans who have always wanted the whole picture, ULTRA draws on decades of published interviews, contemporary reviews, and band biographies to tell the story behind one of Depeche Mode's most quietly important records - an album that very nearly didn't exist.
This is an independent, unofficial work of music history and criticism. It is not authorized, sponsored, or endorsed by Depeche Mode, Mute Records, or their affiliates.
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