Burning The Ground Exclusive

Released in the UK on July 11, 1983, “Everything Counts” marked an important turning point for Depeche Mode. The single introduced a tougher, more experimental sound that would play a major role in the band’s evolution throughout the rest of the decade.

Written by Martin Gore, “Everything Counts” was the first single taken from the band’s third studio album, Construction Time Again. The album would also mark the first time Alan Wilder appeared as a full member on a Depeche Mode studio LP.

By this point the group had begun moving away from the cleaner synth-pop sound of their first two albums. Sampling became an important part of the recording process, with metallic noises, unusual percussion, and sounds gathered from everyday objects finding their way into the music.

“Everything Counts” was one of the first major examples of that new direction.

The lyrics were changing as well.

Instead of focusing on relationships, Martin Gore turned his attention toward greed, competition, and corporate culture. The song’s image of “grabbing hands” became one of the most recognizable lyrics in the Depeche Mode catalog.

The darker subject matter is paired with one of the band’s catchiest early melodies. Dave Gahan handles the verses while Martin Gore takes a more prominent role during the chorus. Add the distinctive melodic hook and all of those strange metallic sounds, and you have a record that sounded quite different from most of the synth-pop appearing on the charts in 1983.

And “Everything Counts” did very well on those charts.

In the UK, the single entered the Official Singles Chart at No. 41 and steadily climbed during the following weeks. It eventually reached No. 6 and spent eleven weeks on the chart, including three weeks inside the Top 10.

The record also found success across Europe and beyond. “Everything Counts” reached No. 8 in Switzerland, No. 15 in Ireland, No. 18 in Sweden, No. 23 in West Germany, and No. 27 in New Zealand. It also reached No. 20 in South Africa.

The original single did not enter the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, where Depeche Mode were still some distance away from becoming a major mainstream act. However, the record made an impression in American clubs, reaching No. 17 on Billboard’s dance chart.

For the UK 12-inch, Mute Records gave the extended version the wonderfully appropriate title “Everything Counts (In Larger Amounts).”

And larger amounts are exactly what you get.

Running more than seven minutes, the 12-inch version gives the percussion, samples, synthesizer lines, and instrumental sections much more room. Rather than simply extending the beginning and ending, “In Larger Amounts” pulls apart elements of the original recording and lets you hear just how much was going on underneath that instantly recognizable melody.

It is exactly the kind of extended mix that made the 12-inch format so interesting during the 1980s.

The B-side, “Work Hard (East End Remix),” is equally interesting. Written by Martin Gore and Alan Wilder, “Work Hard” was a non-album track recorded during the same period and fits perfectly with the mechanical sound Depeche Mode were exploring.

The extended East End Remix stretches the track to more than six minutes and makes an already unusual B-side even stranger.

“Everything Counts” became one of the defining singles from Depeche Mode’s early years. More importantly, it offered a glimpse of where the band was headed. The bright synthesizers were still there, but now they were surrounded by sampled machinery, harder rhythms, darker lyrics, and a growing willingness to experiment.

The transformation from the band that recorded “Just Can’t Get Enough” only two years earlier was well underway.

For me, the UK 12-inch is the version to hear. “In Larger Amounts” gives all of those rhythms, samples, and production details the space they deserve.

After all, when it comes to a great 12-inch…

Everything counts in large amounts.

SIDE A:
Everything Counts (In Larger Amounts) 7:21
Written-By – M.L.Gore*

SIDE B:
Work Hard (East End Remix) 7:00
Written-By – A. Wilder, M.L.Gore

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Mute – 12 BONG 3
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Single, Stereo, Beige Labels With Grey Print, Not “MVS” Pressing
Country: UK
Released: Jul 11, 1983
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:

• Engineer [Tonmeister] – Gareth Jones
• Producer [Produced By] – Daniel Miller, Depeche Mode

NOTES:
Recorded at the Garden Studio, London.

“Everything Counts” mixed in Hansa Mischraum, Berlin.

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
for BURNING THE GROUND

THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon Concorde Music Black
Phono Pre-amp: Pro-Ject Tube Box DS2
Phono Tubes: Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 ECC83/B759 Gold Pins Vacuum Tube – Matched Pair
Audio Interface: MOTU M4
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Cleaning Solution: Turgikleen Record Cleaning Solution
Scanner: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner

SOFTWARE:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 25 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

PLEASE READ

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Password: burningtheground

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