Music For The Masses
by Depeche Mode

Music For The Masses by Depeche Mode
Year: 1987
Overall rank: 470th   
Average Rating: 
80/100 (from 618 votes)
     
Accolades:
Award Top 10 albums of 1987 (8th)
Award Top 100 albums of the 1980s (70th)
Award Top 500 albums of all time (470th)

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VINYL Depeche Mode - Music For The Masses
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Depeche Mode Music for the Masses Cassette Tape 1987 Sire Mute 9 25614-4 Synth
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Depeche Mode bestography

Music For The Masses is ranked 2nd best out of 46 albums by Depeche Mode on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by Depeche Mode is Violator which is ranked number 101 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 12,238.

Depeche Mode album bestography « Higher ranked (101st)
Violator
This album (470th)
Music For The Masses
Lower ranked (647th) »
Black Celebration

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

Upcoming concerts

Feb
14
Sat
Strangelove: The Depeche Mode Experience
APEX Everett, Everett, United States. United States
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Feb
20
Fri
Strangelove: The Depeche Mode Experience
The Railhead at Boulder Station Hot, Las Vegas, United States. United States
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Feb
20
Fri
Burn: The Cure Experience + Fast Fashion: The Depeche Mode Experience
191 Toole, Tucson, United States. United States
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Music For The Masses track list

   The tracks on this album have an average rating of 81 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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Track pick (890 - 223 votes)
Average Rating: 89 (223 votes)Comments: View 4
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Average Rating: 82 (140 votes)Comments: View 0
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Track pick (870 - 195 votes)
Average Rating: 87 (195 votes)Comments: View 3
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Average Rating: 80 (130 votes)Comments: View 0
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Average Rating: 80 (140 votes)Comments: View 0
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Average Rating: 85 (169 votes)Comments: View 0
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Average Rating: 77 (132 votes)Comments: View 0
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Average Rating: 76 (124 votes)Comments: View 0
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Average Rating: 81 (128 votes)Comments: View 1
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Average Rating: 76 (124 votes)Comments: View 1
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Track pick (1000 - 100 votes) Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.

Music For The Masses rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 470th | 1980s rank: 70th | 1987 rank: 8th

Music For The Masses collection

Music For The Masses ratings

Average Rating: 
80/100 (from 618 votes)
   Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 618 ratings for this album.

Sort by
RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
35/100
 !
8 hours ago VeVt   10170/100
 
95/100
 !
01/27/2026 19:39 Rivera   2,02782/100
 
80/100
 !
01/15/2026 00:00 This_is_handsome   76979/100
 
75/100
 !
01/14/2026 17:57 Exist-en-ciel   7,42170/100
 
90/100
 !
01/08/2026 23:04 Jemegra   1676/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 2% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 79.5/100, a mean average of 78.6/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 79.7/100. The standard deviation for this album is 14.1.

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Music For The Masses comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 33 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
75/100
From 06/22/2025 16:45 | #309662
This might have been a good candidate for Mode´s best ever album had the the two follow-up releases been even better, This was the beginning of their most creative peak and a must Synthpop inclusion in every half-decent record collection.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
35/100
From 02/25/2024 09:17 | #302207
This comment is beneath your viewing threshold.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -3 votes (0 helpful | 3 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 09/11/2023 10:59 | #299070
Whilst at face value this album itself doesn’t sound like music for the masses , ironically it very much was selling a tick under 2’000 000 copies worldwide and taking DP from a cult band to playing stadiums. There’s a lot to like here highlighted by the double entendre opener “Never Let Me Down Again” (given a host of new fans on the back of appearing on The Last of Us TV series), “Nothing” and the dark and searing “Pimpf” closing out proceedings
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 02/06/2023 23:38 | #293667
It's more consistent than Black Celebration, but there is still room for improvement. The album has dark tone, while being catchy at the same time, some tracks sound really cool - Never Let Me Down Again, Behind The Wheel, Strangelove, but some of them are still a little bit bland - Little 15, To Have And To Hold.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 11/06/2021 23:45 | #275940
This is a very compact album that has a lot of great cuts. The opening track really kicks the record off in style and it really sets the mood for the rest of the record. This atmosphere is then maintained throughout the rest of the record and is a real high point of the music. This was their first truly dark album and you can see all the potential for the brilliant synth led music that they would create. I love the vocal performance as well with it being consistently gloomy and deeper than their other works. However, there are a few tracks which do dip in quality with some of them not really grabbing my attention. This album laid the amazing groundwork for what would be Violator in my opinion but it doesn't reach the same levels that album does. Overall, this is a great album and one I love to listen too but it is a close second in terms of greatest Depeche Mode albums.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 01/13/2021 20:48 | #264379
Not much separates this and Violator.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 09/06/2020 21:50 | #257832
Much darker in tone than their previous releases, a trend they would only explore deeper with their next album Violator.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 01/07/2020 01:47 | #246495
Classic album of the 80s. Depeche Mode´s best album of the 80s, just one step behind to their masterpiece Violator (1990).
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 09/20/2019 17:53 | #242849
Really good album.

Favorites: Strangelove, Behind The Wheel.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
70/100
From 04/15/2019 23:38 | #235046
Best track: "Nothing"
Weakest track: "Pimpf"
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Best Albums of 1987
1. The Joshua Tree by U2
2. Appetite For Destruction by Guns N' Roses
3. Sign "O" The Times by Prince
4. Strangeways, Here We Come by The Smiths
5. You're Living All Over Me by Dinosaur
6. Document by R.E.M.
7. Bad by Michael Jackson
8. Music For The Masses by Depeche Mode
9. Sister by Sonic Youth
10. Substance by New Order
11. Hysteria by Def Leppard
12. Kick by INXS
13. Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me by The Cure
14. Louder Than Bombs by The Smiths
15. Darklands by The Jesus And Mary Chain
16. Come On Pilgrim by Pixies
17. Diesel And Dust by Midnight Oil
18. Paid In Full by Eric B. & Rakim
19. Tango In The Night by Fleetwood Mac
20. Tunnel Of Love by Bruce Springsteen
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