This was Depeche Mode's third album and actually the second of theirs I actually bought. If you break down Depeche Mode's evolving musical sound over the years, "Construction Time Again" is the quintessential record for the early years. Unlike "Speak & Spell", (which is more of a Vince Clarke creation than a DM record), and "A Broken Frame", (on which Martin cut his writing chops for the first time), CTA shows a more mature and settled songwriting style and set the standard for the rest of the 80's. The band would choose unusual subject material and the songs would often be sensitive and insightful at the same time. This is also a record where they begin to embrace the industrial barrage of engineered sounds they would become so famous for. Part of this is because of Martin's exposure to the German industrial sounds of bands like Einstürzende Neubauten.
You can definitely hear a theme on this record and that is disappointment. Having taken over as lead song writer for the band and suddenly finding himself successful, Martin L. Gore looks at the world around him and realizes it's not what he expected or even wanted it to be. From the initial track, 'Love, In Itself' he discusses these small epiphanies. For Martin, The Beatles "All You Need Is Love" turned out to be a lie spoon fed to the masses to keep people hoping things would turn out better than they were. For him, Love... In itself, wasn't enough. He continues the theme in 'More Than A Party' by comparing the world to a party where greedy people send one message while doing the opposite.
"Keep telling us we're to have fun
Then take all the ice cream so we've got none"
Gore was also heavily inspired by a trip to Asia where he saw firsthand the devastation of extreme poverty. Morally, he wasn't able to reconcile his world with the suffering he witnessed and songs like 'Pipeline' and 'Everything Counts' continue the theme of financial inequality and his growing disillusionment. 'Shame' describes his embarrassment of his own success while 'Told You So' attempts to address the serious and often fruitless political efforts of business' and governments to pass the buck without taking responsibility for their actions. Especially those that harm others.
The final track, 'And Then....' is Gore's call to arms. Realizing the world wasn't nearly as big as it had once seemed, he sends out a plea asking people to start to care and make a change.
New band member, Alan Wilder also contributed songs to the album. Although not exactly in line with Gore's overall theme, his songs compliment Martin's quite nicely. 'Two Minute Warning' creates a sense of urgency and necessity while 'The Landscape Is Changing' shows an awareness of environmentalism even before it became a huge topic of discussion. Gore's material dealt primary with the human condition while Wilder reflects on the world as a whole. Between the two of them, they created an album of socially conscious and relevant material.
This is probably one of my favorite DM albums. I love it! I remember working late at night when I would have the closing shift and driving home listening to these songs. I found them so inspiring I can't even begin to put it into words. It definitely helped me form a world view and define my sense of right and wrong.
There's a hidden reprise of 'Everything Counts' at the end of the album just after 'And Then....'. The US Version also includes the 12" long version of 'Everything Counts' as a bonus track. The Deluxe Edition features the disc in its original form without the added mix, but it includes the second disc with all sorts of bonus material. I'll specify everything in the tracks lists below. For the record, since the cover is identical, I'll only post the one pic here.
My final words: AN INFLUENTIAL BRILLIANT PIECE OF MUSIC.
DEPECHE MODE - CONSTRUCTION TIME AGAIN
01. Love, In Itself
02. More Than A Party
03. Pipeline
04. Everything Counts
05. Two Minute Warning
06. Shame
07. The Landscape Is Changing
08. Told You So
09. And Then....
10. Everything Counts (Reprise)
11. Everything Counts (Long Version) (US Only)
DVD CONTENT
01. A Short Film: Depeche Mode - 1983
02. Love, In Itself
03. More Than A Party
04. Pipeline
05. Everything Counts
06. Two Minute Warning
07. Shame
08. The Landscape Is Changing
09. Told You So
10. And Then....
11. Everything Counts (Reprise)
12. Get The Balance Right!
13. The Great Outdoors!
14. Work Hard
15. Fools
16. Get The Balance Right! (Combination Mix)
17. Everything Counts (In Larger Amounts)
18. Love, In Itself (4)
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