I have always been curious as to why there were only two singles released off 'Construction Time Again'. Was is that you felt none of the other tracks were strong enough, or that there was new material (i.e. 'Some Great Reward') ready to go?

I'm not sure. I think we toyed with the idea of 'And Then' and / or one or two of the other tracks but for some reason the third single never materialised.

I would like to know about the panning sound in 'Everything Counts' along with the drums. Is it a sample or an analogue sound?

It is a sample, reproduced via the original Emulator. I can't remember the source though - it was probably as a result of our various trips around the building sites of Shoreditch in east London.

Joining the band full time with the making of 'Construction Time Again', did you have any qualms about stepping in with an 'accomplished' band and did you contribute as much to the album as you would have liked, being the 'new guy'? How quickly did the original members of DM accept you and the contributions you could make?

I had no problem getting involved - the others weren't particularly precious about the studio. The most protective person was actually Daniel Miller who very much controlled the studio direction at that time.

Do you still retain the rights to your DM contributions (i.e. 'In Your Memory', 'Two Minute Warning' )?

As a songwriter, I retain my publishing rights to those songs. I continue to receive my share of royalties from record sales of all DM recordings in which I was involved.

One of my favourite DM albums is 'Construction Time Again' and I very much like your songs 'Two Minute Warning' and 'The Landscape Is Changing'. Do you remember the mood in which you made these songs?

Not really. I saw a TV documentary about acid rain which gave me the idea for 'The Landscape'.

You said that we can hear your voice in 'Everything Counts', so is that you singing the refrain by yourself or is there also Martin's voice?

It's both of us - I sing the harmony.

Why were there so many different versions of 'Love In Itself'? Whose idea was it to record the swing version? Do believe that was a weak single?

I've talked comprehensively about remix versions etc. in Q + A. You'll find all the answers in the Depeche Mode - additional tracks archives. 'Love In Itself' certainly wasn't our strongest single. I can't really remember how the swing version came about - probably a spin-off of the middle 8 from the original version.

The track 'Two Minute Warning' from the same L.P. has caused quite a discussion between me and a friend of mine. Could you tell us what that song is all about?

It was about the nuclear arms race of the Eighties.

What is your favourite song from 'Construction Time Again'?

'Shame' and 'And Then'.

Do you like 'Told You So'?

It's not one of my favourites.

Q+A  :  DEPECHE MODE  :  CONSTRUCTION TIME AGAIN