Martin L. Gore: Lays

by Martin L. Gore, Klaus Voormann (Illustrator), Jugurtha Harchaoui (Editor)

This is a de-luxe edition featuring for the first time ever in the form of a book the virtually complete lyrics written between 1981 and 2005 by MARTIN GORE for British band DEPECHE MODE. The 87 songs -- picked from DM's past 11 studio albums and myriad B sides -- span two and a half decades, and are gathered together in one volume along with their translation in French. The book was put together over a several-year period with Martin Gore's blessing. Legendary German artist KLAUS VOORMANN contributed half-a-dozen original illustrations made specifically for the book. The editor also received help from world-renowned Dutch photographer ANTON CORBIJN, who provided the rare black-and-white portrait adorning the cover. ~ The band's greatest classics enjoyed such massive commercial success over the decades, it is easy to forget the masterful language, the timelessness and, quite often, the dry wit that characterize them. The translator annotated the French version with an unstinting eye for detail and rock history, allowing us to connect Gore's unique voice as a British songsmith with the American blues-and-rock tradition that informs those songs. ~ The 87-song retrospective is compiled into one lavish volume, more akin to a fine vintage poetry book than a typical rock coffee-table tome. Foreword by rock journalist Gerard Bar-David (Rolling Stone France, Best) who de facto acted as France's DM expert ever since their debut back in 1981. ~ This rare, limited-edition item is a must-own for not only DM fans around the world but also any book lovers.

Genres: Music

216 pages, Paperback

Published April 13, 2009

About the author

Martin Lee Gore (born 23 July 1961)[1] is an English songwriter, singer, guitarist and keyboardist, and also remixer and DJ. He is a founding member of Depeche Mode and has written the vast majority of their songs. His work now spans over three decades. Gore's best known compositions are hits such as "Personal Jesus", "Enjoy the Silence", "I Feel You", "People Are People", "Everything Counts" and "Never Let Me Down Again", amongst others.

In addition to composing music and writing lyrics of the Depeche Mode songs, he has also sung a number of them as the lead vocalist, and usually solo (some examples are, "Somebody", "A Question of Lust" and "Home"), as evidenced by most of the Depeche Mode concerts, and has been a backing vocalist on many of the others.

In 1999 Gore received the Ivor Novello Award from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors for "International Achievement".

Reviews

[Girl Well Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

Martin Gore is pure genius - always so far ahead of the curve. One of the most gifted song writers ever. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

[Angela]

This is on back order from Amazon.. More than any other book, I hope this arrives quickly and safely. A book of his lyrics, I value it more dearly than the rest of my library, than anything I'm reading, have read, or will read---hopefully it becomes available soon!