In 1980 in Basildon in Essex a new wave pop band were formed which was ultimately to become Depeche Mode. The line up consisted of Dave Gahan as the lead vocalist; Andrew Fletcher on keyboards; and Martin Gore on keyboard, guitar and vocals. Martin went on to become the chief songwriter in 1981 when Vince Clarke left the band after the release of the first album "Speak & Spell". Alan Wilder was brought in on keyboards and drums but this was not permanent and Wilder left in 1995, however the band continued on to great success as a trio. Clarke, Gore and Fletcher had originally formed a band named `Composition of Sound` but soon after this began to experiment with a rather more synthesised sound. During this period, they met Dave Gahan who came across them at a jamming session. After this, Gahan joined the group and the band was renamed Depeche Mode which was actually the name of a French magazine. Creating a unique sound, Depeche Mode gained a large and loyal following and managed to sign a recording deal with Mute records within a year. The first track the band released was entitled `Dreaming of Me` which was a minor hit, however their second single `New Life` managed to get to number 11 in the UK charts which was then followed by `Just can`t get enough` which made it into the top ten. In November 1981 the band`s debut `Speak & Spell` album was released. The band reached international success in March 1984 when the single "People are People" charted high in Ireland, U.K., Switzerland and Germany and later in 1985 it made number 13 in the US charts. After a world tour, the band went on to play their 101st concert at the Pasadena Rose Bowl during which a live album and video was released which was simply entitled "101" which prepared fans for their breakthrough album "Violator". From this album "Personal Jesus" became a success for the band as one of the highest selling CD singles in U.S history. This song gave the band their first gold single. This was later followed by "Enjoy the Silence" which became the band`s trademark track. Depeche Mode went on to release "Songs of Faith and Devotion" in 1993 opting for a somewhat different approach and creating a rock sound. This clearly worked as it charted number one on billboard`s top 100. This was a major achievement as it was one of the first "alternative" albums to achieve a distinguished double. More than 20 years after the formation of the band, Depeche Mode are now recognised as the most accomplished and successful electro-synth band of all time. They have received 5 Grammy awards, an MTV music video music award for "I feel you" in 1993, they have 2 Brit awards and many others. Such an inspiring group will doubtless continue to influence others and wow fans for many years to come and memorabilia such as Depeche Mode gold discs are sure to become ever more sought after as collectibles.