This month's classic comes from one of Depeche Mode's early albums, "Some Great Reward". With this hit, Depeche Mode made it big in 1984 on the American charts after releasing the wildly popular People Are People.
Here is the first 12 inch single for Master & Servant (US Balck & Blue Version) and the catchy b-side (Set Me Free) Remotivate Me (12" Remix).
The production and mixing process of Master and Servant are remembered by Alan Wilder, Daniel Miller, and Gareth Jones, as among the longest that Depeche Mode ever endured. One famous story about the song includes a mixing duration of seven days, and after all the reworking and final mastering of the mix, they realized they left the channel with the snare drum muted during the last chorus.
The overtly sexual, BDSM-themed lyrics of Master and Servant - complete with synthesized whip-and-chain sound effects - reportedly got the song banned by many radio stations in the United States (although the song reached the Billboard Hot 100 chart anyway, albeit only at #87 and for only a three-week chart stay).
