The Best of: Volume 1

I don’t want to start any blasphemous rumors, but Depeche Mode’s Best of misses Depeche Mode’s best. The sophomoric “See You” takes one of the 18 tracks that should have gone to “Blasphemous Rumours,” a song with sonic and lyrical sophistication unmatched in the quartet’s catalog. (I’d also have preferred “But Not Tonight” to “New Life,” but maybe that’s because “Oh God it’s raining …” matched the road conditions the evening I listened to it). I have no other bones to pick, though—this is a pretty fine compilation, packed with high notes from the varied eras in Depeche Mode’s 25 years of synth-driven hit making. The Best of starts in the middle span with the 1990 smash “Personal Jesus,” then flashes back to the ’80s with bouncy-poppy “Just Can’t Get Enough” and bouncy-cerebral “Everything Counts.” The rest of the set follows suit: 1990’s “Enjoy the Silence” leads to 1985’s “Shake the Disease,” 1997’s “It’s No Good” sets up 1987’s “Strangelove,” and 2005’s “Precious” precedes 1984’s “Master and Servant.” The disc’s new song, “Martyr,” fits right in. If only they’d said “See ya!” to “See You” …