Ultra by Depeche Mode (1997)
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Depeche Mode’s classic album Ultra is a testament to the powers of Atari ST as a composer’s workhorse – even years after the machine had been officially discontinued. According to the April 1997 issue of Future Music magazine, the band’s ninth studio album was sequenced on two Atari 1040ST computers running C-Lab Notator, Atari 1040ST running Cubase, and an ARP 1615 – a hardware sequencer from the late 1970s.
Ultra was the band’s first album after Alan Wilder left the ranks. Wilder himself would continue using Atari ST on his projects like Recoil for years before switching to the Apple camp.
Ultra was a critical and commercial success. It sold 584,000 copies by the year 2006 in the US alone. The album features unforgettable Depeche Mode songs like Barrel of a Gun, It’s No Good, Home and Useless.