Yes, they were... DM is one of my favourite groups, love all their early electronic albums up to Violator inclusively.
Sorry to say this thread - Has been hi-jacked by a load of eighties music lovers Mystic Traveller - If you like Depeche Mode - Speak and Spell, check out Yazoo and then Erasure which were Vince Clark's follow up groups.
Sure, mate, I know both Yazoo and Erasure, still have a tape with Erasure from 80s (BTW, a gift from my London friends, lived there a little in 1991) .
How a topic meanders. Only on S2G can a topic go from a post about boredom to Kim Wilde inviting onlookers to 'Take me tonight'.