Editing Depeche Mode (section)

===''Ultra'' (1996–1998)===
{{See also|Ultra (Depeche Mode album)|The Singles 86–98}}
Despite Gahan's increasingly severe personal problems, Gore tried repeatedly during 1995 and 1996 to get the band recording again. However, Gahan would rarely turn up to scheduled sessions, and when he did, it would take weeks to get any vocals recorded; one six-week session at [[Electric Lady Studios|Electric Lady]] in New York produced just one usable vocal (for "Sister of Night"), and even that was pieced together from multiple takes.{{sfn|Miller|2004|p=413}} Gore was forced to contemplate breaking the band up and considered releasing the songs he had written as a solo album.<ref>{{cite news|first= Mark |last= Brown |title= Depeche vs. Drugs |newspaper= [[Winnipeg Free Press]] |date= 1 May 1997 |access-date= 5 November 2014 |url= http://www.tuug.org/~jaakko/dm/dmtekstit/drugs.txt |url-status= dead |archive-date= 26 January 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170126080710/http://www.tuug.org/~jaakko/dm/dmtekstit/drugs.txt}}</ref> In mid-1996, after his near-fatal overdose in which his heart stopped beating for two minutes,<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 July 2011 |title=Sacred DM – NME 18 01 97 |url=http://www.sacreddm.net/1990s/nme180197/nme180197main.htm |access-date=13 October 2022 |archive-date=24 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724052835/http://www.sacreddm.net/1990s/nme180197/nme180197main.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> Gahan entered a court-ordered [[drug rehabilitation]] program to battle his addiction to cocaine and heroin.<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Keith |last= Cameron |title= Dead Man Talking |date= 18 January 1997 |magazine= NME |url= http://www.sacreddm.net/1990s/nme180197/nme180197main.htm |archive-date= 24 July 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110724052835/http://www.sacreddm.net/1990s/nme180197/nme180197main.htm}}</ref> With Gahan out of rehab in 1996, Depeche Mode held recording sessions with producer [[Tim Simenon]].

Preceded by two singles, "[[Barrel of a Gun]]" and "[[It's No Good]]", the album ''[[Ultra (Depeche Mode album)|Ultra]]'' was released in April 1997. The album debuted at No. 1 in the UK as well as Germany, and No. 5 in the US. The band did not tour in support of the album, with Fletcher quoted as saying: "We're not fit enough. Dave's only eight months into his sobriety, and our bodies are telling us to spend time with our families."<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Paul |last= Sexton |title= Depeche Mode Back from the Brink |magazine= [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date= 15 March 1997 |volume= 109 |issue= 11 |pages= 20–22 |issn= 0006-2510 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=aA4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA20}}</ref> As part of the promotion for the release of the album, they did perform two short concerts in London and Los Angeles, promoted as "Ultra Parties".{{sfn|Miller|2004|p=429}} ''Ultra'' spawned two further singles, "[[Home (Depeche Mode song)|Home]]" and "[[Useless (song)|Useless]]".

A second singles compilation, ''[[The Singles 86–98|The Singles 86>98]]'', was released in 1998, preceded by the new single "[[Only When I Lose Myself]]". In April 1998, Depeche Mode held a press conference at the Hyatt Hotel in [[Cologne]] to announce the Singles Tour.<ref>{{cite web|title= Press Conference, Hyatt Hotel, Cologne Germany |website= DepecheMode.com |date= 20 April 1998 |url= http://www.depechemode.com/video/other/pressconf_ger98.html |archive-date= 28 December 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121228102751/http://www.depechemode.com/video/other/pressconf_ger98.html}}</ref> The tour was the first to feature two backing musicians in place of Wilder—Austrian drummer Christian Eigner and British keyboardist [[Peter Gordeno (musician)|Peter Gordeno]].