Construction Time Again

Construction Time Again came out on Mute in the UK as STUMM 13 and in Germany on Intercord on August 22, 1983. It was recorded in mid-1983 at John Foxx's studio, The Garden, in London and mixed in July at Hansa in West Berlin, with Daniel Miller and the band producing and Gareth Jones engineering. It was the first album with Alan Wilder, who co-wrote two tracks, and Gore's writing was shaped by a trip to Thailand. The sound moved toward sampling and found sound, and the title comes from a verse of Pipeline.

The singles were Everything Counts, on July 11, 1983, which reached number 6 in the UK, and Love, in Itself, on September 19, 1983, which reached number 21. The album reached number 6 in the UK, number 1 on the UK Independent chart and number 7 in Germany, and is gold in both countries. Number One's Anne Lambert called it sharp, tight, smooth and absolutely riveting, Smash Hits's Peter Martin called it a brave departure, and AllMusic's Ned Raggett, giving it two of five, found it a bit hit and miss. Gahan later called it a massive changing point for the band.