The Depeche Mode-Black Sabbath Connection?

[sabbath1977pr]

They look amazingly similar, don't they? Born Again was released in the summer of 1983. The New Life CD single by Depeche Mode was released at some point in 1981. I contacted the webmaster of what appeared to be a popular Depeche Mode site (here), and asked them. They hadn't seen the Black Sabbath cover art at all, so my email was a surprise to them. They posted about it on their forums, no one seems to really know there what the connection is. Here's what I know about the situation (as copied from my post in that forum).

At the time, Sabbath was managed by Don Arden (Sharon Osbourne's father). Don apparently wasn't terribly keen on Sabbath (as the rumours go), and just (again, as the rumours go) slapped together any piece of crap and sent it to Sabbath, figuring they wouldn't like it, and wouldn't use it. That is what ended up being used! Again, as rumours go, Tony Iommi liked it, and wanted to use it.

The album title "Born Again" is how Sabbath viewed themselves. At the time, it was Sabbath being "Born Again" as a band; a fresh start. Didn't last, but that's what they were saying in the interviews at the time. I really do not believe it has anything to do with Depeche Mode, at least in terms of lyrics, as was suggested above. Here's a link to the lyrics from the Born Again album.

Yes, the Sabbath cover art is credited to Steve Joule. Whether Steve was influenced by the DM cover, or where he blatantly stole from it, or whether it was a horrendously huge coincidence, or if there's another image that both folks used, I do not know.

That's about the extent of what I know of this cover image (except there's a good story in Garry Sharpe Young's Sabbath Book on how Sabbath actually tried to have a live version of the baby cover art on stage - thankfully that idea went away quickly). I've placed a few inquiries about this, but as of yet haven't heard anything.

If there's anyone reading this that has concrete information as to where Depeche Mode got the image from, or knows how to contact Steve Joule, I'd appreciate hearing from you about it. In the meantime, we'll definitely have to go with the fact that the two images seem to be related in some way, but as to how - who knows?

http://www.black-sabbath.com/news.html

[Señor DeLarge]

Diantres si parece como si hubieran cogido la caratula de Depeche Mode y la hubieran retocado con Photo Shop y ya!!!! Aunque duh! PS no existia en esa epoca, pero miren las manos y la pose, son identicas.

[sabbath1977pr]

Cuando lo vi me quedé en shock por unos cuantos segundos.

[BAADER-MEINHOF]

wow , I am amazed!

definitivamente es el mismo arte pero trabajado.

Que cojones!

El articulo tiene razon, probablemente Don "Old fart piece of shit" Arden tuvo algo que ver. Anyway, ese disco estuvo cool. Iam Guillan berreando en Disturbing the Priest...unforgettable.

[Desajuste]

Mas probable era arte de un database de fotos, y por casualidad cojieron la misma.

Pero either way, tremenda coincidencia, and quite freaky too.

Stuff music myth is made of

[Benito Kmelo]

mano vete pal...!!! esa es la misma foto!!!, lo uniko q cambia es el color y q el bebe tiene unas, dientes y ojos....pero co~o es la misma pose y todo!. en verdad q esta cabron!

[A el lo que es del]

pero David, ¿en esos años ya compañias compraban imagenes para tenerlas en un catalago de imagenes genericas?

[Idioteque]

Pensaba que tenía que ver con la música. Eso si estaría interesantemente disturbing.

[Devos]

es como aquel disco de Manowar...igualito a Destroyer de Kiss...