Music for the Masses is the sixth proper studio album by Depeche Mode. Released by Mute Records on September 28, 1987, it provided the band with mainstream success in the United States for the first time since Some Great Reward, and the new styles of music that appeared on the album and its predecessor Black Celebration formed the foundation for their breakthrough effort, Violator. These three are widely considered to be the band's peak in both lyrical and musical sense, attributed to Gore's maturing songcraft and Wilder's synthesized orchestrations. It was supported by the For the Masses tour, which made up for the first of Depeche Mode's live albums, 101.