Speak & Spell (album)

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Speak & Spell
Speak & Spell cover
Studio album by Depeche Mode
Released 7 November 1981
Recorded Blackwing Studios, London
Genre Synth pop
Length 44:58
Label Mute Records
Producer(s) Depeche Mode and Daniel Miller
Professional reviews
Depeche Mode chronology
Speak and Spell
(1981)		 A Broken Frame
(1982)


Speak and Spell is Depeche Mode's debut studio album, recorded and released in 1981.

This is their only album with Vince Clarke as a member of the band (having written most of the songs), before he left to found and work with groups such as The Assembly, Yazoo, and Erasure.

The album is significantly lighter in tone and melody than their later work, a direction which can largely be attributed to Clarke's writing. After he left, Martin Gore would take over songwriting duties, writing almost all of the band's material; later albums written by him would explore darker subjects and melodies.

Contents

[edit] 2006 re-release

The album was re-released on 3 April, 2006 (along with Music for the Masses and Violator) as part of Mute's extensive Depeche Mode reissue schedule. This new release featured the album released in a special edition that included a Hybrid SACD/CD + DVD 2 disc pack. This format included the album in 5 formats - multi-channel SACD, stereo SACD, PCM stereo CD, DTS 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1.

In the United States, the album wasn't re-released until June 2, 2006. Like Playing the Angel, the American version's CD was just that, a CD, instead of a SACD/CD Hybrid. It still included the DVD, which was identical to the European one (barring some different copyrights and logos).

The re-release somewhat preserves the album as it was originally intended. As such, while it is mostly the same as the British version, North America got a completely new version with some songs that have never been released there. For example, "New Life" was the original version, not a remix, and "I Sometimes Wish I Was Dead" finally made it's debut in North America. However, "Dreaming of Me", which was not on the album, was put at the end. It's the no fade-out version, which debuted in North America with the re-release. The four bonus tracks on the original CD release in the UK, were left out of the CD, but were on the DVD.

Also included was a 28 minute documentary on Speak and Spell called Depeche Mode: 1980-1981 (Do We Really Have To Give Up Our Day Jobs?) featuring interviews with Depeche Mode (including Vince Clarke) and other important DM figures like Daniel Miller and the artist. There is various footage of DM's appearances on Top of the Pops including their very first appearance with "New Life." There's also vintage BBC footage of some Speak and Spell Tour concerts. There is extensive commentary and new facts on the album, and there's also some recent footage on the late Frank Tovey.

[edit] Track listing

[edit] UK LP: Mute / Stumm 5

  1. "New Life" – 3:43
  2. "I Sometimes Wish I Was Dead" – 2:14
  3. "Puppets" – 3:55
  4. "Boys Say Go!" – 3:03
  5. "Nodisco" – 4:11
  6. "What's Your Name?" – 2:41
  7. "Photographic" – 4:44
  8. "Tora! Tora! Tora!" – 4:34
  9. "Big Muff" – 4:20
  10. "Any Second Now (Voices)" – 2:35
  11. "Just Can't Get Enough" – 3:40

[edit] US LP/CD

  1. "New Life [Remix]" – 3:56
  2. "Puppets" – 3:57
  3. "Dreaming of Me" – 3:42
  4. "Boys Say Go!" – 3:04
  5. "Nodisco" – 4:13
  6. "What's Your Name?" – 2:41
  7. "Photographic" – 4:58
  8. "Tora! Tora! Tora!" – 4:24
  9. "Big Muff" – 4:21
  10. "Any Second Now (Voices)" – 2:33
  11. "Just Can't Get Enough" - Schizo Mix – 6:41

[edit] UK CD (with Bonus Tracks): Mute / CD Stumm 5

  • * denotes bonus track
  1. "New Life" – 3:46
  2. "I Sometimes Wish I Was Dead" – 2:18
  3. "Puppets" – 3:58
  4. "Boys Say Go!" – 3:07
  5. "Nodisco" – 4:15
  6. "What's Your Name?" – 2:45
  7. "Photographic" – 4:44
  8. "Tora! Tora! Tora!" – 4:37
  9. "Big Muff" – 4:24
  10. "Any Second Now (Voices)" – 2:35
  11. "Just Can't Get Enough" – 3:44
  12. * "Dreaming of Me" – 4:03 [this version does not fade out]
  13. * "Ice Machine" – 4:05 [this version does not fade out]
  14. * "Shout!" – 3:46
  15. * "Any Second Now" – 3:08
  16. * "Just Can't Get Enough (Schizo Mix)" – 6:44

[edit] 2006 re-release

Mute: DM CD 1 (CD/SACD + DVD) / CDX STUMM 5 (CD/SACD)

  • Disc 1 is a hybrid SACD/CD with a multi-channel SACD layer.
  • Disc 2 is a DVD which includes "Speak and Spell" in DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM Stereo plus bonus material
  1. "New Life" – 3:46
  2. "I Sometimes Wish I Was Dead" – 2:18
  3. "Puppets" – 3:58
  4. "Boys Say Go!" – 3:07
  5. "Nodisco" – 4:15
  6. "What's Your Name?" – 2:45
  7. "Photographic" – 4:44
  8. "Tora! Tora! Tora!" – 4:37
  9. "Big Muff" – 4:24
  10. "Any Second Now (Voices)" – 2:35
  11. "Just Can't Get Enough" – 3:44
  12. "Dreaming of Me" – 4:03

Bonus Tracks (in DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, PCM Stereo):

  1. "Ice Machine" – 4:05
  2. "Shout" – 3:46
  3. "Any Second Now" – 3:08
  4. "Just Can't Get Enough [Schizo Mix]" – 6:44

Additional Material:

  1. "Depeche Mode 80-81 (Do We Really Have To Give Up Our Day Jobs?)" [28 Minute video]

For all versions, all songs were written by Vince Clarke, except for "Tora! Tora! Tora!" and "Big Muff", written by Martin Gore. David Gahan is lead vocals on all songs except "Any Second Now (voices)" which is sung by Martin Gore. "Big Muff" and the non-Voices version of "Any Second Now" are instrumentals.

[edit] Singles

  1. "Dreaming of Me" (20 February, 1981)*
  2. "New Life" (13 June, 1981)
  3. "Just Can't Get Enough" (07 September, 1981)
  • * The first of five Depeche Mode singles not to be included on an album release. It was included on later editions of Speak & Spell (as a bonus track) and on The Singles 81>85. It was also on the original US LP version, in place of "I Sometimes Wish I Was Dead."

[edit] Personnel

[edit] External links

Depeche Mode
David Gahan | Martin Gore | Andrew Fletcher
Vince Clarke | Alan Wilder
Depeche Mode discography

Studio albums: Speak & Spell | A Broken Frame | Construction Time Again | Some Great Reward | Black Celebration | Music for the Masses | Violator | Songs of Faith and Devotion | Ultra | Exciter | Playing the Angel

Compilations: People Are People | The Singles 81>85 | Catching Up with Depeche Mode | The Singles 86>98 | Remixes 81 - 04 | The Best Of, Volume 1

Live Albums: 101 | Songs of Faith and Devotion Live

Tribute Albums: For the Masses | A Techno Tribute to Depeche Mode

Singles: Dreaming of Me | New Life | Just Can't Get Enough | See You | The Meaning of Love | Leave in Silence | Get the Balance Right | Everything Counts | Love, in Itself | People Are People | Master and Servant | Blasphemous Rumours / Somebody | Shake the Disease | It's Called a Heart | Stripped | A Question of Lust | A Question of Time | Strangelove | Never Let Me Down Again | Behind the Wheel | Little 15 | Everything Counts (Live) | Personal Jesus | Enjoy the Silence | Policy of Truth | World in My Eyes I Feel You | Walking in My Shoes | Condemnation | In Your Room | Barrel of a Gun | It's No Good | Home | Useless | Only When I Lose Myself | Dream On | I Feel Loved | Freelove | Goodnight Lovers | Enjoy the Silence 04 | Precious | A Pain That I'm Used To | Suffer Well | John the Revelator / Lilian | Martyr
Videography

Videos: The World We Live In and Live in Hamburg | Some Great Videos | Strange | 101 | Strange Too | Devotional | The Videos 86>98 | One Night in Paris | Touring the Angel: Live in Milan
Related articles
Synthpop | Depeche Mode Tours | Mute Records | Paper Monsters | Counterfeit e.p. | Counterfeit²
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