Speak & Spell (album)

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Speak & Spell
Studio album by Depeche Mode
Released	7 November 1981
Recorded	May–August 1981
Genre	Synthpop New Wave
Length	44:58
Label	Mute Sire (US/Canada)
Producer	Depeche Mode, Daniel Miller
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Rolling Stone link Pitchfork Media (7.5/10) link Robert Christgau (C+) link
Depeche Mode chronology
Speak & Spell (1981) A Broken Frame (1982)

Speak & Spell is the debut album of Depeche Mode. It was recorded and released in 1981.

[edit] Overview

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.

The album title alludes to the then-popular "Speak & Spell" electronic toy.

When interviewed by Simon Amstell for Channel 4's Popworld programme in 2005, Martin Gore and Andrew Fletcher both stated that track 6, "What's Your Name?", was their least favourite Depeche Mode song. However, on the DVD of the remastered Black Celebration, Gore claims that "It's Called a Heart" is his least favourite.

[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 debuted 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 (but the 5.1 mixes on the DVD use the 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 & 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 recent footage on Frank Tovey.

The remastered album was released on "deluxe" vinyl 2 March 2007 in Germany and 5 March 2007 internationally.

[edit] Track listing

[edit] UK LP: Mute / Stumm5

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

Bonus tracks on 1988 CD re-release: Mute / Cdstumm5

12. "Dreaming of Me" - 4:03
13. "Ice Machine" - 4:05
14. "Shout!" - 3:46
15. "Any Second Now" - 3:08
16. "Just Can't Get Enough (Schizo Mix)" - 6:41

• "Shout!" (from the b-side of the "New Life" single) is listed on the CD and all subsequent releases as "Shout", without the exclamation mark.
• The versions of "Dreaming of Me" and "Ice Machine" included on this CD have cold ends (as opposed to the fading-out versions on the original 7" single).

[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] 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 & 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

[edit] Bonus tracks

In DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, PCM Stereo:

1. "Ice Machine"
2. "Shout!"
3. "Any Second Now"
4. "Just Can't Get Enough (Schizo Mix)"

[edit] 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 original 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" (7 September 1981)

• * The first of six Depeche Mode singles not to be included on an album release, although it did appear on the original US LP of Speak & Spell, in place of "I Sometimes Wish I Was Dead". It was included on later editions of the album (as a bonus track) and on The Singles 81>85.

[edit] Charts

[edit] Personnel

• Vince Clarke
• Andrew Fletcher
• Martin Gore
• David Gahan
• Depeche Mode, Daniel Miller – producers
• John Fryer, Eric Radcliffe – engineers
• Brian Griffin – album photography

• CDD Pre-Mastering: WCI Record Group
• Publisher: Mute Records
• Label: Mute Records
• Recorded at Blackwing Studios, London

[edit] External links

• Official remaster info