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Speak & Spell (album)

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Speak & Spell
Studio album by
Depeche Mode
ReleasedOctober 1981 (1981-10)
Recorded1980−1981[1]
StudioBlackwing (London)
Genre
Length39:42
LabelMute
Producer
Depeche Mode chronology
Speak & Spell
(1981) 		A Broken Frame
(1982)
Singles from Speak & Spell
  1. "Dreaming of Me"
    Released: 20 February 1981[7]
  2. "New Life"
    Released: 13 June 1981[8]
  3. "Just Can't Get Enough"
    Released: 7 September 1981

Speak & Spell is the debut studio album by the English electronic music band Depeche Mode. It was released in October 1981[a] by Mute Records in the UK, and Sire Records in the US. It was the band's only album to feature founding member Vince Clarke.

The album peaked at number 10 on the UK Albums Chart, and was ranked number 991 in the 2000 book All Time Top 1000 Albums.[11]

Band formation and first singles

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Founding members Vince Clarke, Martin Gore and Andrew Fletcher had joined to form the band "Composition of Sound" and played their first live show on 30 May 1980 in Basildon, UK.[12] At their first show, Clarke was the singer for the band, but he felt that the band needed a front man to make their show more interesting, as Clarke was always standing behind his keyboard.[12] The band auditioned several people to be their singer and selected Dave Gahan, and the band's next show on 14 June 1980 was the first with all four members performing.[12] They changed the name of their band to "Depeche Mode" after a few shows, and by August they had a regular gig booked at a club named Croc's in Rayleigh, Essex,[12] which they played at, amidst other live shows in the UK, for the rest of the year until a New Year's show on 3 January 1981.[13] In order to get signed to a record label, they created a demo tape with three of their songs, "Ice Machine", "Photographic" and "Radio News", and that led to their inclusion on the compilation Some Bizzare Album in January 1981, which included "Photographic".[14][b] Gahan later said that the band joined the Mute record label after being offered a "50/50 split, which meant we would have to pay half of all our bills, but we'd get half the profits."[16] The band had entertained offers from other labels such as CBS Records, Island Records and Phonogram, but dismissed them when they realized, according to Gahan, that the labels "didn't seem bothered about records or anything, they just wanted to add our name to their roster."[16]

Depeche Mode's first official single, "Dreaming of Me", was released on 20 February 1981 and their second, "New Life", followed on 13 June the same year.[17] The band was invited to perform "New Life" on BBC's Top of the Pops (TOTP) after the song climbed to number 11 on the UK charts.[8] After the TOTP performance, the band started to record the rest of Speak & Spell's tracks at Blackwing Studios in London.[18]

Recording

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Depeche Mode in 1981; Speak & Spell was the band's only album with original songwriter Vince Clarke, pictured in the bottom-left.

According to Daniel Miller, who co-produced Speak & Spell with the band, it was a collection of songs the band had been playing live over the past year, plus a few new songs, although some songs from their live act did not make it on the record.[1] Vince Clarke wrote most of the songs, with Martin Gore contributing two tracks.[1] Though they started as a band with a guitar and bass, they switched over to being an all-synthesizer band due to the cheap cost and convenience of the devices.[19] Gahan recalled that, despite being all-synth, they used them traditionally in their songs, with a lead line, a bass line and a rhythm line.[19] Clarke was the only member of the band without a job during this time, so he and Miller would work on the album during the day, and the others would show up later after they were done with work.[18] Due to Gore's and Fletcher's work commitments, the band occasionally had to turn down live show opportunities when their work schedules interfered.[16] The studio only had an 8-track system, so the album was essentially recorded live, with little overdubs.[18]

Release and promotion

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The third single from the album, "Just Can't Get Enough", was released in September 1981 and earned the band another invitation to perform on TOTP after that single went to number 8 in the UK.[20]

Miller was in discussion with Sire Records to release the album in the US; Seymour Stein, CEO of Sire Records, caught one of Depeche Mode's early shows and was enthused by their live presence, saying "Depeche Mode were the first of those [early synth] bands that were so fucking great live, that it was just amazing."[19]

Promotional poster for the album's release, including tour dates

Depeche Mode had continued to play live shows throughout 1981 while recording their album; the Speak & Spell Tour officially started on 31 October 1981 and lasted through early December.[13] However, by the time the album was released in October, Clarke wanted to leave the band.[1] As the band was negotiating with American label Sire Records for a contract, news of Clarke's impending departure was kept confidential until after the contract was signed.[1]

Depeche Mode may not be the most remarkably boring group ever to walk the face of the earth, but they're certainly in the running. Their sophisticated nonsense succeeds only in emphasising just how hilariously unimaginative they really are.[21]

—Steven Patrick Morrissey, in a contemporary newspaper review of Depeche Mode's live show, as published in Record Mirror on 13 February 1982

Speak & Spell was released in the UK in October 1981 with catalogue number STUMM5[c] and on 11 November by Sire Records with catalogue number SRK 3642.[23] The original UK release of the album included the track "I Sometimes Wish I Was Dead"; international releases replaced that track with Depeche Mode's first single, "Dreaming of Me".[24] The album's cover, a "puzzling" picture of a swan wrapped in plastic, was designed by Brian Griffin and earned him a "brazingly inflated" £1000 fee[25] (about £4,800 today).[26] The band had agreed to not show their faces on their album cover, wanting the quality of the artwork to reflect their seriousness as musicians.[27] Griffin would also shoot the cover artwork for Depeche Mode's follow-up album, A Broken Frame (1982).[27]

The band finished their UK tour and played their last live show with their original lineup in December, and Clarke left shortly after.[1][19] No official reason was given for Clarke's departure, publications speculated that Clarke merely preferred the quiet of recording in a studio and shied away from live performances and press interviews.[28] After quitting, Clarke responded to a classified ad from Alison Moyet and the two collaborated to start the band Yazoo.[29][30][31]

The album was remastered and re-released with bonus tracks in 2006 with special editions; in the UK the album was re-released on 3 April 2006 and in the United States, the album re-released on 2 June 2006.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Pitchfork7.5/10[2]
Record Mirror[32]
Rolling Stone[33]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[34]
Smash Hits7/10[35]
Sounds[36]
Spin Alternative Record Guide7/10[37]
Uncut[38]
The Village VoiceC+[39]

Upon its release, Speak & Spell received generally positive reception from critics. Record Mirror praised Depeche Mode's smart simplicity and noted the album offers "much to admire and little to disappoint." Reviewer Sunie commented that the band's chief skill "lies in making their art sound artless; simple synthesiser melodies, Gahan's tuneful but undramatic singing and a matter-of-fact, gimmick-free production all help achieve this unforced effect." As a whole she describes it as "a charming, cheeky collection of compulsive dance tunes".[32] Mike Stand of Smash Hits wrote: "Synthesisers and bubblegum go together like tinned peaches and Carnation, hence [Depeche Mode's] hit singles: melody, uncluttered electronics and nice voices in humanising harmony."[35] Paul Morley of the New Musical Express described the album as "generous, silly, susceptible electro-tickled pop... that despite its relentless friskiness and unprincipled cheerfulness is encouraging not exasperating", noting the music's "diverting vitality", and concluding that "Depeche Mode, apparently, could quickly move... far up and away from constructing slightly sarcastic jingles."[40]

Paul Colbert of Melody Maker felt that Depeche Mode speak with "a winning immediacy" and called the album "a wriggling giant of motivation, persuading each muscle to jump in time with the music", while at the same time criticising the presence of certain tracks such as "Nodisco" that "repeat earlier thoughts and feels without adding fresh views."[41] Rob White, writing for the Christchurch Press, was less positive, calling the music on Speak & Spell "instant pop, instantly disposable, as precious as the gladwrapped swan on the... cover", remarking that the songs "would actually blow away in the wind... if it wasn't for their ability to chance upon melody hooks that drag you along without any real protest" and ultimately calling the album "tedious".[42] The Village Voice's Robert Christgau dismissed the bulk of the album as "tuneful pap" that "crosses Meco (without the humble functionalism), Gary Numan (without the devotion to surface), and Kraftwerk (without the humor—oh, definitely without the humor)."[39]

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Ned Raggett described Speak & Spell as "at once both a conservative, functional pop record and a groundbreaking release", as well as "an undiluted joy".[3] Nitsuh Abebe of Pitchfork said that the album endures "not as stylish futurism (not anymore) but as the happy noises of teenagers who believed it to be stylish futurism—and with a charming earnestness."[2] In January 2005, Speak & Spell was included as an "essential" album in Mojo magazine's "Depeche Mode + the Story of Electro-Pop" special edition.[43]

The band themselves disliked some of the album; In 1990, Gore lamented parts of the album, saying, "I regret all that sickly boy-next-door stuff of the early days."[44] When interviewed by Simon Amstell for Channel 4's Popworld programme in 2005, both Gore and Fletcher stated that the track "What's Your Name?" was their least favourite Depeche Mode song of all time.[45]

Track listing

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Original UK and European LP and CD releases (1984)

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All tracks are written by Vince Clarke, except where noted. All lead vocals by Dave Gahan, except where noted.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."New Life"3:43
2."I Sometimes Wish I Was Dead"2:16
3."Puppets"3:55
4."Boys Say Go!"3:03
5."Nodisco"4:11
6."What's Your Name?"2:41
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
7."Photographic"  4:44
8."Tora! Tora! Tora!"Gore 4:34
9."Big Muff"Goreinstrumental4:20
10."Any Second Now (Voices)" Gore2:35
11."Just Can't Get Enough"  3:40
Total length:39:42
Bonus tracks on 1988 CD re-release
No.TitleLength
12."Dreaming of Me" (cold end version)4:03
13."Ice Machine" (cold end version)4:05
14."Shout!"3:46
15."Any Second Now"3:08
16."Just Can't Get Enough" (Schizo mix)6:41
Total length:61:25

Original US LP and CD releases

[edit]
No.TitleLength
1."New Life" (remix)3:56
2."Puppets"3:57
3."Dreaming of Me" (fade out version)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
Total length:44:30

2006 Collectors Edition (CD + DVD)

[edit]
  • Disc one is a hybrid SACD/CD with a multi-channel SACD layer.
  • Disc two is a DVD which includes Speak & Spell in DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM Stereo plus bonus material.
Disc one (CD)
No.TitleLength
1."New Life"3:46
2."I Sometimes Wish I Was Dead"2:18
3."Puppets"3:56
4."Boys Say Go!"3:08
5."Nodisco"4:15
6."What's Your Name?"2:45
7."Photographic"4:43
8."Tora! Tora! Tora!"4:38
9."Big Muff"4:24
10."Any Second Now (Voices)"2:35
11."Just Can't Get Enough"3:44
12."Dreaming of Me" (cold end version)4:03
Disc two (DVD)
No.TitleLength
1."Depeche Mode: 1980–81 (Do We Really Have to Give Up Our Day Jobs?)" (a short film)28:24
2."New Life"3:46
3."I Sometimes Wish I Was Dead"2:18
4."Puppets"3:56
5."Boys Say Go!"3:08
6."Nodisco"4:15
7."What's Your Name?"2:45
8."Photographic"4:43
9."Tora! Tora! Tora!"4:38
10."Big Muff"4:24
11."Any Second Now (Voices)"2:35
12."Just Can't Get Enough"3:44
13."Dreaming of Me" (cold end version)4:03
Additional tracks
No.TitleLength
14."Ice Machine" (cold end version)4:05
15."Shout!"3:46
16."Any Second Now"3:08
17."Just Can't Get Enough" (Schizo mix)6:44

Personnel

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Credits adapted from the liner notes of Speak & Spell.[46]

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications for Speak & Spell
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Germany (BVMI)[57] Gold 250,000^
Sweden (GLF)[58] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[59] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes

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  1. ^ Sources differ on the album's release date; several publications list the official release date as 29 October,[9] but Depeche Mode's own website lists 5 October[10]
  2. ^ "Photographic" was re-recorded for the album; the Some Bizzare version of the song would not appear anywhere else until 1998's re-release of The Singles 81→85[15]
  3. ^ The first album on Miller's Mute label was a German band; Miller asked a friend "What is German for 'Mute'?" to which he was told "You could use 'stumm'"[22]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Speak & Spell (remaster) (CD booklet). Depeche Mode. Sire Records. 2006. R2 77593.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ^ a b c Abebe, Nitsuh (20 July 2006). "Depeche Mode: Speak & Spell / Music for the Masses / Violator". Pitchfork. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Raggett, Ned. "Speak & Spell – Depeche Mode". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
  4. ^ a b Wide, Steve (22 September 2020). "The artists: Depeche Mode". A Field Guide to Post-Punk and New Wave. Smith Street Books. p. 64. ISBN 978-1-925811-76-6.
  5. ^ "Top 40 New Wave Albums". Ultimate Classic Rock. 31 May 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  6. ^ Evans, Richard (6 August 2024). "1981.2". Listening to the Music the Machines Make: Inventing Electronic Pop 1978-1983. Omnibus Press. p. 275. ISBN 978-1-915841-45-2.
  7. ^ Burmeister & Lange 2017, p. 20.
  8. ^ a b Burmeister & Lange 2017, p. 22.
  9. ^ Miller, Jonathan (2009). "The Summer of Discontent". Stripped: Depeche Mode (updated ed.). London: Omnibus Press. p. 149. ISBN 978-0-85712-026-7. As predicted, when Speak & Spell ... was finally released on October 29, 1981...
  10. ^ "Depeche Mode: The Archives (Speak And Spell)". DepecheMode.com. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  11. ^ "Rocklist". Archived from the original on 11 August 2006. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
  12. ^ a b c d Burmeister & Lange 2017, pp. 10–15.
  13. ^ a b Burmeister & Lange 2017, p. 420.
  14. ^ Burmeister & Lange 2017, pp. 16–23.
  15. ^ Burmeister & Lange 2017, p. 17.
  16. ^ a b c Thomas, Dave (1986). Depeche Mode. Bobcat Books. ISBN 0-7119-0804-4.
  17. ^ Burmeister & Lange 2017, pp. 20–22.
  18. ^ a b c Burmeister & Lange 2017, pp. 22–23.
  19. ^ a b c d Depeche Mode: 1980-81 (Do we really have to give up our day jobs?) (DVD). Sire records. 2006.
  20. ^ Burmeister & Lange 2017, p. 30.
  21. ^ Burmeister & Lange 2017, p. 49.
  22. ^ Burmeister & Lange 2017, p. 347.
  23. ^ Burmeister & Lange 2017, pp. 32–36.
  24. ^ Burmeister & Lange 2017, p. 33.
  25. ^ Burmeister & Lange 2017, p. 32.
  26. ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  27. ^ a b Burmeister & Lange 2017, p. 61.
  28. ^ Burmeister & Lange 2017, p. 41.
  29. ^ Lowrey, Nix (4 May 2011). "Alison Moyet Interviewed: Only You – The Story & End of Yazoo". The Quietus. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  30. ^ "Classifieds". Melody Maker. 14 November 1981. p. 34. "Brilliant female vocalist, experienced gigs/studio, seeks great rootsy soul/R&B band.—Alison, Basildon"
  31. ^ Tennant, Neil (13 May 1982). "Yazoo!". Smash Hits. pp. 4–5.
  32. ^ a b Sunie (7 November 1981). "Depeche Get in the Mode". Record Mirror. London. p. 18. ISSN 0144-5804.
  33. ^ Fricke, David (13 May 1982). "Speak & Spell". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  34. ^ Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Depeche Mode". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 229–30. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  35. ^ a b Stand, Mike (12–25 November 1981). "Depeche Mode: Speak and Spell". Smash Hits. Vol. 3, no. 23. London. p. 25. ISSN 0260-3004.
  36. ^ Page, Betty (19 December 1981). "Pretty Boys on the Corner". Sounds. London.
  37. ^ Sheffield, Rob (1995). "Depeche Mode". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. New York: Vintage Books. pp. 108–09. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  38. ^ Dalton, Stephen (May 2001). "Enjoy the Silence: 20 Years of Depeche Mode Albums". Uncut. No. 48. London. p. 66. ISSN 1368-0722.
  39. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (9 March 1982). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. ISSN 0042-6180. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  40. ^ Morley, Paul (7 November 1981). "Depeche Mode: Speak & Spell". New Musical Express. London. ISSN 0028-6362.
  41. ^ Colbert, Paul (31 October 1981). "Talking Hook Lines". Melody Maker. London. ISSN 0025-9012.
  42. ^ White, Rob (26 December 1981). "Pick Up the Beat, Shuffle Your Feet". The Press. Christchurch. ISSN 0113-9762.
  43. ^ Black, Johnny (2005). "Depeche Mode: Speak & Spell". Mojo (Depeche Mode + the Story of Electro-Pop ed.). London. pp. 52–53. ISSN 1351-0193.
  44. ^ Maconie, Stuart (17 February 1990). "Sin Machine". NME. London. pp. 34–35. ISSN 0028-6362. Archived from the original on 4 January 2009. Retrieved 22 October 2011 – via Sacred DM.
  45. ^ Starkey, Arun (4 November 2023). "The Depeche Mode song Martin Gore hates the most". faroutmagazine.co.uk. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  46. ^ Speak & Spell (liner notes). Depeche Mode. Mute Records. 1981. STUMM 5.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  47. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 88. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  48. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Depeche Mode – Speak & Spell" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  49. ^ "Charts.nz – Depeche Mode – Speak & Spell". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  50. ^ Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  51. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Depeche Mode – Speak & Spell". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  52. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  53. ^ Lazell, Barry (1997). "Depeche Mode". Indie Hits 1980–1989: The Complete U.K. Independent Charts (Singles & Albums). Cherry Red Books. ISBN 0-95172-069-4. Archived from the original on 5 February 2009. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  54. ^ "Depeche Mode Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  55. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Depeche Mode – Speak & Spell". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  56. ^ Rees, Dafydd; Lazell, Barry; Jones, Alan (1983). "The Top 100 UK Albums". Chart File Volume 2. London: Virgin Books. pp. 82–83. ISBN 0-907080-73-1.
  57. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Depeche Mode; 'Speak and Spell')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  58. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. 21 January 1991. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011.
  59. ^ "British album certifications – Depeche Mode – Speak and Spell". British Phonographic Industry. 1 December 1981. Retrieved 16 February 2022.

Bibliography

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