Speak & Spell (Deluxe Edition CD+DVD)

Depeche Mode | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 6, 2006)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Rhino / Wea
• ASIN: B000ESSTKQ
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (78 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #218,058 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. New Life

2. I Sometimes Wish I Was Dead

3. Puppets

4. Boys Say Go!

5. Nodisco

6. What's Your Name?

7. Photographic

8. Tora! Tora! Tora!

9. Big Muff

10. Any Second Now (Voices)

11. Just Can't Get Enough

12. Dreaming of Me

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

It's always good to know where a band came from so you can see how far they've come. Speak and Spell is really the work of Vincent Clarke, who, with Andy Bell, would later form the happy-go-lucky pop-dance megaforce Erasure. And it shows in the catchy, upbeat songs "New Life," "Boys Say Go," "Photographic," and the most famous single, "Just Can't Get Enough." When Martin Gore took over the songwriting, Depeche Mode veered toward a different thematic direction by developing the goth-pop that would become their signature. Still, it's an important album not only because it is Depeche Mode's first but also because it is one of the best representations of early-'80s minimalist synth music. --Beth Bessmer

Product Description

Rooted in the U.K.’s late ‘70s New Romantic movement, Depeche Mode formed in 1980, and the pioneering, synthesizer-based sound created by the founding partnership of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Vince Clarke, and Andrew Fletcher went on to establish them as one of the most successful alt-rock groups ever. These electro-pop superstars loomed as large as cult heroes as they did as commercial heavies, and their wealth of singles and signature tracks ranged from energetic dance grooves to dramatic, moody, and industrial-tinged masterpieces. Depeche’s originality of vision weathered personnel shifts and personal turmoil, influencing modern rock and synth-pop on a global level. As the band continues to tour, record and build on its legacy a quarter-century down the road, Rhino begins its restoration of their classic catalogue with the CD + DVD reissue of this landmark album.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a great reissue, June 12, 2006

By 

M. Lohrke (Saratoga Springs, UT) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Speak & Spell (Deluxe Edition CD+DVD) (Audio CD)

don't listen to the naysayers. the U.S. reisssue of 'speak and spell' is a more than worthy addition to the dm reissue canon. chances are you already own 'speak and spell,' as well as it's great b-sides, 'ice machine,' 'i sometimes wish i was dead,' and 'shout,' so i won't get into the album itself.

the accompanying dvd is a veritable treasure trove for mode-a-philes, the most shiniest diamond being the interviews with vince clarke. i don't know much about vince's personal feelings about dm, but if he harbors any grudge, it certainly doesn't show. and it was nice to hear the man actually speak. it's a nice treat. it was also so great to hear the stories behind the early mode gigs, how daniel miller first decided to sign the band, how seymour stein flew to basildon to see them live, how they recorded the album, the genesis of the hideous album cover, and the truly embarrassing, but endearing and charming, early live performances on TOTP and other british tv shows. dave looks like he's about 14 years old. he comes of as shy and naive--a far cry from the dave we'd see but 10 years later. vince seemed in command from the beginning, martin seems confused and fletch, well, he's fletch.

as with the violator and masses reissues, the mixing sounds great. i picked up a lot of bells and whistles in the songs i'd previously missed. i only wish they would've included the b-sides on the cd, or as a bonus cd.

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars buy the import !!!!, October 30, 2004

By 

J. Brady (PAWLEYS ISLAND, SC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Speak & Spell (Audio CD)

If you must have Speak and Spell ( which is quite good, despite being very lightweight, fluffy, lyrically empty early-eighties synth-pop ) do yourself a favour and spend the extra money on the import version. The US version pales in comparison to the original Uk version. There is a great song ( Sometimes I Wish I Was Dead, which is not as depressing as its title would suggest ) that was left off the US pressing, and the extra time was taken up by the inclusion of the 12" remix of Just Can't Get Enough (which is better in its original 7" mix anyway - over six minutes of Just Can't Get Enough is, well, too much of enough ). There are also a few great b-sides that are on the UK version of the cd.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars judge it within its context, October 20, 2005

By 

M. Lohrke (Saratoga Springs, UT) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Speak & Spell (Audio CD)

of course 'speak and spell' sounds cheesy in 2005. it's 25 years old and any fair assestment/critique of 'speak and spell' needs to examine when it was recorded and released. in 1981 synthesizer music technology was still very much in its embryonic state. Very few bands (kraftwerk, human league, OMD, depeche mode, among other) used synths and even fewer knew how to harness the technology. i imagine programming synths was a lot like building rocket ships -- lots of trial and error, some hits, some misses.

it should come as little suprise, then, that 'speak and spell' is a bit simplistic and cheesy. what's impressive about 'speak and spell,' however, are the absolutely phenomenal melodies vince clark composed. one listen to 'just can't get enough' and its permanently engravaed into your brain. and since it was vince clarke's album, it bears hardly and resemblence to the latter martin gore dm albums (the exception being 'photographic' and 'puppets' -- both a bit darken in tone). its easy to forgive vince for 'what's your name?' when he wrote such classic dm songs as 'new life,' 'dreaming of me,' and the aforementioned 'photographic' and 'just can't get enough.'

what's special about 'speak and spell' are the classic dm synth intros--most of the songs have a synth intro. 'just can't get enough' and 'new life' are prime examples of a new style of songwriting. vince didn't waste time with the hook coming in the middle of the song or the verse or a bridge. the hooks were front and center, immediate attention grabbers. in that way, vince single-handedly changed pop songwriting.

if you do invest in 'speak and spell,' be sure to get the import version. several essential dm cuts aren't found on the US release, namely: 'i sometimes wish i was dead,' 'shout,' and 'ice machine.' of the three, 'shout' is a standout. i sure wannabe synthlords scratched their collective heads wondering how in the world vince got that sort of sound out of a keyboard. it's an amazing song and worth the heavy asking price.

in the end, does 'speak and spell' hold up 25 years on? no, not really. but that's hardly the point. to listen to an album released in 1981, you sort of have to listen to it with 1981 ears. to do anything else does you, the album and the band a huge disservice because underneath the fluff lay some of the greatest synth songs ever penned by synth music's uberoverlord, vince clarke.