Speak & Spell

by

Depeche Mode

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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.

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.