Depeche Mode - Speak & Spell (Vinyl LP | DE Original | 1981)

Depeche Mode – Speak & Spell is Depeche Mode's debut album and the only one with founding member Vince Clarke, who wrote most of the songs and left the band shortly after its release. It was recorded in 1981 at Blackwing Studios in London, produced by Depeche Mode and Daniel Miller, with engineers Eric Radcliffe and John Fryer. Released on Mute (Stumm 5) in October 1981, it reached No. 10 in the UK and includes the singles "New Life" and "Just Can't Get Enough". This copy is the 1981 German first pressing (Intercord INT 146.801), without insert.

Pressing details

• Label / Cat. no.: Mute INT 146.801
• Format: Vinyl LP, Album
• Pressing: DE original
• Country: Germany
• Year of this pressing: 1981
• Genre: Synth-Pop, Electronic
• Extras: none (no insert)

Condition

• Condition: Second hand
• Media: NM-
• Cover: VG+

Graded to Goldmine standard (see Vinyl Grading). The images are our own scans of the actual copy for sale (SKU SS S3).

Tracklist

Side A

1. New Life (Vince Clarke)
2. I Sometimes Wish I Was Dead (Vince Clarke)
3. Puppets (Vince Clarke)
4. Boys Say Go! (Vince Clarke)
5. Nodisco (Vince Clarke)
6. What's Your Name? (Vince Clarke)

Side B

1. Photographic (Vince Clarke)
2. Tora! Tora! Tora! (Martin L. Gore)
3. Big Muff (Martin L. Gore)
4. Any Second Now (Voices) (Vince Clarke)
5. Just Can't Get Enough (Vince Clarke)

Personnel

Depeche Mode: Dave Gahan (vocals), Vince Clarke (synthesizers, vocals), Martin L. Gore (synthesizers, vocals), Andrew Fletcher (synthesizers). Produced by Depeche Mode and Daniel Miller. Engineers: Eric Radcliffe and John Fryer. Cover photo: Brian Griffin.

FAQ

Is this the original pressing?
Yes. This is the 1981 German first edition, released by Intercord for Mute as INT 146.801. The UK edition is numbered Stumm 5.

Why is Vince Clarke only on this album?
Clarke wrote every song on the album except "Tora! Tora! Tora!" and "Big Muff", but left Depeche Mode at the end of 1981 and went on to form Yazoo and later Erasure. From the second album on, Martin L. Gore took over songwriting.

What does Media NM- / Cover VG+ mean?
NM- (Near Mint minus) means the record is close to new. VG+ (Very Good Plus) means the sleeve shows light wear. All grades are explained on our Vinyl Grading page.

Do you have more Depeche Mode records?
Yes, for example the 12" Depeche Mode – Just Can't Get Enough, the follow-up Depeche Mode – A Broken Frame as a German first pressing, or the 180g reissue of Speak & Spell. More titles are in our Synth-Pop collection.