Depeche Mode “Speak & Spell” released 40 years ago today, October 5th, 1981. I’ve written about Speak & Spell before (and probably will again) as it is one of my favorite DM albums: it’s the perfect snapshot of early 80′s synthpop and helped set the sound of the era. One of my top DM songs ever leads off the album: “New Life” which went to #11 in the UK; the version that appears on Speak & Spell appears on the 7″ though I am partial to the 12″ version. “Dreaming of Me,” the lead single from the album, went to #57 in the UK though did not appear on the UK album variants (this copy is an 80′s era US release). The third and final single from the LP was “Just Can’t Get Enough” which is a total Depeche Mode classic, probably one of their best known and loved early tunes. It went to #8 and scored a chart placement in the US at #26 on the Dance Charts. I also really love “Boys Say Go!,” the slightly sinister “Nodisco” and “Photographic” (well, the rest of the album, too). Speak & Spell went to #10 in the UK and #192 in the US. It also marks the first and last album with Vince Clarke who at the time was the primary songwriter for Depeche Mode; Martin Gore took over that role and steered the band into a darker, industrial sound (which I also adore).