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

I have written a review complaining about the Free Shipping in the US (broken cd cases, torn covers), but actually there seems to be a problem with PAID INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING too.
I bought Madonna's Give it 2 me single, Massive Attack - Blue Lines and Depeche Mode's Speak and Spell and all of them arrived with broken cases, I had to replace the cases for new ones.
Just to mention what I said in the other review: bought a box set and 3 CDs from HMV Japan and they arrived in more than perfect condition in Brazil, faster than Amazon!
I tried to buy from Amazon Japan, but guess what? The Fedex shipment is pretty bad as the parcel ALWAYS gets stuck in Customs and you have this long list of taxes that almost exceed the price of the product!
The Amazon shipment service (national and international) is a joke!!
5 stars for the CD tho. Tora! Tora! Tora! and Nodisco are the best!

Except for What's Your Name, which is quite awful, this is a great record. It's simple, light, and rather comically gay-tinged, even though the lineup is all heterosexual. One can even see the leather bar look the band had on YouTube. I second the reviewer who said seek out the version that comes with the b-sides. This record shows bubble gum pop done right, unlike A Broken Frame. I'm not sure about the extended Just Can't Get Enough. Maybe that's something that was added later because I recall my tape had the regular version.

I love this cd. It is one of my favorite Depeche Mode albums. If you are a Depeche Mode fan, you must own Speak and Spell for your collection. You will not regret it.

Sometimes it is interesting to hear where a band began. And for some people, they will need to approach "Speak & Spell" with an open mind. For one thing, don't expect the hard-rock/gospel approach of "Songs of Faith and Devotion" and don't expect any of the goth from "Black Celebration" forward. It's nothing like that. Alan Wilder hadn't yet joined by this point and Martin Gore only writes two of the 11 songs here. Also, though, there's a good chance that if you love Yazoo and Erasure but care little for later DM, you would enjoy this album. It is not dark at all: It's very happy, and some of it is so in a goofy way.

This album's strengths also tend to be the weaknesses. This album practically defines early-'80's synth-pop. All of these are certainly pop songs. There are certainly novelty moments in here: Most notably, the cheesy "What's Your Name?" which actually spells out "p-r-e-double t-y", and which has the chorus of "you're such a pretty boy." "Boys Say Go" and "Nodisco" are quite as explicitly in that category, but will sound goofy to some. Gore's songwriting got better in later DM albums, and the songs he contributes here are kind of average. "Big Muff" is a techno instrumental that kind of goes on for longer than it needs to, although a nice shot of early techno. Oh, and if you don't like repetitive you won't find much in this album either. It is pretty repetitive. The lyrics are not deep. Usually the hooks and structures save it from being disposable, although a few tracks here are pretty forgettable, like "Puppets", which seems more like a B-side to me, the only real dud on here. It is not that bad however, and there are highpoints, particularly in "Just Can't Get Enough." I like the original version more, but the schizo mix works fine enough for me. This is the most famous here for a good reason: It's catchy, it's got the classic pop song-writing, and it's got a sing-along refrain, complete with those cool old-school synths. I like listening to this because the band sounds so young and naïve. Gahan hadn't yet gotten his dark, rich voice which came on later albums, but in some ways that makes this a more melodic release. It could also be that he wasn't even 20 yet by the time of the album's release. A few moments, unfortunately, don't do much for me at all.

If you're a casual fan, I recommend "The Singles 81>85" and the import version, which is better than the U.S. version. They keep "Dreaming of Me" and "JCGE (Schizo mix)," but those are at the end and it uses the whole original "S&S" release that had "I Sometimes Wish I Was Dead" (great example of the New Romantic style they had early on; not that depressing), another version of "Any Second Now," as well as tracks non-existant here. It isn't one of my favorite DM albums, but the ceiling is pretty high for them if you ask me. It is most certainly the song-writing of Vince Clarke, for better or worse.

This was depeche mode's first release and sounds quite different from their later recordings of course. This is a great start for anyone new to DM , This also comes with some intresting facts about DM's upbbringing. BUY IT