Episode 188: Depeche Mode – Speak & Spell (1981) Part 5 (Featuring Will Crewdson)

With this fifth installment, Brian and Sarah wrap up their discussion of Depeche Mode’s debut album.  Our hosts have been covering the US version of Speak & Spell, so there’s only one more song on that release to be discussed. Fortunately, they always do an Extra Credit section at the end of an album, so the song that’s missing from the US version will get some attention then.

The last track on Depeche Mode’s 1981 release is a little ditty called “Just Can’t Get Enough.” The US album features the extended, “Schizo Mix,” which our hosts do talk about in some detail, but there’s more focus put on the single version. 

Our hosts take a deep dive into “Just Can’t Get Enough,” talking about the usual things like chart positions, reviews, the record sleeves, and the recording of the song. And, for the first time on this album, there’s even a video to discuss, much to the delight of Brian and Sarah. 

“Just Can’t Get Enough” was a pretty important song for Depeche Mode when it was released, and its importance in the world of synthpop and 80s music in general has only increased with time. Our hosts explore the legacy of the song and its place in pop culture over the past four decades. There are dozens of cover versions of “Just Can’t Get Enough,” and as Brian and Sarah start talking about them, they decide to take a chance and call up someone they know who has done a cover version of this song, to see if he’s available to chat. 

After they finish talking about “Just Can’t Get Enough,” Brian and Sarah move on to the “Extra Credit” portion of the episode, which in this case ends up being two parts. The first part is about the song missing from the US version of Speak & Spell, “I Sometimes Wish I Was Dead.” The second part is about Vince Clarke’s departure from Depeche Mode. Additionally, our hosts have the pleasure of sharing some Speak & Spell memories recorded by listeners. 

It’s then time, at long last, for the final evaluations and record-adapter ratings. Sarah goes first, and as usual, Brian is concerned about what kind of rating she’ll give, as she’s a harsher critic. Brian, on the other hand, is a self-professed Vince Clarke fanatic, so it’s less of a concern that he’ll give a low rating. But how high does he go? Listen to find out!

Links mentioned in the episode: Just Can't Get Enough video Early live version of "I Sometimes Wish I Was Dead"

Will Crewdson-related websites and Bandcamp sites: https://www.scantregard.com/home https://www.shemmdi.com/home https://scantregard.bandcamp.com/ http://shemademedoit.bandcamp.com/

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