Album of the Day

British synthpop heroes Depeche Mode made a strong debut in 1981 with SPEAK & SPELL, reaching the U.K. Top Ten. All but two of the songs were written by Vince Clarke, who departed after this album to form Yazoo (and eventually Erasure) and who sets an upbeat tone here, with hooks and melodies prominent on such songs as “New Life” and “Just Can't Get Enough.” Rhino titled its '80s series after that last track, and the synthesizer work Depeche Mode pioneered here made the quartet major players throughout the decade. The 2006 remaster of SPEAK & SPELL adds several bonus tracks (including great B-sides like “I Sometimes Wish I Was Dead”), and today we'll let it speak for founding vocalist Dave Gahan in honor of his birthday.