New Life: simply and catchy, with a nice synth-riff. Surely, in Speak & Spell there are several better songs than this. 2.7/5
In Dave Thompson's book, 'Depeche Mode: Some Great Reward' either Andy or Martin mention that Vince wasn't great at lyrics and often just strung words together that rhymed whether they made sense or not. I'm sure Andy Bell is happy that Vince learned to delegate in this area later on.
I think Vince’s lyrical shortcomings and random strings of phrasing on Speak & Spell can occasionally add an air of intrigue, and I find that to be the case on New Life. Also, we have the first of many mentions to come of film/photography on the album. Vince's sense of melody is fantastic from the beginning, and I love the harmony vocals. They had quite a nice blend on S&S, never really to be heard again (there’s a little carryover to A Broken Frame, not quite the same though). The synths bounce and spring like no other act of the time, which has given them an enduring freshness. The song itself seems to be operating, generating... Great catchy album opener and single.
It's weird how much I like Yazoo and Erasure, yet Speak and Spell does almost nothing for me. Maybe for me, Vince didn't really find his mojo until he got this album under his belt and hooked up with Alison.
Happened quite often, marketing. I Sometimes Wish I Was Dead was left off as well. Just Can't Get Enough is the (Schizo Mix). US A Broken Frame uses the extended Leave In Silence.
A 30 second clip of Any Second Now (Altered) has been my ringtone ever since I got an iPhone. Drives my wife mad.
You're right! This is even listed on TV Tropes: Author Appeal: Photography and motion picture imagery appear a number of times on the album, especially on the US version. Personally I think Vince was responsible for that. I don't think Fletch, Marty or Dave have a camera/movie fetish, as Vince seems to have here...
It’s one of the first things I noticed about the album, and have never really heard any explanation, other than conjecture like ‘everyone was into photography then’. Haven’t people always been into photography since it’s existed? Just wondering where that slant comes from, like if Vince was thinking of pursuing a different avenue if music didn’t work out.
This is epic. There's a lot to talk about here, and a lot to look at. I'm glad someone else is taking this up, as our ultravox track by track is coming to an end. Make sure you keep track of the differences between UK/US and other releases. I'll make up some graphs for votes, if there are enough to track. Might want to wait until enough people discuss a track before moving onto other ones. I'm currently enjoying the singles via all their vinyl boxsets that I'm getting now, so this is great timing, I'm in until at least music for the masses, i've kept up with their singles after that, but have lost interest in most of their albums since then. later -1
I'd like to follow this all the way to the present day. We could even get a new release before that happens. Will solo albums be discussed interleaved with DM releases? Or will all the DM albums be discussed and then all solo albums after that? Or?
While we're talking about 'New Life' it bears mentioning that Marsheaux did a fantastic cover of this song back in 2005
I will try to contribute here Love "New Life". Not a song that's hung around a great deal like JCGE has, but when the BBC started showing all those "Synth Britannia" compilations about ten years ago, this was the song they used for early Depeche and I thought it was great. Yes the lyrics are bobbins.. but they do have a certain appeal. Like a lot of the album there seems to be a theme of watching, lurking in doorways, dark rooms.. sort of film noir ish, but 80s style (and on videotape, in colour.. possibly betamax). With a hint of futurism, though not to the extent of the synth pop heavies of the time, Human League, Throbbing Gristle etc. Also love the pure poppiness (with a dark undertone) of Speak and Spell. An outlier as an album for obvious reasons. But also because it has such a strange title (inexplicably named after the kids' toy) and that bizarre cover. All quite striking as a package.
I’m in for this thread! Good shout about the Marsheaux covers. I was spending paper round money on pre Violator 12” at record fairs. That started after my first gig ever got me hooked - World Violation. Seems I picked a good gig for my first I switched to CD for SoFaD so have jumped on that 12” box set. Too early to suggest a spin off Wilder thread? Would be interesting to dovetail in the Recoil catalogue. Anyways, back to New Life..
"New Life" is fine. I know for a fact that if DM had split in 1982 I'd've never bought anything of theirs, and not know most of the first two albums at all. It's - for the time - a very servicable, catchy hit single though hasn't the slightest hint of anything that would happen next. If you heard "I Feel You" and this, you'd think they were two different bands (which in a way, they are). Certainly, Vince's weak point at this time was his lyrics ; they're drivel, designed to be consumed for how they sound and not what they mean - and in many ways, early Depeche Mode remind me a lot of a synthpop wing of AC/DC or Def Leppard, in so much as they created a great sound, not necessarily a great song and definitely not great lyrics. I enjoy it a lot, but it is what it is, with no pretence to anything more than being a great bubblegum pop song.
Hey neg! You inspired to me to make this thread! Before I joined I lurked and loved your posts in the DD & Ultravox appreciation threads. I wish I could've been here for those... oh well. And more people are joining! Great. Now, this is fun. *hit myself in the face for such a daft pun* I've decided to post some early DM photos here. You know, photographic pictures... I love how charmingly outdated Dave's suspenders are. I haven't seen a young person wear suspenders in over a decade. Also that cover is techno garbage. How do you ruin Vince Clarke?
I think we should be discussing "Photographic" and "Dreaming of Me" first (and "Ice Machine") because they really introduced DM to the world, not "New Life." That said, I've always preferred the U.S. version of Speak & Spell featuring the remix as an opener. I think it makes a bolder statement, is much more representative of "track one syndrome." And because record labels in the U.S. in 1981-82 didn't know how to market this stuff as "pop," it had to be "dance." Thus the remixes. Kind of like swapping out "Planet Earth" on Duran Duran's self-titled. But I don't really care for this song. It's exemplary of early DM, just total fluff with no meaning. Hooks that catch but don't hold any weight. In my head, I compare this album to the Human League's Dare. Which whomps all over this one with its more sophisticated songwriting. Or the first Soft Cell record without "Tainted Love." I mean, this is basically an album full of "Bedsitter." With the right song, I think it could have been Depeche Mode.* P.S. If you were a tech band in 1980-82 or a band that mentioned (or donned) fashion, you sung about photography. Girls on Film. Red Frame White Light. Red Light. Gentlemen Take Polaroids. If I Had a Photograph of You. etc. *And no, "Just Can't Get Enough" wasn't it. Not at the time.
Just as a note, if you don't have the original 12 inch singles, or even if you do, now is a good time to get bargains on the single 12 inch boxsets. There is a german amazon, buy 3 for the price of 2: Depeche Mode - 12 inch Series Archival releases boxsets Also, lots of good deals on discogs, and amazon, and importcds and other resellers. I have some, but not all of the original UK 12 inch and UK 7 inches for most of the releases, but now I'm filling in gaps, and also trying to buy the US 7/12 inch versions also. But having the boxsets is nice also, because for speak and spell they put in a recreated flexidisc, and digital versions of all the tracks, along with a brand new 12 inch only release of dreaming of me, which was only a 7 inch before. For me, there have been several great bargains on discogs and amazon. Here's a breakdown so far: ------------------------------- Code: ------------ boxset name discs cost without shipping avg cost/disc ========================================================================== 1 speak and spell 3+1 flexi $30 $10 2 a broken frame 3 $45 $15 3 construction time again 6 $50 $8.33 i went ahead and ordered the next 2 boxsets ========================================================================= 4 some great reward 6 $100 $16.67 5 black celebration 5 $65 $13 Avg Boxset price = $290/5 about $60, and the average price per disc is about $13. so for me, construction time again was a great bargain, but some great reward wasn't actually that great of a reward. later -1
Probably more to say later on, but to echo this point: like many, I became a fan with Violator, and SOFAD solidly made me a fan for life. I would see them live for the first time on the Devotional Tour, and to better become familiar with the rest of their catalog in preparation for that show, I bought Catching Up With Depeche Mode--which made me wonder if I'd made a terrible mistake. I've since grown to love--well, maybe APPRECIATE--their early stuff, too, but in not nearly the same way as from the mid/late 80's onward. I always laugh at the fact that Catching Up With did so little to prepare me for the show, as they only played one song from it. Anyway, New Life is fine.
In hindsight 101 would have been a better one to buy before your gig, although even that has songs not played since the 80s.
Oh, completely agreed. It's hard for me now to imagine walking into a DM show not knowing Never Let Me Down Again, Stripped, or Everything Counts, but that's where I was.
And I'm grateful they went and did A Broken Frame + b-sides. Both LP and CD set are beautiful One of my favorite synthpop bands!