Episode 187: Depeche Mode – Speak & Spell (1981) Part 4

Brian & Sarah are back for a Martin Gore-focused look at "Speak and Spell" as they shine a spotlight on the three middle songs on side 2 of Depeche Mode's 1981 debut.

Up till now, this has been the Vince Clarke show; however, with these three tunes, we get the first song written by Martin, the first of many Martin instrumentals, and the first lead vocal by Martin! And to believe that we recorded this one on Vince's birthday!!

Along the way, talk turns to a pair of old movies, a ranking of Depeche Mode instrumentals, the history of the Big Muff effects pedal, Falco, classic 1980s "HWUH"s, and, of course, posh clobber!

Songs discussed in this episode:
Tora! Tora! Tora!
Big Muff
Any Second Now (Voices)

Read more at http://www.permanentrecordpodcast.com/
Visit us at https://www.facebook.com/permrecordpodcast
You can also find us on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@permanentrecordpodcast
Check out some pictures at https://www.instagram.com/permanentrecordpodcast/
Join the ever-growing crowd on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/permrecordpod.bsky.social
Leave a voicemail for Brian & Sarah at (724) 490-8324 or https://www.speakpipe.com/PermRecordPod - we're ready to believe you!

Episode 186: Depeche Mode – Speak & Spell (1981) Part 3

In this episode, Brian and Sarah resume their look back at Depeche Mode’s debut album. As a reminder, they’re using the US track listing as they talk about the album, but for the songs contained in this episode, the track listing is the same on both sides of the pond.

The next songs up for discussion aren’t singles, but that doesn’t stop our hosts from finding plenty of things to talk about. Here are just a few examples:
• Sarah’s phrase ‘Erasure gallop’ is changed to ‘Vince Clarke gallop’ due to one of these songs
• Brian’s favorite ‘one-two punches’ of Depeche Mode album tracks—one of which is found on this album
• The probable origins of the song “What’s Your Name?” and whether or not it’s actually a bad song.
• DJ Stevo competing with Daniel Miller to work with Depeche Mode, and the compromise that was reached
• The last live performance of “Photographic” and who was there for it

Additionally, our hosts are thrilled to share recordings from two listeners who provided Speak & Spell memories, and there are three reviews to read as well. And here’s a friendly reminder that you too, can use the phone number or link below to record your own memories for use in a future episode!

Songs discussed in this episode:
Nodisco
What’s Your Name?
Photographic

Depeche Mode performing on “Something Else” TV show, October 23, 1981

“Photographic” performance from The World We Live In and Live In Hamburg

Read more at http://www.permanentrecordpodcast.com/
Visit us at https://www.facebook.com/permrecordpodcast
You can also find us on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@permanentrecordpodcast
Check out some pictures at https://www.instagram.com/permanentrecordpodcast/
Join the ever-growing crowd on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/permrecordpod.bsky.social
Leave a voicemail for Brian & Sarah at (724) 490-8324 or https://www.speakpipe.com/PermRecordPod - we're ready to believe you!

Bonus Episode: Colours of Ever - Live at Stone Turtle House Concerts (June 5, 2025)

In our last episode, we mentioned that Brian and his life-long friend Jason would be opening for Vicki Peterson (The Bangles) and John Cowsill (The Cowsills/Beach Boys/Smithereens) at Stone Turtle House Concerts in Bucks County, PA. The two Rock/Pop legends (Vicki and John, not Brian and Jason!) are currently supporting their fantastic new album, "Long After the Fire", and seeing them in an intimate venue like Stone Turtle is a true pleasure!

So it all happened on June 5th, 2025, and because so many of our podcast friends were kind enough to text and message Brian words of encouragement before the show and inquiries of "how can I hear your performance?" after the show, we decided to release the full Colours of Ever opening set as a bonus episode of the podcast. We hope that you'll enjoy it!

Here's the set list from our first live show since 1991:

I Want You to Love Me But I Don't Always Get What I Want
Stay Forever
Waiting for Something
2 Lovers Drowning
Come Sail Away
One Chance
Boomerang!

In all seriousness (let me switch to first person here), I had a wonderful time getting to sing some of the music I have written with my friend Beil for the wonderful crowd at Stone Turtle. It was something I never thought I would get to do for a crowd of any size. And the fact that everyone enjoyed it so much was very gratifying. Although I just turned 54 a couple of months ago, for about 48 hours this week, I felt like a rockstar - and it was a nice feeling! Thank you to Eric, Vicki, John, Jason, and Sarah for making the night possible and unforgettable.

And if you take the time to listen, I thank you and hope that you will hear something that you like. We always laugh a lot and have fun when we write songs, but we are both quite proud of our creations. If even one of these numbers connects with you, I will be extremely happy!

Read more at http://www.permanentrecordpodcast.com/
Visit us at https://www.facebook.com/permrecordpodcast
You can also find us on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@permanentrecordpodcast
Check out some pictures at https://www.instagram.com/permanentrecordpodcast/
Join the ever-growing crowd on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/permrecordpod.bsky.social
Leave a voicemail for Brian & Sarah at (724) 490-8324 or https://www.speakpipe.com/PermRecordPod - we're ready to believe you!

Episode 185: April 2025 Concert Report (Kylie Minogue, Alison Moyet) and State of the Podcast

Where have Brian and Sarah been these last few weeks? Well, for one thing, they’ve been to several concerts! They started and ended the month of April by attending amazing performances given by a couple of musical icons—Kylie Minogue and Alison Moyet!

The Kylie Minogue show on April 8 was the first time Brian and Sarah had seen the Australian diva in concert, and not surprisingly, she did not disappoint! Our hosts spend the first part of the episode recounting their experience at the Washington, DC show, and here in the show notes you’ll find some pictures they took during the event.

Then, on the last day of April, Brian and Sarah traveled to one of their favorite concert venues—The Keswick Theatre in Glenside, PA—to be wowed by the incredible Alison Moyet! They last saw Alison perform in 2017, and it was such a delight to be able to see her on stage again.

In fact, Brian and Sarah loved the show so much that they decided to give a song-by-song review of the evening. There are also a few photos from the Alison Moyet show in these notes. (And there are even more pictures from both shows on the Facebook page.)

After they finish talking about the two big April concerts, our hosts turn the conversation to the current state of the podcast, and explain some of the other reasons (besides concerts) there haven’t been new episodes in a while. But here’s a spoiler alert for you: the podcast isn’t ending, and in fact, there’s a good chance of more frequent episodes in the future! However, you’ll to listen to the episode to get all the details.

Join Brian and Sarah for another fun and informative conversation about the recent past, and a peek into the future too!

Read more at http://www.permanentrecordpodcast.com/
Visit us at https://www.facebook.com/permrecordpodcast
You can also find us on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@permanentrecordpodcast
Check out some pictures at https://www.instagram.com/permanentrecordpodcast/
Join the ever-growing crowd on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/permrecordpod.bsky.social
Leave a voicemail for Brian & Sarah at (724) 490-8324 or https://www.speakpipe.com/PermRecordPod - we're ready to believe you!

Episode 184: Concert Report: Richard Blade/ABC/Howard Jones (2025)

With support from legendary KROQ/1st Wave DJ Richard Blade, 80's New Wave icons Howard Jones and ABC just finished an incredible string of U.S. live dates, and your intrepid hosts were there for the penultimate show of the tour!

Brian and Sarah take you back in time exactly one week as they relive the excitement of the 2/28/25 show at the Keswick Theater in Glenside, PA. And they are joined by friend of the show Mike Kilczewski, the creative mind behind Philadelphia's 80's band Dorian Gräe and current project Syd Dorian, to tackle such diverse topics as:

- Meet & Greet with Howard Jones.
- Richard Blade's wonderful opening presentation.
- The highlights of ABC and Howard's sets.
- Recording in Philly as an independent artist in the 1980s.
- The world's most dangerous and traffic-filled road.
- Our favorite NFL team and the town with the best name.
- Buying records before the show.
- Filming music videos at malls.
- Update on Howard Jones's next album, "Global Citizen."

Go back to the 1980s with Mike and Dorian Gräe here: https://doriangrae.bandcamp.com/album/dorian-gr-e

Check out Syd Dorian featuring Mike and William Aronson here: https://syddorian.bandcamp.com/album/pressing-issues

Read more at http://www.permanentrecordpodcast.com/
Visit us at https://www.facebook.com/permrecordpodcast
You can also find us on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@permanentrecordpodcast
Check out some pictures at https://www.instagram.com/permanentrecordpodcast/
Join the ever-growing crowd on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/permrecordpod.bsky.social
Leave a voicemail for Brian & Sarah at (724) 490-8324 or https://www.speakpipe.com/PermRecordPod - we're ready to believe you!

Episode 183: The NewlyPod Game (featuring Brian, Sarah, Alex, Andy, Brad, Eric, and Jon)

On Saturday, February 8th, podcast hosts from all over the United States met outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to shop for records, eat pancakes, and see Jim Babjak of The Smithereens live with bassist Graham Maby. It was truly an amazing night of music, and it was also a truly amazing group of podcasters, assembled for this once-in-a-lifetime event!

Brian and Sarah of the Permanent Record Podcast, Eric Miller of Stone Turtle House Concerts and the Pods & Sods Network, Brad Page of I'm in Love with that Song, the Sly Dog of The Sly Dog Music-Cast, Jon Lamoreaux of The Hustle Podcast, and America's #1 podcast guest Andy Schaal were all present for the event.

In the hours leading up to the big show, our intrepid broadcasters teamed up to record the first episode of a destined-to-be-infamous game show, The NewlyPod Game!

Harkening back to those politely raunchy shows from the 1970s, The NewlyPod Game is sure to delight listeners of all ages and maturity levels. But please be aware, this episode does contain some "adult" themes.

Check out The Sly Dog Music-Cast here: https://slydogmusiccast.podbean.com/

Listen to smooth sounds of Brad Page at https://lovethatsongpodcast.com/

Visit The Hustle at https://thehustle.podbean.com/

The late, great Pods & Sods Network can be found here: https://podsodcast.libsyn.com/

Read more at http://www.permanentrecordpodcast.com/
Visit us at https://www.facebook.com/permrecordpodcast
You can also find us on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@permanentrecordpodcast
Check out some pictures at https://www.instagram.com/permanentrecordpodcast/
Join the ever-growing crowd on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/permrecordpod.bsky.social
Leave a voicemail for Brian & Sarah at (724) 490-8324 or https://www.speakpipe.com/PermRecordPod - we're ready to believe you!

Episode 182: Depeche Mode – Speak & Spell (1981) Part 2

Brian and Sarah's look back at Depeche Mode's debut album, 1981's Speak & Spell, continues in this episode. As you may recall, they're using the US track listing for the album, so the next songs up for discussion are "Dreaming of Me" and "Boys Say Go!"

"Dreaming of Me" was the debut single for the band, and although to Sarah's dismay, there's no Smash Hits review, our hosts were able to find other reviews from back in the day to share in this episode. Additionally, Brian shares information from a contemporary Rolling Stone article in which "Dreaming of Me" makes a surprising appearance.

One might think because "Boys Say Go!" was merely an album track, that Brian and Sarah wouldn't have much to say about it, and they would therefore have time to cover three songs in this episode. However, Brian's feelings for this song inspire him to talk at length about it. Are they positive or negative feelings? Well, that's for you to find out! And, it must be admitted that Sarah doesn't exactly remain tight-lipped about the song either.

Make sure to listen until the end (but don't you always?), because there's a rare extra-special musical treat you won't want to miss!

Read more at http://www.permanentrecordpodcast.com/
Visit us at https://www.facebook.com/permrecordpodcast
You can also find us on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@permanentrecordpodcast
Check out some pictures at https://www.instagram.com/permanentrecordpodcast/
Join the ever-growing crowd on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/permrecordpod.bsky.social
Leave a voicemail for Brian & Sarah at (724) 490-8324 or https://www.speakpipe.com/PermRecordPod - we're ready to believe you!