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

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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!

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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!

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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

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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/

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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!

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PRP 007 Mini-Broadcast: Episode 8 – Diamonds Are Forever

Since the beginning of the show, Brian has done his best to strong-arm discussion of Agent 007 into as many podcasts as he could. Finally he convinced Sarah to embark on a new mission: the Permanent Record Podcast 007 Mini-Broadcast!

This occasional series from your friends Brian & Sarah started with "Dr. No" and will work its way up to the most recent Bond adventure, and on the way, it will discuss and critique all of the 007 theme songs and other relevant recordings. It's a dream come true for one of the hosts - and for Bond fans everywhere!

In this 8th episode, Sarah and Brian are once again joined by Bond author Robbie Sims (Quantum of Silliness: The Peculiar World of Bond, James Bond), and the trio turn their attention to the 1971 movie, “Diamonds Are Forever.” This Bond outing sees the return of the original 007, Sean Connery, after George Lazenby stepped away from the role. But Sir Sean isn’t the only one who has returned after a hiatus from the films; the theme song is sung by Shirley Bassey, who was the voice behind the iconic “Goldfinger” theme and returns to lend her vocal talents to the “Diamonds Are Forever” title track.

Brian, Robbie, and Sarah have a lively discussion about the theme song and Dame Shirley, of course, but they cover other topics such as David Arnold's rendition of the song, the group Q: The Music, and Robbie’s fabulous (but not too fabulous) t-shirt, as well as a bit of speculating on the future of the Bond franchise. It’s fun for all—well, at least fun for some!

Shirley Bassey singing "Vivo di Diamanti"
More info about the Shirley Bassey unreleased songs/rarities box set (currently delayed again)

David Arnold - Diamonds Are Forever (featuring David McAlmont)

Find Robbie Sims at
https://www.instagram.com/quantumofsilliness
https://bsky.app/profile/quantumofsilliness.bsky.social

You can purchase Quantum of Silliness at https://thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/quantum-of-silliness/ or other reputable booksellers.

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Episode 181: PRP Holiday Hotline: Musical Christmas Memories

It’s Christmastime! For many folks, that means it’s time to give and receive gifts. And Brian and Sarah’s gift to you this Christmas season is this episode, which is also about gifts.

Our hosts asked a number of friends of the show—some of whom have their own excellent podcasts—to call in to the Permanent Record Podcast Holiday Hotline and share stories and memories of Christmases past, where they received a music-related present.

Many of the callers fondly recalled receiving special albums, cassettes, or CDs in their stockings or under the Christmas tree. Others were gifted with a particular musical instrument that brought them happiness. All the stories share a common theme that’s likely no surprise to listeners of this podcast—music is the source of many happy memories and plays a large, even formative part of our lives.

Whether or not you celebrate Christmas, Brian and Sarah hope you’ll enjoy listening to the stories shared on the PRP Holiday Hotline, and that the year ahead will bring you a lot of wonderful music!

Check out the music and podcasts of our PRP friends:

All About 80s Music
Poison Picnic
The Pods & Sods 12 Days of Christmas Six-Packs
The Giddy Carousel of Pop
I’m in Love with That Song Podcast
The Hustle
Banned Biographies
Sly Dog Music-Cast

And many thanks to the massively talented duo VH X RR for their wonderful track "One Christmas Catalogue" with which we close out our year! Treat yourself to their music at https://vhxrr.bandcamp.com/music

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