Man, oh, man, I haven’t listened to Speak & Spell for a long time. I’d say at least ten years, probably significantly longer. I had forgotten how eclectic it is, switching back and forth between happy ditty tunes and dark and brooding futuristic (for 1981) sounds. I suddenly remember exactly how it felt being fifteen again.

And I don’t think I’ve realized before now how much it has affected my sound ideal. Yes, I loved the album when it came out, but it wasn’t the kind of auditory revelation that I got when I first heard Trans-Europe Express or A Walk Across the Rooftops. This probably means that it wasn’t very revolutionary when it came out, soundwise. For example, Penthouse and Pavement came out earlier the same year, and I remember that having a much bigger impact on me then.

But Penthouse and Pavement doesn’t stand the test of time at all in the same way. The songs are still there, but it just sounds dated, which of course is what you expect from a synthpop album from 1981. But Speak & Spell doesn’t. It still sounds great! Kudos to Daniel Miller, I guess.