In 1980, Clarke formed a band with Dave Gahan (vocals), Martin Gore (keyboards, guitars), and Andy Fletcher (keyboards). Together, they took the world of synth-music by storm as Depeche Mode.
The group’s debut album Speak & Spell was released on October 5th, 1981. Clarke composed all of the tracks on the record which went to number 49 in Germany, number 45 in New Zealand, number 28 in Australia, number 21 in Sweden, and number 10 in the group’s native UK. In the US, it barely cracked the Billboard Hot 200 (only going to number 192) though it did find popularity on college radio stations.
