Soft Cell Albums (8)
'Say Hello Wave Goodbye: Live'
Release Date 1/1/2005
Tracks 26
Label Music Club
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Among the few recordings that haven't been reissued and repackaged nearly constantly since Soft Cell's original breakup are the duo's two sessions for BBC Radio -- not for John Peel, as almost seemed to be required for just about any other British group of the time, but for Richard Skinner in 1981 and David "Kid" Jensen in 1983. At the BBC fills this gap along with including two CD-ROM video tracks as a bonus, taken from their appearance on a 1982 edition of The Old Grey Whistle Test, along with appreciative, context-placing liner notes from critic David Stubbs. The Skinner session, at five songs, captures the band right when "Tainted Love" was a few weeks away from going number one -- but perhaps already weary and wary of the song that essentially grew to overshadow the band, Marc Almond and David Ball concentrate on originals from Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret instead. Though the more straightforward one-take production often lacks the sense of space and careful arrangements from Mike Thorne, on the flip side these takes probably capture what a live set would have sounded like, Almond's voice rushed but clear, Ball throwing in unexpected touches and different sounds as the mood seizes him. "Chips on My Shoulder" is a frenetic standout, while the version of "Youth," though far less murky than the album take, is still entrancingly unsettling, Ball's keyboards sounding downright creepy. The three-song Jensen session, in contrast, covers This Last Night in Sodom material, a snapshot of a band soon to call it quits for reasons of mutual sanity. "Soul Inside" is strong but not quite as harrowing as the 12" mix, but "Where Was Your Heart When You Needed It Most?" is excellent. As for the TV performances, featuring Almond in (apparently) full leather and playing up the drama, "Youth" is a strong slow burn while "Sex Dwarf," hyperactive TV lighting aside, is hysterical, evil genius, vocal samples and drop-ins adding even more crazed atmosphere. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
'Cruelty Without Beauty'
Release Date 9/30/2002
Tracks 12
Label Cooking Vinyl
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Soft Cell's fourth studio album was released a full 18 years after the duo's third, This Last Night in Sodom (1984). During those 18 years, both Marc Almond and Dave Ball pursued solo careers to huge success, and occasionally worked together on albums (Marc Almond's wonderful 1990 album, Enchanted) and remix singles. But here, the two are together in full force. Almond's lyrics are among the best he has ever written, especially on the tragic "Whatever It Takes," which seems to be the sequel to their debut single, "Fun City," revisiting the same character 25 years later. It all comes together with brilliant writing and Ball's atmospheric and swelling arrangement of the eerie music. And the music has grown; sure, it sounds like an updated Soft Cell, but the '80s are nowhere in sight. Wisely, this is not a "retro" album with re-recordings of the duo's big hits, but rather a more mature Soft Cell. Overall, the album has a dark, semi-political tone reflecting the late '90s and early '00s. While it is dark, it is also captivating and accessible. Almond's voice is strong and emotive, living and breathing his stories and observations. Autobiographical? Perhaps, but in the end it does not matter. The stories are vivid, and the music incredible. The only real shame is that Almond and Ball were not creating music for 18 years, because this album shows the talent and ability of these two writers, and how the times have adapted to them. ~ Aaron Badgley, All Music Guide
'This Last Night in Sodom'
Release Date 1/1/1984
Tracks 10
Label Sire
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The chilly layers of synths gave way to a wall of raging noise on this outing, with Almond shouting his way through much of it while David Ball sounded as though his mandate had been to program his keyboards to self-destruct. A painful document of the duo's disintegration, it still included rare decent cuts such as "Down In the Subway" and "Soul Inside." Other than that, however, This Last Night In Sodom is involved with far too much corruption to be tolerable. ~ Steven McDonald, All Music Guide
'The Art of Falling Apart'
Release Date 1/1/1983
Tracks 12
Label Sire
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
While it has some mediocre moments, this tense, quirky release also has some magnificent outings, including the epic "Martin" (based on the obscure George Romero psycho/vampire movie), a cut that was originally included on a bonus 12", and the relentless title cut. Not as cheap or sleazy in its sound as Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, the album was still prone to melodramatic writing and performance. By all means, miss the "Hendrix Medley," another bonus cut. ~ Steven McDonald, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
In the U.S., Soft Cell, the British duo of singer Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball, was a classic one-hit wonder, that hit being the remake of Gloria Jones' "Tainted Love," which dominated dance clubs and eventually peaked in the pop Top Ten with its synth-pop sound and Almond's plaintive vocal in 1981-1982. In the U.K., the group not only had a longer career, but also influenced a raft of similar performers. Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, originally released in Britain in the fall of 1981, contained both the band's first hit and its follow-up, "Bedsitter," its title referring to what in America would be called a studio apartment. (A third U.K. Top Five hit, "Say Hello Wave Goodbye," emerged from the LP.) At full album length, lyricist Almond's primary preoccupation, only suggested in "Tainted Love," was spelled out; this was a theme album about aberrant sexuality, a tour of a red-light district. The point was well made on "Sex Dwarf," with its oft-repeated chorus "Isn't it nice/Sugar and spice/Luring disco dollies to a life of vice?" Songs like "Seedy Films," "Entertain Me," and "Secret Life" expanded upon the subject. The insistent beats taken at steady dance tempos and the chilling electronic sounds conjured by Ball emphasized Almond's fascination with deviance; it almost seemed as though the album had been designed to be played in topless bars. British listeners saw through Almond's pretense or were amused by him, or both; more puritanical Americans tended to disapprove, which probably limited the group's long-term success stateside. But the music was undeniably influential. The 2002 CD reissue added two lengthy 12" single mixes of "Tainted Love," one of them a medley with the old Supremes hit "Where Did Our Love Go," the other a dub version. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
