| Soft Cell |
|
| Background information |
| Origin |
Leeds, England |
| Genre(s) |
New
Wave
Post
Punk
Synth
Pop |
| Years active |
1980 to 1984
2003 to
Present |
| Label(s) |
Some Bizarre
Sire
Cooking
Vinyl
|
| Members |
Marc
Almond
David Ball |
Soft Cell is a Synth-Pop
duo formed during the early 1980s. It consists of Marc
Almond (vocals)
and David Ball (synthesizers).
Lyrics by
the duo often focused on love and romance as well as the darker side of
life, with subjects such as kinky sex, transexualism,
drugs and murder. The duo
had a huge world-wide hit in 1981 with a cover
version of "Tainted Love".
They became the prototypical synth duo. They emerged from the New
Romantic and New Wave era, but were part of the
futurist scene, alongside the likes of Depeche
Mode, OMD, The
Human League and Gary Numan. The darker nature
of their music also made Soft Cell popular in the emerging Goth
scene.
|
Contents
- 1 Origins
- 2 Early
Soft Cell
- 3 "Tainted
Love"
- 4 Non-Stop
Erotic Cabaret
- 5 Solo
years
- 6 Reunion
- 7 Discography
- 7.1 Main
albums
- 7.2 Live
albums
- 7.3 Extended
play
- 7.4 Singles
- 7.5 Video/DVD
- 7.6 Compilations
- 7.7 Rarities
- 8 External
links
|
Origins
Both Marc Almond and David Ball grew up in seaside towns (Southport
and Blackpool
respectively), and later met while students at the Leeds Polytechnic Fine
Arts University (now Leeds Metropolitan University). Almond, a performance
artist, collaborated with Ball on a few avant-garde
multi-media performances at the university. Although Ball's musical
background consisted of guitar, he had access to the university studio
and was experimenting with the nascent synthesizer technology at the
time.
Early Soft Cell
Their initial efforts at recording resulted in an EP
called Mutant Moments,
made with a simple 2-track recorder. This was released independently
with only 2000 vinyl copies pressed and has since become a highly
valued collector's item among Soft Cell fans. Their early shows and EP
caught the interest of certain record labels, such as Mute
Records and Some Bizarre Records, both of
which pioneered the new wave of synthesizer bands. Soft Cell's next
recording, "The Girl with the Patent Leather Face," appeared as a
contribution to the Some Bizarre compilation
album, which featured other (then unknown) bands such as Depeche
Mode, The The, and Blancmange.
Their first single, "A Man Can Get Lost" 7"/"Memorabilia," 12" was
produced by Daniel Miller, the
founder of Mute Records. While the single was a club hit, Soft Cell
remained essentially unknown.
"Tainted Love"
Showing impatience in the wake of the chart failure of
"Memorabilia", Mute Records allowed Soft Cell to record a second and
final single in an attempt to score a chart hit. The band opted to
record a radically reworked cover version of "Tainted Love", a 1964 northern
soul classic originally sung by Gloria Jones (the wife of Marc
Bolan) and written by Ed Cobb of The
Four Preps.
Released in 1981, Soft Cell's "Tainted Love" was a number-one
hit in seventeen countries, including the United
Kingdom, as well as a number eight single in the United
States during 1982,
and went on to set a then-Guinness World Record for the
longest consecutive stay on the U.S. Billboard
Hot 100 chart (43 weeks). The A-side of the 12
inch single of "Tainted Love" actually featured a two-song medley, with
"Tainted Love" blending into the classic Motown hit "Where Did Our Love Go?" by The
Supremes. At the peak of the song's popularity, many radio stations
opted to play the full medley, utilizing their own edits to shorten the
9-minute track.
According to Marc Almond's book, "Tainted Life," Soft Cell had
left the "Tainted Love" recording sessions with only modest
expectations that the track might dent the UK Top 50. Further, Almond
wrote that his only significant contribution to the song's
instrumentation (besides the vocals) was the suggestion that the song
begin with a characteristic "bink bink" sound which would repeat
periodically throughout. Almond also wrote that he dedicated this song
to his on-off partner Christian Andrews. While "Tainted Love" was Soft
Cell's only Top 40 hit in the United States, the band had approximately
eight Top 40 hits in the UK, including "Bedsitter", "Say Hello, Wave
Goodbye", "Torch", and "What!", each of which broke the UK Top 5.
Usually an artist releasing a cover version as a single would
write the song that appears on the B-side, as this would still entitle
the artist to some songwriting royalties stemming from sales of that
single. However, as Soft Cell wrote neither "Tainted Love" nor "Where
Did Our Love Go" (the 7" B-side track), they lost the opportunity to
make a greater sum of money from songwriting royalties stemming from
one of the most popular songs of the '80s. Almond expressed regret for
this in his book, "Tainted Life", and chalked the error up to naivete.
Covers and Sampling
Due to its enduring popularity, Soft Cell's version of
"Tainted Love" has been covered and sampled
a number of times, including:
- A cheap version from argentinian DJ and show host Clotta Lanzetta,
now translated as Falso Amor.
- 1984 Coil covered Tainted Love as
one half of the double A-Side Panic/Tainted Love this record
was the first ever AIDS
benefit record and Marc Almond would provide vocals on the groups next
release Horse Rotorvator.
- 1999 Australian punk/rockabilly band The
Living End covered the song as a B-side for their single "All
Torn Down".
- 2001 Glam/hard rock band Marilyn
Manson covered the song on the album Not Another Teen Movie O.S.T.
and Lest We Forget: The Best Of
Marilyn Manson. Also as a bonus track on The Golden Age of
Grotesque.
- 2004 German techno producer Thomas Schumacher samples "Tainted
Love" on his single Tainted Schall.
- 2004 Industrial band Nine Inch Nails covered the song
"Memorabilia" which appeared on their 10th anniversary re-release of The
Downward Spiral.
- 2005 Pussycat Dolls covered the Soft cell
version with Tainted Love and Where Did Our Love Go? combined as one
song for their debut album, PCD.
- 2006 Rihanna
extensively samples "Tainted Love" on the single "SOS"
from her album A Girl Like Me.
- 2006 Psytrance producer Bulletproof samples "Tainted Love" on
the vinyl EP Tainted Love.
- 2007 DJ Richard Grey samples "Tainted Love" on
"Warped Base". Drum and Base style single, the vocal version still
features Mark Almonds vocals.
- 2007 Chicago electronic duo Microfilm
do not cover Soft Cell, but name check their album NonStop
Erotic Cabaret(as well as NonStop Ecstatic Dancing)
in the lyrics of their track 'Non-Stop Dreaming'; Soft Cell were an
influence on the original sound of Microfilm's early tracks.
Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret
Their first album,
Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret,
further explored the trademark Soft Cell themes of squalor and sleaze.
"Seedy Films" talks of long nights in porno
cinemas, while "Frustration" and "Secret Life" deal with the boredom
and hypocrisy associated with suburban life. A companion video entitled
Non-Stop Exotic Video Show was released alongside
the album and featured videos directed by Tim Pope, who
later found fame as director of music videos by The
Cure. The video generated some controversy in Britain, mainly
due to the scandal involved with the "Sex Dwarf" promotional film. The
original version of the music video featured Almond and Ball in a
bloody butcher shop surrounded by chainsaws, nude actors, and dwarves.
However, the film was confiscated by police and censored before it was
even released. As a tongue-in-cheek substitute, a re-filmed "Sex Dwarf"
appeared in Non-Stop Exotic Video Show featuring
Almond dressed in a tuxedo, directing a symphony orchestra of dwarves.
In 1982,
the duo spent most of their time recording and relaxing in New
York City, where they met a woman named Cindy Ecstasy. It was Cindy Ecstasy
who introduced them to the new club drug of the same name. By their own
admission, most of Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing was
recorded and mixed under the influence of ecstasy.
By now, the shadow of "Tainted Love" was beginning to haunt
the band, and the pressures of stardom, not to mention the constant
drug use, were taking their toll. Marc Almond also formed the group Marc and the Mambas,
featuring collaborations with The The's Matt
Johnson and future Almond collaborator Annie Hogan, as an offshoot in
order to experiment out of the glare of the Soft Cell spotlight. Soft
Cell followed their remix
album with a full length album appropriately titled The Art
of Falling Apart. The singles were modest successes in
Britain. Again, Soft Cell courted some controversy when their second
single from the album, "Numbers," was banned from the BBC due to references in
the song to the drug speed.
By 1983,
they had decided amicably to dissolve the band and released one final
album called This Last Night in Sodom, a critical
success but a commercial failure. The album departed from its
predecessors by having a much grittier feel, featuring more live drums
and guitars than previous albums. However, the sleazy subject matter
still remained true to the Soft Cell ethos, with songs such as
"L'Esqualita" that glamourized transvestite culture in Manhattan.
Solo years
During Almond's solo years, he and Ball continued to keep in
touch. Dave Ball's wife played cello in Marc Almond's solo band. Almond
and David Ball did not work again together until the nineties, when
Ball arranged some music for Almond's "Tenement Symphony." David Ball
formed The
Grid in 1990. The Grid split up in 1996, but reformed in 2003.
Reunion
Almond and Ball's reunion as Soft Cell became official with
well-received initial concerts- they performed at the opening of Ocean
in London in March 2001 to rave reviews, and a mini tour followed later
in the year. The album Cruelty Without Beauty was
released in late 2002, followed by a European tour in early 2003. The
new album featured their first new songs together in almost twenty
years. One of those songs was their 2003 single "The Night" (UK #39).
Interestingly, Soft Cell had considered recording "The Night" back in
1981 in place of "Tainted Love" as their last-ditch attempt to score a
chart hit. In a 2003 interview with BBC's Top
of the Pops, keyboardist David Ball asserted,
"I think history has kind of shown that we did make the right choice
[in 1981]."
Discography
see also Soft Cell Discography
Main albums
| Year |
Album Name |
Label |
UK |
Additional information |
| 1981 |
Non-stop Erotic Cabaret |
Sire |
#5 |
|
| 1982 |
Non-stop Ecstatic Dancing |
Some Bizarre |
#6 |
|
| 1983 |
The Art of Falling Apart |
Some Bizarre |
#5 |
|
| 1984 |
This Last Night In Sodom |
Some Bizarre |
#12 |
|
| 2002 |
Cruelty Without Beauty |
Cooking Vinyl |
#116 |
Reunion album |
| 2005 |
The
Bedsit Tapes |
Some Bizarre |
- |
Recorded in 1978-1980 |
Live albums
| Year |
Album Name |
Label |
UK |
Additional information |
| 2003 |
Live |
Cooking Vinyl |
- |
2003 European tour |
| 2003 |
At the BBC |
Strange Fruit |
- |
Shows in 1981-1983 |
| 2005 |
Say Hello Wave Goodbye:
Live |
Music Club |
- |
|
Extended play
| Year |
EP Name |
Label |
UK |
Additional information |
| 1980 |
Mutant
Moments |
Big Frock |
- |
|
| 1983 |
Tainted
Love/Where Did Our Love Go |
- |
- |
|
Singles
| Year |
Single Name |
Label |
AUS |
UK |
USA |
Bundled with |
Additional information |
| 1981 |
A Man Can Get Lost |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Memorabilia 7" version |
7" Version which later became A Man Could Get
Lost on their Non-stop Ecstatic Dancing
album |
| 1981 |
Memorabilia |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Persausion |
12" version |
| 1981 |
Tainted
Love |
Vertigo |
#1 |
#1 |
#8 |
Where Did Our Love Go? |
12" version |
| 1981 |
Bedsitter |
- |
- |
#4 |
- |
Facility Girls |
|
| 1982 |
Say Hello, Wave Goodbye |
- |
- |
#3 |
- |
Fun City |
|
| 1982 |
Torch |
- |
- |
#2 |
- |
Insecure Me |
|
| 1982 |
What! |
- |
- |
#3 |
- |
So... |
|
| 1982 |
Where the Heart Is |
- |
- |
#21 |
- |
It's A Mug's Game |
|
| 1983 |
Numbers / Barriers |
- |
- |
#25 |
- |
- |
|
| 1983 |
Soul Inside |
Sire |
- |
#16 |
- |
- |
|
| 1984 |
Down in the Subway |
- |
- |
#24 |
- |
- |
|
| 1991 |
Say Hello, Wave Goodbye |
Alex |
- |
#38 |
- |
- |
|
| 1991 |
Tainted
Love 1981 |
Alex |
- |
#5 |
- |
- |
|
| 2002 |
Monoculture |
- |
- |
#52 |
- |
- |
|
| 2003 |
The Night |
Cooking Vinyl |
- |
#39 |
- |
- |
|
Video/DVD
| Year |
Video/DVD Name |
Label |
Additional information |
| 1982 |
Soft Cell's:
Non-Stop Exotic Video Show |
HBO/Cannon |
|
| 2002 |
Soft Cell's: Live in Milan |
Eagle Vision USA |
|
Compilations
| Year |
Compilations Name |
Label |
UK |
Additional information |
| 1982 |
The
Twelve Inch Singles |
Some Bizarre |
- |
(CEL BX1) Rare. Includes booklet |
| 1986 |
The Singles |
Some Bizarre |
#87 |
|
| 1991 |
Memorabilia - The Singles |
Mercury |
#8 |
Soft Cell with Marc Almond |
| 1994 |
Down
in the Subway |
Alex |
- |
|
| 1996 |
Say Hello to Soft Cell |
Spectrum |
#37 |
|
| 2001 |
The Twelve Inch Singles |
Polygram |
- |
A re-release of the 1982 compilation |
| 2002 |
The Very Best of Soft Cell |
Universal |
#37 |
|
| 2006 |
20th
Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Soft Cell |
Universal |
- |
|
| 2006 |
Demo
Non Stop |
Some Bizarre |
- |
|
Rarities
| Year |
Rarities Name |
Label |
UK |
Additional information |
| ? |
"Metro MRX" |
- |
- |
1982 version (Flexi disc) |
| ? |
"Ghostrider" (Live) |
- |
- |
|
| ? |
"Heat" (Edit) (USA Single release) |
- |
- |
|
| ? |
"It's a Mug's Game" (USA Single
release) |
- |
- |
|
| ? |
"Loving You, Hating Me" (Special
Remix) (USA Single release) |
- |
- |
|
External links
