Soft Cell -- classic or dud?

it has a little skeletal rap in the middle eight, addressed to a girl. the way the bassline comes back in during this final couplet:

make your single bed
and push the tea leaves down the drain
take a long deep breath
and start the nightlife over again

brings tears to my eyes; just the sheer perfection of it.

there's also a heartbreaking additional refrain towards the end: "i'm waiting for something/i'm only passing time". this wasn't in the original, was it?

is everyone familiar with this version or not - ie is it just me that's managed to miss its existence for all these years?

― grimly fiendish, watching the mirror and counting the lines (grimlord), Saturday, 6 August 2005 15:54 (twenty years ago)

shit.

normal service now resumed.

it has a little skeletal rap in the middle eight

Yeah, I love that -- first time I heard that I was all 'amazing! and so good! how to improve on something theoretically unimprovable.'

-- Onimo (gerry.wat...), April 3rd, 2005 10:57 PM. (GerryNemo)

WTF was I on about?

Curse you drunken internets!

-- Onimo

I just realised it's a Dr Who reference. Tainted Love is played by Cassandra on the "iPod" in The End Of The World

Curse you failing memory!

What I meant to say, is I think "Down In The Subway" is Soft Cell's best cover. Feel free to disagree, as I'm sure you all do.

the 12" of "say hello" (which might, on the day of reckoning, just end up being my favourite song in the world)

i've just finished copying a dusty HD's worth of old MP3s on to my new(ish) mac. out of several thousand, this is the one i went straight to and played.

i don't think i'd change a word of what i wrote there, either.

I just rediscovered Non-stop Erotic Cabaret. God I love this album. Is it a bad thing that it kind-of speaks to me?

What, do you identify with being a sex dwarf?

haha, no. Just the feeling and attitude of grubby urban vice and disappointment.

xpost
Bored suburban housewife?

Nah. My friends were weirdo eccentrics and we'd go out and do the club thing, be weird, do drugs, etc. and my father was some button-down guy who secretly picked up trannies in 1980s Time Square ... and would disappear in prison for weeks (we were told he was working late). My highschool best friend (who's now dying of AIDS sadly) looks exactly like Marc Almond, so maybe that, too.

Anyway, this is a great album. Soft Cell A+

my father was some button-down guy who secretly picked up trannies in 1980s Time Square ... and would disappear in prison for weeks (we were told he was working late)

Exactly what was the explanation for weekends, then.

No idea. We just thought he was working. What a weird upbringing. Anyway, Marc Almond really does irony well just using music ... I didn't appreciate it until now.

yeah, anyone who can cameo as well as he did in the frickin' Coil "Tainted Love" video can operate on a level higher than an "is it irony or not?" type thing.

I just learned what a "bedsit" is and boy did I have that song wrong. I thought a bedsit was like a babysitter for grown-ups? Which I knew made no sense because he was "all alone," but I thought maybe he felt alone spiritually next to the cold panoptic eye of this freaky adult babysitter. That and sometimes it's foolish to try & make sense of lyrics but maybe I should've tried harder with this one by employing a dictionary instead of totally making shit up.

Another hypothesis was a "bedsit" was a person who works at a spanking parlor? I feel kind of embarrassed by all this but you have to admit such a figure would fit in the general Soft Cell world.

I like all these alternate interpretations!

i have recently found that i quite like soft cell. not always as music (they have only a small handful of songs i hold close), but as characters, as performance, as a wonderful thing that existed in the world. like suicide, they transmute rock & pop into this wholly other language, the rinky-dink chintz of the sounds a perfect foil for marc's arch sleaze and coy torment. also enjoying the way their music and attitude - perhaps in turn channeling throbbing gristle's? - leach out into their followers and contemporaries, usually in more "palatable" (less explicitly queer) guise. berlin's "sex (i'm a)", eurythmics' "love is a stranger", even ebn-ozn's "aeiou sometimes y"...

classic burt itt

i guess everything i just said is a cliche, the received wisdom, soft cell 101, but i never really gave them a fair shake at the time and have been entertaining myself recently playing russian roulette with nostalgia. "talk talk" vs. "it's my life", that kind of thing.

I still can't believe a bedsit is just a place a person lives in.

that it is literally his (only) home
I think about this every day.

what kind of question is this, who would ever say dud?

The original video for Sex Dwarf remains disturbingly impressive:

http://vimeo.com/10458506

(NSFW and probably illegal in a few states.)

oh man i wanna watch that but i'm at W
..Cabaret is the best €2 purchase I made this year

NSEC is one of those albums that sold because of the hit single, only to surprise/shock said buyers that the single isn't remotely representative of their style. Sometimes, discovering that can be a good thing. This time, it is.

Here doggy doggy

http://www.dangerousminds.net/comments/soft_cells_infamous_sex_dwarf_video_nsfw

now that looks like a good time

Well...if you're made of money:

https://thesoundofvinyl.com/collections/soft-cell/products/non-stop-erotic-cabaret-6cd-box-set

CD1 - NSEC REMASTERED ALBUM & ORIGINAL 7" VERSIONS & NON-ALBUM SINGLES
Frustration
Tainted Love
Seedy Films
Youth
Sex Dwarf
Entertain Me
Chips On My Shoulder
Bedsitter
Secret Life
Say Hello, Wave Goodbye
Memorabilia (NSED Version)
Where Did Our Love Go? (NSED Version)
What? (NSED Version)
A Man Could Get Lost (NSED Version)
Chips On My Shoulder (NSED Version)
Sex Dwarf (NSED Version)
A Man Could Get Lost (Single Version)
Torch (Single Version)
What? (Single Version)
CD2 - NON-STOP EXTENDED CABARET & NEW REMIXES
Frustration (Extended Version)
Tainted Love (2021 10" Extended Version)
Seedy Films (2023 Extended Version)
Youth (2018 Extended Version)
Sex Dwarf (2023 Extended Version)
Entertain Me (2023 Extended Version)
Chips On My Shoulder (2018 Extended Version)
Bedsitter (1981 Extended Version)
Secret Life (2018 Extended Version)
Say Hello, Wave Goodbye (2018 Extended Version)
Memorabilia (Daniel Miller 2023 Remix)
Memorabilia (The Hacker 2023 Remix)
A Man Could Get Lost (2023 Extended Version)
CD3 - CURIOS, RARITIES, SESSIONS & ALTERNATIVE MIXES
Frustration (Original Mutant Moments Version)
Tainted Love (2022 Version)
Seedy Films (Richard X Remix)
Youth (Dave Ball Warhol Funeral Mix)
Sex Dwarf (BBC Whistle Test)
Entertain Me (BBC Live Session)
Chips On My Shoulder (BBC Live Session)
Bedsitter (Flexipop Version)
Secret Life (George Demure Remix)
Say Hello, Wave Goodbye (ORS Live)
A Man Could Get Lost (Live at Leeds Warehouse 2018)
Facility Girls (2018 Extended Mix)
Torch (Live) (TOTP2, 2002)
Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go (US Radio Edit)
Seedy Films (BBC Live Session)
Youth (BBC Whistle Test)
Chips On My Shoulder (ORS Live)
Bedsitter (BBC Live Session)
A Man Could Get Lost (Original Demo)
Tainted Love (Aborted Studio Take)
CD4 - NON-STOP INSTRUMENTAL CABARET & DEMOS
Frustration
Tainted Love
Seedy Films
Youth
Sex Dwarf
Entertain Me
Chips On My Shoulder
Bedsitter
Secret Life
Say Hello, Wave Goodbye
Frustration (Original Demo)
Tainted Love (Original Daniel Miller Demo)
Seedy Films (Original Demo)
Chips On My Shoulder (Original Demo)
Secret Life (Original Demo)
Say Hello, Wave Goodbye (Original Demo)
Facility Girl (Original Demo)
Memorabilia (Original Demo)
Persuasion (Original Demo)
Memorabilia (Instrumental)
A Man Could Get Lost (7" Instrumental)
CD5 - ORIGINAL 12" MIXES & B SIDES
Memorabilia (Original 12" Version)
Persuasion (Original 12" Version)
Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go? (Original 12" Version)
Tainted Dub (Original Version)
Facility Girls (Original 12" Version)
Fun City (Original Version)
Torch (Original 12" Version)
Insecure…Me (Original 12" Version)
What? (Original 12" Version)
So (Original 12" Version)
CD6 - NON-STOP EROTIC CABARET, LIVE IN LEEDS, NOVEMBER 2021 PLUS MORE
Frustration (Live)
Tainted Love (Live)
Seedy Films (Live)
Youth (Live)
Sex Dwarf (Live)
Entertain Me (Live)
Chips On My Shoulder (Live)
Bedsitter (Live)
Secret Life (Live)
Say Hello, Wave Goodbye (Live)
Torch (Live in Leeds, 2021)
Memorabilia (Live in Leeds, 2021)
Insecure Me (Live at 02, 2018)
What? (Live at O2, 2018)
Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go? (Live in Leeds, 2002)

Woah, sounds great.

"This Last Night In Sodom": a perfect album, I say. Consistent throughout. Buzzy, wild synths and boxy drum machines. Almond's nearly unhinged overdubbed harmonies and backing vox. Tons of reverb. MONO! Frayed and hungover sounding yet full of a weird, speedy energy. Needs more accolades!

Trudat!

Thirded! (is it really mono though? I never noticed)

Some of the tracks are, yes!

Bit of a fun surprise!

https://www.softcell.co.uk/product/non-stop-ecstatic-dancing-2025-coloured-double-vinyl-edition-pre-order

CD1

1 Memorabilia (Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing Version) – Remastered

2 Where Did Our Love Go? (Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing Version) – Remastered

3 What! (Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing Version) – Remastered

4 A Man Could Get Lost (Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing Version) – Remastered

5 Chips On My Shoulder (Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing Version) – Remastered

6 Sex Dwarf (Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing Version) – Remastered

7 Tainted Dub (From Original 12″) – Remastered

8 Torch (12″ Version) – Remastered

9 Insecure Me? (12″ Version) – Remastered

10 What! (12″ Version) – Remastered

11 So (12″ Version) – Remastered

12 Torch (7″ Version) – Remastered

13 Insecure Me? (7″ Version) – Remastered

14 What! (7″ Version) – Remastered

CD2

1 Memorabilia (The Hacker 808 Remix) – Previously unreleased

2 A Man Could Get Lost (Jon Pleased Wimmin Remix) – Previously promo only

3 Torch (MHC 2001 Remix) – Previously unreleased version

4 Insecure Me? (Hifi Sean Remix) – Previously promo only

5 So (Hifi Sean Baltimore Basement Dub) – Previously promo only

6 Bedsitter (Manhattan Clique Mix) – Previously on Heat The Remixes only

7 Tainted Love (Paul Dakeyne Remix) – Previously unreleased version

8 Memorabilia (Wally Funk Remix) – Previously promo only

9 Sex Dwarf (The Grid Remix) – Previously on Heat The Remixes only

10 Bedsitter (Erasure Remix) – Previously on Keychains box set only

11 So (The Grid Remix) – First time ever on CD

12 Memorabilia (Daniel Miller Remix)

Okay, album number six incoming:

https://www.facebook.com/softcell/posts/pfbid075bbiUjevqny2F1UvAFYhEVNKgXto93UVqSGmt4DPh2K939o544r87MueuV2zZrHl

Soft Cell @marcalmondofficial and @daveballelectro have this week signed a new worldwide recording deal for their sixth studio album, Danceteria, which will be released via Republic of Music in spring 2026.
Named after the infamous New York nightclub which played host to Soft Cell’s Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret US launch party, the club became renowned as the centre of new wave music in early 80s New York, frequented by many musicians and artists who became famous during the decade, including Marc Almond and Dave Ball.
Danceteria is the follow up to 2021’s acclaimed ‘*Happiness not included’ album, which reached Number 7 in the UK charts, and features the hit single ‘Purple Zone’ with Pet Shop Boys.
Marc Almond comments: “I have loved working on this album. Dave’s music has once again inspired me to write a set of lyrics that this time reflect a time in my life in New York in the early 80s, at a particular creative and pivotal time of changes in my personal life and the city itself. Some of the songs are very personal. Soft Cell have always had a strong connection to New York, recording our first three albums there, and taking inspiration from its’ underground and culture, my Soft Cell lyrics have often looked at America through British eyes”.
Dave Ball comments: “I’m very excited about the new Soft Cell album – the first thing to be created in my new studio in London. With Marc’s vocals recorded across the river in Soho, it’s inspired by, and tells the tales of, our London and New York experiences in the early 80s”.
After spending 2025 touring the US and Australia, Soft Cell perform their only UK show, headlining the Rewind Festival in Oxfordshire on 16th August.
Marc and Dave promise that “2026 will be a Soft Cell year”. Watch this space…

Well this'll keep you busy:

https://www.softcell.co.uk/product/new-the-art-of-falling-apart-2025-6-cd-box-set-art-print-set

The Art Of Falling Apart’ will also be available as double LP and double CD packages, featuring highlights from the 6CD box with the LP pressed on colour vinyl.

‘The Art of Falling Apart’ reissue tracklistings for the 6CD box set

CD1 – REMASTERED ALBUM, B SIDES, BONUS 12″

Forever The Same – Remastered
Where The Heart Is – Remastered
Numbers – Remastered
Heat – Remastered
Kitchen Sink Drama – Remastered
Baby Doll – Remastered
Loving You, Hating Me – Remastered
The Art Of Falling Apart – Remastered
Martin – Remastered
Hendrix Medley – Remastered
It’s A Mug’s Game (7″ Version) – Remastered
Barriers (7″ Version) – – Remastered
Loving You, Hating Me – Special Mix – – Remastered

CD2 – THE ART OF FALLING APART – EXTENDED ALBUM PLUS ORIGINAL 12″ B SIDES

Forever The Same
Where The Heart Is
Numbers
Heat
Kitchen Sink Drama
Baby Doll
Loving You, Hating Me
The Art Of Falling Apart
It’s A Mug’s Game
Barriers

CD3 – CURIOS, RARITIES, REMIXES & NEW MIXES

Ghost Rider (New 2024 version featuring Jim Thirlwell)
Martin (The Hacker Remix)
It’s A Mug’s Game (Dave Ball 2018 Re-Eq Version)
Where The Heart Is (The Grid Remix)
Baby Doll (Nightwreckers Remix)
Barriers (Dave Ball Broken Down Angels Mix)
Martin (Dave Ball Halloween Mix)
Where The Heart Is (Marcas Lancaster Remix)
The Art Of Falling Apart (Atomizer Remix)
Barriers (Dark Poets Remix)
Heat (Yer Man Remix)
Martin (Nightwreckers Remix)

CD4 – THE ART OF FALLING APART (DEMOS & LIVE TV APPEARANCES)

Forever The Same
Where The Heart Is
Numbers
Heat
Kitchen Sink Drama
Baby Doll
Loving You, Hating Me
The Art Of Falling Apart
Numbers (Live on BBC ORS, 14/1/83)
Heat (Live on BBC ORS, 14/1/83)
Ghost Rider (Live on CH4 The Switch)
Numbers 7″ (DJ Version)
Heat (US Single Edit)
Baby Doll (Dave Ball Dub Version)
Numbers (Dave Ball Dub Version)
Barriers (Dave Ball Dub Version)

CD5 – THE ART OF FALLING APART (INSTRUMENTALS & DUBS)

Forever The Same (Instrumental Version)
Where The Heart Is (Instrumental Version)
Numbers (Instrumental Version)
Heat (Instrumental Version)
Kitchen Sink Drama (Instrumental Version)
Baby Doll (Instrumental Version)
Loving You, Hating Me (Instrumental Version)
The Art Of Falling Apart (Instrumental Version)
It’s a Mugs’ Game (12″ Instrumental)
Martin (Instrumental)
Hendrix Medley (Instrumental)
Barriers (Instrumental)
Ghost Rider (Original 1983 Backing Track)

CD6 – THE ART OF FALLING APART (LIVE IN LONDON 2018-2021 + MORE)

Forever The Same – Live At the 02 – 30th September 2018
Where The Heart Is – Live at The o2 – 30th September 2018
Numbers – Live At the 02 – 30th September 2018
Heat – Live At the 02 – 30th September 2018
Kitchen Sink Drama – Live in Hammersmith, 2021
Baby Doll – Live At the 02 – 30th September 2018
Loving You, Hating Me – Live At the 02 – 30th September 2018
The Art Of Falling Apart – Live At the 02 – 30th September 2018
Martin – Live At the 02 – 30th September 2018
Barriers – Live at The O2, 2018
Hey Joe/Purple Haze – Live in USA, 1983
It’s A Mug’s Game – Live at Hammersmith Palais, 1983
Ghost Rider – Live at Hammersmith Palais, 1983
Numbers – Live at Hammersmith Palais, 1983

I don't know that we needed it, but I appreciate the fact that they and Thirlwell thought: "what we need is to record Ghost Rider again"

Ah damn. Farewell, Dave.

https://www.softcell.co.uk/dave-ball-tribute

Immortal JUST for that opening to “Tainted Love” forever but when you consider all the work, wow what a genius and perfect foil.

Just as a reissue of The Art of Falling Apart looms too.

Oh no way, don't believe it.

New album next year too. It’ll be a valediction.

Heartbroken

Marc Almond’s full message is worth the read.

https://www.facebook.com/100044175322220/posts/1366794434803054/

Also some words from his partner in The Grid, Richard Norris:

https://www.facebook.com/share/1Fs7pnQjVz/

Lovely Bob Stanley post:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/goodbye-dave-141888745

the Bedsitter bassline that sounded like Duane Eddy with a Korg

yes, otm!

I watched the Non Stop Exotic Video Show for the first time in over 30 years (found on youtube)... Are there any earlier examples of a band making videos for every song on their album and putting it out on vhs?

"Eat to the Beat" Blondie

Thanks!

Blondie's first video album got produced in conjunction with this record, featuring a music video for each of the album's 12 songs. It was the first such project ever in rock music.[8]