Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret

Tainted Love is a banger, the rest not up to that standard, although Sex Dwarf stands out lyrically and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye is a good album closer. It's all quite urgent sounding and jarring in places. Bit of a punk vibe. Definitely not a relaxing listen. I'm glad to have heard it, but doubt I'd listen again.

Seedy clubs in Leeds in the late 70's this is the sound of Soft Cell. Marc Almond is the perfect diva and has an operatic range that goes hand in hand with Dave Ball's sparce synth symphonies. Reading the reviews some people seem to miss the whole point of the exercise. This is sleaze and this is early Brit Synth where wannabe stars bought cheap Rolands and dreamed in their bedsits writing lyrics that reflected their angst lives. This is a classic.

This kind of minimal synthwave is one of my comfort zones. The sound tends to lend itself to a sort of darkness/kinkiness somehow. Seems to go along with the detached approach.

I mean, I knew I was not going to like it from the title and the front cover but goddamn this is pitiful. What is it with 80’s music being so F ing lame? And that f ing sax, I mean wtf? Is this parody? Not even tainted love saves this one, as the original is a better record and even mansons is better, again WTF? Did we needed to hear this before we died so we experience superior cringe? Is there a lower grade than 1 star? Why is not this at the bottom of the rank?

If not for tainted love, this would be a 1 star. Some actually bad songs on here

The sound of sleaze synth pop - rejects from the cabaret of northern clubland. Also has a song called 'Sex Dwarf' which is cool. Best Tracks: Tainted Love; Bedsitter; Say Hello, Wave Goodbye

Sexiest album ever made....

Highlight - Sex Dwarf

Definitely a surprise. I like the dark electronic mood/sound and marc almond's voice. Say Hello, Secret Life and Sex Dwarf are great in addition to Tainted Love. Very enjoyable.

One hit wonder? No way.

I mean I may be basic but tainted love / where did our love go is just so good lol

Light good electronic music

Almost the definition of 80's synth pop. Such a distinctive voice over some of the most iconic electronic sounds ever to come out of the 80's. Great lyrics and structures too, each song having there own feel, although some recycling of sounds does occur. Great pop album

Like a cabaret, it's flashy, flamboyant, and devoid of substance. There's a song called Sex Dwarf, and it's exactly what it says on the tin. I had to know that, and now you have to know it, too. Best track: Say Hello, Wave Goodbye

It's s good album, so catchy, but that basic catchy type, it's a good one, I like some lyrics. It's a brilliant work. A bible of synth pop in the early 80s

That was fun and without any duds.

Amazing. Relatable to me as i step into my 20s.

Just the right balance of sleaze and sparkle. I loved this as a teenager, when I was probably more jaded than now. The sadness and subtext of some of the lyrics here probably passed me by at the time, but they were still quite shocking in terms of subject matter. Not quite Sister Ray, but perhaps the genteel English equivalent with synthesisers instead of guitars? And 'Say Hello' is a classy pop song. A classic of the genre, with it's own take on British life in the early 80s.

The sleaziness of Non Stop lures you, right from the front cover and into the opening cracking of the whip on Frustration. This was one of the first records I bought back in 1981. I thought at the time that Marc was holding a bag of chips in the brown paper bag. Some childhood innocence was soon overcome when I heard Sex Dwarf. It's a cold album in terms of the beats and lyrics. But also SO warm and genuinely sung from the heart. I could still play this and the sister Ecstatic Dancing every week. Say Hello is up their with the classic torch singer songs.

Very well! Sexy and dancy! 10\5

This album is extremely 80s but was top-to-bottom good. I'd heard three tracks from it before (and liked them) but was surprised how much I enjoyed the others as well. Will definitely listen again.

Top Album.

Una estética outrun muy característica de la época, disfrutable empleo del synth. Letras atrevidas, chistosas, desquiciadas y horny en la misma medida. Canción favorita: Sex Dwarf, me parece que el ritmito de esa es el más divertido. Mood: tengo calocha, qués eso? Calor en la depresión ochentera.

Yep, loved this sordid little gem

memories of a decade that I really was too young to remember, but love love love

a fun little new wave album. it gets a bit unabashedly horny at times (i'm looking at you 'sex dwarf') but honestly from the title, i don't know how you couldn't expect it. the production is very dated but in a charming way? like it's very silly and of the era, but i found it fun. the big song off here ('tainted love') is clearly the highlight, but there are other fun tracks here. i thought 'chips on my shoulder' was a fun little romp. but yeah, outside of the hit, nothing particularly mind-blowing here, but still fun.

The best song on this one is a cover.

Obra cumbre del synth pop. Me gusta sobre todo por lo sórdida que es la temática del disco. Sex dwarf es mi track favorito de aquí. Te dan ganas de contagiarte de gonorrea. Genios absolutos. ¿También es muy divertido, no? Sudorosón. Mil estrellas de mil.

I knew Tainted Love, obviously, and I half new Say Hello, Wave Goodbye. The album is brilliant though! Not quite a concept album, but an album obsessed with the seedy side of Soho and the contrast with suburbia - which they really hate. Hate is often a good starting point for a song, and on here it is no exception. Frustration is a great opener. The fact it's followed by Tainted Love is even better - I oscillate between wanting this version and the original a lot, but both are brilliant. It carries on in a sort of amateurishly brilliant electronica, until you hot Sex Dwarf. I honestly don't know what to make of it, but it is as barmy as its title. I think that's a good thing. And it continues in this vein, until it hits Say Hello Wave Goodbye. While I have heard this song plenty of times I'd never listened to it. It's sad, but a ferocious kind of sadness. I am glad to have listened to it, as its ten times the song I had previously heard in passing. Absolutely astounding. Save for a lull between Sex Dwarf and Say Hello, this is a brilliant album, and I'll definitely be coming back to it. I'm giving it 4/5, but I suspect repeat listens might actually make me love it all the more.

I've always loved "Tainted Love" but never looked past that into Soft Cell's other music. I really liked this record. Lots of electronic spunk. And, the singer has a voice perfect for the musical style. I like them because they have off-beat rhythms, a great sense of melody, and some wonderful sounding synths. Song title is dumb, but the synths on "Sex Dwarf" are rad.

Not bad from an era I have little interest in.

Interesting beats but silly lyrics just made it old fast.

80s music. Tainted Love is on this record, nothing else super memorable.

Definitely not a fan of synth pop but this album is pretty bad. I have no idea how this cover of Tainted Love became so popular.

the tainted love/where did our love go extended version is the most banger song of all time it literally changed my life

This album was a good one, but not great. I do think it's a shame that Soft Cell is more known for their covers.

So many great songs

80's pop I wish some artists still would produce (The Weeknd has the vibes, which is a nice thing)

HELL YEAHHHH

Я был приятно удивлён этим альбомом, так как ожидал услышать типичную электронщину восьмидесятых, а получил абсолютно дикую и мелодичную смесь как раз электронщины и, внезапно, панка. По большей части, текст и звук соответствуют названию альбома и задают довольно специфичное настроение, которое держится на протяжении всех сорока минут, что не может не радовать. Финальный трек оказался внезапно мелодичным и красивым, он запал мне в память практически моментально и убедил меня поставить этому альбому оценку ещё выше. (8 - 8.5)

Сээээкссс двооорфф. Полнейшая база. Реально. Какой то там из самых первых ню вав альбомов прослушанных мною.

top, immer wieder

This album came out at a good time for me! I loved it from the moment I first heard it as it filled this wonderful intersection between the alt music I liked, transgressive pop and out and out pop. The three singles on this album are top notch, and the rest of the music is great. I can remember being at a night club when they showed the infamous Sex Dwarf video! Top tracks - Say Hello Wave Goodbye, Tainted Love (of course!), Sex Dwarf. Soft Cell were in the vanguard of the synthpop explosion in the UK charts.

It is one of my oldest records here. I loved it then, and I still do. It might seem odd or even bad from the current point of view, but back then it was simply genius. Tainted Love was THE definition of British synth-pop at that time and the album was a landmark. Plus the controversies around Sex Dwarf and the inevitable banning of the music video made it extremely popular back then.

"Meanwhile my girl Ophelia is goth as hell Keeps a razor by her wrist, rocks out to Soft Cell" -MC Lars It's so weird and dark and nerdy. I love it.

Very nice.

more 80s british synthpop please

Fabulously sleazy.

I was just wanting to go through Soft Cells stuff so perfect timing. I liked it a lot. Tainted love is the obvious classic but there were a lot of songs I enjoyed a decent bit. Entertain me totally caught me by surprise, that one was a ton of fun. Will definitely be listening back over. Rating: 4.7

genius electro-pop saw them at Hammersmith Palais in 86, and the 40th anniversary of this LP at the Palladium - great shows

hell yeah, new wave and synth pop are my fixed as of today, love it

Love this one

superb!

This is such a good album, sparse keyboards and atmospheric use of a drum machine, while you almost feel a bit voyeuristic just listening to this, such is the affect of the arrangements and Almond's fantastic vocals. I love it. How can anyone not enjoy, if not laugh at 'Sex Dwarf'. Marc Almond is probably the only front man who can get away with playing it live in this day and age and not get cancelled. 'Say Hello, Wave Goodbye' is one of those deeply moving emotional songs, which you just can't help but belt out the chorus with a tear in your eye. I feel very privileged to have seen most of these songs performed live and I personally don't think this album has dated at all compared to 99% of the artists from that point in time. (Maybe the liberal use of saxophone does pin it to the early 80's, but that's about it). It's a riot of musical colour, and a rollercoaster of fun and emotion. A 5 star debut all day long.

Perfect synth-pop album with way above average vocals, and the most famous cover song ever? Its other evergreen song, Say Hello Wave Goodbye, has been a little ruined for me due to overexposure and that horrible David Gray cover. Rest of songs and the whole vibe of the album, all great. score: 10/10 footnotes: 1. Score is for the original 10-track album and not the version with all the extra material (which is not bad and even contains some of their best material such as Torch). 2. Highly recommended: the 9-minute long 12" mix of Tainted Love that at some point changes into Where Did Our Love Go, which is simply perfect.

Tainted Love has been and remains one of my favorite songs.

This is one of the first Queer coded albums ever recorded. There are themes of BDSM, sexual encounters, and anxiety about aging in a heteronormative society. The main character in this album is split between being a good husband & father and a gay sex fiend seeking erotic encounters. This isn't an approachable album & Marc Almond's voice can be grating, but it's an important piece of 80s Queer synth history. Everyone knows this band for their cover of Tainted Love, but the standouts for me are Sex Drawf and Chips on My Shoulder. The uncensored video for Sex Drawf is wild, so watch it if you can find it. I'm lucky to have seen Soft Cell a few months ago, but I wish I was old enough to have seen them in the 80s. I bet their shows were wonderfully slutty & gay as hell. 4.5 stars.

Gut! Frustation gefällt mir.

TIL Soft Cell didn't write "Tainted Love." TIL Soft Cell made a one of the best and goofiest albums of the 80s and it's stupidly brilliant.

Banger after banger, screw everyone who got this review to under 3 stars average. You can really tell marc almond's punk background peeking through in some of the songs.

Liderligste plade på listen indtil videre. Lyder til at de havde det pissesjovt med at finde ud af hvad synthesizers kunne, jeg elsker det her

Like an album from a completely different reality

To a certain group of teenagers -- all across the country -- drinking black coffee in Denny's in the early hours of the morning -- confused in Ronald Reagan's America -- not belonging -- this record was an expression of rebellion and unity -- something guaranteed to offend the people you wanted to offend. Essentially a New Wave punk album, the tunes are elevated with fantastic empathetic vocals and excellent electronic instrumentation. "Tainted Love" became an anthem, and rightly so. Peaches could never have happened without these guys, same with Frankie Goes to Hollywood (which I would argue is great but derivative, FGTH took all the things Soft Cell were doing and did a better job packaging and marketing it).

What can I say, synthpop is just very aesthetically pleasing

I can't be indifferent to that good synthpop. It isn't as perfect as Kraftwerk but it's enough to get 5/5

Never heard of but before but it was so good. Loved the synth and the vocals and the energy.

9/10 only like three songs here that are actually good (Tainted Love, Sex Dwarf, and Where Did Our Love Go? — the last which isn’t even on the main album) but each of those songs are such an amazing 10/10 masterpiece to me that I can overlook the sea of mediocrity that surround those perfect tracks

A classic

CUNTY AS HELL❗️❗️❗️❗️❗️

Sex Dwarf

While the back half of the album is definitely weaker than the front, I still enjoyed the entire thing.

A lengthy album that keeps getting better and more varied as it goes.

I ended up liking this way more than I expected!

Iconic album! Straight from the 80’s! Lotta songs I did t k is but of course can’t go wrong with Tainted Love! Really good album all together and first time listening front to back. Good album great bops!

Actually pretty good. The instrumentals are great, giving nice funky vibes

I was pleasantly surprised by this one! Only having known Tainted Love, I kind of assumed this would be another album built around the sale of one song, but even at an hour plus of runtime, it doesn't feel all that bloated. There's some certified bops here like Chips on My Shoulder, Frustration, and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye (which funnily enough, yesterday's artist David Gray covered). Also it gets weird with tracks like Sex Dwarf, Memorabilia, and Seedy Films. I really dig this one.

Unmatched in its descriptions of seedy Soho, bedsitter life, sex clubs - all set to what was at the time amazingly new music. Still holds up very well, and surprisingly the original songs have dated far less than the covers.

Fantastic seedy grooves. Actually not as naughty as I thought it was… Slabby synths, chunky chunk drum sounds. Really rather good.

Frustration has my attention. Tainted Love has me in its claws. Seedy Films backs off of that stadium sound too much and just sort of feels bare. Sex Dwarf recaptures that sound that I think suits them best. Pretty rad!

I'm not sure it's great but I had a nice time. Lyrics are a bit weird but easy to bop along

I am the sex dwarf

How good is tainted love though

Nice

Me gustó porque es bailable con todos sus sintetizadores, muy ochentero pero del lado dark no tan pop (?).

There's a song everyone knows in this one

Pretty cool, I really enjoy these 80s synth pop albums. good stuff.

Some very good songs, over all a nice album to listen to

Here's a cool one! I remember first listening to this on Dad's turntable, this was a record in his collection. A hallmark new wave album, with one of the great hits to make it out of that era "Tainted Love." There's a bit of depth to the album too, with a handful of other tracks that I found worth the while. Sometimes we get lucky with these '80s synthpop records. Not always, but albums like this one have a good bit to love. Favorite tracks: Tainted Love, Youth, Entertain Me, Chips on My Shoulder, Say Hello Wave Goodbye. Album art: I've always dug this one, the seedy neon lighting really sells it. It's a band photo, and these guys look like huge dorks, but they nailed the aesthetic. 4/5

Totally campy new wave extravaganza. Hard to judge since it’s been a favorite forever.

Three of the best synth tunes of the '80s on this, add Torch and you've got a best of. Would happily never hear Tainted Love again if offered, but hey... Rest is OK if a bit simple

Some great bops on here, a light 4. Sex dwarf made me laugh

4.0

ochentero diver

This sure was a non-stop erotic cabaret. I didn't expect it to be so erotic in nature, but it's right there in the name, so that's on me. But yeah, this album was pretty good. It definitely took some risks. Naming a song "Sex Dwarf", for instance, is a risk. Still, I enjoyed it. The music was solid throughout; there wasn't really a lull. None of songs were absolutely amazing besides maybe Tainted Love, so I can't give a higher score, but still good. My favourite song was Tainted Love.

wildddddddd

Obviously Tainted Love is outstanding, it's not alone on this album of great electro 80s anthems.

I didn’t care for the first track, but as the album progressed it grew on me. The synth soundscape was layered well and though it does come off as dated, still sounds good. The lyrics were transgressive and interesting giving the album a feel that very much lived up to its title. Overall, I believe this album very much succeeded at what it set out to do.

Where there's Saxphone, it won't go too bad.

My cat didn't really like it, but I did.

the early 80s were pretty fucking weird for music werent they? this album specifically is really like, weirdly minimal for pop. tainted love cover owns obv. albums not as horny as i was led to believe but maybe i just wasnt paying enough attention to the lyrics?? the synth tones and the underlying songs are nice, but im not huge on the production. it still has that sorta older style of production where its more supposed to sound like its being played live, so its not rly as loud and in ur face as i like synthpop/electropop to be. still jammin though. last track is particularly good.