Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret

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.

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.

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.

Highlight - Sex Dwarf

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

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?

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....

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.

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

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

Light good electronic music

One hit wonder? No way.

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.

I'll confess, my initial reaction to this album was not great. Tainted Love aside, the songs are pretty under-baked and not well recorded. But I think the not-well recorded thing is something I often consider as feature, not a big, in a lot of the guitar-based music I like, so I needed to give this a better go. I'll quote from Simon Reynolds' Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984: "Soft Cell's Marc Almond was fragile too, but in a different way: wonderfully uncool and hyper-emotional. His vocal pitch wavered, the intonation was often excessive, but Almond's all-too-human passion burst through. Like the Human League, Soft Cell had no truck with the we-are-robots posturing of first wave electropop: their songs nestled in the gap between glitzy dreams and squalid English reality" I think that gets to what is great about Soft Cell; their ambition to bring a sleazy cabaret, art pop, chanson vibe to their music. Barely musically competent and with minimal technical ability, they recorded this with big ambitions and big emotions. And it is certainly one of the first clearly gay-coded pop records. Marc Almond wouldn't comment on his sexuality at the time, but it's all out there to see, and I applaud the courage to be out in all but name. It paved the way for much of the great pop of the 1980s; the Communards, Pet Shop Boys, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and a bunch of others had the trail blazed by Soft Cell. Mind you, I don't think they had the expectation of being a big chart band, but that's what happened, thanks to their cover of Tainted Love. I'm a lover of Northern Soul, and love Gloria Jones' original, and Soft Cell closely follow her vocal arrangement and performance, but the recontextualizing as synth pop (and prescient of the AIDS crisis) really owns the song. It was a deserved worldwide monster hit and a classic song for the ages. This is the absolute banger and clearly the best song on the album. The other tracks have a tendency to be under-developed. I wish they had the time to refine and arrange the songs a bit more and the budget to record them properly, because Marc Almond's vocals are generally terrific. He can really sell a song. But they are not really songs for the ages (although do I hear a resonance between the portamento synth line in Sex Dwarf and a similar lick in My Bloody Valentine's 'I Only Said'?) I also love the fact that their manager, Stevo, used Soft Cell's success to fund and launch the Some Bizarre record label, which brough us not only Soft Cell and Marc Almond's solo works, but also records by Psychic TV, Cabaret Voltaire, The The, Einstürzende Neubauten, Test Dept, Foetus and my own personal white whale Renaldo and the Loaf's 'The Elbow is Taboo' LP. So, there's that. Summary: I appreciate the idea and influence of this record, but sadly, it's not that great to actually listen to. Except Tainted Love, which is an absolute banger.

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

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.

Top Album.

Yep, loved this sordid little gem

That was fun and without any duds.

Very well! Sexy and dancy! 10\5

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

Tainted Love by Soft Cell is a top hit. It's one of my favorite songs. I didn't know the rest of the album. It's less bad than I feared. Nevertheless, there is no other track on it that I absolutely want to hear again. 3/5

5 stars for Sex Dwarf 2 stars for the rest of the album. 5+2 ‎ = 7 7/2 ‎ = 3.5 Ergo, 3 stars.

Not bad from an era I have little interest in.

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.

Never heard this whole album. Only heard 'Tainted Love". Now I know why...

things heard in my house this morning: “no wonder they’re a 1-hit-wonder” “how is this so bad?” “did he just say sex dwarf?” “…i guess tainted love brings it up to a 2”

Interesting beats but silly lyrics just made it old fast.

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

"Tainted Love" was the kernel of undigested corn in this turd sandwich. If that's the best song on your album, it's time to pack it up.

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.

Hearing this again underlines my belief that 1981 was one of the best years to turn 13. (It might have been even better to have turned 13 in the early 70s, but then I'd be ten years older already, and hey, ageing isn't fun.) In 1981, this kind of sparse synth pop sounded (and looked) utterly fresh: dark and exciting, and it was "our" music, unlike anything my older brothers had been listening to during my childhood. I still feel like it's ours, although it's great to see it being embraced by Gen Z. Marc Almond and David Ball cast a wry eye over the frustrations of everyday life and getting older, set to a backdrop of sleazy cabaret with a joyful hint of disco now and again. Soft Cell had a gift for writing a melody, and, indeed, a pop banger. Youth has a beautiful chorus, Bedsitter is an eternal fave of mine from this time, and Say Hello Wave Goodbye is, objectively, one of the best pop songs ever written (fight me). I am hugely fond of this album.

Wonderful to listen to this again. And astonishing that the first time I heard it was over 40 years ago.

I remember watching a documentary about this as a kid. After it finished, my father disappeared into the study only to fish this out on vinyl. He played it, and amongst the songs I already knew - Tainted Love and Bedsitter - it was enjoyable with the standouts being Sex Dwarf (because obviously) and my mother's self-described 'best karaoke song' Say Hello, Wave Goodbye: and I am inclined to agree with that. This album has the synth sound I love in the 80s, as well as a seediness I will take on any album.

Well, shit. This was an unexpected delight. Seedy Films is cheesy AF, with pretty bad vocal phrasing and lyrics, but after listening to the whole record I think it might be on purpose. Sex Dwarf is a legitimate banger too. Favourite tracks: everything.

Must admit not listened to this album before. Aware of the big hits TL and SHWG but unaware of other songs. Given that this is a really low production/DIY debut it is really good. I like the stark synthesised music and sleezy/snarky lyrics from Almond whose contempt for suburbia is more authentic than most punk songs. SHWG is a brilliant way to close the album. Again surprised by how good 80s music really was.

This is #day248 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… I was supposed to listen to this album yesterday, but since it was my birthday, it got pushed to today. Anyway, catching up, here's to another seminal record from the '80s synth and electropop era. Starting with the artwork alone, this album screams the time it came out in: neon lights, smoke machines, disco balls, sunglasses, and synths galore. But what sets Soft Cell apart is that sleazy, sinful vibe and a kind of experimental edge that wasn't as present in other new wave acts. Some of my favorites from this record include "Frustration," "Tainted Love," "Sex Dwarf," and "Bedsitter." This is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day249.

Still sounds good to me

Heard it before. 80s synth masterclass. Sex Dwarf one of the songs of all time 5/5

Очень крутой альбом и группа! Странно, что я их раньше не слышал...

The title is truly exactly what it is and it’s awesome

One of the best new wave albums of the 80s. Marc Almond's singing is not perfect, but his instincts are fantastic.

Love this album, it's sound is so upbeat, even if some of the lyrics aren't. Dare I say that their cover of the Gloria Jones's song "Tainted Love" was better than the original. Also contains their hit singles "Bedsitter" and "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye".

A perfect record! I love „Tainted Love“ since I was a little child and „Bedsitter“ is also a hit. But what struck me today was „Chips on my shoulder“. If this doesn’t move you you’re probably dead.

Älskar Marc Almond. Ja, inte på det sättet utan mer som artist. Tycker han till och med är bättre solo. Men det spelar ingen roll. Det här är ändå top notch.

Se convirtió en uno de mis álbumes favoritos de la vida inmediatamente. Algo de DEVO pero más mainstream, inglés y puro synth. El canto es algo punk, pero la música es synthpop. Muy de los ochenta, pero suena bastante fresco. Además tiene un saxo ricotero muy bueno.

Needs no elaboration, absolutely outstanding

Oh man, Marc is one horny almond, but he makes a good synth pop record. Full of energy throughout, with genuinely good songs, which are occasionally about sex dwarves and a sleazy blue film cities - but when he's not going on about over-enthusiastically about his fetishes, Tainted Love, Say Hello Wave Goodbye and Frustration are awesome, and the rest are close behind. The drum machine and synth production is also top notch. I loved this album.

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.

"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.

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

Fabulously sleazy.

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.

Just a couple of fun degenerates making hot synth pop. This is the common review for me but the album title/cover basically embody the sound perfectly. Sex Dwarf and Tainted Love automatically make this album great but deeper cuts like "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye, Torch, Chips on my Shoulder Frustration, Touch and So" also add to a great electronic album experience. Super fun. Super catchy. Everything 80's music did right. Only complaint is that there are too many tracks in total and they're not all equal. Some detuned synths/weirder melodies. But overall a great record.

more 80s british synthpop please

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

Love this one

top, immer wieder

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

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

superb!

A classic

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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).

CUNTY AS HELL❗️❗️❗️❗️❗️

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

Sex Dwarf

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

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.

So many great songs

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

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)

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

I was probably deeply corrupted by this as a teenager and can’t thank Marc Almond enough for that. Wonderful trip down memory lane, or rather memory dark alley in Soho 👍🏻

Fun.

Way better than I expected. A bit weird and very new wave but that works for me.

There is some pretty good stuff on here, some trash to balance it out Will I listen to again: 61%