Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret

Tainted Love is great, the rest of the album is incredibly boring. It felt like a couple guys without editing, a synth and a keyboard in a basement with bad acoustics who wrote the lyrics right before recording. I didn’t expect it to be that bad

When I first put this on, I kind of thought it was clunky and maybe even obnoxious, but I kind of figured out what was going on here. This album is often cited as "detached" and I think that makes a lot come together. Whether it be sex, home-life or whatever, Soft Cell stands at arm's length, observes, and makes slightly surreal jokes.And the stylized, ultra-low budget synths and clunky songs, paired with the dramatic, occasionally manic vocals largely sells it. And this lens results in even a song like Sex Dwarf being pretty good. The depiction of sexuality is sleazy and taboo, and it's sort of earnest, but it feels like it's earnest as a component of a larger joke. In short, the vibe is kind of strange, and I haven't fully unraveled the honesty and the irony here. Although, at times, I'm also just not sure that they committed to the bit enough. Whatever may be going on under the hood, this at least ends up as a cool, serviceable pop/new wave album, with hints of something a little deeper and stranger going on.

I only knew Tainted Love and Where Did Our Love Go before listening to this. Wow. Sleazy in the most cringeworthy way.

Fun 80s pop lots of keyboards and reverb

A much more compelling listen than I remember. Pretty badass that this came out in '81.

Synthesizer Wave Deluxe. Die beste Mandel aller Zeiten… „Tainted Love“, „Say Hello“ und der Hidden Star „Torch“ .. besser gehts nicht.😊

"Tainted Love" elevates this album for sure. Still a great album though.

Well, they certainly had a seedy not entirely serious vision which they went for and brought to life. I do like it. Marc Almond has a great voice and the electronic sound works for the themes. RIP David Ball who died a couple of weeks ago. 3.5 rounding down because it doesn’t grab me enough for a 4

Tainted Love is the only song of note on this album.

imagine hearing tainted love when it came out in the 80’s, what i’d give to be in a club in the 80’s with tainted love blasting

the epitome of a one-hit-wonder. but honestly some pretty cool stuff throughout. also La La Land reference!!!!

Couldn't finish, it was too chaotic. Didn't even really like their hit "Tainted Love."

You can't deny this is 80's. I do give them a little credit for pushing that 80's sound a little farther. It makes up for the over the type breathy lyrics that are somewhat cringe (sex dwarf lol). If they didn't seem so over the type I think I would find it really inappropriate but instead its almost funny. I waiver here between a 2 and a 3. I love Tainted Love so I will keep it at a 3.

It's okay but it didn't especially grab me. Sex Dwarf is clearly the best song on this album.

From the first notes I recognized that Soft Cell had inspired 2000’s electro-art band The Knife, whom I love, along with early 90’s alt rock band, James, whom I also adore. That was just in the first song. I can also hear Nine Inch Nails and other Industrial, and even Goth inspiration. This album is super solid throughout. The drum machine drips neon coolness and is still ahead of its time, particularly on Sex Dwarf. This record is full of dramatic singing, experimental musicianship, and of course their HUGE hit, Tainted Love, and the songs are mostly bangers. Youth is probably the weakest song, but it’s still good. I’d say I’m now a fan of this album.

Tainted Love is always a fun classic (which I just learned was a cover), but yikes to the rest of this. It's pretty cringe 80s music at its finest.

It's no coincidence that the hit is a cover. The rest is rubbish. I like 80's synth-pop but this seemed amateur.

80's twaddle..

80's pop, it's ok but nothing I'd come back to.

Vähän jää muu levy hitin varjoon. 2/5

Megahitin ympärilläkin aika hauska tasapainottelu liman ja kimalluksen välillä. Sitä parempaa synapoppia.

Besides the one huge hit, the cover of "Tainted Love", this doesn't really stand out from the sea of early 80s synthpop. Maybe it is a little raunchier and the rest and that does represent the huge gay scene around the movement. But that's it really, textbook one-hit wonder. Make sure to also listen to the extended version of "Tainted Love" where Soft Cell also cover The Supremes' "Where Did Our Love Go?". Great stuff. Key tracks: Tainted Love

Feels like it was trying to be transgressive, but has lost a lot of its punch in the last 40 years.

80s fun. Some good but not great tracks.

Who would’ve thought the album that has one of the greatest songs of the entire 80s also has a song called “Sex Dwarf”.

This album started well enough. I didn’t love it, but it wasn’t awful.. even if I came into it with prejudice because of how synth pop killed new wave. Unfortunately, after 4-5 songs it starts to fall apart. Track 5, “Sex Dwarf”, is simultaneously a high and low point, as it's both pretty funny and pretty awful. I can’t think of a good reason to recommend anyone even bother with side 2 of this record. Only a true masochist would listen through the extra tracks on Spotify to go the full 1hr 14min. I did it, but I was on the train home from Chicago after riding my bike 350 miles in 2.5 days to get there.

More interesting and diverethan I ever gave them credit for. Strange they only had one US single from this album

This is what I mean when I say I hate 80's music.

Fruuuuu strationnnn

Very 80's. This works a lot better than sterile attempts at rock music from this period. Creative, fun, catchy use of synths and other probably other electronic instruments. This is also emphatically not my jam. Let's call it 3/5. I can't forget this album because Tainted Love will be played everywhere forever but I'll probably forget the rest. Except the title -- fun title.

A fun dose of ’80s synth-pop with plenty of sleazy charm. It could’ve been great with 20–25 minutes trimmed off, but overall, it’s an enjoyable listen from start to finish.

Soft Cell? For real? Ok, I'll listen. I do still like Tainted Love, but the rest, not so much. Boring electronic music with little that engaged me.

One or two good songs but the rest was boring

Pretty good new wave type music. Maybe it fits in the synth pop category. I like it although it got a bit tiresome by the end. Good beats and vocals seems like it would have been pretty innovative in the early 80s. Not something that I would listen to all the time but it was not bad.

5/10

People must have done a lot of cocaine in the 80s

Erotic indeed. Kind of boring. Didn't finish it.

I enjoyed the album. I didn’t realize they were the ones that did so many hits that I remembered from the 80’s. Besides the hits I enjoyed the synth pop sound.

Easy, cheesy, slightly sleazy.

we are all sex dwarf now

Way more subversive than I remembered! Naughty naughty boys. Too synthy 80’s for me, but more fun than others.

A quintessentially 80s synth-pop album that hasn’t aged all that gracefully. 𝘛𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 remains an undeniable classic — sleek, minimal, and instantly memorable — but the rest of 𝘕𝘰𝘯-𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘌𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘊𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘵 struggles to match its charm, often feeling more like a period curiosity than a timeless record.

This was really bad. One famous song and it’s a cover.

Not my thing at all

There are a couple really cool tracks here, the rest is kinda meh. I wish it went a bit harder

A high 3 stars, this has some great songs on it which I already do or the ones I’ve discovered through the album I would listen to again and add them to a playlist. I don’t think I would listen to the full album again though

Alright, I get it. You're above the suburban life and everything about it is terribly boring and mundane. Did you need an entire album to convey that? And one with (what I never thought I would say) far too much synth? I don't know when the term 'try hard' originated, but I could see it coming soon after someone listening to this album for the first time...Tainted Love is great, the rest are just, not.

Everything I hate about 80’s music.

Started well, thought it was going to be amazing. Got a bit manic Tetris! Tainted Love such an all time banger

Soft Cell are remembered for "Tainted Love", one of those rare cover songs that far outshadows the original song. Fewer people know the rest of the album today which is maybe not surprising as it's clearly a product of its time. It's tempting to think of 80s synth pop as cheesy, fun dance music but with Soft Cell you can see more of the evolution from late 70s post punk. Synthesizers became cheaper and you could practice in their apartments. No need for a costly rehearsal space any more. You can easily see the appeal for young punks wanting to break into a sleezy/sexy club scene. And that's clearly who Soft Cell were. The lyrics expose not only the club but the seedy after party, all escapism from a dull paycheck to paycheck life. The band struck gold by getting access to a top of the line synthesizer, which gave them a major edge in crafting striking sounds for the era. Other 80s bands would polish the synth pop sound more to make the decade bright and vibrant. But these are the dark origins in divey bars and clubs. Songs like "Sex Dwarf", "Bedsitter", and "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" as well as bonus track "Memorabilia" are all fantastic, dark and danceable.

eeeee I couldn't finish this. the sound is fun for a song or two, but gets old very fast!!

Strooong dislike on this. I find most if not all of these songs annoying and strange,

Nicee

Loved it. Relived it.

Grows as it goes on.

Sadly doesn't live up to memories from my youth. Three good tracks, one of which was a (albeit impressively arranged) cover anyway. The rest is just a soup of 80's musical tropes. Shame.

I really like Tainted Love / Say Hello Wave Goodbye - but the rest of the album is not so good. A bit too much sax/ cabaret not enough good tunes/ banging synth.

Non Stop Erotic Cabaret Sex Dwarf! I really didn’t like Tainted Love in my childhood and teens, but now I love it. Obviously it’s a great song to begin with, but the synth pads and the hand claps at the end of each line are a remarkable work of earworming, taking the hint of them in the original, and turning them into a hook on their own. And there are hooks and earworms all over this, the bassline on Seedy Films, the pitch shifting on Sex Dwarf, the synth line on Entertain Me, the HI NRG pulse and chorus of Chips on My Shoulder, the synth bass again on Bedsitter. And I only really became aware of Say Hello Wave Goodbye after David Gray’s version, but it is a great track, with a naive but affecting melodramatic charm. I love the palpable Punk/DYI ethos being put into synth music. It’s definitely a bit wonky in places, especially the vocals, belying the budget and time period, but a lot of it still feels very modern. You can definitely hear the commonalities with their contemporaries, Heaven 17, Depeche Mode, PSB, the Human League et al, but I like how this has an almost comical amount of seediness, playing around with glitz, squalor, escape and being trapped all wrapped up in melodramatic adolescent emotions. I don’t know how much is tongue in cheek, but there seems to be a bit of deliberate provocation, perhaps poking at moral panic, especially on things like Seedy Films and Sex Dwarf It’s right on the edge of 3 and 4. It’s very catchy with a seedy, wonky, naive charm. Think it just about edges a 4. 💦💦💦💦 Playlist submission: Sex Dwarf!

Ruddy hell. If that album cover isn't an 80s cop show waiting to happen then I need my stomach pumped. The centrepiece 'Tainted Love' really is totemic - a little known soul number given the full on urban electronic treatment. Every stab if the synth is perfectly positioned to build an atmosphere of eltectro-pop menace. It's sweet relief after the opening 'Frustration' which sounds like a bar version of PiL. I assume 'Sex Dwarf' is a bit of parody, but you can't be sure with this completely hammed-up album. It belies something unavoidably seedy about these filthy, leathered lotharios. Say Hello, Wave Goodbye' is a surprisingly tender and evocative piece of writing, and feels light years away from 'Sex Dwarf' or the entirely throwaway 'Entertain Me'. So they have a hit rate of two, of the ten tracks. That's twenty percent. Twenty percent of five stars is one star. Is that fair? Well 'Secret Life' is actually quite fun. And The two hits are such great cuts that it gets a two.

Classic example sample of the post-punk era. Influential even today.

It's pretty mid aside from the obvious "Take on me".

There's a vibe on this one.

Tainted Love is an incredible song, but the rest of this album hovers between almost great New Wave and slightly lacking filler.

I enjoy Tainted Love just for the nostalgia of crap teenage discos. The rest of this album is instantly forgettable 80s synth pop, except for the songs that are actively annoying, like Frustration and Entertain Me. Say Hello, Wave Goodbye would be worth a listen if David Gray's version wasn't so much better.

Not into the whole new wave 80s electronic androgynous scene. It was fine. Would never listen again.

Fine.

This group had its moment, I guess, and "Tainted Love" remains high on the list of one-hit wonders. Another album that seems mostly harmless, but its inclusion in the face of absolutely NO Warren Zevon albums making the 1001 list is a travesty.

So much better than expected.

I imagine this was quite the album for 1981. I own it, and I still just like the one song.

1 out of 5 One hit wonders of the 80s! Now I know why lmao.

Sex Dwarf is a bizarre and slightly uncomfortable song that detracts from an otherwise enjoyable album. The cover of Where is Our Love? is just not a vibe as well. That being said, Say Hello, Wave Goodbye is an excellent song, as is the classic Tainted Love.

Tainted Love is the really good song on here - the rest is not up to par. It’s not bad though, just not nearly as good as Tainted Love

Full 80s pop energy, you get what you pay for

Tainted love is a classic, but the rest is just ok. A bit annoying at times though, vocals are an acquired taste for sure. The atmosphere of the album is soooo 80s neon coded though

I only knew soft cell from their version of Tainted Love. I wish it still was the case. Everything other than Tainted Love is just bad and the number of times the vocals are out of tune is just sad...

Beyond "Tainted Love", I didn't know much about Soft Cell. The album aligns with the type of sound I thought I'd hear and honestly, it's a really fun record. Very 80s of course, but the synths are hyper, upbeat and chaotic at times when paired with the zany vocals. Fun one.

Frustration - mhm okay this is … interesting; why are they speaking like they just learned english?; i kinda like the topic and message at least 1/5 Tainted love - wait, i know this omg; how is this on the same Album as "Frustration"; not a big fan of the voice but the song is alright 3,5/5 Seedy Films - was very scared of what to come in the beginning, but it wasnt as bad as expected and some passaged i even liked; but i lost interest after the first Minute, after which the song continued for 4 minutes still... 2/5 Youth - it all sounds the same to me and it all sounds a bit shit 1,5/5 Sex Dwarf - interesting title?; the music and Sound was actually fine ngl, even enjoyable; the lyrics were … inetresting, this feels ableist idk 1/5 Entertain me - wait i kind of like this; like the topic and the Sound its all alright 3/5 Chips on my shoulder - maybe i just dont get the vibe 2/5 Bedsitter - for synth Pop this is fine; gets very boring after the first 30 seconds 1,8/5 Secret life - the beginning sounds shit; after that ist okay; than it Sound shit again 2/5 Say hello, wave goodbye-7 - not super interesting but actually not bad; judging some of the lyrics 2/5 Where did our love go - was excited for the sonf, because i liked the Instrument without singing in the start; then he started singing…; still not to bad 2,3/5 Memorabilia - relatable but still sounds ass 1,5/5 Facility Girls - 1/5 Fun City - how is this almost 8 minutes?? 1,5/5 Torch - this is absolutely fine; thank god we got a break from his voice for some lines 3/5 Insecure me - 2,5/5 What? - i like this 3/5 So? - usually i prefer Songs with lyrics, but in this case thank god 2,5/5 Coherence - i liked that it followed like this story of escaping the ordinary life, so it did actually match up 4/5 overall Impression: 1/5 i guess this genre just really really isnt for me ---> 1,8

They sound a lot like… the 80’s.

i WISH this album was as exciting at the title implied. honestly dull and repetitive. tainted love slaps of course but it can't carry the entire 1 hour 14 minute (!???!) album on its own.

boy, i sure wish this erotic cabaret ever stopped. soft cell really has a particular sound and it's cool for a couple tracks, but 18? in 74 minutes? that's exactly the length of one oliver & company, and i'd rather watch that. billy joel's in that one. does your band have billy joel, soft cell? i didn't think so. this cabaret is gonna be a no from me, dawg. special shoutout to where did our love go, which is tainted love with the serial numbers filed off. same drum part, same synth patches, etc. it would be a brazen rip-off if someone else had done it, but soft cell beat them to the punch??? great job i guess??????? favorites: frustration, tainted love, say hello wave goodbye, where did our love go, so

Actually better than I would have guessed. Tainted Love naturally a goat, but the album itself is decent. High 2s.

Típico som dançante de sintetizadores, sem nada de impressionante ou relevante. Mais um disco que não faz o menor sentido estar entre os "1001 para ouvir antes de morrer". Poucos momentos interessantes são as partes de sopro: David Tofani – saxofone (Frustration); clarinete (Seedy Film).

I bought this album about 20 years or so ago, mostly for Tainted Love, but never listened to it much as the rest of the album didn't grab me. Upon revisiting it, I realised that, like a lot of albums on this list, the CD released was spoiled by having several demos, outtakes and alternate versions tacked onto the end of it. When you listen to just the original tracks and cut out the chaff, it's a much better work. It's still not perfect, but I enjoyed it enough to just about give it a four.

what the hell, sure

Tainted love is great and I enjoyed the beat in sex dwarf (I didn't know the song). Love the 80s but I've only saved these two tracks.

Some of these songs are pretty out there but overall a good time if you're feeling like listening to dirty 80s music.

Perfect for clubbing with Patrick Bateman, not much more

This was close to a 4 for me. Tainted Love is a hot bop and Sex Dwarf was a wild song that only gets crazier the more you read the lyrics. Stay quirky Soft Cell!

Tainted Love is always a banger. But the song before it and after it were meh. But as the album continued, it got better, still very 80s synth. Good job, folks. 3.5/5

not sure why tainted love is 3 times on the album with 1 being longer and 1 being a different version of that longer song, some of the lyrics are weird but that is kinda the point not a bad listen but nothing over the top

i remember listening to tainted love so god damn much and its still pretty damn good. the whole thing is just okay tho. really good ending however

Look, Tainted Love is an all time 80’s banger. But other than that? This shit is so corny, bro. Like…really? Everybody giving this 5’s? Nostalgia is a hell of a drug.

Tainted love and sex dwarf are enough for this to be a 3

Tainted Love is in the zeitgeist, so there is not really much to say about that. The rest of the album is much the same, just not as good. It's okay I guess, but not really great to me.

This is some pretty classic synth-pop, glad to see it on the list. There's a few really good songs and some which are... not as great. But even at its worst, this album is still deliciously retro. 3.5/5, rounded up. Favorite tracks: "Tainted Love," "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye," "Where Did Our Love Go?"

fine

actually kinda good just long

It's a sexy album

I’m a little too young for this album the first time around and I knew say hello wave goodbye was a cover but I didn’t know that is originally Soft Cell. For me this is the stand out track on the album. Tainted Love was the only song I knew as Soft Cell.

Marc Almond har en riktigt bra röst, men musiken är lite väl tidstypisk och (numer) dated. Tainted Love - covern är förstås en klassiker.

True one hit wonder. Rest of album outside one song is not good.

There’s a reason why they are a 1 hit wonder

It was fine I guess. Some weird songs (“Sex Dwarf”), a great song (“Tainted Love”), and a bunch of mid, really annoying songs (the rest of the album). Just kinda repeated the same lines over and over. I don’t really understand why this is supposed to be an important album.

I can totally understand how they are a one hit wonder.

The one single carries it. I would rather just listen to Depeche Mode

Super chaotic and depraved album. Was pretty fun, but went on for far too long. Lots of songs probably should have been cut.

Altfor langt album for denne typen musikk. Morsomme tekster, men det er for langt.

If Soft Cell was going for 'totally fine' on this attempt they nailed it. I am guessing that the 1980s will be worst rated decade because this album was about the best I could have hoped for. There was interesting instrumentation and it wasn't obnoxious. However, it felt like too much style and not enough substance.

Props for Tainted Love but ultimately the rest is pretty blah and kinda weird

Soft cell seems like a flaccid hog write this one, eh?

Only one song worth listening to. Tainted love.

Wow I truly was born in the wrong generation If i was my parents age, my life would have been so much easier I would just have had to make one kinda good song and think too highly of myself And I would have been famous That's crazy George Stamatiadis >>>>> Jesus fucking Christ I'm only halfway through the album 💀 I can see why non-stop is in the title

O disco é longo demais, mas tem musicas muito boas. Dá pra ver também a influência dele na consolidação do synth pop

Very good

Very much an album of its time, the production is quintessentially 80's. Overall very good with some absolute classics (tainted love, say hello wave goodbye) as well as someone extreme lowlights (looking at you sex dwarf)

Es taaaaan 1981

1981. New Wave. A great album to listen to on a Saturday morning with coffee. On the back patio with a torrential downpour and an impressive show of lightning and thunder, but my best dog friend doesn't like the storms so we went inside. Now I'm on the couch being terrorized by a 5 month old cat that just showed up in my backyard and we have tamed. Somewhat tamed. Animals show up at my house and they get taken care of. Life is funny that way. But anyway, Tainted Love is an all time banger. I've listened through a few times, this thing is great. Jaunty and upbeat, the sax in track 1 and the female vocals on track 7 are standout for me. Dudes are looking spiffy on the cover too. Good vibes.

Somehow I had forgotten about this record. I bought it for "Tainted Love" but enjoyed the entire record.

Rad as hell. I like "Youth" a lot, got that 80s futurism and a melancholy, haunting feeling and that transition into "Sex Dwarf"!! "Sex Dwarf" + "Entertain Me" are SO good.

Tainted Love is marching robots dreaming that they’re people, people dreaming that they’re robots. It’s an uncanny song, strange, reverberative. Say Hello, Wave Goodbye is also a great track, but there’s some filler as well. The album is interesting in the way it anticipates the direction of UK music in the 1980s. You can hear Sisters Of Mercy, The Communards, The Smiths, The Beautiful South and the C86 bands. I once saw Marc Almond doing a DJ set, and the act he was supporting was a stripper, so bonus points for him remaining a denizen of the demi-monde.

This is pretty bad. I never liked taint love and the rest of the songs are just dumb.

Listened to before: No I I had bought this album in 1981 beacause I heard Tainted Love on the radio, I would have been disappointed. TL, as the banger it obviously is, does not represent the album at all. Imagine it more as if Eric Idle recorded a sexclub-themed Synth-Album (and I mean this in the most positive way). NSEC is quirky, it is unhinged, it is fun. I particularly enjoy the run from Entertain Me to Bedsit. From todays perspective some sounds feel a little dated and not every song slaps - Still, this is an album that I enjoyed a lot and will listen to again.

Some fun and upbeat songs with lyrics in places that must have been pretty cutting edge at the time, for the sexual content. I'm not opposed to some campy synth pop but a lot of these tracks didn't really stick with me though. I found it maybe too layered in places.. for example Entertain Me where at times it feels like there are 3 or 4 synth lines at the same time and quite frenetic vocals, so there isn't really any melody to cling onto Sex Dwarf is just a silly novelty song as well, don't like that

Funny, sensual, great influence for synthpop, danceable, nice ballads too. Great production. 4 stars.

Hard carried by tainted love

another round of one hit wonder 80's bands...who could have seen this coming

Synths + drum machine + sex noises. A bit weird innit? Tainted Love is a banger, and it was interesting hearing the original version of Say Hello, Wave Goodbye. But otherwise this kind of went in one ear and out the other for me

Beautiful

Frustration is such a perfect opening track and Tainted Love is one of the best covers of all time. The rest of this has highs and lows, but unfortunstely the theme is more consistent than the sound.

The only half decent song on here is the Tainted Love

This was alright, but very weird.

Sex Dwarf

Couple real gems. Couple decent head bobbers. And a bunch of filler.

Самтаймс ай Фил ай гатту Майкл Шин вайбы

It's wonderfully weird. Even if electro synth pop isn't your bag, it's a wild ride and they know how to write a catchy song. Also good to have an artist from Leeds on the list 🙌

5 for Tainted Love, which is so iconic it appears in a Doctor Who episode ( ninth dr with Rose, 2nd episode, I think). The rest are forgettable but somehow I like the genre. So 4.

falco w/o falco

They’ve tainted my love… idk I tried

"Tainted Love" is my top song on Spotify with over 500 listens. Long story short, a D&D character I played had an item that would play a song that only they could hear on repeat, so I would play it every session for the joke. Now Spotify thinks its my all time favorite. It is a good song though, which is a shame because the rest of the album didn't really do it for me.

80s music has never been a vibe for me. This album is no different.

Weak album with 2 classics

One song.

An album all about the sexy, seedy underbelly of London and the rejection of the uptight suburbs. A lot of synths. Idk, some of the songs are catchy and some are too new wave for me.

I always hated tainted love which ran on every party and did not fit my music taste every so I am biased completely but I cannot listen to this longer than a few minutes...

Not my cup of tea at all lol. The mixing is all very weird or maybe bad. Tainted Love - Not a fan Now a different song “You Kill Me” from a different album is being played which reminds me of the old songs my dad used to play in his car after coming back from a road trip. The songs sounds like really bad amateur work I would do when i started working on FL Studio lol. NOT GONNA COMPLETE THIS ALBUM.

Some really weird songs and some good ones

Really bad album only 2 cool songs all other can be discarded. Lot of experimental fails.

Kinda dug it. Tries too hard to be shocking in a way that doesn't feel very shocking any more but decent synth-pop dance music of a certain vintage.

Overall a really boring album, although Tainted Love is still one of my top favorite 80s songs....and I also love their cover of Where Did Our Love Go. They earn a 3 for Tainted Love alone.

Wow, Tainted Love, the ur-One Hit Wonder of the 80s, is actually the blandest song on the album. Not surprising, I guess, when you consider that the British electropop scene in the early 80s was dominated by dull albums like Dare and that Echo and the Bunnymen one. I can definitely see young Morrissey drawing some inspiration from the darker corners here as well--all of which is not to say that I liked it all that much, just that I found it kind of fascinating.

it wasn't non-stop, wasn't particularly erotic, and was only kind of cabaret.

Other than Tainted Love and Where Did Our Love Go, I had no familiarity with Soft Cell and did not know what to expect. Now I understand why. This album was all over the place and not in a good way. Also some of the vocals were interesting. Many of them fell flat literally. Can’t give this a one because of the two songs that are noteworthy. But it’s a close call.

cool

They’re a one hit wonder, they’re British, and they’re otherwise forgettable. These are the attributes needed to be added to this fucking list. Bonus points if they’re pretentiously underground. This album is necessarily bad, but besides that mega hit, it’s not worth listening to. I do think “Sex Dwarf” is unironically the most interesting song on the album. I can’t imagine wanting to listen again. 2/5

It is not every day that you listen to a song about sex dwarfs, but hey this album is called non-stop erotic cabaret after all. This tainted ove version is legendary. So much, that they used its vibes in where did our love go. Bed sitter and memorabilia are cool as well. While irritating at times this lp grew on me while listening to it and i find many of these synth pop song very danceable. Lets give this album some extra credit for being very provocative at the time. Very interesting listen.

Absolute filth

An odd little number. The faster dance songs work best. The ballads are a little weird. It’s a tad perverted at times. Tainted Love is a great cover.

Really good album. It too me back to the 80’s.

I dig the dark synthy mood. Vocals are kinda all over the place. Got pretty boring towards the middle of the album.

Some bangers and I loved the closer, but ultimately a bit of a weird album

Not a huge fan.

The early 1980s were a free for all in terms of what could be in regards to music. The remnants of punk mutating into post-punk, synth-pop percolating from fad to fact, pop itself being a myriad of other things that could differentiate itself from others and then there's Soft Cell. Their Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret lives up to its title by being as blatantly and unashamedly sexual as possible, thereby giving a jolt to the imaginations and horrors of those who either needed a boost of affirmation or a wag of the finger to reassert notions of authority. Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret remains a thrilling listen nearly forty-five years later for those who look to seek out the band past the one cover song (the other cover song, The Supremes' Where Did Our Love Go?, is quite stellar though.) Favorites: Frustration, Tainted Love, Seedy Films, Youth, Sex Dwarf, Entertain Me, Secret Life, Say Hello, Wave Goodbye, Where Did Our Love Go?, Memorabilia, Fun City.

great

This album started out by startling the tortoiseshell cat who was peacefully washing herself on my lap. She is NOT a fan. Okay, it's sleazy gay synthpop. Quality uneven from track to track. Sex Dwarf is inherently ridiculous. My rating: three stars. The tortie's rating: one star *hiss*

Len Houmous once got a cease and desist from Marc Almond after releasing his wedding night tape from his 17th marriage ‘Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret’ 3.5 15/18 - Torch

Yerp. This is so 80s it had Saturday detention with Molly Ringwald. A classic New Wave band, a song that still screams flashback montage. Also, back in 7th grade Sex Dwarf was all the rage.

Got bored after 3 songs

Aside from me finding Marc Almond creepy and on the uncomfortable side of weird, it's an ok album.

There are a few OK songs here, but in general it is hopelessly dated and therefore comes off as corny.

80s rush of new wave perfection.

cool

They really did live off of one song didn't they, and it wasn't sex dwarf

Overall pretty good, but felt too long. Started really strong with Frustration, I loved the horns, but it didn't really hit for me after that with the exception of the popular singles.

This is some weird shit Tainted love is a banger

Well the main thing tainted here is my Spotify history, now that I've listened to this album from start to finish. I imagine I'll start getting emails telling me about concerts and similar bands who I'll also not enjoy. I was going to leave this a one star rating, but Sex Dwarf bumped it up to two stars. I think my main complaint is that none of the songs really go anywhere. There's some synth and a few hooks spread quite thinly, but no real substance. Even Sex Dwarf ultimately fails to get going, although there are signs of it having a driving beat for half the song, it just never peaks.

The music of theater kids making their own terrible musical theater album

Working with what by now would be considered fairly primitive synthesizers and drum machines, Soft Cell at times makes some startlingly original music on this album, including the stupendous "Bedsitter", the titanic "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" and the global smash "Tainted Love". Those tracks are in the sweet spot of this record - however, the remaining tracks are less successful, either because of cluttered, overly-busy arrangements (like on "Entertain Me") or dull, minimal backing tracks that rely too much on vocalist Marc Almond to carry the show (such as "Youth").

It was not for me. Tainted love is good, and it's not even theirs completely, but a version... I got quite traumatised with sex dwarf.

Really cool 80s music

Synth-pop can be pretty nice when well-executed, with catchy hooks and loops. But these guys are most definitely not the Pet-Shop Boys. Minimalistic and unappealing.

An enjoyable new wave album that would've been much better if "Where Did Our Love Go?" was included. The almost nine minute extended cut of both "Tainted Love"/"Where Did Our Love Go?" was my first song downloaded back in 1999. I believe it took all night off Scour exchange on a Gateway computer. Ah, memories. Top Tracks: "Tainted Love," "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye," "Frustration"

let's see just how 80s we can be on this shit. I've never, ever, been a big super 80s guy, and this reeks of it. It stinks.

--Frustration...this is weird. Like that sax tho --Tainted Love...good --Seedy Films...is that a clarinet? Is someone playing the ol' licorice stick? These guys are weird but I dig it --Youth...singer sounds off. Probably should have rerecorded this. Maybe it's intentional? This also lacks the fun vibe of previous tracks --Sex Dwarf...it sounds exactly like you think --Entertain Me...I don't love this album, but there is something about it. Feels haphazardly thrown together but it sounds like they're having fun and it's infectious --Chips on My Shoulder...great groove. This one is my favorite so far --Bedsitter..."hey, ChatGPT, make me an 80s song" --Secret Life...off-balance but interesting little number. Hard to describe --Say Hello, Wave Goodbye...really like the synths

I appreciate music with a sense of humor about itself, but I feel like this album verges on self-parody in a lot of moments. I'm also not a huge fan of Tainted Love, which is the clear standout track on this.

Apart of the one banger not really my taste

It felt like it's title to be fair

This album is quite annoying to me. The repetitive sounds in every song are actually giving me a headache.

Tainted Love is way too early. Sex Dwarf is amazing. The rest is entirely forgettable.

One good song does not sustain an album of crap.

S E X D W A R F SD goes hard

There's really not a lot here beyond Tainted Love, which is an all-time great cover. I did like that there was a song called Sex Dwarf, though - not that I remember what it sounded like.

Me había olvidado que son los de tainted love. Por momentos el synthpop me parece todo igual y me cuesta distinguir lo temas. No es un género que me guste y no lo volvería a escuchar.

😎

Tainted Love is an amazing song, I didn't really care for the rest of the album.

Incredibly seminal for a lot of electronic stuff. Still a solid album, but I don't know if I want to return to this as often as more modern work in the genre.

I enjoy 80s new wave but this just isn't for me.

Tainted Love is the quintessential 80s song, while the music is enjoyable I found singing eh.

I described another act as having fairly dull songs performed with such panache that I didn't care. This is kind of the opposite - some great songs, but the performance and timbres are now so outdated it just falls a bit flat. Frustration is wonderfully punk, Tainted Love and Say Hello are classics, but some of the daring sleaziness now just sounds a bit childish. Case in point - Sex Dwarf, with its talk of 'disco dollies'. Should be here due to its importance, but tbh I'd rather listen to Pet Shop Boys.

Some of the songs are extremely repetitive and just not good. Tainted love brings a star and the rest of the album ranges from so-so to bad.

Tainted Love is a perfect gem, Marc Almond’s voice is mesmerising, but… most of the album just doesn’t do much for me.

Solid

Kind of fun, but it also got a little annoying. Could’ve been worse, though. Favorite: Tainted Love

Nem tudo é incrível, mas souberam aproveitar o momento.

Incredible debut, all songs are amazing, great sound and vibes all throughout. Enjoyed it from beginning to end.

classic voice. nice cover version

Ah yes, the "Tainted Love" guys, and even that is a cover (which I wasn't aware of for years). That's really the only noteworthy thing here, unless you also count "Sex Dwarf" as noteworthy (if only from a lyrical standpoint). I'm sure this had a place in certain, seedy establishments, but I've heard better synth pop.

3, i at first was like why are they so weird and then i was like wait i like it tho

Pre-listening thoughts: what an interesting pick. Like was Soft Cell not a one hit wonder (and that one hit was a cover??? Not even their song apparently) Post/during listening thoughts: this was quirked up in all the right and some of the wrong places. I did enjoy this on the whole, but sometimes it veered a little too weird for me. I like the lead singer's voice a lot, it's that funky British 80s diction and style that I enjoy. Sort of reminds me of that Magazine album lowkey. You know what? They promised a non stop erotic cabaret and I think they delivered. But I still think it's only a 6.5/10 for me. DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: no Fav tracks: Tainted Love, Entertain Me, Chips on My Shoulder Least fav tracks: Youth, Sex Dwarf

Another one that feels like it made the list because of a single song. It's cool to hear the roots of synth-based pop music but this is kind of lame.

Crazy 80s.

About 20 minutes is enough. And if push comes to shove, I'm fine with just their one hit.

Its decent but i was expecting something that could end up being a 5 but this is really a 3. Decent but 3

This feels like coming out the other side of the 80’s sounds that were started by yesterday’s album, “The Pleasure Principle” by Gary Numan. Which is funny because that album only preceded this one by a few years, but Soft Cell seem to be living in a world of already established techniques and cliches. “Sex Dwarf” doesn’t hold back, it’s a bit dizzying towards the end. “Memorabilia” sounds like it definitely inspired the hell out of LCD Soundsystem. On that note, “Fun City” also has that late 2000’s synth bassline that goes up and down and up and down and up and down. I can’t say this is the type of new wave that gets me going. And if I wanted to listen to some sweaty sex songs from this time, I think I’d just be better off with all the stuff Prince put out around then. 2/5

80s synth pop is not my thing, but this is much better than most of the other stuff

Like a synth version of Violent Femmes.

Enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Shame they're thought of as a one hit wonder

Pretty basic 80's to me. Nothing terrible though

This was interesting and very good but can bring myself to smash that 5 star button. So 4 it is.

Fantastic synth pop album that inspired tons. For awhile in the 1980s and 1990s you weren't in a real rock band until you had your own cover version of "Tainted Love". But it really hit home when I learned that Marc Almond was gay and then the multiple layers of meaning became super clear, as did much of the rest of the album. Plus it was Soft Cell's lifting up of a classic gem that made me seek out the Gloria Jones original version which I highly recommend. I do think that people who do not enjoy this album are getting wrapped in how the songs were arranged and recorded more than the vibe of the album. A fortnight cabaret album that explores both gay and straight themes of sleazy sex and noir. There is a little bit of everything in here for everyone. For years "Tainted Love" was all I really knew until Nine Inch Nails did a cover of "Memorabilia" as a B-side on the CLOSER TO GOD maxi single. Research on that song led to running down a rabbit hole of all kinds of other underground Synth Pop/Post Punk/New Romantic bands and songs.

Slappage aside, this was fine.

I enjoyed this one. It is 80’s slop(non-derogatory). The cover of Tainted Love was the only song I knew before listening. Favorites were Tainted Love, Sex Dwarf, and Wave Hello, Say Goodbye.

Oh yeah. I love this. Anxious and horny new wave / synth-pop. This scratched an itch I didn’t know I had. “Tainted Love” is a great song but I never thought about who sings it. I’m happy to learn that there’s an album’s worth of music like it. Also, can we talk about the song “Sex Dwarf”? It’s really a jam about a BDSM relationship with a little person? Haha okay yeah sure 🤷🏻‍♂️

I absolutely adore "Tainted Love". It's one of my favorite songs of all time, and this version is probably in my top 25-30 (Marilyn Manson's version is great too!). I love the sexy tension that permeates through the synths and awesome 80's electro drums. This is a song that really shows how a songwriter can take the building blocks of music and make something that feels bigger than the sum of the parts. There's a few specific moments that I love, I think the best of all is the first chord in the chorus that's a G-major when the whole time prior it's been G-minor. Great little bit of tonal manipulation there that pleasantly shifts the vibe around a bit. It's a great record, it goes in a few funny directions, and overall is a joy to listen to.

3.5 why did sex dwarf have to be so catchy?

I knew tainted love and that’s it. Say Hello, Wave Goodbye and Bedsitter are also great but the icing on the top? Sex Dwarf. What a masterpiece

No no no

This album is a product of its time, the 1980s’ experimental flirtation with synths and drum machines. Despite its decadent atmosphere and club aesthetics, it lacks musical depth and variation. Only “Tainted Love” stands out and saves the record from total obscurity. The rest feels monotonous and dated, both in sound and expression. For synth-pop enthusiasts, it may hold some historical value, but for me, it’s mostly noise from a bygone era. 1/5

Not my cup of tea

Tainted love but dunno bout the rest

Total ass

Decent and unique.

80's cheesy garbage. The singer can't carry a tune in a bucket. Utter talentless trash. I've said it before....one good song does not an album make... Favorite songs: Sex Dwarf, Tainted Love, So Least favorite songs: Youth....and the rest of this underwhelming album 1/5

I had only ever known Tainted Love by Soft Cell, but I really liked this album! Will be back!

Ouch, synth pop banalities I can't listen to.

There are three absolute belters on this album. I think because it’s my era I thought that I liked the album more than I do. That’s quite a lot of filler around those three classic tunes. Say hello wave goodbye is still a masterpiece.

I only know Tainted Love. This is classic 80s synth pop. It sounds corny to me now but I loved this stuff back in the day. I didn't listen to full albums until the late 80s. This song came out when I was still collecting 45s of popular radio singles. I'll add this to list of things to listen to again more closely to see if I can get anything interesting out of it. Fir now, it's a 3.

Tainted Love is masterful. But, not surprisingly, it appears it was a stroke of luck as much as genius, considering the rest of the album is pretty unlistenable. The quirky Casio sounds and robotic tic make Tainted Love work (and whoever thought to mash it up with Where Did Our Love Go for the single was on to something), but it is awful everywhere else on this record. The outro to Seedy Films was unbearable.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I dig the paranoid atmosphere, fueled by cocaine and haunted by the apocalyptic specter of AIDS. It's electronic, which isn't normally my jam, but they keep it real with enough acoustic instruments, passionate vocals, and good songwriting. Plus, "Tainted Love" might just be the greatest cover of all time.

While not a perfect album, the sound is so new-wave 80s that indeed I think you have to listen to this one before you die. Tainted Love is a perfect song.

Without Tainted Love this album will have nothing to offer. I did not like it.

it was... fine. odd.

bro can't sing in tune

I've always hated these guys and their awful cover of tainted love. sure, it's maybe not as bad as Marilyn manson's version, but it's still a crime that this limp, lifeless garbage is more well known than Gloria Jones's amazing original, not to mention it's always corny, cowardly and just downright lame to change the pronouns/gendered nouns in a song you're covering besides my personal axe grinding, it's just more weightless, grating, and ultimately forgettable, english synth pop new wave bullshit. yawn

The only worthwhile songs are covers. Go figure.

I like new wave, so this album was fun. The clear highlights were “Tainted Love” and “Say Hello, Wave Goodbye,” but it was a decent album overall.

музыка из бара голубая устрица

There are so many things I'd rather do than listen to synth-pop. Tainted Love is at least decent but I learned today that they didn't actually write it. There were some moments here that were better than I had expected but from a very low level of expectation, it won't get them above two stars. And they'll thank me for it.

painful

Amazing album title. Debut studio album by English synth-pop duo. Aggressively 80s. Tainted love. Fun, playful, varied. Raunchy.

This record will clear a room within about 7-10 minutes

I'm not sure exactly why the 1001-song generator seems to be stuck in an early 80s eddy of synth-pop, but I hope it passes soon, and I'm sorry that this album came in the midst of the 80s glut, as I'd probably have enjoyed it a bit more in isolation. (Maybe. 80s new wave wasn't ever my favorite.) I was glad, though, to hear their megahit cover "Tainted Love" in context, and relieved that the rest of the album wasn't radically different from their breakout single. I'm not sure too many of the other tracks really stood out for me, but I *did* enjoy the *very* 80s video to "Frustration" as it seemed to bring to life the duo's apparent fear and hatred of growing up and being trapped in "respectable" adult life (I particularly liked the electric-corded lawn mower as the pinnacle of suburban disappointment); the videos for "Sex dwarf", "Entertain me" and "Secret life" weren't as effective, but definitely reinforced the whole cabaret/disillusionment theme of the album (and while the tame version of "Sex dwarf" is pretty ho-hum, the banned version is remarkably graphic and twisted--I can see why the BBC only aired it one time before burying it for all time).

A little song, a little dance, a little synth down your 80s cargo pants.

I only liked Tainted Love. The rest of the songs I didn’t care for much.

Second half is so awesome. Glad I gave it a listen.

I did not enjoy this album :( It contextualized why this band was a one hit wonder, IMO! There were a fair amount of songs that I really enjoyed parts of, but the rest fell of somewhere.... and I think that encapsulates how I feel about this album. Aside from Tainted Love, the only other song I enjoyed was Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

I Give You All A Boy Could Give You 1001 Albums Generator 61 (06/26/2025) Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is the debut album by British synthpop duo Soft Cell. If you live in the U.K., you may have heard a few songs off of this album, but if you live in the U.S., you have almost certainly heard only one: Tainted Love. I've always thought of Soft Cell as a one-hit wonder, so I was surprised to hear that this was a platinum selling album when it came out. The sound of this album is very much drenched in a very European sort of synthpop with some rock influences as well. By all accounts, this album had quite the uphill battle. The budget for this album was shockingly low, especially considering the instruments that are required for an album built entirely around synths. Additionally, the music video for Sex Dwarf was banned in the U.K. - who woulda thunk? In spite of this, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret was huge when it released. Unfortunately, this album peaks with its most popular song - Tainted Love. This is one of those songs that everyone knows, but a lot of people don't recognize the name of. I was made familiar with this song due to my lovely mother's love for 80's pop music, and it is one of the most iconic songs from that era. The double synth stab throughout the song engrains it in your memory from the first time you hear it and the vocal melodies are extremely catchy. I didn't even know what the actual chorus of this song was until I went to the Genius page because every part is catchy enough to be a chorus. There are very few songs in this genre that are as good as this one. Although this is the peak, there are some other nice songs here too. The opening Frustration opens with screamed, stuttered vocals before a really strange instrumental comes in. I think this song does a great job of portraying a sort of nervous energy through its instrumental. Sex Dwarf will make your eyebrows raise at least 4 times, not even taking into account the initial shock at seeing it on the track list. In spite of this, it's a lot of fun. Chips On My Shoulder has a very funky bassline that I like a lot, and the closer, Say Hello, Wave Goodbye, is my favorite song outside of Tainted Love. This song is the one that sounds the least like it was made on such a small budget. There are so many awesome layers in this song that just make it sound huge and the chorus is super catchy. The rest of this album is just not very good. There are a few songs here where you can really feel the low budget of the instrumental and the recording equipment and the music ends up just sounding kitschy. The worst example of this is probably Youth, but it's really quite common throughout. I imagine that some of this perception is driven by the fact that I can't help but look at this music through a modern lens, and it is possible that in the early 80's, all of these synth sounds were unbelievable. Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is an appropriately titled, fun debut album by a duo that have a claim to at least one piece of true genius in their catalog. I wish it was more consistent, but the good and bad balance each other out. Favs: Tainted Love Sex Dwarf Say Hello, Wave Goodbye Least Fav: Youth

Tainted Love is a certainly a classic, although we've all heard it a billion times. Say Hello, Wave Goodbye is also pretty great. The majority of the rest of the album though...yikes. Guess you had to be there.

Probably should have been producers. Not sure why one hit wonders get on this list. Isn't it about albums?

More enter than I thought.

Very well titled album. That’s pretty much what it was.

The star is for Tainted Love

The cover of "Tainted Love" is rightfully a smash hit, but outside of that this was a slog to get through. 80's synth-pop with overtly sleazy nightlife lyrics.

Way too 80s for me for most of the album but I guess I found out who originally did Tainted Love. Say Hello, Wave Goodbye and Where Did Our Love Go? are my favorite songs on the album. If it wasn't such a long album I would rank it a little higher but there's a ton of filler here

I've listened to this album a few times over the years hoping to find new gems. Every time I'm left going "Oh yeah I get why everyone knows Tainted Love and nothing else" I am a huge fan of "Where did Our Love Go?" and think the double song with "Tainted Love" is the definitive way to listen. "Wave Hello, Say Goodbye" is also a fun one

ohhhh, so THAT'S where that intro came from :O

Two good songs. That's it.

This was good until it was not

They committed to it. Thats gotta be worth something. Mostly annoying monotonous crap.

i liked the style, it was very 80s techno ish.

Drie keer niks

I now understand why I’d never heard any of their music except Tainted Love.

Uggh

2

Made me dance early on , some fun lyrics … the emotional parts didn’t hit as much , didn’t like most of the lushness but enjoyed the melody

very very 80s. album has tainted love so think that vibe. cool album just not a style i would ever really listen to of my own free will tbh

Weirdly enjoyed this

Grineren synth-pop, tanted love er en banger

A little repetitive in places but really good

Another album on the wrong list. It should be on 1001 albums to avoid at all costs. Utter garbage. 1 star is generous.

I will not include the remastered bonus tracks for this review. Ahh yes, Soft Cell, the synthpop duo primarily known for their cover of Gloria Jones's "Tainted Love". That's all I knew going into their debut album, and I figured, after "Tainted Love" as the second track, the rest of the record was going to be lackluster in comparison. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to find that most of Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret was pretty good for an early synthpop album. There's a certain roughness to David Ball's electronic instrumentation that lends this album an element of grit uncommon among other synthpop records of the time. Pair that with Marc Almond's soulful vocal delivery and hedonistic lyricism, and the result is a surprisingly dark record for the time. The likes of "Frustration", "Seedy Films", "Sex Dwarf", "Bedsitter", and "Secret Life" run the gamut of twisted desires with such charisma. The only track that didn't stick the landing for me was closer "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye", which came off flimsy in its kiss-off. Honestly, a pretty good synthpop debut from Soft Cell, as it showcased a lot more talent than the one cover could convey.

I didn't really like this at first, but it grew on me. I never got to the point of really loving it, but it was okay. By the time I had to get up off the couch and verify that I was really hearing him say "Sex Dwarf" I knew I couldn't hate this album.

Good sounds for a party, but weak voices.

Tainted love is obviously a classic, but not enough to enjoy the rest of the synth heavy 80s songs. So much creepy weird sex lyrics… and that’s coming from me!

Jesus this sucks, the absolute pinnacle of annoying and overproduced music. It's like they are just using electronic instruments because they can, not because it actually sounds good and the end result is just so soulless and annoying.

After listening to this album I have determined that there is a clear deliniation point marking the time in my life before I heard Sex Dwarf, and after. Liked Songs Added: Tainted Love Say Hello, Wave Goodbye

Los temas son complicados y un poco largos pero esta la esencia de la banda y del estilo. Su mejor tema es su hit

I liked this more than I thought I would (took two spins, though). It's like getting dragged into a neon-lit alley by a synth and a sneer. Tainted Love obviously rules, but it also casts a long shadow. This was interesting, but probably a one-and-done for me. Spins: 2 Playlist Additions: - Tainted Love - Say Hello, Wave Goodbye - Where Did Our Love Go?

3 stars simply for tainted love

Quite weird and very 80’s - just not my thing. Tainted love the exception.

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.

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 👍🏻

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

If nothing else, it’s like a photograph that captures a moment and feeling in time. I’m thinking Taxi Driver type mood with the opulence and cocaine of the 80s mixed in. Was it good? Not really. Did it do what music should do, evoke thoughts and feelings of something intangible? Yes

Fun.

poppy kraftwerk, buiten de single kende ik er niks van... maar viel op zich wel mee...een dipje in het midden, maar ze herpakten zich op tijd voor een paar mooie afsluiters

This was fun. You can definitely hear the eroticism in it haha. I've been into alot of 80s stuff lately. This will get another listen

3/5

What an excellent album title. Most of it was just very 80s pop, and I just don't think it's a pop decade I tend to enjoy. 3*, tainted love doesn't carry this. Highlights: tainted love, where did our love go, chips on my shoulder (NSED)

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.

It’s a little busier and chaotic than I’d like, but other than that I enjoy the darker 80’s vibe and their usage of synths. The songs are of mixed quality: there’s a few masterpieces, and some cacophonies. I don’t really love the vocals: they are too often pitchy, and a little too sharp/pointy in sound for me. His sound is recognisable and unique though, I'll give 'em that. Also, I can’t tell if they are taking it seriously or not. I kinda hope they’re not.