Reviews (page 6 of 8)
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.
Yeah it’s Tainted Love. Some kinda good songs but nothing matches up to that one
I like the 80s neon aesthetic, and it is fun with the grimy street youth feeling. Still feels a little too safe and similar sounding, and a lot of the songs are totally uninteresting. Thought it was fine, but not good enough to give 3 stars, probably. Best song: Tainted Love Worst song: What? Best title: Sex Dwarf
decent album a little long
Tainted Love is obviously a total classic but honestly the rest of the album really holds up too. I love the icy synths and the vocals perfectly compliment them.
Dull
The first half had the singer kinda overwhelming the rest of the (pretty decent) instrumentation, but it picked up a lot in the second half to land in the middle
No está mal, suena ochentero como debe ser. Además de "Tainted Love" me ha gustado "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" y menos mal que ahora incluye la cara B del "Tainted love" porque es igual de buena ("Where Did Our Love Go?"). En USA la cara B fue "Memorabilia" y sale Torremolinos!!!
Really got surprised by all the other songs next to tainted love. Solid Album for a oversaturated decade. felt refreshing to me at least. woul give it a strong 3.5/5.0
Meh. Not a fan.
I'm assuming that like most people taking part in completing this list, the only Soft Cell song I know is their version of "Tainted Love," which I personally thank is fantastic (although I prefer the 12" single version, but whatever). I'm really not sure what to expect from the rest of this album though. I think I'll either love it or hate it, and I'd be really surprised if it winds up somewhere in the middle for me. What better way to start a Monday morning than with a trip to the non-stop erotic cabaret? After the lead-off track "Frustration," I figured I'd probably hate this album. The vocals were awful, and I didn't care for the deep synthesizer horn sounds layered with the higher synthesizer sounds that sounded like a xylophone. The saxophone playing later on in the song wasn't much better either. But the aforementioned "Tainted Love" cover is great, and Soft Cell did a fantastic job with the synthesizer arrangements on this song. It feels incredibly unique, and I love the dark, grimy tone that the song has been given in this iteration. "Seedy Films," was great too, and I enjoyed that it didn't rely on the same sounds as the first two tracks. The rest of side 1 was really good too, and while the tone and sleaze of the lyrics stayed the same, none of the songs sounded the same. Choices were certainly made on "Sex Dwarf," but the continuation of the theme is great. Side 1 also featured some great segues, which I really love to see, especially on a synth-pop record. With the exception of "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye," I really didn't care much for side 2 of this album. Musically, the tone shifted to be much brighter, which really took away from the dark and erotic tone that had been established on side 1. The tempo felt chaotic, and the sound was dominated by higher pitches. I thought the vocals on side 2 were overall better, but I really didn't care for the backing vocals on "Chips On My Shoulder." Lyrically, the tone didn't change much, but the lyrics didn't pack the same punch with the shift in sound. However, the closing track was great, and I loved the orchestral synthesizer sounds of the chorus. Overall, this album was fine. The strength of side 1 made this worth listening to, but other than "Tainted Love," I don't know that I'd come back to it.
Durchschnittliche 80er-Massenware!
2-3 Tainted Love - 5
Weird at times, but also nice at times. I've always liked their version of Tainted Love. Say Hello, Wave Goodbye was a good one as well.
I was pretty whelmed, but open to being surprised, when I received this one. As anyone doing this list knows, it has a looooot of synth pop on it. I liked the fearlessness in going after certain seedier lyrical topics (as the name would imply), but I don't think they're handled well, and come off clunky and juvenile. The songs all kind of have the same flavor, which, with the very stiff drums, wears out quickly. It's not the worst example of synth pop I've heard, but it feels more primitive, and feels like it's been surpassed pretty hard. Favorite tracks: "Tainted Love", "Seedy Films"
Has the best song ever in it. Actually a 2/5 though
Less “cabaret” and more awful, cheesy high school musical. The best track is a cover, which is a sad statement, and I didn’t realize they did Where Did Our Love Go. Everything else was next to unlistenable. Terrible even by British pop standards, which thanks to the albums thus far on this list, is a pretty low bar.
Surprised to see this one make the 1001 list. Until I listened to it again 40 years later! Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is weird, long, upbeat, and SAD (which is quite difficult to do.) Most of the songs are upbeat but about depressing subjects. The synth base line runs thru the album, one of the members is great on the horn, incredible licorice stick on a couple of songs and sax on others. Bedsitter and Chips On My Shoulder are unknown sleepers and the best songs on the album; but sad. “I’m making a stand while I sit on my ass.” That’s good! Tainted Love and Where Did Our Love Go were truly over played, but the other songs were too weird and too long for radio play at the time. This album is list worthy as there was nothing like it in ‘81. You can really go to Hell if you give me the Soft Sell (4.3*s)
This was really out there and delivered supreme levels of cringe but I didn't completely hate it. I couldn't tell if it was parody at parts. What is it about 80's music that sounds so tacky? Marc Almond is the ultimate diva and really delivers on the sleaze and sparkle here. I didn't like "Sex Dwarf" or "Entertain Me" but there were a few decent songs buried within. Based on the album title, it fits the bill but I don't think I'll revisit. 2.30 for making everything sticky.
This album is wild and def has a creep factor but the duo is so kinky-weird it works. I liked this a lot more than expected. These guys must have sleazed around many a disco dolly club, porno peep-show, and the sex cabaret scene to get in the mood to write this. They dove dick 1st into the underbelly of the party culture and spoke to the love/hate relationship they had with it. "Sex Dwarf" was a treat in itself and although cringeworthy, I will have to play it again. Never knew "Tainted Love" was a cover and actually drops its rank a bit. The album deserves the list for its sheer perversity (although not nearly as bad as some today). I even bet the 1st pressing of the LP was on some lubed up vinyl suit they wore during a weekend freak off...3.6.
Soft Cell? The Tainted Love guys? Do they have another song? Man was I wrong to overlook them. Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret was a blast from start to finish. This absolutely nail the 80's synth-pop sound. I added a handful of songs to my mix and am excited to run into them in the future. Wondering if they have more in their collection that is worth listening to. This has been the biggest surprise on the list so far for me. What a treat. 3.71 stars
Én kæmpe banger. Ellers meget 80'er
Tainted Love is the classic that pulls the rest of them up. The rest really wasn't my cup of tea. The singing especially.
I love Tainted Love and dumbly didn’t realize that Where Did Our Love Go was a separate song (I thought it was just an extended version of Tainted Love), so also like that one. And then I hated the rest of the album. Probably 3.5 rounded down to 3 based on how much I love those two songs and how much I hate the rest.
Hmmm, the only song they didn’t write was Tainted Love. Their songs were pretty lame. The vocalist, Marc Almond, I know from some of his solo albums which I liked. A 1 except for TL.
This is the album people think of when they say they hate 80s music. Or at least it will be for me.
One hit a couple ok songs and the rest was forgettable.
This is so out of style right now that's actually back - I'd give it 5 stars if it wasn't because half the songs sounded like failed attempts of tainted love
more 80s british synthpop please
i mean it does have two songs that everyone knows, somehow. But the rest of the songs are really hard to listen to. So 2.4321 it is.
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 rest of the album is (sex?) dwarfed by Tainted Love, which will outlive us all, and maybe all other pop songs, but the entire affair is a buzzy, bristling thrill. "Say Hello/Wave Goodbye" is a masterpiece.
honestly I'm maybe giving this a bonus point for how ridiculous the phrase/title "Sex Dwarf" is.
Tainted Love is the only thing that saves this from being a 1
This thing is still so weird and singular.
3.5, really.
Tainted love was great, the rest was... weird. Sex dwarf? for real?
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
I don't care for this 😶
The music is ok but the guys voice is awful. I liked two songs: Tainted love Torch
Just Ight mad horny tho
Early ‘80s Brit synth pop. Yep, it sure is that. Still waiting for a Duran Duran album to pop up though.
2/5
Love this one
Such a dirty album, in the best. Real sleazebag vibes. Cheating. Lying. Handjobs in a cinema? Fun stuff.
Had to give an extra star for tainted love. It’s clear they were all in a midlife crisis and trying to take me down with them. Boooo
‼️SEX DWARF‼️ half of this album is a 5 but the clunkers really clunk
This was actually much better than I expected. I thought Soft Cell was a one-hit wonder and that they wouldn't have much else worth listening to, but with the exception of one or two kinda lame songs (Frustration was kinda meh to me), this album was full of perfectly groovable new wave 80's goodness. Four stars.
Mostly annoying
This is a fine album, but its quality goes up and down in a way that would definitely make me want to skip tracks on subsequent listens. Tainted Love, albeit a standard 80s-sounding hit, is a great track, in part due to its infectious synth riffs and Soft Cell having enough self-awareness not to include mind-dulling repetition in the synth/keyboard/brass parts. The same cannot be said for all tracks. There's a lot of filler here, which could easily be made otherwise by adding some more variation in pretty much any instrumental part. Exceptions are Tainted Love, Say Hello Wave Goodbye, Bedsitter, Torch, and a few others. Given the 1hr 14min runtime, I think this could be shaved down, especially seeing that it isn't a concept album. I'm not a big fan of the vocals either. They're reminiscent of British punk, a genre that hasn't seen much high-complexity or groundbreaking music (in my opinion). Swapping them out for someone subtly different but more flourishy, like Morrissey, could be the way to go. Vocal harmonies also could've been a good strategy, but alas, those are generally absent here. 2/5 Key tracks: Tainted Love, Bedsitter, Say Hello Wave Goodbye, Torch
the 80s were more fun.
Tainted Love is a classic. The rest is disappointingly 80’s garbage.
Tainted Love is an all time classic, but the rest is garbage.
Everything about this album from the outfits on the cover to the mechanized synth chugging along the entire time just screams 80's. It's a bit much of it for my taste. Really cool to learn the origin of Tainted Love and Soul's influence backwards to Northern England. The satire is light and fun but results in less feeling overall when compared to its' contemporaries
So that’s why they were a one hit wonder.
This was better than I expected. I like a lot of the sounds and the sleazy vibe. Most of the tracks go too long and get a bit boring though.
"Tainted Love" is an absolute smash, so I wanted and expected to enjoy the rest of the album. It was campy and fun sometimes, but many of the hooks were overworked. I like the lead singer's voice and the production is clean. Highlights: Tainted Love, Entertain Me, Chips On My Shoulders
Tainted love is an all timer. The rest? Not as much
This is the 80's sound, through and through. Soft Cell has a certain rhythm they use over and over again. If you like it, you like it. If you don't, you don't. I knew what I was getting into when I read the title, but was still surprised at the level of depravity described in some of the lyrics.
I was honestly so excited for this album after seeing tainted love was on it. That song rocks so hard and it’s amazing. Sadly, I was not on enough drugs or in my sex dwarf dungeon and the rest of the album just kinda…sucked. Weird lyrics, an off putting avant-garde style electrónica style of music and an album full of songs that just make you go wtf. I’ll stick with tainted love and forget the rest.
I thought this was too long, but I actually did enjoy it for the most part. It seems to be a band I had never heard of and then boom, I’ve heard the second song a bunch of times. Another thing I appreciate is that the last song is actually good as well. A lot of the longer albums that we’ve had like this have a last song that is a rehash or b reel type song. They seem very chaotic and fun. They are also a 1 hit wonder though - best song is 50 times more popular than any other.
I’m teetering between a two and a three. On one hand, Tainted Love is an all-timer (also find it crazy that Where Did Our Love Go? doesn’t directly follow it on the track list) and the synth beats are so damn catchy. On the other, the lyrics are absolutely wild and scandalous (and not always in a good way) and the best song is a cover. I’m going with a two because there’s not much to draw me back besides the two songs. Not looking forward to Sex Dwarf popping into my head at random points later in life either.
I am not a fan of this album. I really struggled to get through it. There's no real aspect of these songs that I like. The synth beats are too weird for me. I don't like the talk singing. This feels like the most put together album that I would give a 1 to. But.... "Tainted Love" is too freaking good to ignore. That opening beat is iconic. Everyone in the world hears that bump bump I can say I know that song. A radio hit since it came out and I'm sure I could hear it over the radio on my drive home today. There are some albums that have a song good enough to warrant listening to the entire album. I wouldn't consider this to be one of them. "Tainted Love" brings this from a 1 to a 2.
Not my favourite.
It's the 80s
Strange one: I don't really like much of it. But I can appreciate its edge. Very brave subject matter for its time. And 3 or 4 classic tracks on there.
There are some really nice moments on this album, if you can tolerate the very basic synth sound (which I don't mind) - and the sometimes out of tune singing. It has a nice, homemade, twisted vibe. I can see the influence of the very opening cry of 'Frustration', perhaps, on Trent Reznor's NIN work. Say Hello. Wave Goodbye hits a poignant emotional note and is my favourite track on the album. Other highlights are Chips On My Shoulder and (of course) Tainted Love. Some parts are tackier and Sex Dwarf in particular is a ropey song with feeble lyrics that don't mean much unless you're excited about gold cars and bondage (which I'm not). "You know what they say about small boys" - is a horrible little line that doesn't deserve a place in music, however perverted your tastes. Overall, it's a little forgettable. It is a curiosity in a charity shop - one you'd pick up and remark at, but wouldn't waste your money buying.
Erotismo muito leve, quase divertido. Mas tem Tainted Love.
tainted love is a banger but the rest didn’t interest me really
Weird britpop. Tainted Love is a certified Singstar classic though. 2.5
top, immer wieder
Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is the debut studio album by Soft Cell, originally released in 1981. Soft Cell are best known for their cover of "Tainted Love", which is a great example of 80s pop/new wave. It's a song that everyone knows but can't name the artist even if a gun was to their head. Unfortunately, that's all they really did. This record is one hit and a bunch of okayish songs. Actually, a lot of the other cuts on here are downright creepy. The overly sexual lyrics just give me bad vibes. One or two dirty songs is fine, but when you're talking about kidnapping someone to use as a sex slave is where it gets a little weird. The only reason this sold so many copies is for the one song, which carries this whole thing. At least the instrumentals on here were interesting. It's kinda cool to hear these rudimentary electronic instrumentals made in the early days of electronic pop. They are very minimal and leave a lot of space to breathe.
Had no clue their other songs had silly lyrics and goofy singing. Tainted Love will forever sound worse in the album’s context.
Fun 80's electric pop piece.
Besides Tainted Love...this album does nothing for me...especially Sex Dwarf! Annoying.
Ugh
Laughing at this opening song about the mundanity of grown-up life - adulting, as we say now. "Tainted Love" is great of course. "Seedy Films" is BAD. I can't help but think of Ross on "Friends" when he busts out his keyboard and plays his songs from college. SEX DWARF OMG
Noh erilaista..
Of course the "Tainted Love" cover, but "Sex Dwarf" goes so hard. Great seedy synth pop.
Excellent stuff, like a lost Depeche Mode album. And who cares if Tainted Love is a cover, damn did they ever update it with a new direction! Legends. Loving all the deep cuts on this one. Sex Dwarf? Really? Alright let's go. I can definitely party to this. Sex Dwarf, forever. Love the combo of synthwave and a subtle sense of humor, this is a very entertaining listen that you can certainly dance to. On top of this all is this irrepressible influence of Motown which feels like it should absolutely NOT work, considering the amount of neon-soaked synth tones, but due to the duo behind this, the chemistry just works.
Good to slightly great. A lot more to SC than Tainted Love. 3.5/5
This doesn't feel like any kind of artistic statement by a talented creative duo, more like a pandering commercial endeavor by pop-music opportunists. I will give them a little credit for being on the bleeding edge in 1981, before this sound had really developed as it did later into the 80s.
This starts out so promising with the beginning of frustration but then the music comes in and sounds like that friend we all have that makes music but isn’t too great but people like them so it kinda gets popular. Tainted Love is the only good song and can’t even really give them credit for that.
goofy and silly
This album is definitely not my jam
Album 479 of 1001 Soft Cell - Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret Rating : 3.5 / 5 Wondered what I was getting into and then "Tainted Love" came on and I became a bit more receptive. Other tracks didn't hit quite as hard but this is a fun album. These guys would have been fun to see live. Seems that would be a good time.
ребята совсем не по нотам и слишком эротик)) не моё
Didn't realize Tainted Love was only 2:33 long....the rest of the 1 hour and 12 minutes was stylistic and just not for my ears. Sex dwarf LOL!!!!!!
Hey, these guys are a bunch of perverts! Also what is Michael Cera doing on the cover? Despite the creepy vocals and the depraved lyrics, I actually really liked the synth here. I think a lot of bands from this era will hammer the synth button because it was the popular sound but they won't really bother to innovate on it - these guys break that rule. As people, Soft Cell really turns me off and creeps me the fuck out, as musicians, they 're alright.
Enjoy this eighties synth pop album, even though the vocals get a bit grating at times.
Ugh so tedious
Banger single, opens strong with Frustration, Sex Dwarf is hedonistic mania, and Say Hello is beautiful torch. An album I’ve enjoyed since the 80’s. But this listen I felt like most of the songs ran about 30-40 seconds too long. I suppose that’s when happens when you’re off the dance floor.
Tainted Love is one of the quintessential 80s songs that is almost impossible not to sing along to. The rest of the album is ok, if not slightly forgettable.
Probably would have been more popular in its time if not for the subject matter. More than three singles here.
If this album was just Tainted Love and Where Did Our Love Go?, I'd be rating it solid 4*s. Maybe even 4.5. But they also wrote their own songs and, subsequently, performed them. So that brings us down to a 3* rating (3.5*probably due to TL and WDOLG). It was all so very 80's. But Sex Dwarf is probably the best song ever written, so yeah. 3.5* Final Score.
Prima
À part Tainted Love et Sex Dwarf, pas grand chose à voir, à part si t’aime passer en revue tout les sons vanillas 16 bits des synthétiseurs des années 80
Сээээкссс двооорфф. Полнейшая база. Реально. Какой то там из самых первых ню вав альбомов прослушанных мною.
This album is completely carried by tainted love, rest of the album isn’t great at all. So I can’t say this is an album you need to listen to before you die, save yourself 45 minutes of your life and just listen to tainted love.
No way - thank you
“Tainted Love” is a great song but the rest of it did not hold up at all.
Another 80’s one hit wonder. I’ve heard worse.
oof. so many 80s albums. 3? But tainted love is a banger.
Best Song: Tainted Love. By far the tightest, most refined song. Also has a considerably shorter runtime than the other tracks, which to me means they actually trimmed the fat off this one. Worst Song: Facility Girls. I really hate when these songs get so slow that the singer just starts theatrically talking. Overall: Definitely fits squarely in that 80s vibe of "murder dance", perhaps most strongly in tracks like "Sex Dwarf". Sadly, beyond a few "out-there" tracks, there's nothing really of interest here.
ok
Not my taste. I've never liked Tainted Love either.
I had zero idea “say hello wave goodbye” was a cover when David Gray sang it. Mind blown. This album is so 80s- it’s great. Sex Dwarf is wild. Overall enjoyed it.
Tainted Love may be the most overplayed song of my youth. If I was hearing that song for the first time, I would probably have a more favorable opinion. Who knows...didn't love the rest either.
Tainted love is the only good song
the only reason not giving 1 star is the cover for tainted love, which is brilliant...
3.5
genius electro-pop saw them at Hammersmith Palais in 86, and the 40th anniversary of this LP at the Palladium - great shows
Ok for background
The album overall is just ok. Bedsitter and of course Tainted Love are great. Then there is Sex Dwarf.... Perhaps my new favorite song.
Tainted Love is a great cover. And Sex Dwarf. Sex Dwarf! Otherwise…
Mixed for me. I love 'Tainted Love' but I found the rest of the album so so. A 3.5 for me.
I'll give it a 2 because I like Tainted Love so much. But the rest of the album I didn't like at all, and wanted to turn it off several times.
I have the vaguest memory of having heard this album before. And a stronger one that 'Tainted Love' is the only song worth listening here.
Enjoyed this more than I thought I would. But it was just too long, I really stuggled towards the end. Tainted Love will always be a banger though.
Ruddy Hell
softly awesome. 4 soft cells.
It was fine. Tainted love was , but other than that, nothing was memorable
No thank you. Everything about the 80s that annoys me. Tainted Love is fine. The rest is not for me.
Doesn't even have the version of "Tainted Love" that segues into "Where Did Our Love Go?", and the rest is pretty down and dirty sleaziness... Minimal beeps and boops make up the soundtrack to a thousand nights in gay clubs across the land.
Tainted love is such a good song. This is a really strong 2.
Any album with "Tainted Love" can't be all bad, and this was actually rather fun, in an '80s-flashback kind of way.
It is long... an hour and fifteen minutes! Crazy way to realize that they have more than Tainted Love in their catalog. Also, I did not know it is actually a cover of a 1964 hit by Gloria Jones. Seedy Films is interesting and naughty... where were these guys hanging out in the 80's? Oh my. Youth is darkly theatrical and not very listenable and Sex Dwarf is slightly disturbing with pedo vibes. Kind of a mixed bag, overall.
Didn’t grab me.
What could be interesting lyrics are totally usurped by bad singing and terrible instrumentation.
Now I know why this band is a one hit wonder...and it was a cover.
Decent and not f course their two top hits where there too, also liked “What!”
superb!
One I listened to regularly prior to this. The single version of tainted love and where did our love go have one of the best transitions ever (not seen on this version sadly)
You've heard Tainted Love so many times that it is easy to forget that it was pretty revolutionary when it came out. The rest of the album live up to its title and is sleazy does it. Does drag towards the end but only in a minor way
Strong music, but weak singing. If the singing were not offkey this often this could have been five stars!
TAINTED LOVE!!!
Twisted, seedy synth pop, Soft Cell certainly works as faux cabaret with Almond in fine voice.
Electro pop, kinda whimsical
This is weird but not nearly as weird as Marc and the Mambas which I like a lot better.
Classic 80s album. Some good tracks on it but not that great overall.
some of the tracks remind me of old school games ost, probably biased 4 they are definitely better than a one hit wonder
A classic
just ok. tainted love is the only real standout song. it gets a lil boring but i still love my 80s music
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.
Dated and irrelevant. No one will play this record on purpose.
Did not listen
The tainted love cover is amazing obviously but everything else is mostly just meh. Not bad, not that good.
This album is insane. Like it is completely unhinged. The album yesterday was like "80s garbage pop," because it was just fine. Nothing special, just quintessential 80s. But this...... this is 80s Hot Trash. And its incredible. This is the sleeziest record I've ever listened to. This is like the proto-Megan Thee Stallion. It's like 100% sex music. Like explicit sex music. SEX DWARF IS A SONG ON THIS RECORD. SEX DWARF!!! WTF?!?!?!? It almost feels like The Cure or Depeche Mode, but if DP was in a full leather GIMP suit and had a boner stuck in a chastity belt. Its like incel Depeche Mode. I think its so out there and so spot on for what its going for, that I actually really respect it. I'm certain, I won't listen to this all the way though again, but damn, this is wild. I'm glad I listened to the whole thing. Obviously, Tainted Love is the classic. I did know that one. but Wow. This thing is unhinged.
The album is mainly notable for the (slightly) risque lyrics and song titles and it's extensive use of synths. I tend to appreciate 80s synch pop a bit more than I did growing up, especially when I see old top of the pops episodes, so maybe there is some nostalgia.
Tainted Love the obvious stand out from this campy synth pop 80s album that sounds rather dated now
His voice really grates after a few songs and the elctronics sound bad. Some bands were meant to be 1 hit wonders.
Perfect pop as they are, the couple of big tracks set a bar too high for the rest of the album to follow. Worth including on the list as a historical document but hasn't aged well.
I can really relate to this album of early twenties pretentious self-aware middle class debauchery. I like electronica and songs where you can tell what the singer is actually saying. However, this album reads like a diary entry and Marc Almond is not a good singer and you can tell the music was botched together by one person. File under: Has a good cover of a Northern Soul song. We've already had "I Shot the Sheriff" (Clapton) and "Seven Days is Too Long" (Dexy's) this week though. Highlights were Tainted Live (obvs), Say Hello, Wave Goodbye and Bedsitland. Was Youth ironically out of tune or did they not have anything better recorded and needed filler?
I was dubious when this album came up, I'd initially saw it as a vehicle for Tainted Love - which is a banger, but also a cover version - so didn't hold much hope for the album... and turns out I quite enjoyed it, in a non-serious sleazy pop innuendo fuelled peep show type of way.
Classic 80s!
Pretty jarring. I love early synth sounds, but this wasn't a great example. Would rather have Visage or Ultravox or Thomas Dolby.
Tainted Love great, everything else is not. Didn't hate it and didn't want to throw it away, but it was very boring. Mostly just passed me by.
The album starts well, but meanders it's way through several over-long indulgences. The album as a whole is too long at just shy of an hour and a quarter. Sex Dwarf is, uh.
Surprisingly awful, expected better tbh
A pretty cool debut album. 80s techno music. When I heard the opening track, I was afraid that this was going to be a very long, annoying album. Good news— it’s just long. Sex Dwarf was weird. Where Did Our Love Go reuses the instrumental to Tainted Love, kinda cool. I want to say that the album is bloated, but it’s bloated in the same way that Tommy by The Who is bloated—the songs that aren’t as interesting or are longer add to the atmosphere of the album. Their value comes from rounding out the entire catalog. Granted, that album is better and tells a narrative. Standouts: Tainted Love, Entertain Me, Chips On My Shoulder, Say Hello, Wave Goodbye, Where Did Our Love Go?, Torch, and So.
Never heard of their name before, but one of the songs at least was familiar. I enjoyed this whole album, it was fun and interesting.
Quite ok for the 80ties 🫣
Was ready to give this one star just from Frustration and Sex Dwarf. Thought about bumping to two after Entertain Me and Chips on My Shoulder. Then heard Memorabilia and back to one star. Overall, lots of songs I would never listen to again. Some okay 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.
Enjoyable
Tainted love carries, but the rest of this is shit
Þetta er mjög persónuleg rating, ég bara gat ekki
I know Tainted Love of course and have always like it. Oddly enough I've never listened to this album. I have now and it's better than I expected. This is another of the 1001 that I need to listen to more. 3.5/5
It’s ok
"Tainted Love" è la cover che fa da base a tutti i successivi remix: bella. Poco altro
Each song is 50% too long and the vocals are subpar, but the beats are just so silly and goofy that I couldn't help but enjoy it.
Ben alweer vergeten hoe dit klinkt
What were these guys smoking?
The highlight of thus album is 'Seedy Film'. Great bass line, nice melodies over the top. Only spoilt by Mr Almonds voice. Other than that there are the famous ones, but nothing to write home about. Can't realistically give it better than a 2.
I never liked them at the time. And decades later and having listened to it in full for the first time ever, I still dislike it. I never liked that early 80s synth based music and it just sounds so dated now. I was obviously on the other side of the school playground away from all the cool kids who loved it. I was in hibernation, waiting for guitar based indie pop to break through and inspire me. It was worth the long wait.
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.
Not a fan of this one.
I absolutely hate Tainted Love. Always have. No reason why. But this is an OK album.
Not really my thing, but I did like how each song blended into the next one. Not a common thing anymore in the age of Spotify
Where did our love go and Tained Love are excellent excellent songs, the rest (disappointingly) was rather meh 2/5
Fun
Fuck me, this was bad.
This album sounds like theybjust did a ton of coke
I went into this album knowing only Tainted Love, but there are some other bangers on here such as Seedy Films and Secret Life. I love the use of synthesisers throughout, and the somewhat odd use of extra instruments (I’m pretty sure I heard a saxophone and a clarinet at points). It gets a bit weird at times, but never so weird that it makes it a hard listen.
Few bangers, few duds, and everything with a minimal music and sound. It's actually a bit impressive if you think about it - two synth beats and we have a successful album! Unfortunately, it's not good enough to give it a good note with a clear conscience. Tainted Love and then few too many boring songs is good enough for 3/5.
Tainted Love is great. The rest of the album is tooooo repetitive and simple to hold up. I can hear this album's spot in the evolution of synth-pop and other genres, but it feels like part of the fossil record rather than something I'd choose to listen to.
Eitt alltof ofspilað lag, eitt snilldarlag og restin er la la.
This album is kind of deranged and crazy, starting right off with Frustration and that song is pretty fun. I didn't think I knew anything from this group, but I never knew they sang Tainted Love, which is still a banger. I also liked the songs Say Hello, Wave Goodbye, and Memorabillia. Early 80s pop, and its a bit much at times, but I enjoyed listening to it.
Gah, Tainted Love is just so good but the rest of this was a chore. Did they all want to be the Sex Pistols at the time?
wtf
This album made me see why people hate the 80's. The tainted love cover is good.
Primer acercamiento a Soft Cell en formato LP. Gran álbum, con una atmósfera tan ochentera como sensual posible. Me llama la atención las bajas notas de este trabajo, atendido que existen álbumes en esta plataforma que no llegan ni de lejos al nivel del analizado aquí. FAVTRAXS: Frustration / Tainted Love / Seedy Films /Youth / Sex Dwarf / Chips On My Shoulder / Say Hello, Wave Goodbye LEASTFAV: Bedsitter 3.5/5
As 80s as it gets. Worth a listen but probably not a second.
You only need to hear their cover of Tainted Love. The rest of the album is just taking the piss. Overall: 2/10
didn't like this music when it was new and still don't. Tainted Love is one of the best cover versions ever, and Say hello, wave goodbye is a decent song. The rest was quite hard work.
Just like the title and album art suggests, this does sound like a sleazy back-alley sex club. I'm surprised (as always) at the very low score, I thought this was a lot of fun, some songs were pretty wacky like 'Sex Dwarf' but that early synthpop sound just makes everything into a banger. 'Tainted Love' is an 11/10, goes without saying, but especially towards the back half I found every song to be extremely catchy.
Vraiment resté impressionné. J'embarquais dans cet album avec la mentalité que c'est un band "one hit wonder" et que seulement Tainted Love allait être bonne, mais globalement c'était un album vraiment intéressant. Chaque pièce était unique et malgré que ça sonnait toujours new wave, c'était loin d'être unidimensionnel et monotone. 8/10
I won't spoil it for you but it has a song titled "Sex Dwarf". Previously, I had only known Soft Cell for two different songs but now they will be known for this song.
🧽
Pop con sintetizadores. Un megahit. Ni fu ni fa.
Have I heard this album before? No Highlights: Frustration, Tainted Love, Say Hello Wave Goodbye Rating: 4.2/10 Everyone knows ‘Tainted Love’, a classic of new-wave synth pop, but having never heard any other songs from Soft Cell I was unsure whether the rest of this album would hold up. Aside from a few tracks, I found the singing a bit obnoxious, though the production was mostly good. The album also really drags on too long.
Very polarizing. Several fantastic songs and several droning messes. I couldn't help but think of Ross and Chandler's college band
Tainted love was, and still is, huge. The rest is up and down, but enjoyable.
Some great stuff on here and some absolutely terrible stuff.
No interest in Electro pop. I can see why others would like it, but I just don't like Soft Cell's music myself.
Half of this I enjoyed, the other half was a bit naff. Perhaps I’d have loved it all in the 80s but parts of it now sound a bit cliche and tried n tested. Came to the conclusion that there’s a lot of songs on here that would sound much better covered by someone else. Convinced Entertain Me would sound better delivered by a 00s emo band. When this is good, it’s pretty good. Nothing spectacular but good enough.
Mad that tainted love is a cover, and a Gloria Gaynor cover at that. Got to assume that soft cell have put their own spin on it. That song is great, otherwise the first half was a bit underwhelming. Picked up towards the end, chips on my shoulder onwards was a good listen. This album must be very influential, feels like it set the tone for the 80s. I generally like the darker skew this album has compared to the other synth bands too. That said, not my favourite genre and I probably wouldn't listen again. Had to stop what I was doing to confirm that the guy indeed did say sex dwarf.
Really repetitive. Very disappointing. I do quite like Tainted Love, but it is a cover. Not great.
There was so much synth in this, couldn't handle it. So painfully 80s. Lots of sax too. Didn't enjoy it largely, and I couldn't tell if "sex dwarf" was satire or not.....I don't think it was. It made me laugh though. I've never really liked "tainted love" so perhaps not surprising I didn't really enjoy this. I do however think "say hello, wave goodbye" is a good track and the best thing here by far. There was a couple of songs around this point on the album where I thought maybe I could get into this, but then no back to synth and sax madness. 1.5,
Interesting start to the album. Two of the first three songs included saxophone and clarinet which I did not expect. Obviously “tainted love” is the lead track which is catchy. “Chips on my shoulder” is another track that has a driving beat and utilizes synthesizers to an excellent extent. Got pretty repetitive
Okay
I liked Tainted Love more than I remember, and the rest of the album was not as bad as I feared. Still, its synth pop.
2 stars because of tainted love but the rest is a 1
Back in the early 80’s, I think I had either the 45 rpm single of Tainted Love or the 12 Inch extended mix of TL & “Where did our love go”. Either way, that was the correct purchase. The rest of the other tracks I struggled to get through. There could have been some comedic production value if the boys from Spinal Tap would have covered “Sex Dwarf”. I can see where the synth beats would have been popular in raves back in the day. The one super hit is iconic, and later done very well again by MM, but I can’t get higher than a 1 here.
This album would’ve been on heavy rotation in the decadent club scene of the early 80s. Influential then yes. Relevant today? Probably not. Hell, I probably heard Tainted Love for the first time after sneaking in to Dallas’ famed Starck Club. Impressive that it was all made on a shoestring budget using a few synths and drum machines. Still, I don’t think the album holds up as much today. Outside of the obvious hit track, there were really just a few others that were my go-to. Say Hello, Wave Goodbye is one, and David Grey does a really nice cover of it too. A 2.5 rounded up just for memory sake.
After the needless woodwind solos started to pile up a few tracks in, I knew I was dealing with a 1/2 here. I check the track count….18 songs and 74 minutes?? Coffin nailed. I think it was presumptuous of them to go to the trouble of recording this and thinking anyone would enjoy it.
I did not enjoy this album. I guess rounding up to a 2 for Tainted Love, a great album title and being bold enough to write a song called Sex Dwarf.
I love Tainted Love. But it can’t save this album. Overall very forgettable. I’m bumping my rating to average based on Tainted Love alone. 2.5/5
The 80s sure had better stuff to offer, but there is something there. «Sex Dwarf» made me chuckle, and «Say Hello, Wave Goodbye» is absolutely beautiful.
Sophomoric melodies. How they managed to fart out a hit is pretty amazing to me.
It's funny that this follows a Prince album on which I bemoaned drum machines. I thought this was interesting, but not sure why it's on this list. Perhaps the inventiveness on creating this entire album on a home recorder? It's basically a demo tape that hit hard, so I get the homegrown thing. Too bad it didn't originally include Where Did Our Love Go as that might have made this more interesting. But, I didn't hate this any more than the Cure album so it might be a 2.5 but I'll go with:
First time listen to this album. Tainted Love was ubiquitous in the early 80s, when it was released, and has been part of pop culture ever since. It's incredibly catchy and totally ingrained in my mind. I didn't expect to enjoy the rest of the album as much as I did. Seedy Films was a highlight and Entertain Me was weird but fun. I didn't think much of Youth or Sex Dwarf.
Come on... what are we talking about here? I don't get why we need to acknowledge this as a "top album of all time". I mean... it's fine, has a big hit and there's some interesting instrumentation on it but I'm not interested in putting the whole album on again and I'm not discovering any new favorite tracks.
I hadn't ever thought of tainted love as a real song by a real band from a real album. There was some stuff I enjoyed off of this one, but mostly it just seemed like some electronic filler. I did like the reeds on tracks 1&3 and it was interesting to hear tainted love in context. Not sure I'll be listening to this one in full again, but I will be tickled when it comes up on shuffle!
Pretty fucking bad.
This was really good! Especially for a debut album! A few really good standout tracks too :) Never listened to a full album of theirs before.
The hit-single "Tainted Love" stands out but the rest feels more or less like the title of the opening-track - "Frustation".
This combines everything I don't like about 80s music. The synthetic beats, simple melodies and sooo many played like this. Except for Tainted Love nothing special.
Sex Dwarf is a masterpiece
mye opp og ned. tainted love er alltid en banger tho
Like most radio listeners in the US in the 80s, I'd heard 'Tainted Love' many times before and I do like that song. I don't think I'd heard any of the other songs from this album before. It was fun to give it a listen, and because one of my kids is a young teen who likes some current (2024) pop songs, it's pretty wild to hear some similarities between this record from 1981 and the songs of the past few years that my kid likes. That observation is not meant to denigrate either this album or contemporary pop; music, like all art (and pretty much all things), is in a perpetual cycle of self-reference and evolution.
Boring
Tainted Love put this album on its back and carried it to the two yard, I mean two star, line.
Not bad actually. Not my thing at all, but the songs are decently composed, interesting melodies and the synth is interesting on a lot of tracks instead of just solely the same redundant loops like so much pop at the time. 3.0.
Pretty good. They deserve to be known for more than just Tainted Love
This may have been big in the UK but didn't translate very well here in the US other than Tainted Love. Sounds too cheesy and clubby for my taste. There are lot better British bands than this rubbish.
Nope. Not even Sex Dwarf.
As much as I expected to enjoy the song Sex Dwarf, I just couldn't with this album. Although bonus points for the lyric "I think it's time to cook a meal to fill the emptiness I feel" which speaks directly to my soul.
Poor man’s Pet Shop Boys but way less musical talent? Most songs started and I thought they were going to be OK, and then just shallow musically and trite lyrics. I won’t ever dial this one up again but it wasn’t offensive either. Would love to see a more clever approach to telling the world they are horny guys.
No
Entire song dedicated to a Sex Dwarf.
It's the average '80s British pop experience of mildly interesting synths and obnoxious vocals. Pretty bad. Everyone is talking about "Tainted Love" (which I think became a meme) but personally, the jazzy "Seedy Films" is the best one from here.
Temazos de las 80.
That's not my taste in musik. But ok
I didn't like this album, I don't know, it wasn't for me. This type of beats and synths don't do for me, but Tainted Love and Sex Dwarf were good and funny, nothing much else to say for the rest.
Interesante, pero no es mi estilo. Siento que en cierto punto se puede volver algo muy repetitivo.
One good song.
Tainted Love is great. It’s one of those songs I’ve heard 100 times but would get wrong on a “who sung it” trivia question. Say Hello, Wave Goodbye is a lovely tune with a great vocal performance. While I really like the sound of the record (it is unmistakably early 80’s New Wave but has a very high quality sound for nearing 45 years), it doesn’t do a tremendous amount for me. It’s cohesive and doesn’t really have a bad song (Sex Dwarf is a major WTF moment here but the song itself sounds great), but it doesn’t move me or wow me much either. I’d give it 3.5 stars if I could but I’m rounding down on this one.
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.
Both pleasant and annoying.
Nothing special
Bahahaha, bless. On several songs, the singer is painfully out of tune. Some songs have no real melody against sparse instrumentation. Sex Dwarf…oddly, one of the catchier songs of the album, but Clutch My Pearls, the lyrics! I think you could go to jail for that in todays’s America. Their take on Tainted Love was quite fresh, so good on them for that. Otherwise, this album is a stinker. 2.3.
There are some interesting musical choices here, and even more 'interesting' lyrical choices..."Sex Dwarf"? That's some SNL/Lonely Island shit. "Tainted Love" is a solid remake, but feel the rest is lacking. Maybe it was better at the time (and in certain *circles*) but it feels like a time capsule now. 2.6
Not my thing. But still enjoyed it.
Can't convince me these guys weren't a huge influence on Damon Albarn/Gorillaz.
Well, I complained yesterday I had three straight days of albums without words. This album does, in fact, have words. Granted, it sounds almost like a karaoke version of early 80's synth-pop, but there are words being sung. The trumpet solo on "Seedy Films" is top-notch and the theme of this album seems to be "music to walk down a secluded back alley to" or "here is a strip club where you could easily acquire herpes." Not that either is a bad thing. I had never heard anything but "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell and have to say I don't totally hate what they are going for here. It's an interesting slice of early 80's music that pre-dates the synth-oriented music of the era. The album looks, feels and sounds trashy. This the sound of a band writing a song called "Sex Dwarf" and not giving a shit what others may think.
Was expecting typical 80s garbage cheese, but this was truly a crime against humanity. Sometimes I think the listmaker is trolling. I mean sure, maybe the list deserves one of these albums for it to be truly diversified and interesting, but how many more of these 80s albums do we really have to sit through?
Weird experimental proto electronic punk that I appreciate rather than enjoy
Tainted Love is a tremendous song. I’ve heard it too many times, and it is easy to take for granted. But it is a hyper-melodic romp and still kicks major ass. For me, the other songs don’t nearly match up. They are fine, but unmemorable. There are good elements - the lyrics for “Frustration”, the clarinet in “Seedy Films”, etc. But no other complete songs “Sex Dwarf” sounds like a song that The Pet Shop Boys did - 5 years later and 100 times better.
Rating: 3.5/10 The first three songs are good, the rest of this album is awful. A lot of awful lyrics, cheesy synths, and generally annoying singing and melodies. If it wasn't for Tainted Love this would be a 1 star album for me.
Well, I just like the synth-pop. And it just happens it's a great synth-pop album.
Legit pretty bad. There's the one good song, tainted Love, but it's a cover apparently and the rest of the album is a totally different vibe. A lot of quite bad melodic vocals
So I can see why Tainted Love is the hit song from this album. The rest sounds like the soundtrack to a John Waters movie. It's incredibly camp. Sex Dwarf? Entertain Me? Oh yeah, these guys are trying to be as silly as possible. There are some interesting bits in here. Sometimes Marc's singing is great, other times it's just awful. Really feels like a couple college guys their hands on a nice synth and pressed ALL the buttons. Lol! It's silly, high energy, a little bad. I like it, but you've got to be in the mood for it.
Didn’t Devo do this 3 years earlier? I guess Soft Cell is one step further down the evolutionary line to New Wave than Devo. This isn’t my thing 4.4/10
3!
Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret by Soft Cell delivers a mesmerising blend of Marc Almond's soulful vocals and David Ball's minimalist electronics. Standout track Say Hello, Wave Goodbye remains a timeless favourite, its haunting beauty and emotive lyrics leaving a lasting impression. Overall, the album is a standout in synth-pop, showcasing the duo's talent for crafting evocative and memorable music. NUMBER OF BANGERS - 5 STAND OUT TRACK - Say Hello, Wave Goodbye
yeah liked it
2.5
Tainted Love is wonderful. Got to the third song and stopped.
When a number of the songs off the album sound like parodies you'd hear on sketches from Saturday Night Live, that's not a good look on the album AT ALL. I mean... Sex Dwarf? And the "hit" (Tainted Love) sounds nothing like the rest of the album. You can tell the sarcastic tone the act was going for, but 40 years later it sounds... ridiculous.
The album is better than I thought, given my teenage son and I just had a conversation about one-hit wonders where Soft Cell's name was mentioned. This album is more than Tainted Love, though that song dominates - what a classic. They are also on the early side of the big synth-pop movement of the 80's but I'm not sure that's enough to push them out of the average rating. The album is aptly titled given the content of the lyrics and they do well with their theme. Seedy Films is decent in that regard but Sex Dwarf is the real gem - lyrics just as likely to make you blush but with a techno beat that kicks serious ass. Entertain Me (after the vocals-only intro), Chips on My Shoulder, and Secret Life are also pretty good and techno groovy. Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye are also decent though a bit more subdued in sound. So I find myself at about 3.5 and trying to decide which way to round. I'm going to give them the bump for being new on the scene and because if you listen to the album a few times it really grows on you.
Two good singles otherwise not a band or an album I would seek out. Just edged a 3*
One banger and the rest was a bit meh. Half term so it was only half a listen really
bruhh ugh lame shit Significant 38/123 Liked 17/123 Added 4/123 NNN
I honestly tried. Listened to every song. Just not my cup of tea. "Tainted Love" is about it. "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" made for a nice cover by David Gray.
me copa 7.5/10
2.5
Bad vocals, droning synth, pervy lyrics...really nothing I enjoyed about this. These dudes seem like a couple of creeps.
3.5/5
Other Say Hello Wave Goodbye (very good song), Where Did Our Love Go, and Tainted Love, the rest of this album songs like a 15 year old theater student locked himself in his bed with a synth and a drum machine he got that Christmas morning.
I know two songs from this album: Tainted love (of course) Say hello wave goodbye I really like both of those songs, so I hope I enjoy this album a similar amount Frustration was good. Wasn’t anything too special but I did enjoy it. Tainted love is extremely good of course. Everybody knows that. It’s so good. Seedy films was meh. I didn’t really like it but I didn’t hate it. Youth was also meh Sex dwarf was better than the previous two songs but still not great. Entertain me was fine Chips on my shoulder was good. Nothing much to say. Bed sitter was also good. Secret life was meh Say hello wave goodbye is really good, but I already knew that. The album isn’t fantastic. There are some more song added in a bonus or something, but I’ve truly lost interest. This a case where an album is on here purely because of a hit.
A few surprises
Overall did not enjoy this one. Tainted Love is the only redeeming quality for me. It was too long and too monotone.
Fun 80s album, but nothing mind blowing.
Puffff... Ni porque está el Tainted Love....🤦🏻♂️
I have not listened to this album but I am familiar with the song Tainted Love which is from the album. I really liked this sound (very 80s). My favorite songs were: Sex Dwarf, Chips on my shoulder, and bedsitter. I will definitely listen again!
Good
I'm starting to get annoyed by the sound of singing British men. I don't like this album. Soft Cell is the definition of a one-hit wonder. If you go on to Apple Music and look at the top songs from Soft Cell, the top 7 are just different releases of Tainted Love. And that's not even their song, so it doesn't even really count. This version and the original Gloria Jones version are about the same in quality for me. That song, at least, is pretty good. The others? Hoo-boy these are bad. The synths are fine. They're serviceable. The singing was kind of annoying as stated earlier. The writing does not stand out at all except for the very few moments that make you seriously question what you're doing with your life. Like, why am I listening to a song called Sex Dwarf. Let me repeat that. There is a song on this album called "Sex Dwarf." SEX. DWARF. I don't care anymore. This album's bad. It has no reason to be on here aside from one song that they didn't even write. 2/5. Tainted Love saves this from being a 1.
Allgemein wenig Begeisterung erzeugen der Synth-Pop. Eine Ausnahme auf dem Album ist der wohl bekannteste Song und Highlight "Tainted Love".
This album contains one of the most iconic 80's dance songs, "Tainted Love".
Not bad from an era I have little interest in.
"chips on my shoulder" absolutely rips. can't help but love "tainted love". and "sex dwarf", what else can you say? just a stunning pop record. it's a shame "memorabilia" didn't make the album
Solid album when in the mood for 80s synth. Tainted Love elevates it.
80s. Unique voices and sound.
7.5/10
Interesting that Soft Cell's only known for "Tainted Love" (don't misunderstand; the extended version is one of my favorite '80s tracks), because this feels like a seminal new wave album and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Love the synth-heavy sound that (partially) defined the '80s. I don't know if "Sex Dwarf" would fly these days ("Sex Little Person?"), but apart from "Tainted Love," it was the stand-out track for me. The entire album's solid, though. Good stuff.
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.
Enjoyable album through and through. A few familiar tracks. Some new ones that caught my attention. Will probably listen to again just for grins.
Great album enjoyed it very much.