Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret

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 Worth including on the list as a historical document but hasn't aged well.

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.

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 carries, but the rest of this is shit

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.

Not a fan of this one.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

2 stars because of tainted love but the rest is a 1

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

Sophomoric melodies. How they managed to fart out a hit is pretty amazing to me.

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.

Pretty fucking bad.

The hit-single "Tainted Love" stands out but the rest feels more or less like the title of the opening-track - "Frustation".

Tainted Love put this album on its back and carried it to the two yard, I mean two star, line.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

One banger and the rest was a bit meh. Half term so it was only half a listen really

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.

2.5

Overall did not enjoy this one. Tainted Love is the only redeeming quality for me. It was too long and too monotone.

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".

Did they intentionally try to make the most annoying album possible? The 80s were rough…

So is a good Italio disco track

One hit wonder

I probably could have died without hearing this one. I always enjoyed Tainted Love; other than that, there is Say Hello, Wave Goodbye which was covered to better effect by David Gray and a cover of the Supremes' Where Did Our Love Go. A couple horn riffs - the rest is inane and annoying. 74 minutes - PLEASE!

Standouts: "Tainted Love," "Where Did Our Love Go?" (Basically the same instrumental), "What?" Lyrics/Vocals- 2/5 Instrumentals- 2/5 Vibes- 2/5 Overall- 2/5 This album was honestly a tough listen. I love their cover of "Tainted Love," and expected something of similar calibre. But, the lyrics at many points were nonsensical. The vocals were grating at times, and many times it sounded like the vocals and the instrumentals were working against each other. However, this was the 80s, which was a VERY different time. To me though, this album really just sounded like noise with no real rhyme or reason behind them. Just noise for the sake of noise.

honestly, a boring album for me, i knew Tainted Love, hated Sex Dwarf, that was just a jarring listen and I had to skip it before I got too annoyed.

jezus man

Very 80s, very camp, and very English. One of those, maybe two at a push, would have been fine, but all three is not for me. Features the third best version of the biggest single (check out The Living End's version of tainted love), and a song later improved by David Gray. Neither of these is a plus point either! He can sing good though, and the music is not actively offensive, I guess, so they can have a second star - and they can thank me for it!

Not for me. The album and songs are too long that have really nothing unique about them and kinda sound the same. But maybe this album could of been big at the time??

Maybe this was groundbreaking in the 80's but it does not hold up....

Horrible vocals

I've gone this long in my life with only knowing a single song by Soft Cell. And now I know why! "Tainted Love" is so far above and beyond everything else on this record that it's kinda hard to believe they managed to so completely knock that one out of the park when the rest of the album is mostly filled with foul balls. I could tolerate "Chips on My Shoulder" and "Bedsitter," but the same can not be said for many of the others. "Sex Dwarf" got skipped pretty hard, guys. Most of all, I have come away with the impression that this dude just isn't a very good singer. Or the songs aren't written for his voice. Or they could really benefit from some 1981 auto-tune. (Looking at you final track.) Either way, the fit is off. Except for when it isn't. Which is "Tainted Love."

Tainted love, but nothing else

1/2/24. Meh, thought a lot of the songs and melodies were repetitive. One or two highlights, but not enough to revisit often.

Started out strong with the first two tracks, but the more I listened, the more I realized the singer can't sing. That really took me out of it, especially with the longer notes and big reverb kind of accentuating it.

2.3

Not really for me…

Something there, definitely interesting, but not for me 2

Det er simpelthen for liderligt. Men god version af tainted love...har altid set Soft Cell som et one hit wonder og det ændrer hele pladen ikke på

Hmm, I can see how this was cutting edge at the time but I can't say the music does much for me now.

The only memorable song (for good reasons) is a cover.

Before listening: Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret does not sound like my idea of a good time. And, the length of this album is looking already to be too long. After listening: I'm not going to knock Tainted Love which is genius, but there's a lot on this record that is just not for me. Tainted Love and Where Did Our Love Go? bump this album up from a harsh one star rating to a two star listen I'll never spin again. I like the idea that through the popularity of that Tainted Love / Where Did Our Love Go?, this record found its way into someone's hands and it spoke to them deeply giving them comfort in difficult times.

too weird even for me: sex dwarf entertain me chips on my shoulder

Tainted wehweh

Not great - but a couple of “ok” songs

# 124 : Eighties disco pop! Here we go again, how dull, even a banger like "Tainted Love" can't pull this album out of the pile of crud. Favourite Track : Tainted Love Listened : 05/12/2023

"tainted love" is a bop. super enjoyable and peppy. the second half of the album fell off, though. the first half had energy and was enjoyable wave. the second half was tired wave. i can't imagine soft cell had a good time crafting those songs, and you can tell side B gets terribly boring. creating music around sex is great! it's always been a popular topic, but something soft cell is doing here is too much. you don't need to force these kinds of things. hasn't soft cell ever heard of the word subtle?

Tainted love is the most popular song and for good reason, it's the best song on the album. This album is the very 80s sounding, maybe too much. There's no real substance to it.

Fine.

There is absolutely nothing erotic whatsoever with this try-too-hard attempt to be edgy and sexual. I had to quit at Sex Dwarf, what an asinine track that was. I just felt so disgusted listening to this crap. And here's my dilemma: I LOVE their version of Tainted Love, it is the best ever cover of that song. But one shiny one-hit wonder amidst a sea of poorly executed synth soaked shit does not an impressive album make. Fuck these weirdo assholes for making this crap, I'll never be able to listen to Tainted Love joyfully again.

Sounds like it could be a Police Academy soundtrack.

Outside of Tainted Love, this wasn't great

More like Non-Stop Erotic Karaoke. Pretty awful. Extra star because of Tainted Love

The two good songs are the singles. The rest are super cheesy 80s synth pop (not in a good way) with cheesier lyrics.

Not for me. The vocal became grating, the lyrics are that of a horny teenager and the 80's Casio keyboard music doesn't really hold value. If you were a horny teenager in 1981 then I'm sure this was 'your music' but I don't think it has stood the test if time.

Pas vraiment mon genre, tainted love est bonne mais en général c'est très moyen. 2.75

frickin british

Absolutely was not expecting that one recognizable song amidst an album of songs that are understandably obscure

To stjerner

I loved Tainted Love as a kid, but I don't love it as much now. I liked Chips on My Shoulder. Sex Dwarf wasn't too bad, but honestly the whole album isn't too bad. But that's all. Not necessarily good but not too bad.

Bad British 80s techno

One feels the need to take a shower after listening to this – feeling sleazy in seedy sin city, indeed. Still, there's a bit of lonely poetry here and there, probably accidental given all the pervy camp. Oy, are the synths dated, to the point that one struggles to remember if this was pre- or post-sexual revolution.

Sex Dwarf huh?

Synth heavy

Besides the obvious hit tainted love, this album was not for me it was repetitive experimental 80s pop without any flair

1 banger. the rest forgettable 4.5/10

I still love Tainted Love and Where Did Our Love Go! Interesting to hear some other tracks, I really only ever thought of them as a two hit wonder. Seems that was a valid assessment. Definitely dated and silly, arguably bad at times , but idk its so bonkers it was surprisingly enjoyable as background music. Doubt I will revisit these. Sex Dwarf is unhinged ahahaha. They should have cut... most of these. Objectively this is a 1 but this is the first so-bad-its-good record I think I've ever encountered. There is a harmony on Facility Girls that is SO cringe about 1:45 I marvel at the choice to keep it in. Fun City is the most 'first-draft demo' I've ever heard released on an LP. At least it wasnt the Deluxe Edition! I'm stoked I listened to this cuz it absolutely should never been made. What a product of its time.

This is just a bad ‘80s synth record with the possible exception of Tainted Love. Sounds artificial and soulless.

Meh. This group was a one hit wonder in America for a reason. Tainted love is catchy but the rest of the songs are not great. I imagine it sounded futuristic in 1981 which was probably cool. Would not be here if it was not British.

Tainted Love is a killer song. EVERYTHING ELSE is hot garbage, with corny keys, quirky tuneless singing and a nonsense bunch of songs.

Synth punk. Not a genre that I hear a lot of. Half of these songs remind me of those kids on band camp making demos in their bedroom. They were certainly doing interesting things, but not my cup of tea. This might be my first memory of hearing a cover tune thinking it was the original. Tainted Love is their lasting cultural contribution, and that's okay.

Nothing remarkable

Not sure what I’d call this, it’s synth-jazz with pop structure. It holds a few catchy hits hostage with boring poetry interlaced with the same drum kit and a spattering of strange instruments. Tainted love is magic, that’s it.

I don't hate all of it

What the hell was that? It was like listening to a depraved and shitty version of the Pet Shop Boys. Yes, ‘Tainted Love’ and ‘Say Hello, Wave Goodbye’ are great tracks but the Diana Ross/Supremes cover was trash and if I can avoid listening to Sex Dwarf again in my life it will be a life well lived.

Soft Cell was known for their massive hit "Tainted Love", and not much else. This album illustrates why.

This was definitely a strange one. It was odd to hear Tainted Love, a song I know so well, amidst the experimental, weird other songs of this album. I think I would have been more down for this weird 80s ride if the songs were as flushed out and cohesive as Tainted Love but I felt like the vocals were just doing their own thing regardless of the music happening in the background. It was also MUCH too long and I ended up giving up before the end.

Disappointing. Tainted Love is such a tune, but the rest of the album seems to be standard early 80s Yorkshire electro. Interesting to learn that they did the original of Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

Tainted Love is a banger but the rest not so much.

This album is so horny it almost made me blush. Never would have expected a song called Sex Dwarf on an album from 1981. Really only need to listen to Tainted Love. His voice is excellent but the lyrics not so much.

British synth pop and post punk are two genres I couldn’t get into no matter what. Never even liked Tainted Love. The 80s was an American dominated decade

boring eighties pop/dance

Vocalen klinken als Terrance & Phillip. Seedy Films had een leuke klarinet ofzo. Maar synthpop staat best hoog in mijn lijst van kutste genres. Als je 80s synthpop bent moet je toch op zn minst minder irritant zijn dan Depeche Mode.

I see what they were going for, and I think they nailed it. But I'm not a big fan of raunchy so I didn't really enjoy the album that much. The cover makes me laugh, though. 2.5

I feel like half this album could have been cut out. Too long

Tainted Love is another of those songs that I have heard hundreds of times but never knew who sings it. This feels like stereotypical 70's/80's electronic/synth. I wouldn't be surprised if these guys started it. Lyrics are a bit uncomfortable, but the rest of the music is pretty damn good. I guess it's hard to complain about the weirdly sexual lyrics when the name of the album is an Erotic Cabaret...

Such a strange album but with pretty cool instrumentals. The lyrics and style of singing we're not for me. No one should ever have to listen to Sex Dwarf

This is some dark music which I normally love, but damn the lyrics and the dudes voice just piss me off. Can def get into some of the instrumentals but I don't think I'll be back Soft Cell.

Not the biggest fan.

Very meh outside of Tainted Love. Complete opposite of Dexy and his Midnight Runners.

One of those 80s albums where having a great synthesiser (for it's day) meant the album was held in high acclaim, despite the guy apparently not being able to make good use of it for half the album with boring, tepid sequences. Vocals were bad, and not in an interesting, funny, or so-bad-its-good way. Just bad bad. Probably the best tune on this album, sex dwarf, had the worst lyrics, which sums this album up. Constantly missing the mark. 1.5*

Tainted Love is the only well known song and it is really the only good song. The rest of the songs are very 80s and eccentric

I appreciate the importance of Soft Cell and there isn't anyone really like them but this is a bit of a tough slog.

No Guitars, Only two hits. Both Covers

Based on the available information, it’s hard to escape the conclusion that they were fortunate to be even a one-hit wonder or much more than a novelty act. “Seedy Films” is likably louche, with creepy-suggestive clarinet. But the rest sounds like they’re New Order’s more theatrical and pervier cousins. “Misery self-pity complaints and injustice” indeed. So convincingly bad – almost a caricature of itself – it’s almost good. While it can be said that the singer has a distinctive voice, that’s mainly true in the sense of getting on one’s nerves with its excess stageyness and (perhaps cheeky) melodrama.

At first I was like, this is better than I expected. Then I was like, no it isn't.

I left sex dwarf playing in my office after a re listen. I'm going to have to explain a lot to some people.

Eh, not into this at all really. Not a fan of this type of fake drum/synth/pansy vocal style from the 80's. It is pretty cool that there was a song about a sex dwarf though - that's something I haven't heard before. 2 stars.

Mostly just filler to be honest, the best song is by far tainted love. Some tracks seem cool at the start and then become the musical equivalent of Chinese water torture due to them really overstating their welcome ( seedy films and sex dwarf are main victims of this). The rest sit in the “meh” section of music that I neither hate or want to revisit.2/5

Tainted Love and Several Other Worse Songs That Sound Like Tainted Love

Pop music, nothing special, az always with this hopeless list.

It's a very quirky, fun record. I was hoping for more catchy songs, but they a little too "out there" for me. If you want to scratch the cheesy synth-pop itch, this will definitely do that for you.

- Hard carried by Tainted Love - Definitely a sexy album, but not in the way I like - Some of the songs were kinda jams, but not a lot - Sex Dwarf was whack

- this Euro-dance style doesn’t do it for me - Tainted Love is overrated - WTF did I just listen to with Sex Dwarf - 1.5 stars

Is this album good and worthy of inclusion on this list or does it just contain a massive hit? I think the fact that I do not know and also do not care enough to find out after listening kind of answers that question to me. Another miss on the overrepresented English record from the 80s on this list. It's fine but come on.

The “Tainted Love” cover is immortal, but I found most else from this Soft Cell effort to be a hard listen.

The hit continues to be fun if a little annoying. This albums sound is very cohesive. Which is the final compliment I'll give it. It wants to be sexy and cool. It manages to be neither. Instead, it's kind of sad and gross.

I mean, it's mostly pretty dumb...

Weird álbum Por um lado, eu consigo ver como essas músicas teriam feito bastante sucesso nos anos 80, discotecas, danças e tals Por outro lado, parece um jovem da faculdade que baixou um programa de áudio e ficou fazendo uns barulhos aleatórios e daí cantou em cima Não gostei do estilo do vocalista, algumas batidas até achei interessante mas overall just all over the place.

I did get a bit weary of this one after about 20 mins

Not bad but not great. I'm sure it was very edgy when it came out but it's not doing much for me now. There are a couple great tracks here but the rest get a bit repetitive after a while. 4/10

Tainted Love was alright I guess

I BET YOU DO ALMOND YOU DIRTY OLD BOLLOCKS. I BET YOU FUCKING DO.

Honestly I can see why these people are a one hit wonder. The rest of the album was just boring. Tainted Love is so iconic but the rest of the songs are just blah. Nothing “offensive” or actively terrible was here but just snooze.

I mean.... is this album living solely and completely off of the hit single "Tainted Love" which was a cover anyways? I retro-loved hearing it (for the 723rd time) but the rest is just so minimalist in effort - like a fairly decent sounding demo recorded in a 1982 bedroom studio (was there such a thing?). I'm left wondering how this is on the list? It's weirdly not terrible or even bad enough that it could be on the list for some groundbreaking or profane influence - it's wholly unremarkable in an inoffensive way. Which might make it worse :P The cold and sparse sound that permeates ... I can see how there'd be attraction to it but eventually the terrible-sounding drum machine just ends up being the soundtrack for the entire album and blending it all together into one long slog; the one notable *almost-exception* but simultaneously best/worst example of the uniformity being the last song "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" - it's a nice ballad that would have stood out more without someone clicking "PLAY" on their chintzy drum machine and keeping the same pattern on repeat for 5 minutes. TL;DR: it all sounds the same. sadly boring. 4/10 2 stars.

De la bonne electro new wave has been Tainted Love reprise largement meilleure que l'originale. Where did our love go sympa!

Imagine being in the studio and say "yeah, let's record Sex Dwarf"

This album sounded much better in my memory than it did today in real life. Which is another way of saying it aged badly. Other than Tainted Love, there's nothing to this album, really.

I did not consent to hearing "Sex Dwarf"

this sux. if it’s supposed to be a joke in parts that’s lame, if it’s supposed to be serious that’s also awful. any good parts are ruined by annoying lyrics or a bad drum line. Only good track: tainted love (which stops this from being a 1 star)

Well what a fucking roller coaster. And what a long album! Christ. Naturally tainted love was a banger (my mum's favourite song) and then the rest I generally found a disappointment. Just weird, Sex Dwarf. Where do we start on that. All 5 minutes of it as well. The one that I thought was pretty good was the Supremes cover "where did our love go" which brought in tainted love themes. Tainted love is a cover as well. That's a shame that there best song were covers, good ones though of course

God that was a slog, ocassionally an okay bit but mostly naff.

At least 30 minutes too long and seemed a bit out of tune and full of wailing. A real shame cos I usually like 80s music. The most interesting part of the album was the title. Won't revisit.

Look, tainted love is a classic. We have a home video music video of that one I believe. But that song is a cover., and when your non stop erotic cabaret dives into Sex Dwarves, all I can do is laugh at the absurdity of this album. I’m not sure if this was a concept album or the beliefs of this group, though based on the album cover wouldn’t put it past them. This felt like an “it’s the 80’s now we can be more overt about sex in Britain, gov” but I could name so many other bands who would have done a better job handling the material.

Very slutty, but also maybe not that good. Sex dwarf is hilarious. Tainted love good. But overall probably just not that great

Queer, sexed up, but a BIT much now we're not in the eighties. Sex dwarf is particularly egregious as a song. But Tainted Love absolutely slaps, as do some of the minor songs on the album.

Not the classic it should be.

Very cheeky, but this was an awful chore to get through. I can’t see why it belongs on the list as such.

Everyone knows tainted love. But have you heard of its stepbrother, sex dwarf? What a hilarious song. This was an odd one.

Pretty bad, with a few exceptions.

As for lots of other reviewers - I like Tainted Love, but the rest of it is kind of painful

Honestly this review is going to be exactly the same as my hunting high and low review. This album and has one reason and one reason only why it’s on here. Unfortunately tainted love doesn’t make up for the rest of this album like take on me did for that album. Also Where did our love go doesn’t count since it wasn’t originally on the album.

One undeniable banger and a lot of pervy crap

Their huge hit, Tainted Love which has had a nostalgic revival in recent years, is the obvious best song on this album. I always disliked the song and pretty much anything synth-pop from the early 80's, so for me the rest of the record is throwaway. Difficult to listen to the whole way through. One star for Tainted and one star for the rest. Blah!

Tainted Love! Wow this album is long and monotone and a lot of the songs have no bars fr :/ tryna bear thru it. Not with "where did our love go" being the tainted love remix tho. But "what" jy crank, as does "so".

Meh

Tainted Love is an amazing cover, but the rest of this album feels like someone messing around with synths and keyboard presets and then singing awful lyrics over the top.

this was disappointing. tainted love is of course excellent, but there guys really needed to steal some lyrics for the other songs. boring synth pop

2/5 tainted love just reminds me of ads ;(

Other than Tainted Love, wasn't too much that I liked from this

Synths sound good so far on this album I recognize "Tainted Love" and I think its a fun listen Some of the instrumentals especially on "Seedy Films" sound really dumb but funny at the same time Sex Dwarf is such a weird song Really weird album with some nice instrumentals 4/10

Oh my gosh, sometimes expectations and reality don't meet. So many reasons I thought I was going to enjoy this, but found that so much of it is unbearable. "Youth" probably comes closest in this project for making me want to take a tire iron to the car radio. Was the awfulness of that song what made its followup, "Sex Dwarf," seem so good? "Tainted Love" is a masterpiece, but none of the rest of the album sounds like it.

I was anxious to check out this album. I am a fan of Tainted Love, but what more have they done? As the first track started, I was startled. I was not expecting this...I am not enjoying this... Then it came back around for me with the second track. The rest of the album was not so great, and still not quite what I was expecting.

I remember being very unimpressed with this album when my sister bought it in 1982. My opinion hasn't changed much in 40 years.

This was a surprise! I like the song Tainted Love although I’ve probably heard it enough times in my lifetime. If I had bought this album back in the day I would have been disappointed with the rest of the album. 41 years later, I'm disappointed with the rest of the album. I found it largely tedious and and was ready for it to be over. I expected to like this a lot more than I did. There are some interesting things going on but I really didn’t enjoy it much.

Ok synth pop. Mostly fairly bland and unmemorable music. I guess I should give them credit for the time period they were in, but as someone who listens to a lot of synth wave, this just sounds weak.

One classic song, and a lot of synth pop not to my taste.

Some weird vibes, some naff songs, some fairly crap vocals, some odd lyrics and a half decent cover.

Tough to rate. Tainted Love is a forever track (from Motown?!?!), and Sex Dwarf def has its moments. Memorabilia isn’t technically from this album, but rightfully lauded. Everything else I think I’m just a little too American and not quite old enough to connect with. Like the dirty sexy theme, but honestly wouldn’t listen to the whole album unprompted again. 2.5, rounding down because there just isn’t enough here for me.

Meh

It was an ok album. Tainted love is a popular song but this album is very much 80s pop. It’s a genre you either are into or not. This one wasn’t my favorite overall but the singer has a good voice. 5.0/10

2.5/5

Tainted Love is my mum's favourite song so I've heard it A LOT and never really considered Soft Cell having other songs. Turns out they do but nothing particulalry outstanding

Not a fan then. Not a fan now.

Like almost everything mainstream in the 80s, this is lame, boring, and dated.

2,5; very mixed up feelings about this one, some songs are terrible and some are okay, we got one classic over here, everybody knows Tainted love. Entirety is kinda unbalanced, weird shit

As far as the 80's 'characteristic' music go, these guys are not so bad.

Love the singles, but the rest of the LP is patchy. Disappointing. Made me want to listen to Yazoo and New Order instead.

So bad that i presumed it was Austrailian. Its like it is a joke, but at the same time not. It has perhaps the worst opening track of any album i have heard. Luckily it also has Tainted Love!

Only good song is their one hit!

Way too hyper sexual for me. 2 stars because I had to listen to the song "sex dwarf"

16. Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret - Soft Cell. 18 tracks. I really like some of their stuff, (Say Hello is art!) but this ultimately failed to deliver with so many watered down "nothing" tracks that made me lose interest. 2/5

It was medium but tainted love is pretty good

Not bad, but not really good either. Can't say that I'll listen to it again, but I didn't hate it. Tainted love is a classic, but imo this is not the best version.

Ongelofelijk wat een toevalstreffer Tainted Love dan eigenlijk is geweest als je de rest van dit album hoort hè?

Mwah, paar nummers en toen was ik er wel klaar mee.

Tainted Love blijft geweldig, en ook Say Hello, Wave Goodbye is mooi. Maar wat er verder nog op dit album staat is echt niet door te komen en bij vlagen tenenkrommend.

Werd er zenuwachtig van.

this is the most 80s thing that ever 80s'd tainted love is of course a banger everything else went on a big downhill until where did our love go, so i guess i only like them when they're doing synthed-up covers of motown songs their synthed-up motown covers are a lot of fun at least phone died towards the end and honestly i think i'm good to call it there

Honestly, Tainted Love is the only track worth re listening to

Pretty mediocre, apart from Tainted Love, which I learned while listening is cover song. Their cover is superior to the original, but I feel that does take away a little from it.

Arguably Soft Cells best songs are on this debut album. Both of which are riffs or covers off existing songs that they helped make mainstream genre defining tracks. While this new sound may be notable, they didn't push the genre too much and really just made a path for more mediocre bands to follow. The true innovators were still to come, but I doubt they would credit Soft Cell as their inspiration.

More like "please stop erotic cabaret" amirite? Even tainted love doesn't redeem this.

Tainted Love is one of the best cover songs ever, but the rest of this record just doesn't hold up for me. I'm pretty much all out on New Wave at this point.

Has their one-hit-wonder "Tainted Love" on it. Felt like a most of the songs were trying to find something that worked and TL was the only one that did

rating: 4/10 best songs: tainted love

The narrator of the first song, Frustration, is going through a hard core midlife crisis. If he were younger and alive now, he’d be a repeat subject on r/incel (Reddit). In this day and age, the narrator’s anger would be focused onto something else through social media by the likes of Steve Bannon. The lyrical misery continues into Radar Love about a relationship gone wrong. I do appreciate the music on these two tracks, and several others due to the pioneering nature of the electronic instruments. Even so, the sound is very dated. So while I respect the ground breaking, the primitive electronic sound is a drag. There are a couple awful songs on here with uninteresting music and unappealing vocals like: Sleezy City, Youth, and Secret Life. Sex Dwarf…I just don’t know what to say. I suppose kudos are in order for the song living up to the album title. One total extra star for blazing the electronic trail and Radar Love.

No me gustó. Me daba miedo

Pretty meh... what i expected more or less though i guess.

I don't know if I've ever heard anything besides "Tainted Love". The extended version of "Tainted Love" is the best, but the extended version is not on this album. Most of the music was good enough. A significant portion of the content of the lyrics is not for me, dragging this album down from a 3 to a 2. The short version of "Tainted Love" couldn't keep this album afloat.

Phil Crowe's favourite album

1st June 2021 Listened throughout the day as it was hot and sunny and we met mum and Fi in St James Park. I think this could be a grower but on first impressions it sad a bit all over the shop for me.

Este álbum parece eletrónica muito antiquada e é um bocado difícil de ouvir. Tem possivelmente a pior versão que ouvi do Tainted Love. Nota: 3/10

Tainted Love is a great song; rest of the album not so much.

Helicopters on Mars vs European Super League IV: Sex Dwarf.

Wow

Very middling

acceptable

One absolutely great song, but I stopped listening after "Chips on my shoulder" because I seriously think this song is about have french fries on a body part. I should have told you I've chips on my shoulder I'm making a stand While I sit on my arse Fish and chip supper

Some great atmospheric, grimy sounds throughout but besides Tainted Love, not a lot of stand out tracks

Not great. That one song that everyone knows is the best one, and I don't really like that one either.

Yeah, I don’t really find this enjoyable at all, beyond “Tainted Love,” which I probably only enjoy for the nostalgia of that commercial when I was in high school. Most of these songs I find annoying. A couple aren’t so bad, but generally, not my thing. Just realized the ones I like are covers of older songs, so…yeah.

Didn't finish is

Fav Song: Tainted Love

Meh, too slow, nothing too good for me. I had forgot they sing tainted love, but then again, not a big fan of that song either so it makes sense.

Tainted Love. Natürlich das bekannteste hier.

Pari leiskautusta mutta levyn loputtua päälimmäinen fiilis oli helpotus

Tainted love does not a good album make. Songs Searching for a melody.

Tainted love. Don’t dig the rest of the album.

gayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

Tainted Love sandwiched between a bunch of songs I absolutely hated.

Naur I don’t wannna bf said it was booty butt

Didn’t make it through the whole thing. Not for me.

I've heard the song Tainted Love many times in my life with no idea where it came from or who it was by. Now I now that it is on the same album as a song called Sex Dwarf where there are what I presume to be alien sex sounds. I'm so sick of this album, I just want it to be over. I don't want to listen to it anymore and not even Tainted Love can save it. At least Sex Dwarf was interesting but a lot of these songs are just bad. I'm sick of the same synth sounds and I'm not convinced this guy can sing.

Yeah Tainted Love was fun, but it's still a one hit wonder, and a cover. The rest of this album sounds like a high school student from drama club that found a Casio keyboard. Just woeful.

Ritmos e sonoridades interessantes e dançantes mas totalmente e irreparavelmente arruinadas por vocais horríveis e letras péssimas. Uma pena. Algumas canções parecem paródias dos mais toscos Pops da década de 80. Disco descartável, no máximo, uma curiosidade do que já foi considerado aceitável em um tempo mais obscuro. Prefiro manter no passado mesmo. 1.5/5

i can think of at least 4 things wrong with that title. not digging this. a song called sex dwarf shouldn't be this bad. or maybe it's appropriately named idk. dnf

The one star is for Tainted Love, the rest is unbearable garbage.

Nah

Never heard the rest of this album besides Tainted Love and… well now I know why. Not even tainted love can redeem this slop.

Other than Tainted Love, this album is forgettable.

I just don’t get this at all. Not for me

Everything I hate about my generation’s music can pretty much be summed up with this album. Pop/Disco revamp, the coming out party for simplistic gay nightclub crap. The cocaine 80’s were no joke, and this type of shite could not be avoided. Not easy as a hard rock and punk fan around Denver in the 80’s. Wading thru clubs with new wave twinks high as fuck, swaying to this ear-splitting drivel, spoils my good memories of the age. Just to be clear: Fuck no, not for me.

This is truly awful. Cocaine is a helluva drug.

All synths and drum machines with no actual musical ability present. Cringe-inducing lyrics that rely on the type of rhymes you’d see in a 3rd grader’s poetry.

55

오글거리고 짜증난다

One hit wonders som kun har suksess med en cover er gjerne et eget nivå av dritmusikk.

Yeah this sucks. Couldn’t finish. RYM: N Saved a song: N

I didn’t enjoy this very much. Besides “Tainted Love” which is obviously a great song, these songs range from silly(“bedsitter”) to creepy (“sex dwarf”, “seedy films”) to annoying (“chips on my shoulder”).

Nah, never was a soft cell fan - it does absolutely nothing for me. Almost non-music to me

It's almost amazing how bad every other song is compared to Tainted Love. I don't have any creative takes, this is bad. No one needs to subject themselves to this before they die.

What in the sex dwarf is this piece of crap!!?

Nul Le côté "ahahahaa on est provocateur on parle de sex avec des nain ahahaah comment on est originaux ahaha" m'énerve Les sonorités de l'album me gonflent, j'étais pas fan de tainted love mais c'est la seul chanson qui tient la route, le reste est fade et sans intérêt avec des paroles pénibles. Il y a peut être qq chose que je n'ai pas compris dans l'album mais en tout cas à la première écoute j'ai passé un très mauvais moment Je le met honnêtement au même niveau de sonorités que les shaggs qui elles au moins on essayer de faire qq chose Un album que je ne considère pas comme un must listen dans votre vie

So difficult to listen to. I cant. One-hit wonder band, where the hit song is a cover.

I did not realize how bad this disco band who tried to sound like the cure was. Sexy Dwarf and similar songs were poorly written and offensive.

Tainted Love is the only thing saving this from being a 1.

I wanted a comedy album with some okay tunes. This wasnt that. It tried to be funny so bad but it hit me with so mutch nothing. The popular songs hit hit everything else just doesnt. I have had sutch a non reaction from any album. Wow.

Didn't like what I heard at first, or at the end

I don't know why this week I have been given so many Synthpop classics but I guess I am here for it to finally check them off the list. As much as I wish I could enjoy this project and appreciate it on the same level as many others here, I am not going to sit here and lie about how much I enjoyed this. Out of the past Synthpop classic albums I have covered, this one seems to have aged the most like milk with its' very over the top theatrics really becoming a bit of burden to myself. I appreciate the energy on display here, but if it was backed up by some actual quality then I would be much more into it, instead we have a bunch of rough trial and error styles tracks with the one titular hit most people continue to talk about for years with Tainted Love. There are some tracks here with production that feels so sloppy, like with Secret Life, that I am surprised anyone in the 80s even enjoyed the sound of it. Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is an utter mess of an album and that was even before this album got aged by 45 years of time. Nuff said.

Honestly quite a bad album, and the music I'd consider competent just was not my thing, too minimalist at times, way too repetitive, pretty boring and a lot of the time irritating.

One hit wonder 1/5

I thought sex dwarf would be fun, but I don't like this album at all

Another 80s mediocre album. There's not much to say about this one except that the lyrics were extremely corny and the synths were bad. Sex Dwarf did not need to be 5 minutes long, there no standouts at all on this album except for maybe tainted love, don't waste your time on this record.

Diabolical. Genuinely hate Tainted Love now and can never see it the same after trying to get through this album. Awful beyond measure

Seedy Films is by far the stupidest song i have ever heard. I know that sounds pretty histrionic, but I really can’t think of a more cringe inducing aural experience. You’ve heard Tainted Love so many times it has lost all its charm, and everything else is soulless drivel. Except Sex Dwarf. It is everything a song with a title like SexDwarf promises to be.

Not that great. Their big hit song I believe is a cover first of all and the rest of the album is pretty mid. I didn’t mind seedy films but the rest is kinda trash nah this is a skip save your time for me!

I’ve always hated this. Still do as it turns out.

Wank music, not the sort you tug to, just wank content that's dates badly I'm afraid.

Tainted love was okay, the rest was awful.

This was electronic in a way I really didn’t enjoy. The vocals felt disconnected from the music, which was also jarring and unpleasant. Sex Dwarf was truly awful. Favorite song: Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

I did not like this at all. "Tainted Love" was the only song I was familiar with, and that was okay. It's a 2.5 minute song and that was about how much time I wanted to spend here. I used to say that I hated 80's music, that was silly, but this vibe is exactly why I said it.

2 very good songs and 16 miserable ones. This was a challenge.

This is the album one buys after hearing the radio song. They take it home and excitedly drop the needle. They suffer through track one, and then track two plays. “Great! This is why I bought this!” says our dear friend the consumer. Slowly (but surely) they find themselves full of regret, buyers remorse and shame that they were once fooled again by one catchy tune….

I assessed a two-star penalty for "Sex Dwarf." Then I realized I couldn't go to -1.

Soft shit by Soft Cell Brit pop at its worst, a lot to dislike about this album. Even their “hit” cover song “Tainted Love” has not aged particularly well, Manson’s more recent version outduels it.

Where to start. Horrible out of tune vocals. Pitiful lyrics. Total lack of talent. Single hit is a cover. Unnecessary long suffering. It can only be understood as a parody, but apparently it is not. 2/10

Tainted Love ist natürlicb unbestritten, aber der Rest des Albums fühlt sich sehr anstrengend an.

Tainted Love almost brought this to a 2 but it's a cover so I am not letting the one good song on this save it from a 1. Also, Sex Dwarf, lol but what in the actual fuck

Yeah this was written by some horny dudes alright. The beats and melody generally remind me of what I think a cheap strip club would be like. On this album you’ll enjoy brilliantly written lyrics such as: “I was born, one day I’ll die” and “sex dwarf (sex dwarf), mmmmm sex dwarf.” The post-nut clarity will go crazy

For noe absolutt dritt. værste jeg har hørt

bye

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

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

Not my thing at all

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

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.

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

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

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

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

One song.

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.

Got bored after 3 songs

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

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

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

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

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

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 star is for Tainted Love

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

1. fruztration - 1 2. love - 1.5 3. filmz - 1 4. youth - 1 5. duuarf - 1 6. me - 1 7. chipz - 0 8. bed - 1 9. life - 1 10. hello - 1.5 11. go - 1.5 12. memorabilia - 1 13. girlz - 1 14. fun - 1 15. torch - 1.5 16. inzecure - 1 17. uuhat - 1 18. zo - 2