Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret

first listen Tainted Love is fire but the rest sounds soooo similar

Pretty bad, with a few exceptions.

so 80s its painful some of the songs are chill but the big two (tainted love and where did our love go) stand out

I weirdly loved this, it's almost a 5star album, but I'll listen to it when I'm in a different mood and think about this again

Cult synth pop album Incredibly modern sound.

Fun album to listen to. Will definitely check it out again.

I can see why Tainted Love was their only big song

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

The 80s guys. Cocaine is a hell of a drug.

Not my favorite but I appreciate it

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

Why Tainted Love is by far the standout from this album/band, this was a great listening experience.

One hit wonder

More than just a one hit wonder, the rest of the album has some solid 80's new wave songs, and sticks to a fairly consistent vibe. Interesting juxtaposition of depressing themes and upbeat music. I give this 3 adult VHS tapes out of 5. 📼 📼 📼

Tainted love

Whoa! That was certainly unique! Refreshing in the middle of a streak of some albums that have been on the duller side. Wins some favor just because of that. This album has a true personality and concept, although a very, very quirky one. There are some true underrated gems here (I particularly enjoyed the "Entertain Me" to "Secret Life" streak). "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" was hard to get through, as were a few of the tracks. Tainted Love and Where Did Our Love Go, the covers, are stellar as expected. Album lose points for length, it's maybe longer than it needs to be.

Tainted love. 3 I don't even know why Tainted Love got so popular. 2 If its not horrible to listen to the lyrics are absolutely vile 1 Hmmm this is fucked 2 3

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!

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

Luka je u pravu ovo je jako dobar album

a ne jok se ne osjete 80e na ovom albumu. taj synth-pop je očito zvuk koji je narastao u tom desetljeću. dost dobar album, nisam očekivao da će mi bit bolji od trojke. Vjerujem da ću se čak i vratit koji put na ovaj album, ali ovaj puta u noćnom periodu.

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

fuck me this is a terrible album. I guess they were a one hit wonder with tainted love?

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.

I didn't expect to like this much, based on the two singles I knew (Tainted Love and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye). But it was surprisingly weird, and also very innovative for a pop record at the time. There were a few real dud tracks (Frustration and Youth) and some forgettable ones. I especially liked Seedy Films, Sex Dwarf, Chips on My Shoulder, and Bedsitter, all were every transporting to what must have been a very strange but exciting time in London. Not sure if I'll revisit this often, but so much of the music I listen to was obviously influenced by it. I don't think we would have gotten Nine Inch Nails without this album, so it gets 4 for innovation!

Not a single redeeming quality

Every time I think I might feel like I’m getting into it they do something to remind me I’m really not

The older I get the more I get into new wave and synth. I dug this.....Sex Dwarf

Imma be honest. Other than tainted love I was not feeling the first half of this album. Then came say hello, wave goodbye. That was artistic brilliance. Unfortunately, no other song came close to giving me downstairs tingles like say hello. That song is a virus and I’m in love with the infection.

Tainted love is fire of course but that’s the only thing saving this album from being a two. It’s boring, needlessly sexual, and not something I’ll return to

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

Not a bad synth pop / dance album that has as its main theme sexuality and the sex trade. Tainted Love is the Big Hit but I quite enjoyed other songs such as Sex Dwarf, Seedy Films, Youth and Bedsitter. The sound is a little "stuck in the '80s" but not is a terrible way. 3 stars

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

It's ok. Kinda all over the place in quality. There's about 3 good songs, one of which is the essential 80's Playlist entry: Tainted Love. There's some meh stuff that is just there and then there's a couple tracks that area bit annoying. A 3 I guess.

In the seedy underbelly of England is debauchery, degeneracy, destitute characters who want terrible things. Beware, it's all the greatest sins to tempt man and woman alike: immoral sex, junky drugs, more innocuous sex, man there's just so much sex. Soft Cell invites you to dim the lights and feel skin on skin through synthpop sensibilities. It's what synthpop was made for, frankly. It's perfect 80's sleeve, with the intense Tainted Love showing off the album's strongest elements. Other songs are less serious and sort of take away from the potential power of this album (looking at you, Sex Dwarf). The overall product is pretty fun, but nothing quite compares to the first two tracks. At times, the album has good ideas that have amateurish execution.

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

This is the debut album from English synth-pop duo Soft Cell. The album's popularity and successful release was boosted by the universally praised lead single - a cover version of "Tainted Love" - that topped charts worldwide. Although I had never heard of this duo or album before, I had heard and loved "Tainted Love". The rest of the album is a mix of a wonderful collection of synthesized new wave pop music, that will have everyone bouncing to the beats, and a few tracks that don't quite hit the mark compared to their bangers. These are some classic 80's hits! Overall, this was an awesome album and I'm glad I finally got around to listening to it. I highly recommend!

VERY Eighties. Some great tracks and it's a fun listen, but as a whole it's either aged badly or it's not my bag.

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

Some parts good some parts bad

That was fun and without any duds.

Nice synth pop classic album

This is a fun album. It is also an absolutely terrible album where I often genuinely wondered how on earth Soft Cell recorded, let alone released, these tracks. On 'Youth', Marc Almond can't hit a single note even if his life depended on it. The only bearable moments are 'Tainted Love', 'Seedy Films', and the closer 'Say Hello, Wave Goodbye'. Having sung and danced countless times in my life to 'Tainted Love', I've wondered why I hadn't dived deeper into their discography. Now I know why.

I feel fru-fru-fru-fru-frustration listening to this. How is this a serious record!? The lyrics sound as if improvised a lazy afternoon. The production is equally lazy and just plain boring. Also Almond's vocals are horrendous. He almost seems to deliberately avoid hitting any tones on the entire record. This is the sound of the high school singer you all applauded out of pity and then talked about behind his back. Imagine being this bad and still have the courage to release "Sex Dwarf".

Obnoxious, sleazy, funny, dark, quirky and kitsch. And a bonus-point for Sex Dwarf, the absolute highlight of this album.

Album has the New Wave hits "Tainted Love" and "Where Did Our Love Go?". Long album but great listen. 7/10.

Everything was terrible except the Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go? combo. If I heard Spinal Tap singing Sex Dwarf I would have liked it, but the fact that it wasn't a parody is disturbing. Considering that this was probably a pretty influential album, and there were occasional interesting non-lyrical moments, I can add half a star but that's the best I can do. 1.5 stars.

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

Awful.

Very 80s not everything is my speed but some great single songs on here incl say hello, wave goodbye

I have some fun memories with this album. Soft Cell was one of my Dads favourites so this got a lot of airtime for me growing up. This year in the dead of winter Kayla and I got snowed in a Montreal apartment so we spent the afternoon flipping through an 80's record collection and we had a ton of fun dancing to this record. Tainted love is a timeless classic. For some reason I always wanna listen to Smalltown Boy by Bronski beat or Temptation by Heaven 17 immediately after. The electronic beat in Sex Dwarf is soooo amazing and I kinda love how its paired with some of the heaviest handed hilariously cringe lyrics of all time. Overall the album feels like a really unsexy dude trying to be sexy OR its some kind of parody thats going Over my head. Either way theres a few bangers on this record and a few duds Standout Tracks: Tainted Love, Sex Dwarf

This is exactly the style of 80s synth music I go for. It's pop, but at the same time has this dark, almost industrial undercurrent running throughout. It's the kind of sound you feel like you need to take a shower after listening to. It is held back a bit by slower tracks like "Seedy Films", "Youth" and "Secret Life" which have not aged as well as the rest, and it gets a bit repetitive by the end despite its short run time. "Sex Dwarf" definitely isn't for everyone, but I find it hilariously tongue-in-cheek. Overall, the album is an enjoyably seedy listen. Standout tracks: "Frustration", "Tainted Love", "Sex Dwarf", "Entertain Me" and "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye"

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

Weird

This one surprised me. A few songs were old favorites, but some new good songs and the original of a song I didn't know was a cover.

It's pop, but it's sleazy, and it's highly dance-able thanks to the two Northern Soul covers.

This sounds like punk like singing with synthesizers. It has one good song "Chips on my Shoulder". I don't think synth music is my jam.

Of course we all know their cover of Gloria Jones’ “Tainted Love.” “Frustration” was my high school anthem, angsty line after angsty line. Soft Cell’s simultaneous punk and disco sensibilities make for the ideal new wave album. “Seedy Films” is a kind of funny one, another I listened to nonstop (erotic cabaret!) in high school. I think what’s special about this album is the not-a-hair-out-of-place layering and general attitude. I’m thinking of the girls giggling on Seedy Films, and of course the BEEP BEEP of Tainted Love. I really love the first few songs until “Entertain Me,” which is fun but a little aimless. Overall, this record has such an infectious frenetic energy and I’d want to hang out with the singer. I find most of the songs pretty relatable, which isn’t often the case with dancey pop records. This is likely due to Soft Cell’s punk edge which is a necessary ingredient for their unique musical personality. I’m gonna give this record a 4 because, while many of the songs are a bit samey (as is the case with using basically the same drum track), this record has a cohesive sound and creates a very specific atmosphere indicative of its spot on this list.

Tainted Love is one of the best songs ever! The rest is pretty good.

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.

I love myself some 80s synthpop. Having said that, I don't really like this album. The songs are just not there; the arrangements are fine, but there hardly is any good hook or melody. Tainted Love being one of the most overplayed 80s songs in history doesn't help. Some tracks are listenable, but the resulting song collection is very uneven and mixed. 2.5/5

Very well! Sexy and dancy! 10\5

These guys are horny

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.

Sex Dwarf!!! Not too bad

I love this

Tanted love é famosa

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.

Some songs are good but the highlight is the cover which is never a good sign. However, fine lil bops. Fun fact: I actually have a Soft Cell stick of rock that I haven’t eaten yet and have left at work for at least 12 weeks now.

Some fun lyrics here and there, and the Tainted Love cover is great, but otherwise this kind of sucked. Just really annoying synths and pretty awful vocals on the whole

p475. 1981. 4.5 stars The sordid pale white underbelly of early 80s Britain disguised beneath brilliant electropop. Like or loathe him, Marc Almond has a terrific voice and sharp lyrics, whilst Dave Ball is simply a musical genius. At it's best this is brilliant - Youth and Say Hello Wave Goodbye are highlights, and it was a stroke of brilliance to tempt in the casual listener with Tainted Love, which proves that you can cover a song and make it your own. Set against that, some of the tracks outstay their welcome, and Entertain Me is filler. Apart from that, you get sex, kinks, self loathing, emptiness, isolation, all within the hits. I feel like I need a shower after listening to this.

Tainted Love is such a great song but the rest of the album is hmm.

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.

Cheesy but fun. I wasn't really expecting anything else. I get occasional The Cure vibes from it, which was surprising. Love the bassline on Chips On My Shoulder. Obviously, Tainted Love is head and shoulders better than anything else here, but the whole album isn't as bad as I had feared it might be.

Never heard these guys before but I can hear this album just looking at the cover. And yep that is EXACTLY what it both looks and sounds like. It has a surprising amount of energy and enthusiasm for new wave. I just found out who does tainted love. And hahahaha there's a song called sex dwarf. 3/5 for just being so unashamedly annoying.

Definitely a worse singer than I thought he was, but Tainted Love is always a banger.

Meh

Vals gezongen toch leuk…

Real cool sound which brings even well know covers alive. Say hello, wave goodbye is one of my favourite songs of all time (the David gray version)

Bit too long

Electro pop goodness… this is very of its time. Good tunes!

Very unique sound, very 80s!

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

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

I didn’t think I would like this album (minus the opportunity to hear Tainted Love for the first time in a long time), but it was actually pretty fun. Some of it (like Sex Dwarf) made me real uncomfortable, but for the most part - good stuff.

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

Their version of "Tainted Love" slaps and slaps hard. If we were only rating that song, this thing is a 5 with a bullet. It's such a great version that few realize that Tainted Love is actually a cover. But the rest of this is something of a snooze. There seem to be some blue prints for the Pet Shop Boys sprinkled throughout. But as the kids would say, there's no THERE there. Props, I guess, for making their take on Tainted Love the definitive version. One HIT wonders don't belong on this list. I'd rather the list made room for a One ALBUM wonder, like The Knack's "Get The Knack". Now that's an album with songs that live up to (and some would say surpass) their one hit (My Sharona).

2.5/5

Wederom een echte 80s beat met bekende keyboard geluidjes. De band is natuurlijk bekend van nummer 2 op het album "Tainted Love" maar de rest is ook goed te luisteren, vooral "Sex Dwarf" :-). Helaas geen album vol met hits, dus daar blijft het dan ook bij. ***

I like the music but not the singers voice or vocal style. Tainted love is a banger. I'm not a huge fan of 80s electronic music. It sounds dated and cheesy.

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

Very 80s. Very weird. Loved it and hated it at the same time?

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

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

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

Not a fan then. Not a fan now.

3.5/5 I quitte liked the sound, sounds a bit ahead of their time. For me the album could have been shorter. After a while I was done with it. Overall not bad! Favourite songs: - Tainted love - Say hello, wave goodbye - Torch

frustration-not a big fan of the beat or production and nothing really stands out to me. tainted love-i love. it’s a classic. what more can i say? seedy films-okay this definitely must be the experimental genre. lots of interesting sounds. this lyrics aren’t anything special but the production sounds unique and whatever instrument is in the background sounds cool. sax? youth-lots of synths? the production feels a lot more bland to me but the lyrics are more meaningful or maybe it’s just because i’ve been paying attention now. sex dwarfs-wow that’s a really cool beat. okay this one really caught my attention. it’s definitely been one of the most upbeat ones. wait i’m sorry what am i hearing in the background 😀… i’m uncomfy… now i’m not really sure what to think. on one hand it’s one of the more interesting ones but also… what are the background noises… entertain me-i think i’ve heard this chorus before somewhere. super upbeat, it’s nice. chips on my shoulder-upbeat and interesting beat + production but it feels repetitive. bedsitter-this one is interesting but it avoids sounding too repetitive which i really appreciate now. aspects of the production remind me of the strokes so maybe i’m biased in my review of this song. secret life- i like that they included a piano in this song and the transition from the last one was good. woah the chorus is good. i think this is one of the standouts so far. say hello, wave goodbye- either i’m warming up to their style of music or their songs are progressively getting better as the album progresses. i love the chorus. i would definitely listen to this song outside of this challenge. where did our love go?- this gives old rock and roll vibes with a hint of tainted love. memorabilia- the change in beat scared me. i’m not sure if i’m not too much of a fan of it. the bass line is cool though. facility girls- the xylophone gives me nursery rhyme vibes. it’s kind of repetitive and the lyrics are kind of boring. fun city- i just realized how long each of the songs are. no wonder the album is so long. it’s definitely better than the last one but still not captivating, maybe it’s one of those things that gets better the more you listen? i feel like it would be. torch-i like the production. i feel like parts of this could go viral on tiktok. sometimes gives bo burnham vibes. insecure me-SAX SOLO i love!! i also love the beat. this is one of the ones i like more in the album. what?-i really like this one too. it has a tropical sounding beat and has a note change in the melody i love at the end of the chorus. this is also one of my favorites. so-cool beat and would make for a strong ending but i’m two minutes in and no one has sang, maybe they just want to let their production shine? regardless i like it. this album screams 80s from the beats to synths. the sound definitely grew on me and the album for the most part got better as it progressed. i would give it a 3.5 or maybe a 4 if i’m feeling generous. my favorite songs were tainted love, secret life, wave hello/say goodbye, insecure me, and what?

Imagine the pitch here. "Yeah, it's two dudes with a couple synthesizers, a drum machine, and expansive amorous interests. I think they'll fit in great here at 'Some Bizarre Records'!" The synth-pop sound that these guys brought into being with this album, is surprisingly rich and diverse. While I do think the album could stand to be a handful of tracks lighter, there are quite a few highlights. Obviously, 'Tainted Love'. Secondly, lyrical subject matter aside, 'Sex Dwarf' is a far better track than the name suggest. And lastly, I really enjoyed 'Memorabilia', which I swear LCD Soundsystem's sound is directly descended from.

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

nope

Tecno

Tainted Love is killer but the rest just kinda fades into nothingness. Not bad, though, but just there.

Excellent album. 9/10

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.

Well I liked this album it had some good dogs that were appealing on first listen. Didn't really listen to the lyrics but every so often a provocative line or two would present itself enough to raise an eyebrow and make me think a second listen where I pay more attention to the lyrics is warranted. Lucky the music and the songs are inviting enough to make me want to do so. 3.5 🌟

Quintessentially 80s music. Tainted Love is a great track and album cuts like Sex Dwarf and Youth are decent too. Nothing bad but would rarely listen to by choice.

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

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!

3/5

The album that gave us (the cover of) Tainted Love - a sound of 1981 wrapped in tense, edgy synth tunes. All blatently on a budget - enjoy the video for 'Sex Dwarf' - whilst enjoying the lyrics! Fun, but that was my last listen

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

6/10

Pretty catchy. More songs to Soft Cell than I previously thought. Liked the vibe, catchy lyrics.

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

Surprisingly fun for a group that I had written off as a total one-hit-wonder. Not something I see myself coming back to very often, but it is a fun little album with some real gems in there.

Surprisingly strong album, considering the bursting out single of Tainted Love. Very diverse and enjoyable early electronic/synth sounds.

I’m realizing today that I never really wrapped my head around this album, since I purchased it on vinyl at the tender age of 12. That’s no surprise as I really wasn’t the target audience for it! But I can appreciate now that what Soft Cell was doing here was something really interesting and unique. The album brilliantly evokes this quality of seedy, world-weary decadence, with a pronounced undercurrent of pathos. Musically, the album is better than I remember it. The cold, crisp style contrasts beautifully with Marc Almond’s torchy, theatrical vocals. Almond is a really talented vocalist who can flip it on a dime from melodramatic to anguished in a way that is uncommon and almost more suited to musical theatre than to pop. Lyrically they go full-on camp in places, which is what makes the whole thing work. The gleeful lasciviousness of songs like “Sex Dwarf” and “Seedy Films” makes the sadness and disillusionment in “Youth” or “Say Hello” more heartfelt. "Tainted Love" is hands down one of the best songs of the 80s, if not the best. It blows the original out of the water (Apologies to Gloria Jones, but you know it's true). It's lurid, dripping with self-loathing and disillusionment, and oh so lovely. If you haven't heard it, seek out the extended version with "Where Did Our Love Go," which is sublime. “Say Hello, Wave Goodbye” is a bittersweet gem of a song and the other must-hear track on the album. Fave Songs: Tainted Love, Say Hello Wave Goodbye, Sex Dwarf, My Secret Life, Frustration

4.1 - High camp! Two gay British men surveying nightlife at the outset of the AIDS epidemic, with an unflinching eye towards its seedier side. It's a self-aware parody of pop music but done convincingly well. They're in the music scene but also clearly over it and above it. Standout tracks: "Sex Demon", "Tainted Love" (of course) and "Seedy Films."

Damn great 80s synth pop reminiscent of Depeche Mode. The tainted love remixes are a great bonus.

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

I mean, how can you go wrong with a record that has a song called “Sex Dwarf”? It’s more goodish than great. 3.5.

Grew on me immensely (amazing what multiple listens does for any album on this list ((except that stupid The White Album fuck the Beatles))). The synths are awesome and there's a great atmosphere to this album, but I do find a lot of the lyrics to be middling, except on Tainted Love, where everything just works. Already Saved: Tainted Love Saved After Listening: Frustration, Tainted Love (already saved), Entertain Me, Chips On My Shoulder, Say Hello Wave Goodbye*

Saved Prior: Tainted Love (also saved the Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go medley, but that's the deluxe version of the album) Off Rip: Secret Life, Say Hello Wave Goodbye Cutting Edge: Frustration Overall Notes: Opens well and closes well, but loses itself in the middle. 3.5 stars rounded down. ADORE Tainted Love though, one of my favorite songs of all time. Band is basically a worse version of Depeche Mode in my eyes.

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

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.

Not as fun as I thought it was gonna be, the singles are the best, but theres no dening their long reaching influence

How good is tainted love though

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

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

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

3.5

“Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret” by Soft Cell (1981) Send the kids out of the room. This is not because “Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret” is the least bit titillating, but rather because it is a wail against the dehumanizing effects of misdirected desire. It consists mostly of first person laments about the seemingly invincible bondage of lust. Not that lust is, according to these guys, offensive to God, or the good, or even nature, but that it is an offense against convention. And that is a social critique that didn’t last long. Cultural puppet masters in recent years have simply altered convention to (selectively) tolerate, and even weaponize lust. Soft Cell’s parody had a very short shelf life. So as an artistic expression, the album is weakened by lack of foresight and limited imagination. One could rightly ask these guys “What did you expect?”. We hear nice synth pop grooves, with mostly very plain melodies, sung by Marc Almond with adequate quality and power, giving the album an overall good sound, especially on a second listen. Soft Cell’s powerful cover of Gloria Jones’ 1964 flop “Tainted Love” is, of course, excellent (Although Marilyn Manson’s 2001 version is even better). It reinvigorates one’s belief in resurrection. There’s a very nice jazz clarinet performance by David Tofani on “Seedy Films”—just right for the mood. Saxophone wouldn’t cut it. This was one of several good production choices on this far better than average album. “Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret” depicts the banality of soulless sex. It invites the consideration that the climax of sex is not orgasm. It’s birth. 3/5 (almost a 4)

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.

Some good songs, obviously Tainted Love is a classic. Enjoyable overall, liked the slightly depressing tone

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.

Helt ok, lättlyssnat.

I've always liked the one hit (Tainted Love), let's see how the rest of the album plays. The whole album feels like a seedy 80s club full of neon lights. It's definitely a mood. Overall, not a great album, but not bad.

Tainted Love is obviously a classic and I also enjoyed a couple of other tracks, but the rest of it was fairly forgettable

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

This is the trashiest, worst album I’ve ever heard. Why did I give it the time of day? Why is it anywhere near this list? It sounds like someone got too ambitious with their GameBoy music maker and entered 10 songs into the Eurovision song contest and they all came in the bottom half of the semi-final. Tainted Love came like 4th place somehow. Thing is, hidden somewhere inside the horrible 80s production is an album using that very cold, ugly production style for a satire. It actually paints a picture of a time and a place and a mood. Chips on my Shoulder is basically a cover of Popcorn. Entertain Me is a bop, it should've been a bigger hit. Say Hello, Wave Goodbye left me feeling a bit empty but no-where near as cold as Tainted Love.

Entertainingly terrible yet tolerable. Hated this album and was ready to give it a 1 and then Sex Dwarf came on and it came alive. In all seriousness, there are a lot of musical building blocks which are still used in music today. The singer, however makes this awful and yet I still come back to see how bad it can really get.

This was a nice new wave surprise. Standouts "Seedy Films" "Youth" "Sex Dwarf" "Bedsitter" "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" and of course "Tainted Love"

rating: 4/10 best songs: tainted love

Definitely not for me.

I disliked this. Quite a bit. "Tainted Love" is of course fondly remembered, though I have to wonder, in the context of the rest of the album, how I would feel about "Tainted Love" if I heard it for the first time today with the rest of "Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret." I can't decide if Soft Cell is authentically presenting themselves (or at least an exaggerated version of themselves), or if this is all for show. Marc Almond wrote this stuff when he was in his early 20s... so why does he present the mid-life crisis of a 40-year-old middle class worker bee, and also the late 20s crisis of a bedsitter? "I have life/ I have cage/ I'm going bald/ I want to tell the world/ I've done nothing/ I've achieved nothing/ I work for a firm/ But I want to burn it down, down" and also "I think it's time to cook a meal/ To fill the emptiness I feel/ Spend my money going out/ I've nothing in I'm left without" So much discontentedness! Give these guys something to help them feel better about their life/the world! (They apparently got heavily into ecstacy in the next few years.) And then there's the entirety of "Sex Dwarf." I just can't. It's probably not serious? I mean, if that's your fetish, more power to you, as long as everyone is consenting and there's no problematic power imbalance. But was a whole song about it really necessary? This was an apparently positive review - Melody Maker magazine said "Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret... confronts clubland with its patchy past, rubs perspective in its pretty painted face and acts like it means nothing... Aggressively embarrassing, Cabaret is the brashest, most brilliant and least-caring indictment of pop music's bankruptcy I've ever heard. No compassion, no sorrow, no joy, it just faces facts and moves to the motions... Like traditional cabaret, the whole thing parodies true emotion and like the best subversive cabaret its shallowness makes those devalued emotions even more painful – the very real decadence of this album springs from its callous realisation of pop's impotency, and yet its bored resignation to the ritual." Brash and brilliant sound positive, but the rest? So it was just meant to be subversive? I guess it was, but lyrically and musically this did not do for me what other subversive music from psychedelic and punk rock have done.

One star for my daughter repeatedly asking me what a sex store is because of this album.

I couldn’t get past one song after tainted love, which my friend ryan used to call the BART song because that incessant beep sounded like the BART train horns. I like the song well enough. I remember there were two versions. The reasonably long enough version and then the long version that moved into where did our love go and sometimes the radio would play that one and it felt kind of special. But it turns out there’s a third version. And it’s about 20 minutes long, which is seventeen minutes and thirty seconds longer than most any song should be. This tells me (a) they think this is their best song and that it’s super good so they should just keep playing it forever and (b) consequently, the remainder of the album is likely G_d awful. The next song confirmed this, so I didn’t continue.

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.

not very memorable unfortunately

Hmm, is this really a good album or does it just have "Tainted Love" on it... UPDATE: Gave up at "Sex Dwarf" wtf is this shit lol

80s pop - Tainted Love is the star

Sexiest album ever made....

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

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

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.

Definitely NOT my genre of music!

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

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

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

Half great, half very dated.

SEX DWARF. i had just about had enough of marcs out of tune wailing and this happened. the album really should have been a 40min edit of sex dwarf.

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

This was cool back in the day. The sound is distinctive as are the vocals. I just think when you have a distinctive voice like this album can't be more than 45 min. Vinyl was great in this way since groovage creates an  absolute maximum (45 - 50 min - ish) that could be crammed on before it compromised the sound.  Of course if the LP was a 5 then I wouldn't complain about length but this isn't a 5 so it wore on me. --

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

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

I’ll give it a 6. Don’t think I’ll listen again but it was entertaining and had some cool synth sounds

didn't mind it minus some of the lyrics

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

acceptable

7/10. Honestly I enjoyed most of this. First song sucked, I don't know that I'd relisten to much of it, but kinda weird kinda fun

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

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

Música de los ochenta muy reconocida

Catchy, sample-worthy synth riffs, cool vocals & seedy, chuckle-worthy lyrics. I didn't own this album but I remember playing a cassette of Sex Dwarf to death in University. Side 2 (of the vinyl release) is really pumpin'. I'm saving it to my WahooKickr playlist. Quite a debut!

FUCKING AWFUL

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

Tainted love song

Entertaining, though surprisingly not very memorable aside from Tainted Love and Sex Dwarf… 7

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

I remember how huge Tainted Love was on the dance floor with its bleepy innovative beats. Sex Dwarf is also good but Say Hello Wave Goodbye is an underrated and excellent song that really showcases Marc Almond's voice.

Is that Pedro Pascal in this band? Nah, nevermind he'd never do something so middling that your best song is a cover of a better song.

7/10

Light good electronic music

Pegajoso, acelerado, el tipo de voz que identifico con los 80 (?) y tiene ese gran cover de "Tainted Love". Ahora me entero que igual esto puede ser new wave, pero bueno, para mi igual es pop ochentero, con sintetizadores particulares, con toda una algarabía. A veces suena como a un musical, me gustaron sobre todo "Frustration", "Sex Dwarf" y "Entertain Me". 8/10

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

wildddddddd

I thought Tainted Love was a song from the 2000's... So I guess they were very avant-garde...

A blast from the past. Worth listening to every few years.

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

Not the best New Wave I've ever heard, but not bad either.

great album

Nice

Not really my kind of thing, but there's some great pop going on, and "Tainted Love" is a karaoke monster! "Sex Dwarf" seems kinda questionable... huh, there's a video for it that was banned in the UK!? Fave track - "Entertain Me" - liked the flow of the lyrics in that one...

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

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.

Mixed feelings about this one. I really like 'Tainted Love' and maybe a couple other songs. I also like the musical aesthetic, how it treads this ground between dweeby and sophisticated. Struggled with some of the sadistic themes and lyrics. I was excited by the song 'Memorabilia' but then it went on about a minute and a half too long.

“Tainted love” and “say hello wave goodbye” are on this album; which are absolute classics. Quite a lot of filler tracks for me on this one but “sex dwarf” just made me laugh so hard I had to rate it higher.

This is the most 80s album I’ve heard in a while...

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

Similar reaction to I Do Not Want... By Sinead O'Connor I'd listened to the day prior: I feel like the best song and biggest hit on the album is the cover, because it's easily the best constructed song among the rest. It's a funny album and there are several high points but in a lot of places I found both the instrumental and vocal parts getting grinding my repetitive, the sexy lyrics aren't actually erotic (maybe not the intended point) and that schtick gets old quick.

No

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

I know of Tainted Love, which is probably one of my favorite 80s electronic-pop songs. Never heard the rest. It's uhhh a mix. Songs like Seedy Films and Sex Dwarf are thematically dumb. Instrumentally I like all that's going on, some of the vocals/noises are not great. I think I hate Sex Dwarf, haha. Don't want the sex noises and the phrase is kind of offensive. I guess it's based on a real headline the singer read. I am conflicted. Do I like it or hate it? Heard Where Did Our Love Go as a tail-end part of Tainted Love on some mixes.

Didn't finish is

tainted love and other good songs

Not sure how to feel about this one. There are some excellent/classic tracks on here, but this LP tiptoes dangerously between tongue-in-cheek and all-out cheese. When the balance is right things are enjoyable, but some of the later ballads strain patience.

It was a pretty average new wave album.

One hit wonder? No way.

Interesting beats but silly lyrics just made it old fast.

Fav Song: Tainted Love

It's a pretty fun bloopy album of synthy-bdsm songs. "Sex Dwarf" is perhaps one of the goofiest songs we've listened to so far during this. "Tainted Love" and "Frustration" elevate this album dramatically.

Woof. Pass. There are so many similar bands from this time that are more interesting.

A fun listen

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.

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

Homo-Erotic for sure... but still a bit better than what I expected.

one hit wonder? I wonder.

Tainted Love. Natürlich das bekannteste hier.

First 2 songs kill it but the rest of the album doesn't maintain the same energy. Lots of shock value in the content of the songs though i.e.sex dwarf.

I just couldn’t get into it. Wanted to enjoy it more than I did. I think they had a lot of sexy times whilst making this album

Pari leiskautusta mutta levyn loputtua päälimmäinen fiilis oli helpotus

Liked a couple of songs, sounds the same throughout. 1/5

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

Tainted loveeee

I didn't realize that Tainted Love was a cover. It makes sense, as the rest of the album is stylistically similar but less tight. Or maybe it's not, and there are untold depths. Maybe that possibility only occurs to me because of my affection for new wave. The melodies are catchy, the production is cheesy, and Sex Dwarf is truly raunchy. Puts certain ideas about the decline of pop music to bed, methinks.

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

Tainted love