Soft Cell are an English synth-pop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. The duo consists of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball. The band are primarily known for their 1981 hit version of "Tainted Love" and their platinum-selling debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret.
Peter Mark "Marc" Almond is an English singer best known from the synth-pop/new wave duo Soft Cell and for his distinctive soulful voice and androgynous image. He has also had a diverse career as a solo artist. His collaborations include a duet with Gene Pitney on the 1989 UK number one single "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart". Almond's career spanning over four decades has enjoyed critical and commercial acclaim, and he has sold over 30 million records worldwide. He spent a month in a coma after a near-fatal motorcycle accident in 2004 and later became a patron of the brain trauma charity Headway.
Marc and the Mambas were a new wave group, formed by Marc Almond in 1982 as an offshoot project from Soft Cell. The band's line-up changed frequently, and included Matt Johnson from The The and Annie Hogan, with whom Almond worked later in his solo career.
"Tainted Love" is a song composed by Ed Cobb, formerly of American group the Four Preps, which was originally recorded by Gloria Jones in 1964. Renowned session musician and virtuoso guitarist Glen Campbell played lead guitar. It attained worldwide fame after being covered and reworked by British synth-pop duo Soft Cell in 1981 and has since been covered by numerous groups and artists. A version by Impedance reached #14 on the Canadian Dance charts, April 14, 1990.
Mutant Moments is the debut EP by synthpop duo Soft Cell. Only 2000 copies were pressed, originally by Big Frock Records, then later by a Japanese fan club, making the record extremely rare and prized by collectors and fans alike. The duo, who attended Leeds Metropolitan University, originally developed a cult following with their performances which routinely included bizarre sexual imagery and visuals representing sexual themes. Some examples include instances where singer Marc Almond would smear his body with cat food, simulate sexual intercourse with a full-length mirror, or appear onstage in drag.
Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is the debut studio album by English synth-pop duo Soft Cell, released on 27 November 1981 by Some Bizzare Records. The album's critical and commercial success was bolstered by the success of its lead single, a cover version of Gloria Jones's song "Tainted Love", which topped the charts worldwide and became the best-selling British single of 1981. In the United States—as a result of the single's success, the album had reported advance orders of more than 200,000 copies. The album spawned two additional top-five singles in the UK: "Bedsitter" and "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye".
Non Stop Ecstatic Dancing is a 'mini' or 'remix' album by English synth-pop duo Soft Cell, released in the United Kingdom in June 1982, by Some Bizzare Records. In addition to remixes of the group's older material, it included a brand-new track, a cover of Judy Street's 1966 song "What", which reached number three on the UK Singles Chart. In some territories the album was released as an EP.
Mari Macmillan Ramsay Wilson is a British pop and jazz singer. She is best known for her 1982 UK top-10 hit single "Just What I Always Wanted" and her 1960s image complete with beehive hairstyle.
The Art of Falling Apart is the second full-length album by the English synth-pop duo Soft Cell, released in 1983.
Live is a live album by Soft Cell. The album was released on 7 October 2003 and was recorded throughout Spring 2003 in Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, London and Brussels during the group's tour in support of the album Cruelty Without Beauty.
The Singles was the first compilation album to be released by Soft Cell. The album was issued on vinyl, cassette and CD in 1986 and features all their singles, from the albums Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing, The Art of Falling Apart and This Last Night in Sodom, with the exception of 'A Man Can Get Lost', 'Where Did Our Love Go?' & 'Barriers'. The CD booklet included a November 1986 essay by Tony Mitchell.
Memorabilia – The Singles is a compilation album of songs by the British singer/songwriter Marc Almond, both as a solo artist and with his partner Dave Ball as the synthpop duo Soft Cell. It was released in 1991 and reached number eight in the UK Albums Chart. The album was promoted by the singles "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye '91" and "Tainted Love '91".
Say Hello to Soft Cell is a compilation album by Soft Cell. The album was released in 1996 by Spectrum and collects singles, album tracks and b-sides. It is also notable for the inclusion of A Man Can Get Lost, formerly previously available only on 7" vinyl single and unavailable on CD, until subsequent releases corrected this. The four-page booklet contains a brief biography by Marc Almond.
The Twelve Inch Singles is a compilation album by Soft Cell. The original 1982 release was as a vinyl box set containing the group's first six twelve inch single releases, along with an 8-page booklet. It was rereleased as an expanded three compact disc set in 1999, with a slightly revised version reissued in 2001.
The Very Best of Soft Cell is a greatest hits album by English synth-pop duo Soft Cell. It was released on 16 April 2002 by Mercury Records, Universal Music TV and Some Bizzare Records. The album includes most of the duo's singles, as well as B-sides, such as "Insecure Me" and "It's a Mug's Game". The song "Numbers" was considerably shortened for this release, while its AA side "Barriers" was omitted. Two new songs, "Somebody, Somewhere, Sometime" and "Divided Soul", and two brand-new remixes of "Tainted Love" and "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" were also included. The album reached number 37 on the UK Albums Chart.
This is the discography of Soft Cell, a British synthpop duo consisting of Marc Almond and Dave Ball who rose to prominence in the early 1980s. The duo broke up in 1984 after releasing four albums, but reunited in the early 2000s for a series of live dates and released an album of new material in 2002. The group reunited again in 2018 for a final farewell concert, accompanied by a host of musical and video releases, including a career-spanning box set and a single.
The following list details the discography of the British independent record label, Some Bizzare Records. The label is notable for hosting such artists as Soft Cell, The The and Marc Almond. The discography is broken down into different media type sections.
Untitled is the first studio album by the British singer/songwriter Marc Almond's band Marc and the Mambas. It was released by Some Bizzare in September 1982.
"Tears Run Rings" is a 1988 song by English musician Marc Almond from his 1988 album The Stars We Are.
"What" is a song and single written by H. B. Barnum, performed by Melinda Marx and released in 1965. Marx, daughter of Groucho Marx was a reluctant pop singer and the high notes on "What" found her straining. She recorded only one further single before leaving musical performing which had been foist upon her by her father.
