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September 16, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The 1001 Albums Challenge # 88: Soft Cell – “Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret”

I think the theme for any of the albums I hear for the first time in this challenge across the years 1980-84 is going to be that I know about the artist, even quite like the artist, but given my age I’m familiar with the radio hits and I only ever explored further by following later material or getting a career-covering compilation.

That’s certainly the case here. I know Soft Cell and even people that don’t know Soft Cell know their extraordinary reinvention of Tainted Love; well, some may still not know it’s a cover. But they know the song at least.

Some even know that David Gray, perhaps oddly, covered a Soft Cell song.

Well, I know Soft Cell only via a greatest hits comp of singles. Bloody good it is too – but I didn’t listen further. I’ve continued to check in on Marc Almond but I hadn’t ever heard this, the group’s debut album.

And it’s a masterpiece of the synth-pop movement/era. An all-killer/no-filler classic.

So I’m glad I got to it. Just a few years late…

I’m going through the book, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, and playing all of the albums I haven’t (previously) heard. It’s a pointless goal, but it’s my goal…

Posted in Blog, Miscellany and tagged with # 88, 1001, 1001 Albums, 1980s, 1981, David Ball, Eighties, Marc Almond, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, Soft Cell – “Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret”, Soft Sell, Synth, Synth-Pop, Tainted Love, The 1001 Albums Challenge, The 1001 Albums Challenge # 88, The 1001 Albums Challenge # 88: Soft Cell – “Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret”. RSS 2.0 feed.
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