Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret

Tainted Love was a late-summer hit in 1981 across most of the civilised world, and has completely eclipsed the Gloria Jones original. It's status now is iconic. It was released as a double A-side with Where Did Our Love Go? - the 12" moving sweetly from one song to the other. Soon after, Bedsitter was released, the first Ball/Almond composition to come to the attention of the record buying public. A better song about the ennui of a Sunday alone in, well, a bedsit has not been written.

The album was released to much critical acclaim and commercial success. Third single, Say Hello, Wave Goodbye, a Scott Walker-ish torch song about a man who falls for a hooker, cemented Soft Cell in the psyche of the nation and made them a favourite with those who liked their pop slightly more alternative.

The album has plenty of strong songs apart from the singles. Personal favourites are Secret Life and Youth, the latter still evoking in me the despair of the early 80's. Chips on My Shoulder and Entertain Me are chirpy froth, and of course Sex Dwarf has a video that has secured a place in pop infamy.

Buy it.

(And I didn't use the word 'sleaze' once.)


Life Changing   November 15, 2003
K. Tune
10 out of 11 found this review helpful

The first time I heard this album I was blown away. I was 13 and had heard little except Top40 pop and the Beatles ( this is in 1981 ). Frustration ( Track 1 ) was like nothing I'd heard before - angry, passionate - frustrated! I thought it summed up brilliantly the dis-satisfaction with suburban life.

But there was more to come. This album is just fantastic - and nearly all the tracks are memorable - ( maybe Entertain Me / Chips / Secret Life not quite up there with the rest ) - and on this album Soft Cell did something I think no-one had done before - making sleaze glamorous and exciting - Seedy Films was such an effective evocation of blue cinema that Soho clubs took to pumping it through their sound systems. Sex Dwarf is over the top and ironic - but has a real subversive edge - and Marc's sheer gusto keeps the song focussed and prevents it being what could be an oh so clever exercise in superciliousness.

At the same time this album contains brilliant pop songs - Tainted love needs no introduction, but I think it is bettered by Bedsitter with its superbly pithy lyrics - and Say Hello Wave Goodbye - my favourite song ever. It's big, it's passionate, it's a great tune - just wonderful.

And if all this isn't good enough there's a clutch of extras - Memorabilia - still sounding like a great cutting edge dance tune after all these years, What! and Torch - again one of the best songs ever written - a duet, a trombone solo and a tune to die for.