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Soft Cell are an English synthpop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. They consist of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball. The duo is most widely known for their 1981 worldwide hit version of "Tainted Love" and platinum^[1] debut Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret.^[2] In the UK, they had ten Top 40 hits, including "Bedsitter" (#4), "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" (#3), "Torch" (#2), and "What!" (#3), and also had four Top 20 albums between 1981 and 1984.^[3] The duo split in 1984, but reformed in the early 2000s to tour and released a new album in 2002. Their songs have been covered by various artists including Nine Inch Nails, David Gray, Nouvelle Vague, Marilyn Manson and A-ha.^[4] Soft Cell's track "Memorabilia" earned recognition for the band as pioneers of techno style.^[5] The duo have sold 10 million records worldwide.^[6]

History[link]

[edit] Mutant Moments and "Memorabilia"

Soft Cell was initiated during 1978 after Almond and Ball met at Leeds Polytechnic. Their initial efforts at recording resulted that year in an EP called Mutant Moments, which was funded by a loan of £2000 from Dave Ball's mother,^[7] and made with a simple 2-track recorder. This was released independently with only 2000 vinyl copies pressed and has since become a highly valued collectors item. Their early shows and EP caught the interest of certain record labels, such as Mute Records and Some Bizzare Records, both of which pioneered the new wave of synthesizer bands like Depeche Mode. Soft Cell's next recording, "The Girl with the Patent Leather Face", appeared as a contribution to the Some Bizzare Album, which featured then-unknown bands such as Depeche Mode, The The, and Blancmange. The duo ultimately signed to the Some Bizarre label, backed by Phonogram Records. Their first singles, "A Man Can Get Lost" 7" and "Memorabilia" 12" were produced by Daniel Miller, the founder of Mute Records. While "Memorabilia" was a success in nightclubs, Soft Cell remained essentially unknown.

"Tainted Love"[link]

After the chart failure of "Memorabilia", Phonogram Records allowed Soft Cell to record a second and final single in an attempt to score a chart success. The band opted to record a radically reworked cover version of "Tainted Love", an obscure 1964 northern soul track sung originally by Gloria Jones (the girlfriend of Marc Bolan at the time of his death) and written by Ed Cobb of The Four Preps.

Released in 1981, Soft Cell's "Tainted Love" was a No. 1 hit in 17 countries, including the United Kingdom, as well as a No. 8 single in the United States during 1982, and went on to set a Guinness World Record at the time for the longest consecutive stay (43 weeks) on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song's popularity developed slowly, needing 19 weeks to enter the U.S. Top 40. The A-side of the 12 inch single of "Tainted Love" actually featured a two-song medley, with "Tainted Love" blending into the Motown classic "Where Did Our Love Go" (originally recorded by The Supremes, also in 1964).

According to Marc Almond's book Tainted Life, Soft Cell had exited the "Tainted Love" recording sessions with only modest expectations that the track might break into the UK Top 50. Furthermore, Almond wrote that his only significant contribution to the song's instrumentation (besides the vocals) was the suggestion that the song begin with a characteristic "bink bink" sound which would repeat periodically throughout. Almond also wrote that he dedicated this song to his sometime partner Christian Andrews.

Usually, an artist releasing a cover version as a single would opt to write the song that appears on the B-side as this would still entitle the artist to some songwriting royalties stemming from sales of that single. However, as Soft Cell wrote neither "Tainted Love" nor "Where Did Our Love Go" (the 7" B-side track), they lost the opportunity to make a greater sum of money from songwriting royalties stemming from one of the most popular songs of the 1980s. Almond expressed regret for this in his book, and attributed the error to naïveté.

[edit] Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret

The duo's first album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, hit UK #5 and further explored the now-trademark Soft Cell themes of squalour and sleaze. "Seedy Films" talks of long nights in porno cinemas, while "Frustration" and "Secret Life" deal with the boredom and hypocrisy associated with suburban life. A companion video titled Non-Stop Exotic Video Show was released alongside the album and featured videos directed by Tim Pope. The video generated some controversy in Britain, mainly due to the scandal involved with the "Sex Dwarf" clip. The original version of the music video featured Almond and Ball in a bloody butcher shop surrounded by chainsaws, nude actors, and dwarves. However, the film was confiscated by police and censored before it was even released. As a tongue-in-cheek substitute, a re-filmed "Sex Dwarf" appeared in Non-Stop Exotic Video Show featuring Almond dressed in a tuxedo, directing a symphony orchestra of transvestites. A copy of the original "Sex Dwarf" can be found on Tim Pope's website.

During 1982, the duo spent most of their time recording and relaxing in New York City, where they met a woman named Cindy Ecstasy whom Almond would later confirm was his drug supplier (it was Cindy Ecstasy who introduced them to the new nightclub drug of the same name). The duo released a second album, a 6-track mini album entitled Non-stop Ecstatic Dancing which contained remixes of older material along with their new hit single "What!". Almond would later admit that the album was recorded and mixed under the influence of ecstasy.^[8] "What!" placed at number 101 in US Charts.^[9]

Decline and dissolution[link]

By 1983, fame and nearly constant drug use were having a bad effect on the duo. Marc Almond also formed the group Marc and the Mambas, featuring collaborations with The The's Matt Johnson and future Almond collaborator Annie Hogan, as an offshoot in order to experiment out of the glare of the Soft Cell spotlight. Soft Cell's third album release, appropriately titled The Art of Falling Apart, was a Top 5 hit in the UK but the singles were only modest successes. The duo once again generated some controversy when their second single from the album, "Numbers", was banned by the BBC due to references in the song to the drug speed. The album is highly esteemed by the leader of Nine Inch Nails Trent Reznor.^[10]

By 1984, the duo had amicably decided to end Soft Cell. They played farewell concerts at Hammersmith Palais in January, and released one final album called This Last Night in Sodom (UK #12). Headed by the duo's final single "Down In The Subway" (UK #24), the album departed from its predecessors by featuring more live drums and guitars than previous albums. However, the controversial subject matter still remained true to the Soft Cell ethos, with songs such as "L'Esqualita" that glamourized transvestite culture in Manhattan.

Solo years[link]

During Almond's solo years, he and Ball continued to communicate with each other. Dave Ball's ex-wife played violin in Marc Almond's solo band, though Almond and Ball did not work again together until 1990 when Ball remixed one of Almond's singles ("Waifs And Strays") and co-wrote and arranged some music for Almond's Tenement Symphony album in 1991. David Ball formed The Grid during 1990 with Richard Norris. The Grid ended in 1996, but reformed during 2005 and released an album during 2008 with the Some Bizzare company, named Doppelgänger.

Reunion[link]

Almond and Ball reunited as Soft Cell in 2001, with a series of live dates. They performed at the opening of the Ocean nightclub in London during March 2001, and a mini tour followed later in the year. The track "God Shaped Hole" featured on the Some Bizzare compilation titled I'd Rather Shout at a Returning Echo than Kid Someone's Listening, released during 2001. A new Soft Cell album, Cruelty Without Beauty, was released during late 2002, followed by a European tour and a small U.S. tour during early 2003. The new album featured their first new songs together in almost twenty years, including their 2003 single "The Night" (UK #39). Soft Cell had considered recording "The Night" in place of "Tainted Love" during 1981 as their frantic attempt to score a chart success. In a 2003 interview with BBC's Top of the Pops, keyboardist David Ball asserted, "I think history has kind of shown that we did make the right choice [in 1981]."

During August 2007, the band announced plans to release a remix album entitled Heat. The remix album was released in November 2008 and included Soft Cell tracks remixed by such acts as Paul Dakeyne, The Grid, Manhattan Clique, Cicada, Richard X, Ladytron, MHC, Atomizer, Mark Moore, Kinky Roland, Spektrum, George Demure, Yer Man, The Dark Poets and many more.^[11]

Covers and sampling[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

Due to its enduring popularity, Soft Cell's version of "Tainted Love" along with other songs from Non-stop Erotic Cabaret have been covered and sampled a number of times, including:

• A version from Argentine DJ and show host Clotta Lanzetta (who was later murdered ^[12]), now translated as, "Falso Amor."
• 1984 Coil covered "Tainted Love" as one half of the double A-Side Panic/Tainted Love. This record was the first ever AIDS benefit record and Marc Almond appeared in the video as "Death." Marc would also provide vocals on the group's next release Horse Rotorvator.
• 1991 Carter USM covered "Bedsitter" on the CD single of Bloodsport For All.
• 1992 Inspiral Carpets covered "Tainted Love" for the NME's Ruby Trax 3CD Box.
• 1994 Psyche covered "Sex Dwarf" on the Private Desires EP
• 1995 The Alternative rock group Shades Apart from New Jersey covered "Tainted Love" in the CD single of 1995 (Revelation 40 PR1)
• 1997 The German Heavy Metal Rock Group Atrocity covered "Tainted Love" on their full length cover album titled "Werk 80" and also featured it on the limited deluxe edition of "Werk 80 II" released in 2008.
• 1998 Leæther Strip covered several songs on the Anal Cabaret: A Tribute to Soft Cell EP.
• 1999 Australian punk/rockabilly band The Living End covered the song as a B-side for their single "All Torn Down".
• 1999 David Gray covered "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" on his album White Ladder.
• 2000 German techno band Scooter covered "Sex Dwarf" on their Sheffield album. Christian Death also covered the track on their 10th studio album with Valor Kand as frontman, "Pornographic Messiah."
• 2000 Industrial metal musician Betty X covered "Sex Dwarf" with producer Vincent Saletto and guitarist Bizz aka Bryce Bernuis (both formerly of the Genitorturers) on her EP Bad Side of Love.
• 2001 Glam/hard rock band Marilyn Manson covered the song on the album Not Another Teen Movie O.S.T. and Lest We Forget: The Best Of Marilyn Manson. It is also as a bonus track on The Golden Age of Grotesque.
• 2004 German techno producer Thomas Schumacher samples "Tainted Love" on his single Tainted Schall.
• Industrial band Nine Inch Nails covered the song "Memorabilia" in 1994 which appeared on the "Closer" single and on their 10th anniversary re-release of The Downward Spiral during 2004. They also covered "Sex Dwarf" live during the 1989 Pretty Hate Machine tour.
• 2005 Pussycat Dolls covered the Soft Cell version with "Tainted Love" and "Where Did Our Love Go?" combined as one song for their debut album, PCD.
• 2006 The main riff of Lil Scrappy's song "Money In The Bank" took samples from part of the beat of "Tainted Love."
• 2006 Rihanna extensively samples "Tainted Love" on the single "SOS" from her album A Girl Like Me. It became a #1 successful single all over the world.
• 2006 Psytrance producer Bulletproof samples "Tainted Love" on the vinyl EP Tainted Love.
• 2007 DJ Richard Grey samples "Tainted Love" on "Warped Bass." A speed garage single, the vocal version still features Marc Almond's vocals.
• 2007 Chicago electronic duo Microfilm do not cover Soft Cell, but name-check their album NonStop Erotic Cabaret (as well as NonStop Ecstatic Dancing) in the lyrics of their track "Non-Stop Dreaming;" Soft Cell were an influence on the original sound of Microfilm's early tracks.
• 2008 Gay protest singer Ste McCabe released a punk version of "Bedsitter" on his debut album "Hate Mail".
• 2009 Mexican Singer Fey used a sample of the song "Tainted Love" on her track "La Viuda Negra" included on her album Dulce Tentación
• 2009 The song "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" was covered by the French band Nouvelle Vague on their 2009 covers album 3.
• 2010 English pop band The Hoosiers covered "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" as a bonus track on the iTunes version of their album The Illusion of Safety.
• 2011 The Hoosiers included a cover of "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" as a regular track on their album Bumpy Ride.
• 2011 (The Scorpions). We can see a video on the homepage of the band playing a part of the song "Tainted love".

Discography[link]

Studio albums

• Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret (1981)
• Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing (1982)
• The Art of Falling Apart (1983)
• This Last Night in Sodom (1984)
• Cruelty Without Beauty (2002)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Dave Ball's Management Webpage
• Soft Cell singles list
• BBC Top of the Pops Interview
• Marc Almond's official site

James George Thirlwell (born 29 January 1960), (aka Clint Ruin, Frank Want, Foetus, along with many more nicknames), is an Australian singer, composer, and record producer. He emerged during the heyday of (and is sometimes associated with) No Wave and early industrial music^{[1] [2] [3]}, but because of his musical diversity he is perhaps more well known for juxtaposing a variety of different styles.

Biography[link]

Thirlwell was born in Melbourne, Australia. He briefly studied Fine Art at Melbourne State College (now part of the University of Melbourne) before moving to London, England in 1978, where he played with the post-punk band prag VEC and formed the first of his numerous musical projects, Foetus. In the 1980s, under the pseudonyms Clint Ruin and Frank Want, he contributed to various releases by Nurse With Wound, Marc Almond, The The and Nick Cave. He released his first 7" single, OKFM/Spite Your Face, in 1981, on his own Self-Immolation record label in his first incarnation as Foetus. Over the next few years, he would release two more singles, a 12" EP, and four full-length albums, Deaf, Ache, Hole (his first release on Some Bizzare Records) and perhaps his most seminal album from that period: Nail released in 1985. After visiting the United States during a live stint with the Immaculate Consumptive (Lydia Lunch, Nick Cave and Marc Almond) Thirlwell settled in New York, where he is still based. Since his move he has released several singles, fourteen EPs (including Stinkfist, with fellow New York artist Lydia Lunch and Thurston Moore), and seventeen full-length albums.

In addition to being a prolific artist in his own right, Thirlwell has remixed and produced numerous pieces for artists including Nine Inch Nails, Front 242, The The, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Marilyn Manson. He has also done voice-over work for MTV and other entities.

Since 2000 Thirlwell has become more active as a composer, having written commissions for Bang on a Can, League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots and Kronos Quartet, and scoring the Adult Swim cartoon The Venture Bros. He also revived his primary instrumental project, Steroid Maximus, and initiated a more experimental project in Manorexia. He continues to write and perform regularly as a solo artist and with various ensembles.

Aliases[link]

Throughout the span of his career, Thirlwell has toyed with his own identity by releasing music in the guise of numerous alter egos. During the earliest phases of his recording, Thirlwell's "groups" were composed of a plethora of fictional characters: Foetus Under Glass supposedly consisted of Frank Want, Phillip Toss and two Brazilian statistics collectors; Scraping Foetus off the Wheel was claimed to be the work of Want and Clint Ruin. Furthering the confusion, Thirlwell adopted these personas outside of his own recordings; for example, Frank Want can be found on The The's Soul Mining and on releases by Edwyn Collins's Orange Juice.

Thirlwell's persona of Clint Ruin was particularly notable. During the mid-1980s and early-1990s Thirlwell exclusively went by this pseudonym, even conducting interviews as Ruin. As Ruin, Thirlwell was a member of Wiseblood with Roli Mosimann and Flesh Volcano with Marc Almond. He also recorded two collaborative EPs with Lydia Lunch, and starred in and scored films of Richard Kern under the Ruin alias. Ruin is also credited on numerous releases for a variety of roles with Boss Hog, Coil, Fur Bible, Annie Hogan, Nurse With Wound, Pigface, Sonic Youth, Workdogs and others.

This practice seems to have been discontinued since 1995, and "J. G. Thirlwell" is credited on all subsequent musical recordings. However, Thirlwell currently makes DJ appearances under the pseudonym DJ OTESFU (an anagram of Foetus).

Music[link]

Thirlwell's music—released under his various project names of Foetus, Wiseblood, Steroid Maximus, Baby Zizanie, Manorexia and others—includes elements of punk rock, 20th century classical music, industrial music, big band, Americana, jazz, African and Cuban percussion, and epic/horror film soundtracks. Much of Thirlwell's aural output is built on a percussive, rock music-type structure, though to call it rock music would be inaccurate. His music employs elements of many genres: with an often frenzied aesthetic, Thirlwell's music combines percussion, strings, distortion, brass, electric guitars, electronic sounds and voice. Recurring lyrical themes include destruction, persecution, anxiety, abuse, incest, masochism, angst, self-destruction, self-abuse, lust, prejudice, murder, failure and machismo, often expressed using American colloquialism and black humour. J. G. Thirlwell is also a member of Freq out and the Freq out orchestra.

Musical projects[link]

• Foetus: Thirlwell's main project. From 1990 until 2010's 'Hide', most Foetus songs featured lead vocals. Though popularly known as simply "Foetus", Thirlwell released albums under diverse variations of the name, including: Foetus Art Terrorism; Foetus Über Frisco; Foetus Corruptus; Foetus In Excelsis Corruptus Deluxe; Foetus Inc.; Foetus Interruptus; Foetus Over Frisco; Foetus Under Glass; Philip and His Foetus Vibrations; Scraping Foetus Off the Wheel; The Foetus All-Nude Revue; The Foetus of Excellence; The Foetus Symphony Orchestra; and You've Got Foetus On Your Breath.

• Steroid Maximus: Primary instrumental project.
• Manorexia: Experimental instrumental project.
• DJ OTESFU: DJ work.
• Wiseblood: Collaboration with Roli Mosimann.
• Flesh Volcano: Collaboration with Marc Almond.
• Baby Zizanie: Collaboration with Jim Coleman.
• Garage Monsters: Collaboration with skater artist the P!zz. (Sympathy for the Record Industry)
• The Immaculate Consumptive: Touring ensemble with Lydia Lunch, Nick Cave, and Marc Almond
• The Venture Bros.: Musical score by Thirlwell.

Partial discography[link]

For full discographies of Foetus, Steroid Maximus, Manorexia, Wiseblood, Flesh Volcano and Baby Zizanie, see respective articles.

• Clint Ruin & Lydia Lunch: Stinkfist (EP, 1987)
• Garage Monsters: Powerhouse! (7" single, 1990). A cover of Raymond Scott's "Powerhouse" This recording was later credited to Steroid Maximus.
• Clint Ruin & Lydia Lunch: Don't Fear the Reaper (EP, 1991)
• Garage Monsters: Safari To Mumbooba! (10" single, 1992)
• J. G. Thirlwell: The Venture Bros.: The Music of JG Thirlwell (album, 2009)

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Charles Neal (1987). Tape Delay: Confessions from the Eighties Underground. SAF Publishing. pp. 127–136. ISBN 0-946719-02-0. 

External links[link]

• Official website
• The Corporate Mofo Interview
• Thirlwell Biography/Discography at Trouser Press
• Interview @ Legends
• J.G. Thirlwell interview at Allaboutjazz