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Recently finished reading Conform to Deform, which tells the Some Bizzare story via interviews from the main players - v. entertaining, Stevo really was a total lunatic - and it's clear the whole enterprise relied on Soft Cell / Marc Almond's commercial success to fund all those uncommercial classics they put out in the 80s.

So I've had Soft Cell on my mind for the first time in ages; I remember liking the last two 80s albums quite a bit, but mature ears now conclude that the debut is the classic. It's aged really well, maybe the best of those early synthpop albums, def minimal cheese / nerdiness compared to their peers, just strong songs and a really charismatic performance from Almond - both pervy and often quite compassionate. They def took the vibe from the second Suicide record and ran w/ it better than anyone else.

The last 2 80s albums sound a bit dirgy sonically and they're drenched in a bitter melodrama I can't tolerate for too long (and was always a hurdle to getting into Almond's solo records (caberet... blurgh) and the Mambas material). They are strangly fucked up records, though, esp This Last Night in Sodom; but I don't think they're really all that good.

N.C. for the debut being kind of perfect and 100% following their muse where it took them.

NC for the early stuff. Probably the peak of minimal wave/pop crossover, with the exception of a handful of Human League songs.

Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret (all of it) and The Art of Falling Apart (mostly) are brilliant records. After that, meh. Dave Ball's In Strict Tempo is also fucking brilliant. Not crap.

CRAPPOLA

It' not fair that I vote since I only know the "hits"... whoever wrote the songs has an ubdeniable knack for melody but that eighties sound is just awful.

It's not an accurate comparison but I love Depeche mode from Violator on exclusively. Music for the masses already had some great moments. But from there backwards I think they're awful, mostly because that terrible 80's sound.

i love them and hate to hear Depeche mode in the same sentence.... now they really are awful. But Soft Cell were great; patchy, yeah but their good tracks still sound wonderful And they pretty much introduced Ecstasy to the UK which ain't bad

Vibracobra wrote: Fri May 26, 2023 12:52 pm CRAPPOLA

It' not fair that I vote since I only know the "hits"... whoever wrote the songs has an ubdeniable knack for melody but that eighties sound is just awful.

It's not an accurate comparison but I love Depeche mode from Violator on exclusively. Music for the masses already had some great moments. But from there backwards I think they're awful, mostly because that terrible 80's sound.

Listen to Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret in its entirety. It does sound 80s though.

Might try in the future but I must admit everything that can be classified under the synth-80's-pop category gives me the creeps.

Prejudices.

Charlie D wrote: Mon Jul 10, 2023 10:27 pm

This one's a banger.

Vibracobra wrote: Sun Jul 09, 2023 2:49 pm Might try in the future but I must admit everything that can be classified under the synth-80's-pop category gives me the creeps.

Prejudices.

No offense dude but you are like a parody of that 90's grunge 80s sUCKs guy. Like, as soon as you hear a LIN drum or *that* 80s Yamaha synth, you turn away to blast some Smashing Pumpkins.

I'm just pulling your chain, Soft Cell were good IMO, check them out though obviously not before giving Anita Bakers "80s yuppie-sex" masterpiece album "Rapture" the attention it deserve-priorities!!!