(flac 293mb)01 Mother Fist 4:2902 There Is A Bed 4:5003 Saint Judy 5:5304 The Room Below 3:3005 Angel In Her Kiss 3:4206 The Hustler 3:1507 Melancholy Rose 3:1008 Mr Sad 3:4909 The Sea Says 4:0310 Champ 4:2311 Ruby Red 3:4112 The River 5:17xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxxAnother year and another label for Marc Almond, along with a newly stripped-down band, La Magia, with Willing Sinner vets Annie Hogan, Billy McGee, and Steve Humphreys on drums. Even more so than Stories of Johnny, this is Almond with an eye and ear on making a commercial record while still being himself, and the result is much better than expected. Bob Kraushaar's production feels much lighter and brighter in general than Mike Hedges' past efforts, and the songwriting often matches it - the sprightly opening title track, followed by the tenderly passionate 'These My Dreams Are Yours,' makes for what has to be the most upbeat start to a Almond album yet. Similar moments crop up throughout the record, including 'Bitter Sweet,' with a killer sweeping chorus, the sparkling, slightly jazzy 'The Very Last Pearl,' which gives pulsing nightlife one of its best makeovers ever, and a triumphant, everything-and-the-kitchen-sink version of Gene Pitney's 'Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart,' replaced on later versions of the album with the U.K.-chart-topping duet with Pitney himself. That said, it's still an Almond album through and through - the lighter songs still have his sweet purr in the vocals (and Hogan's keyboards and instrumental arrangements remain uniformly excellent), while moodier and expectedly dramatic numbers still turn up in abundance. The forceful duet with Nico, 'Your Kisses Burn,' calls to mind prime Lee and Nancy, with masses of strings to boot; elsewhere, 'The Sensualist' acts as his clearest statement yet on the many erotic joys life has to offer.
Perhaps most surprisingly of all, 'Tears Run Rings,' his most overtly political number to date, became a minor U.S. (flac 313mb)01 Madame De La Luna 4:4502 Waifs And Strays 5:0703 The Desperate Hours 4:2704 Toreador In The Rain 2:4905 Widow Weeds 5:3706 A Lover Spurned 5:3807 Death's Diary 3:5908 The Sea Still Sings 3:4809 Carnival Of Life 4:3710 Orpheus In Red Velvet 5:05xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxxHistorical rare recording made between 1978 and 1982 by the now legendary 80's electro pop group Soft Cell. Originally, vocalist Marc Almond and synth player Dave Ball teamed to compose music for theatrical productions, and as Soft Cell, their live performances continued to draw heavily on the pair's background in drama and the visual arts.
A self-financed EP titled Mutant Moments brought the duo to the attention of Some Bizzare label head Stevo, who enlisted Daniel Miller to produce their underground hit single 'Memorabilia' the following year. This was the launch pad for the band to rise to international notoriety in their short and successful career. This is an absolute must for any Soft Cell fan- it explores their roots, and the sound is harsh and electro with hints of the pop brilliance that would come later.