Put The Needle On The Record - Week #34

Put The Needle On The Record Week #34 Soft Cell - Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret

For this weeks feature we go back to November 1981 and the Soft Cell album "Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret".

This was the bands first album and is highly regarded as a classic 80s album and I agree, both me and my brother listened to this album a lot when it first came out, and was seen as controversial because of its nod towards the sex industry and the seedy streets of Soho in London, a brave album in some ways and who else could release a song called "Sex Dwarf"!

This would have been another purchase from HMV in Market Street in Manchester!

Over the years I felt the album didn't age very well and seldom played the LP, however, the recent 6 Disc Super Deluxe edition gave me the chance to re-evaluate this record and I have to say it is a bloody fantastic album, with only the track "Frustration" being a track I never really liked. The 6 CD re-issue is well worth getting, new 12 inch mixes of all the tracks, instrumentals, bonus tracks, a well put together collection.

The album featured 3 singles, "Tainted Love" backed with "Where Did Our Love Go" (which reached number 1 in the UK Singles chart, and number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100), "Bedsitter", the 12 Inch Version is one of my all time favourite 12 Inch Singles (which reached number 4 in the UK Singles chart) and "Say Hello Wave Goodbye", the greatest synth ballad of all tme (which reached number 3 in the UK Singles chart).

The album reached number 5 in the UK Album Chart.

Track Listing

Frustration
Tainted Love
Seedy Films
Youth
Sex Dwarf
Entertain Me
Chips On My Shoulder
Bedsitter
Secret Life
Say hello Wave Goodbye

If you have this album in your collection, dig it out and give it a spin!