Soft Cell in 1983; Marc Almond (left) and David Ball (right).
Background information
Origin
Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
Genres
Synth-pop
new wave
minimal synth
electronic
dark wave[1]
Years active
1978–1984, 2000–2005, 2018–present
Labels
Some Bizzare, Mute, Sİre
Members
Marc Almond David Ball
Website
softcell.co.uk
Soft Cell are an English synth-pop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. The duo consists of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball. The band are primarily known for their 1981 hit version of "Tainted Love" and their platinum-selling debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret.[2][3]
In the United Kingdom, Soft Cell had twelve top 40 hits,[4] including "Tainted Love" (number 1), "Torch" (number 2), "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye", "What" (both number 3), and "Bedsitter" (number 4). They also had four top 20 albums between 1981 and 1984.[4] The duo split in 1984 but reformed in 2001 to tour and release a new album. They held a reunion concert in London on 30 September 2018, stating it would be their last live UK performance as a duo but that they may still perform abroad and record together.
Soft Cell's songs have been covered by several artists, including David Gray, Coil and Nine Inch Nails.[5] Their track "Memorabilia" earned recognition for the band as pioneers of the synth-oriented techno genre.[6] The duo have sold in excess of ten million records world-wide.[7]
^Isabella van Elferen, Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock: Goth Music: From Sound to Subculture. Routledge Studies in Popular Music, 2015, p. 25. ISBN 0-415-72004-4
^"Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. 15 November 1982. Archived from the original on 6 October 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
SoftCell are an English synth-pop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. The duo consists of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball...
This is the discography of SoftCell, a British synthpop duo consisting of Marc Almond and Dave Ball who rose to prominence in the early 1980s. The duo...
worldwide fame after being covered and reworked by British synth-pop duo SoftCell in 1981 and has since been covered by numerous groups and artists. A version...
also the story of a teddy bear sent to a meeting, to clinch the deal for SoftCell. The teddy was appropriately dressed as Robin Hood. Stevo Pearce has been...
*Happiness Not Included is the fifth studio album by British synth-pop duo SoftCell, released on 6 May 2022 through BMG Rights Management. It is their first...
Last Night in Sodom by SoftCell (album) 1984 The Art of Tearing Apart (bootleg release from the Live Irony Tour 1984) by SoftCell (album) 1984 True Colours...
unsigned synth-pop groups, including future alternative icons Depeche Mode, SoftCell, The The and Blancmange. Depeche Mode's contribution was their first recording...
aspiring bands of the era including ABC, Depeche Mode, the Human League, SoftCell, Simple Minds, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and Talk Talk have all...
recorded as a solo artist and with several other groups, these include SoftCell, Marc & the Mambas, The Willing Sinners and Flesh Volcano. He has also...
The Very Best of SoftCell is a greatest hits album by English synth-pop duo SoftCell. It was released on 16 April 2002 by Mercury Records, Universal...
Ecstatic Dancing is a 'mini' or 'remix' album by English synth-pop duo SoftCell, released in the United Kingdom in June 1982, by Some Bizzare Records...
1957) is an English singer best known from the synth-pop/new wave duo SoftCell and for his distinctive soulful voice and androgynous image. He has also...
Falling Apart is the second full-length album by the English synth-pop duo SoftCell, released in 1983. The album reached No. 5 on the UK charts, although...
Without Beauty is the fourth studio album by SoftCell. The album was released on 8 October 2002. It is SoftCell's first album since 1984's This Last Night...
in Sodom is the third full-length album by the English synth-pop duo SoftCell. It was released in March 1984, about a month after the duo (Marc Almond...
to write more introspective and personal songs. The likes of OMD and SoftCell had popularised the "duo" presentation within the synth-pop scene, inspiring...
wave group, formed by Marc Almond in 1982 as an offshoot project from SoftCell. The band's line-up changed frequently, and included Matt Johnson from...
Gloria Jones, which later became a hit worldwide when it was covered by SoftCell. Cobb was a member of the pop group the Four Preps from its discovery...