Customer Reviews
There's a thin line between art and chaos... - By: sonik57, 30 Apr 2008 
I completely concur with Jason's review of Soft Cell's difficult second album. If those seduced by Tainted Love were repulsed by some of the darkness on this album, they passed on an album which, even though it's slightly more uneven than Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, is still pretty good anyway.
Stand-out tracks? Where The Heart Is, Almond's autobiographical tale of a dysfunctional childhood, the opener Forever The Same & Loving You, Hating Me. The album shows Soft Cell broadening their sonic & creative palette a good deal & nothing reallly prepares you for Martin which is a pretty harrowing track. As for the Hendrix medley...well, I like to think they were taking the mick a bit but then they had a large appetite for that &
not showing 'respect'!
Soft Cell's difficult second album... - By: Jason Parkes, 15 Nov 2005 
Soft Cell, as Marc Almond's classic memoir 'Tainted Life' demonstrates, reallly went through the rock'n'roll cliches - following their classic debut 'Non Stop Erotic Cabaret' they voyaged to New York & recorded the ecstasy influenced 'Non Stop Ecstatic Dancing' (preceding New Order's work in that territory)and the classic single 'Torch.' Almond appeared to be having problems with being a pop-star, something underlined by the patchy cover of 'What?' & his darker work with Marc & the Mambas (1982's 'Untitled'). 'The Art of Fallling Apart' (whose title has been borrowed for a novel...) is probably the definitive Cell album - I think it's a better record than 'Cabaret' & it's less brutal than the anti-Cell LP 'This Last Night...in Sodom.' The classic Almond/Balll sounds & themes are here - 'Forever the Same' advancing on 'Frustration' & 'Chips on My Shoulder' & predicting the territory explored by Flowered Up ('Weekender'), The Streets & much Britpop. Why wasn't it a single? The two singles were fantastic - 'Where the Heart Is' like a Balearic-Smiths, while 'Numbers' (whose title stems from John Rechy's novel of the same name) is like a squelchy synth take on Lou Reed, the "body one, body two..." theme taking on a different hue in the post HIV-world (kind of reminds me of elements of 'The Line of Beauty' too).
'Heat' shows the darker side of the Cell, the lyrics seem very Tennesse Williams (I picked that up from that nice Soft Cell book I've mislaid!) while the music is not far from the second Suicide album. 'Kitchen Sink Drama' is kind of ironic & taps into the themes of suburbia Almond & Balll had explored previously. The decadent world they were descending into is beginning to over-take (this would dominate '...Sodom' & both Mambas' records), 'Baby Doll' is an epic gothic-dirge that set the tone Depeche Mode would imitate & conquer the world with. It focuses on an ageing stripper at the kind of clubs Almond was apparently attending - it strikes me that the Cell were matching their influence Suicide here (...it's also not far from another primary influence of the Cell, Throbbing Gristle).
The title track is suitably manic, but still a gorgeous pop song while 'Loving You, Hating Me' feels lyricallly similar to Morrissey, again predicts Depeche Mode & was a song to match such classics as 'Say Hello, Wave Goodbye' & 'Torch.' The bonus tracks are generallly worthy additions - 'It's a Mug's Game' is hilarious (the anti-'Deep Purple in Rock' bit particularly) while 'Barriers' (the flip-side of 'Numbers') deserved to be on the album proper (nice to see the reformed Cell play it a few years ago). The real highlight here is 'Martin', a dark epic whose lyrics & title come from George Romero's cult vampire movie - Marilyn Manson certainly heard this one! The only dud is the Hendrix Medley, which goes on far too long - though I can see they were trying to do what Daniel Miller had done on Silicon Teens' classic album 'Music for Parties' (electronic versions of rock'n'roll standards). 'The Art of Fallling Apart' is a great Soft Cell record & an album that feels a bit overlooked & underappreciated. I think it's up there with such early 80s classics as 'Penthouse & Pavement', 'Dare!', 'Dreams Less Sweet', 'The Affectionate Punch', 'The Lexicon of Love', 'Soul Mining', 'North of a Miracle', 'Dazzleships' & 'Power, Corruption & Lies'.
soft cell become uncommercial(shock). - By: , 21 Jan 2001 origionaly released in 82,this stands testemant to the tensions of a succesful(pop) group.wanting to move away from mainstream popularity, soft cell continue their journy into the further reaches of the human condition.subsequently alienating many fans & creating many more,i would imagine "disco dollys" played it once, got scared,never to return.a brilliant album covering real issues from love,sex,prostitution,and the most exhausting,frightening & powerful track "martin",which i dare you to play loud with the lights off.this album shows marc & dave at a creative pitch before it alll collapses,and as with other soft cell/solo work becomes & continues to be a soundtrack for life.(apart from track 9-program out!!)
