Soft Cell

Soft Cell are an English synthpop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. They consist of vocalist Marc Almond and David Ball on synthesizers. The duo is well known for their huge 1981 worldwide hit - a significantly reworked cover version of Gloria Jones' "Tainted Love". While this song was Soft Cell's only Top 40 hit in the United States, they had 10 UK Top 40 hits, including "Bedsitter" (#4), "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" (#3), "Torch" (#2)... more

Soft Cell are an English synthpop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. They consist of vocalist Marc Almond and David Ball on synthesizers. The duo is well known for their huge 1981 worldwide hit - a significantly reworked cover version of Gloria Jones' "Tainted Love". While this song was Soft Cell's only Top 40 hit in the United States, they had 10 UK Top 40 hits, including "Bedsitter" (#4), "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" (#3), "Torch" (#2), and "What!" (#3). In addition, the band also had four UK top 20 albums between 1981 and 1984. Soft Cell formed in 1978 in Leeds, England. Their initial efforts at recording resulted in an EP called Mutant Moments that year, funded by a loan of £2000 from Dave Ball's mother, made with a simple 2-track recorder. This was released independently with only 2000 vinyl copies pressed and has since become a highly valued collector's item among Soft Cell fans. Their early shows and EP caught the interest of certain record labels, such as Mute Records... less