Soft Cell
United Kingdom, 1978–now
Marc Almond and Dave Ball, who met at Leeds Art College and put a Northern Soul stomper through two synthesizers. 'Tainted Love' (1981) was the biggest-selling UK single of its year and went on to hold a Guinness record for the longest run on the American chart. Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is seedier than the hit suggests.
MusicRoots documents 3 artists who influenced Soft Cell and 1 artist Soft Cell influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.
Who influenced Soft Cell?
- Kraftwerk — The machine half. Two people and a synthesizer making a pop record was Kraftwerk's demonstration before it was anyone's format.
- Suicide — The nastier end of it — a drum machine, a cheap keyboard and a singer who sounds like he means the threat.
- Ed Cobb — 'Tainted Love' is Cobb's song, written for Gloria Jones in 1964. It flopped, became a Northern Soul record, and Soft Cell took it to number one around the world seventeen years later.
Which artists did Soft Cell influence?
- GusGus — Marc Almond of Soft Cell is the other name they give for what got them started.