Name: Cruelty Without Beauty
Brand: Soft Cell

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

ABF5CD

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Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Expanded Version with Book.

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Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2020-12-04

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

5053760063414

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Total Cap

2 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

Soft Cell

Genre GB

New Wave / Post Punk

Label GB

Big Frock

Soft Cell are an English synthesizer duo, consisting of Marc Almond (vocals) and David Ball (keyboards), who came to prominence in the early 1980s. Their lyrics often focus on love and romance as well as the darker side of life, with subjects such as the nightlife, kinky sex, transvestism, drugs and murder.
They had a huge world-wide hit in 1981 with a cover version of "Tainted Love," a northern soul classic originally sung by Gloria Jones. They followed up with more charting singles and one of the first remix Albums "Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing." Their self-penned non-album single "Say Hello Wave Goodbye" missed the No.1 spot of the UK charts by a hairbreadth.
"The Art Of Falling Apart'," produced with Mike Thorne and the then new CMI Fairlight at hand with endless efforts by Dave Ball aiming at perfection followed in 1982. It spawned two singles chosen against the will of the record companies; "Where The Heart Is," and "Numbers," which were about youthful frustration and frequently changing sexual partners respectively.
The commercial pressure finally collided with their artistic ambitions which led to solo and side projects and two farewell shows in January 1984 even before "This Last Night In Sodom," was released. They reunited in the early 2000's for a tour with their fourth studio album "C

Soft Cell’s 2002 reunion album Cruelty Without Beauty reissue in new expanded and remastered 2CD format, as well as being released on vinyl for the very first time. Long regarded by many fans as an overlooked masterpiece, the album features a lyrical outlook that was as true to Soft Cell’s maturity and perspective back in 2002 as it is relevant and accurate to the world situation in 2020. Harshly honest, fatalistic and bleakly humorous, Cruelty Without Beauty also preserves the band’s highly distinctive and edgy sound, and stands alongside their greatest work. The new 2020 version includes tracks originally destined for the album, but for various reasons not on the final cut. It also includes brand new 2020 versions of album highlights Monoculture, Together Alone, Darker Times and Last Chance, updated this year by Dave Ball. Also included are a number of unreleased live versions of album tracks, plus rare remixes.

LP Track Listing: Darker Times / Monoculture / Le Grand Cuignol / The Night / Last Chance / Together Alone / Desperate / Whatever It Takes / All Out Of Love / Sensation Nation / Caligua Syndrome / On An Up

CD1 Track Listing: Darker Times / Monoculture / Le Grand Cuignol / The Night / Last Chance / Together Alone / Desperate / Whatever It Takes / All Out Of Love / Sensation Nation / Caligua Syndrome / On An Up + Divided Soul / God Shaped Hole / Somebody, Somewhere, Sometime / Dancing Alone / Perversity 

CD2 Darker Times (2020 Extended Mix) / Together Alone (2020 Extended Mix) / Monoculture (2020 Extended Mix) / Last Chance (2020 Extended Mix) / The Night (Manhattan Clique Remix) / Divided Soul (Live 2002) / Caligula Syndrome (Live, 2002) / The Night (Live, 2002) / Monoculture (Live, 2002) / Le Grand Guignol (Live, 2002) / Together Alone (Live, 2002) / Darker Times (Live, 2002) / God Shaped Hole (Live, 2002) / Somebody, Somewhere, Sometime (Live, 2002) / Last Chance (Live, 2002)

Cruelty Without Beauty

Music GB

Buy Soft Cell - Cruelty Without Beauty (Vinyl, CD) now from Rough Trade - independent purveyors of great music, since 1976.