6CD - Soft Cell - The Art Of Falling Apart

6CD - Soft Cell - The Art Of Falling Apart6CD Import Soft Cells aka singer and frontman Marc Almond and multi instrumentalist and producer Dave Ball second album is freshly remastered by Barry Grint from the original tapes and shows off the feted duos gothic take on pop music in all its full, darkly textured glory. Following directly on from 1982s seminal one of the first remix albums Non Stop Ecstatic Dancing, The Art Of Falling Apart reached No. 5 on the UK charts. As befits an album

6CD - Import

Soft Cell’s – aka singer and frontman Marc Almond and multi-instrumentalist and producer Dave Ball – second album is freshly remastered by Barry Grint from the original tapes and shows off the feted duo’s gothic take on pop music in all its full, darkly textured glory.

Following directly on from 1982’s seminal one-of-the-first remix albums ‘Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing’, ‘The Art Of Falling Apart’ reached No. 5 on the UK charts.

As befits an album celebrating difference and choosing art over the glitzy 80s pop dream, ‘The Art Of Falling Apart’ gloriously twists and turns between anger, frustration and destruction to beauty, reflection and unity.  Part of the emerging gothic movement of the early 1980s, the album spans the epic, spiralling intensity of the title track and the terrifyingly great Romero-inspired synth stabs of ‘Martin’ to the uplifting anthem of ‘Where The Heart Is’, epic bittersweet ballad ‘Loving You Hating Me’ and the poignant single ‘Numbers’.

‘The Art of Falling Apart’ burst out of a period of pressure from then-label Phonogram to follow the rapid pop success of 1981 debut ‘Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret’ and its chart-topping singles ‘Tainted Love’, ‘What’, ‘Bedsitter’ and ‘Say Hello Wave Goodbye’. The reality of international pop stardom for two art students from Northern England was unwelcome and, frankly, uncomfortable. ‘We had an indie mentality,’ explains Dave. ‘We got together at the tail-end of punk. I was originally just making music for Marc to do some performance art. He had heard my weird noises and bleeps coming out of the college music room and popped in. I did some music for him, and he then asked me what else I had. So I played him these odd, mutant pop tunes I’d been writing, and he asked if he could sing on them. I’d tried doing the vocals myself, but I’m not a singer. Marc sang them and, almost by accident, we found ourselves as a duo. It spiralled into Soft Cell from there.’

Marc continues: ‘Our attitude at the time of ‘The Art Of Falling Apart’ might have alienated some of our younger and more middle-of-the-road fans, but we were being honest with ourselves. Dave was listening to lots of new music. He was revisiting his soundtrack influences and electronic roots. I’d been going to The Batcave, the club in Soho, and was hanging out with Nick Cave and Siouxsie Sioux. I’d sung on a Psychic TV album and performed live in the collaborative band The Immaculate Consumptive with Nick Cave, Lydia Lunch and Clint Ruin. I was an art-school punk who enjoyed experimentation and confrontation, and all of that came to the fore on this record.’

Today, ‘The Art Of Falling Apart’ is expanded in a super deluxe edition over six discs, following in the footsteps of the hugely successful ‘Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret’ 40th anniversary boxset in 2023. All is housed in a lavish 10”x 10” package, featuring the extended album, plus bonus 12” tracks, B-sides, rarities, remixes, instrumentals/dubs, brand new remixes and a full disc of demos as well as audio from live tv appearances from the time.  The super deluxe edition also includes a 60-page hardback book, new notes from esteemed journalist Adrian Thrills and images from long term Soft Cell collaborator, photographer Peter Ashworth. All making this a must have for die-hard Soft Cell fans and 80s alternative music afficionados alike.

‘The Art Of Falling Apart’ will also be available as double LP and double CD packages, featuring highlights from the 6CD box with the LP pressed on colour vinyl.

‘The Art of Falling Apart’ reissue tracklistings for the 6CD box set

CD1 – REMASTERED ALBUM, B SIDES, BONUS 12″

1. Forever The Same – Remastered
2. Where The Heart Is – Remastered
3. Numbers – Remastered
4. Heat – Remastered
5. Kitchen Sink Drama – Remastered
6. Baby Doll – Remastered
7. Loving You, Hating Me – Remastered
8. The Art Of Falling Apart – Remastered
9. Martin – Remastered
10. Hendrix Medley – Remastered
11. It’s A Mug’s Game (7″ Version) – Remastered
12. Barriers (7″ Version) – – Remastered
13. Loving You, Hating Me – Special Mix – – Remastered

CD2 – THE ART OF FALLING APART – EXTENDED ALBUM PLUS ORIGINAL 12″ B SIDES

1. Forever The Same
2. Where The Heart Is
3. Numbers
4. Heat
5. Kitchen Sink Drama
6. Baby Doll
7. Loving You, Hating Me
8. The Art Of Falling Apart
9. It’s A Mug’s Game
10. Barriers

 CD3 – CURIOS, RARITIES, REMIXES & NEW MIXES

1. Ghost Rider (New 2024 version featuring Jim Thirlwell)
2. Martin (The Hacker Remix)
3. It’s A Mug’s Game (Dave Ball 2018 Re-Eq Version)
4. Where The Heart Is (The Grid Remix)
5. Baby Doll (Nightwreckers Remix)
6. Barriers (Dave Ball Broken Down Angels Mix)
7. Martin (Dave Ball Halloween Mix)
8. Where The Heart Is (Marcas Lancaster Remix)
9. The Art Of Falling Apart (Atomizer Remix)
10. Barriers (Dark Poets Remix)
11. Heat (Yer Man Remix)
12. Martin (Nightwreckers Remix)

 CD4 – THE ART OF FALLING APART (DEMOS & LIVE TV APPEARANCES)

1. Forever The Same
2. Where The Heart Is
3. Numbers
4. Heat
5. Kitchen Sink Drama
6. Baby Doll
7. Loving You, Hating Me
8. The Art Of Falling Apart
9. Numbers (Live on BBC ORS, 14/1/83)
10. Heat (Live on BBC ORS, 14/1/83)
11. Ghost Rider (Live on CH4 The Switch)
12. Numbers 7″ (DJ Version)
13. Heat (US Single Edit)
14. Baby Doll (Dave Ball Dub Version)
15. Numbers (Dave Ball Dub Version)
16. Barriers (Dave Ball Dub Version)

 CD5 – THE ART OF FALLING APART (INSTRUMENTALS & DUBS)

1. Forever The Same (Instrumental Version)
2. Where The Heart Is (Instrumental Version)
3. Numbers (Instrumental Version)
4. Heat (Instrumental Version)
5. Kitchen Sink Drama (Instrumental Version)
6. Baby Doll (Instrumental Version)
7. Loving You, Hating Me (Instrumental Version)
8. The Art Of Falling Apart (Instrumental Version)
9. It’s a Mugs’ Game (12″ Instrumental)
10. Martin (Instrumental)
11. Hendrix Medley (Instrumental)
12. Barriers (Instrumental)
13. Ghost Rider (Original 1983 Backing Track)

 CD6 – THE ART OF FALLING APART (LIVE IN LONDON 2018-2021 + MORE)

1. Forever The Same – Live At the 02 – 30th September 2018
2. Where The Heart Is – Live at The o2 – 30th September 2018
3. Numbers – Live At the 02 – 30th September 2018
4. Heat – Live At the 02 – 30th September 2018
5. Kitchen Sink Drama – Live in Hammersmith, 2021
6. Baby Doll – Live At the 02 – 30th September 2018
7. Loving You, Hating Me – Live At the 02 – 30th September 2018
8. The Art Of Falling Apart – Live At the 02 – 30th September 2018
9. Martin – Live At the 02 – 30th September 2018
10. Barriers – Live at The O2, 2018
11. Hey Joe/Purple Haze – Live in USA, 1983
12. It’s A Mug’s Game – Live at Hammersmith Palais, 1983
13. Ghost Rider – Live at Hammersmith Palais, 1983
14. Numbers – Live at Hammersmith Palais, 1983