Page 31 - the Noise April 2017

MARC ALMOND
“Hits and Pieces”
(UMC - double CD)
Marc Almond is truly one of pop music’s great survivors. A flamboyant chameleon who has shape-shifted through many phas- es, from dark and light, celebratory to morose. He has endured ridicule and admiration, largely due to the fact he has always defiantly trod- den his own path. His flirtatious af- fair with the tabloid press in the UK cheered on his high points and has delighted in dredging through his darker personal moments. All par for the course for your average ag- ing ‘80s pop-star and the stuff that folklore and true genius is made of.
Many Americans will know him
primarily for the biggest selling
worldwide pop hit of the 1981 —
the faultless and instantly recog-
nizable “Tainted Love.” Soft Cell
was Mark Almond vocals, and
Dave Ball synthesizer and backing
tracks pioneered the electro-pop
duo format. At the time this was
an unheralded approach to pre-
senting music. It’s hard to imagine
that the very fact of simply not
having a drummer in a band created such a kerfuffle at the time that it opened up the band to derision and suspicion. Of course, a few years later, The Pet Shop Boys took the Soft Cell blueprint, softened it a little, discarding the campy eyeliner and S & M imag- ery, resulting in a safer family friendly side of gay/camp pop. But it should be noted, Marc Almond and Soft Cell where the initial pioneers of the genre.
Stepping out of the shadow of “Tainted Love” there were other big hits for Soft Cell — “Bedsitter” and “Torch” and the spine tin- gling fan favorite, “Say Hello Wave Goodbye,” before classically imploding amidst miscommunication, drug addled confusion and self pity. They signed off with the scruffy and sleazy leather clad “Down in the Subway.” It’s a shame that was their last musical collaboration, as I would have been curious where the duo would have gone after their bow-out LP This Last Night In Sodom.
After the Cell split, Almond appeared rudderless. There was the feel good collaboration with Bronski Beat, which kept Almond in the public eye. It was a reworking of Donna Summers “I Feel Love” which presented a great chance for both Almond and Bronski Beat front-man Jimmy Sommerville to highlight their individual vocal skills. There were sparks however, as Sommerville famously tried to “out” Almond, who, with his career still unsteady, wasn’t ready or confident to tie his colors to the rainbow mast just yet. (Remem- ber, this was the 1980s, and even Boy George took several years to come out also).
The mid-period Almond solo material on this 2-disc set I was un- familiar with, and it fascinated. It’s a telling sign there is only one Marc and the Mambas track on this 35-song collection. Not be- cause Marc and the Mambas weren’t good, (they were), they were just a far more chewy and somber gothic offering than previous pop forays. And commercially the Mambas were a confusing and merit-less mess to the teeny boppers Almond was desperately try- ing to discard in his attempt to become a serious artiste. (What band, for example, would contemplate releasing a sprawling and difficult double LP, and then flippantly call it Untitled? It hardly in- spires confidence to the potential consumer.)
Still, maybe this was something Almond had to work through because I think in terms of career performance high- points, Almond shifted up a gear when he stopped hiding behind a band moniker. He was finally ready to fully embrace the limelight as a solo performer. His voice gained confidence as a solo artist, possibly because Almond considered his solo material with more thought. As a solo performer he truly came into his own as a torch singer — an identity that defines him to date.
Much of Almond’s later material was wonderfully arranged and benefited greatly from the complimentary golden string arrangements that really allow his vocals to shine. The bizarre (on paper) but brilliant duet with Gene Pitney, “Something’s Gotten Hold of My Heart” is a fantastic point in case. At the time both Almond and Pitney were considered to be washed- out has-beens, both struggling with career low points. The song unexpectedly rocketed to #1 in the UK, Germany, Ire- land and Switzerland, and charted high in most other Euro- pean countries. Much to the surprise of many that had writ- ten Almond off. Not least of all Parlophone, his record label at the time. But there are plenty of other aural treats on this double CD.
I love the soaring ambition of Almond. I love his unflinch- ing execution. “Tears Run Rings” is uplifting and dazzles. “The Days of Pearly Spencer” and “Jacky” both from the Tenement Symphony LP, are remarkable and accomplished in very dif- ferent ways. There are some truly solid moments contained in this collection that, given the chance, I am sure would turn the casual Tainted Lover into a newfound believer.
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