Soft Cell singer Marc Almond turns 67
He’s best remembered for Soft Cell’s smash hit “Tainted Love” in 1981
Soft Cell singer Marc Almond turns 67
Marc Almond born Peter Mark Sinclair Almond on 9 July 1957 in Lancashire, England, is still best remembered as part of the 1980’s Synth-Pop duo Soft Cell. Almond formed Soft Cell with Dave Ball in 1977 and in 1981 the band had a worldwide hit and No.1 in several countries with “Tainted Love”, a cover of a Gloria Jones Northern Soul classic. Their version of “Tainted Love” was in the Guinness Book of Records for a while as the record that spent the longest time in the Billboard Top 100 chart.They scored other hits with “Say Hello, Wave Goodbye”, “Torch”, “What!” and “Soul Inside”, which earned them a cult following around the world and seduced not only synth-pop music fans but also post-punk and new wave fans. Despite their success, Soft Cell disbanded in 1984 and Almond went solo, releasing his first album “Vermin in Ermine” in 1984. His biggest solo hit came in 1988 with his version of “Something’s Gotten Hold of My Heart”, originally recorded by Gene Pitney in the 1960’s. The song was featured on his album “The Stars We Are”. Later, Almond re-recorded as a duet with Pitney and released as a single. Although Marc Almond is openly gay, he has stated at times that he dislikes being pigeon-holed as “a ‘gay’ artist”, saying that such a label “enables people to marginalize your work and reduce its importance, implying that it won’t be of any interest to anyone who isn’t gay”. He recently stated that “a fulfilling work life and a comfortable private life” and has lived with his partner for more than 20 years now. In the past, he was known at times by his rebellion, but recently, as he was offered the OBE at age 60, he reveled that he is still a “little bit” anti-establishment, adding however: “I can’t really be a rebel any more. I think it’s time to leave it to younger people.” Almond keeps up a very active and creative career, since 1984, he has released 26 solo albums, being the latest “Chaos and a Dancing Star” in 2020. Almond turns 67 today.
Look back at the music video for the 1981 song “Tainted Love” by Soft Cell
Look back at the 1989 music video for “Something’s Gotten Hold of My Heart” by Marc Almond and Gene Pitney
Watch more 1980’s related videos
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