Soft Cell - Cruelty Without Beauty - (Limited Edition 180g Magenta Double Vinyl LP Album)

Soft Cell - Cruelty Without Beauty - (Limited Edition 180g Magenta Double Vinyl LP Album)

Soft Cell’s 2002 reunion album ‘Cruelty Without Beauty’ is revaluated in new expanded and remastered 2CD formats, as well as 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 six of the album highlights Monoculture, Together Alone, Darker Times, Last Chance, Le Grand Guignol and Caligula Syndrome, updated this year by Dave Ball. Also included are a number of unreleased live versions of album tracks, plus rare and unreleased remixes. The album has been compiled by the team behind the band’s acclaimed 2018 box set ‘Keychains & Snowstorms’.

Cruelty Without Beauty, Soft Cell’s fourth studio album, and the first since their original split in 1984, happened after Marc Almond and Dave Ball reunited in the studio after Dave’s ‘other’ band The Grid (with Richard Norris). They worked together on some tracks from Marc’s 1991 Tenement Symphony album, which eventually opened the door for some live Soft Cell dates and a reunion in 2001. As well as this album release in 2002, the band toured the album extensively in the UK, and across Europe and the US, including many festival appearances throughout 2002 and 2003.

The album includes the singles Monoculture and a cover of Frankie Valli & The Four Season’s classic The Night, which became the band’s first Top 40 hit since since 1984.

Most recently in 2018, Soft Cell sold out London’s O2 Arena and were the subject of a career retrospective BBC documentary. They have recently signed to BMG and are currently recording a brand-new album, set for release in 2021. Before then, all of their classic Phonogram-era albums will be reissued in new expanded editions via Universal Music.

The magenta vinyl album version is cut on double deluxe 180g magenta vinyl, with a gatefold sleeve and especially remastered for this format, with 5 bonus tracks.

LP Track Listing

1. A1. Darker Times
2. A2. Monoculture
3. A3. Le Grand Cuignol
4. A4. The Night
5. B1. Last Chance
6. B2. Together Alone
7. B3. Desperate
8. B4. Whatever It Takes
9. C1. All Out Of Love
10. C2. Sensation Nation
11. C3. Caligua Syndrome
12. C4. On An Up
13. D1. Divided Soul
14. D2. God-Shaped Hole
15. D3. Somebody Somewhere Sometime
16. D4. Dancing Alone
17. D5. Perversity

Format: Limited Edition 180g Magenta Double Vinyl LP Album
BarCode: 5053760063407
Catalogue Number: ABF5LP
Label: Big Frock Records
Release Date: Friday, 4th December 2020