Marc Almond

For the British jazz-rock band of the 1960s-1970s, see Mark-Almond

For the British political activist, see Mark Almond

Marc Almond (born Peter Mark Sinclair Almond on 9 July, 1957 in Southport, Lancashire) is a popular English singer, songwriter and recording artist, who originally found fame as half of the seminal Synthpop/New Wave duo Soft Cell.

Life and works

Almond has recorded albums with his band Marc Almond and the Willing Sinners, and as a member of Marc and the Mambas alongside The The's Matt Johnson and Annie Hogan, with whom Almond would later collaborate on his solo records. In addition, he has also collaborated with a wide range of artists including Antony and The Johnsons, Jools Holland, Kelli Ali of the Sneaker Pimps, Neal X on the albums "Fantastic Star" and "Open All Night", Marie France, Agnes Bernelle, P.J. Proby, Nico, Lydia Lunch, Nick Cave, Gene Pitney on the #1 UK single Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart, Siouxsie Sioux, Foetus (a.k.a. J. G. Thirlwell), Jimmy Somerville of The Communards and Bronski Beat, Psychic TV, Coil, Sally Timms of the Mekons, King Roc, John Cale and David Johansen of the New York Dolls.

Almond initially shot to fame in the early 80s as one half of synth duo Soft Cell, whose combination of drama and peep show sleaze set to an electronic beat gave them hits such as Tainted Love, Bedsitter, Torch, Say Hello Wave Goodbye, What? and the club hit Memorabilia. Although Soft Cell disbanded in 1984 just before the release of their third album, This Last Night In Sodom, the duo reunited in 2001 for live shows and in 2002 released a new album entitled Cruelty Without Beauty, from which the single The Night (UK #39) was taken.

His solo singles have met with mixed chart success. The biggest hits have been cover versions: the aforementioned 1989 #1 duet with Gene Pitney and another near chart-topper in 1991 with David McWilliams' "The Days Of Pearly Spencer", which peaked at #4 in the UK. In 1985, he duetted with Jimmy Somerville and Bronski Beat on a cover of Donna Summer's "I Feel Love (Medley)" and it hit #3.

His work runs the gamut from electronica and dance music to French chanson and traditional piano ballads, as exhibited on his 2003 album of Russian romance songs, "Heart On Snow." Influences include David Bowie, a childhood hero of his, as well as early 60's Northern Soul and disco. Other major influences have been Scott Walker from the Walker Brothers and Jacques Brel, 12 of whose songs Almond reworked in English for his 1989 album Jacques. Almond's own lyrics are a creative expression of what he sees and are not to be confused with his own life. He also operates a record label, Blue Star Music, on which he has released many of his solo and collaborative records in the UK. In 1999, he received attention and accolades for his autobiography, entitled Tainted Life, which confronts details of his early life, creative ventures, his sexuality, and drug addiction, for which he was hospitalized in 1994. Almond wrote the autobiography without a ghost writer, and his publishers subsequently commissioned him to write a travel book, In Search of the Pleasure Palace: Disreputable Travels, whose publication in 2004 was accompanied by a book-signing tour.

On 17 October, 2004, Almond was critically injured in a motorcycle accident in which he was a pillion passenger in London. Although the initial prognosis was considered poor, he was discharged from Royal London Hospital on around 6 November 2004 and was said to be making a "remarkable" recovery.

In 2005, he continued his recovery, did some DJ gigs all over Europe and guested at the Meltdown Festival in London in June 2005, hosted by Patti Smith. Almond contributed two songs to this night of Brecht music, "Bilbao Song" and "What keeps a man alive". In October, November and December 2005, Almond went on tour with Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, singing two songs during the shows, "Say Hello Wave Goodbye" and "Tainted Love", which had a new arrangement done by Holland. 2006 saw Almond concentrate on recording, making few public appearances, though he did headline the Manchester Gay Pride Festival in August of that year.

Almond has finished working on his new album of cover songs Stardom Road, which will be released on 4 June 2007, and will also feature artists such as Saint Etienne's Sarah Cracknell and Antony from Antony and the Johnsons. Two of the cover versions included in this new album are Dusty Springfield's I close my eyes and count to ten, which he has recorded with Sarah Cracknell, and Gene Pitney's over the top Backstage(I'm lonely) as a tribute to the late crooner.The album will also include one new self-penned song, The Curtain Falls, his first composition since the near-fatal motorbike accident. Marc also appears on the 2006 album Black Ships Ate the Sky by experimental band Current 93. Moreover he is working on a DVD compilation of all his promotional video clips and his last ever self-penned album, tentatively titled Dining With Panthers, due to be completed in 2008.

Almond makes his return to the London stage for a three-night run at the historic Wilton's Music Hall from May 4-6 2007. These will be his first full-length UK shows since his accident. He has been warming up with shows in Barcelona, Athens and Moscow.

Almond currently lives in the Bermondsey area of South East London. In his autobiography he describes previously living in Earls Court, in a converted church in Chelsea and most memorably in Soho's Berwick Street, where he lived in a flat overlooking the Raymond Revue Bar.

Miscellaneous facts

• Almond's remix of Bananarama's "Venus" appears on their 2005 album Drama.
• Marc is also a member of the Church of Satan, inducted by Boyd Rice, although he has later written that perhaps this was a mistake. [1][2]

Discography

Albums

With Soft Cell

• 1981 Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret #5 UK
• 1982 Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing
• 1983 The Art of Falling Apart
• 1984 This Last Night in Sodom
• 1986 Soft Cell - The Singles
• 1991 Memorabilia: The Singles
• 1994 Down in the Subway (compilation)
• 1996 Say Hello to Soft Cell (compilation)
• 1999 Soft Cell - The Twelve Inch Singles
• 2002 The Very Best of Soft Cell #37 UK
• 2002 Cruelty Without Beauty #116 UK
• 2003 Soft Cell - Live
• 2003 Soft Cell at the BBC (BBC)
• 2005 The Bedsit Tapes Early/Rare Demos 1978-1982
• 2006 Demo Non Stop - More Rare Demos

With Marc & the Mambas

• 1982 Untitled #42 UK
• 1983 Torment & Toreros #28 UK

With Raoul and the Ruined

• 1984 Bite Black and Blues Live (Fan club only release)

With The Willing Sinners

• 1984 Vermin in Ermine #36 UK
• 1985 Stories of Johnny #22 UK
• 1987 Mother Fist & Her Five Daughters #41 UK

Solo

• 1986 Violent Silence (mini album)
• 1986 A Woman's Story (mini album)
• 1987 Singles 1984 - 1987
• 1988 The Stars We Are (with La Magia) #41 UK #144 US
• 1989 Jacques
• 1990 Enchanted #52 UK
• 1991 Tenement Symphony #39 UK
• 1992 A Virgin's Tale - Volume I (1985-1987 era B-sides & remixes)
• 1992 A Virgin's Tale - Volume II (1985-1987 era B-sides & remixes)
• 1993 Twelve Years of Tears (Live at the Royal Albert Hall)
• 1993 Absinthe: The French album
• 1995 Treasure Box (rarities compilation)
• 1996 Fantastic Star #54
• 1998 Marc Almond & La Magia Live in Concert
• 1999 Open All Night #112 UK
• 2000 Liverpool Philharmonic Hall (Fan club only release)
• 2001 Stranger Things #186 UK
• 2001 Live at the Union Chapel (Fan club only release)
• 2002 Little Rough Rhinestones Volume 1 (Fan club only release)
• 2003 The Willing Sinner Live in Berlin
• 2003 Marc Almond in Session Volume 1 (BBC)
• 2003 Heart on Snow
• 2003 Marc Almond in Session Volume 2 (BBC)
• 2006 Little Rough Rhinestones Volume 2 (Fan club only release)
• 2007 All the A's (CD & DVD compilation, release date tbc)
• 2007 Stardom Road (covers album, released 4 June 2007)

Singles

• 1982 "Sleaze" (as Marc and the Mambas)
• 1983 "Black Heart" b/w "Your Aura" (as Marc and the Mambas) #49 UK
• 1983 "Torment" b/w "You'll Never See Me On A Sunday" (as Marc and the Mambas) #90 UK
• 1984 "The Boy Who Came Back" b/w "Joey Demento" #52 UK
• 1984 "You Have" b/w "Split Lip" #57 UK
• 1984 "Tenderness Is A Weakness" b/w "Love For Sale" #88 UK
• 1985 "I Feel Love" (medley) (Bronski Beat with Marc Almond) #3 UK
• 1985 "Skin" (With Guy Chambers as The Burmoe Brothers)
• 1985 "Stories of Johnny" #23 UK
• 1985 "Love letter" #68 UK
• 1986 "The house is haunted (by the echo of your last goodbye) #55 UK
• 1986 "A woman's story" #41 UK
• 1986 "Ruby red" #47 UK
• 1987 "Melancholy rose" #71 UK
• 1987 "Mother Fist" #93 UK
• 1987 "This House is a House of Trouble" (With Sally Timms (Mekon) and The Drifting Cowgirls)
• 1988 "Tears Run Rings" #26 UK, #67 US
• 1988 "Bitter Sweet" #40 UK
• 1989 "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" (feat. Gene Pitney) #1 UK
• 1989 "Only the Moment" #45 UK
• 1990 "A Lover Spurned" #29 UK
• 1990 "The desperate hours" #45 UK
• 1990 "Waifs and strays" #88 UK
• 1991 "Say Hello Wave Goodbye '91" (with Soft Cell) #38 UK
• 1991 "Tainted Love '91" (with Soft Cell) #5 UK
• 1991 "Jacky" #17 UK
• 1992 "My Hand Over My Heart" #33 UK
• 1992 "The Days of Pearly Spencer" #4 UK
• 1993 "What make a man a man" #60 UK
• 1995 "Adored and Explored" #25 UK
• 1995 "The idol" #44 UK
• 1995 "Child star" #41 UK
• 1996 "Out there/Brilliant creatures" #76 UK
• 1996 "Yesterday has gone" (with P.J. Proby and the My Life Story Orchestra) #58 UK
• 1998 "Black kiss" #97 UK
• 1999 "Tragedy (take a look and see)" #144 UK
• 1999 "My love"/"Threat of Love" (with Siouxsie)
• 2001 "Please Stay" (With Mekon)#91 UK
• 2001 "Glorious"
• 2001 "Total Eclipse" (Rosenstolz, Marc Almond & Nina Hagen)
• 2001 "Soul On Soul" (System F & Marc Almond)
• 2003 "Gone but not Forgotten"
• 2004 "Vanity Poverty Revenge/Neo Burlesque" (Punx Soundcheck featuring Marc Almond)
• 2004 "Sheherezade" (limited edition, vinyl only)
• 2004 "Face Control EP" (Replicant & Marc Almond)
• 2005 "Delirious"
• 2005 "Prime Evil"
• 2005 "Perfect Honey"
• 2005 "Baby's on Fire" (T-Total featuring Marc Almond)

Other contributions

• Vocals on two songs for Psychic TV album Force The Hand Of Chance.
• Vocals for "The Dark Age Of Love" by Coil, from Songs of the Week.
• Vocals for cover version of "Who By Fire" by Coil, from Horse Rotovator
• Vocals for "Idumea" by Current 93, from Black Ships Ate The Sky.

Books

• 1988 The Angel of Death in the Adonis Lounge (poems)
• 1999 Beautiful Twisted Night (poems, lyrics and prose)
• 1999 Tainted Life (autobiography)
• 2001 The End of New York (poems and prose, including spoken word CD)
• 2004 In Search of the Pleasure Palace - Disreputable Travels (autobiography)

DVDs

• 1982 Soft Cell's Non-Stop Exotic Video Show (re-released 2004)
• 1987 A Lover Spurned - live at the Astoria, London 1987 (re-released 2002)
• 1991 The Willing Sinner - live at the Berlin Passionchurch 1991 (released 2002)
• 2000 Live at the Lokerse Festeen 2000
• 2000 Live at the Union Chapel Dec 2000 (released 2003)
• 2002 Soft Cell Live in Milan
• 2005 Sin Songs, Torch and Romance- Live At The Almeida Theatre 2004
• 2007 Twelve years of Tears - Live at the Royal Albert Hall

External links

• Marc's official home page
• Marc's myspace page