Soft Cell to reissue The Art Of Falling Apart

Soft Cell will reissue their second full-length album, The Art Of Falling Apart, as a super deluxe 6CD boxset, double LP, and double CD on 31 October.

Freshly remastered by Barry Grint from the original tapes, the reissue reflects the duo’s darker take on pop music in all its textured, gothic-tinged glory. Following directly on from 1982’s seminal remix album Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing, The Art Of Falling Apart originally reached No.5 on the UK charts.

For a taster of what’s to come, a gothic visualiser for Ghost Rider, created by Paul Green, has been shared. This exclusive track is featured across all three formats of the reissue.

Originally a cover of track by the iconic New York duo Suicide, Ghost Rider has been recorded for the first time with brand new vocals from Marc Almond, guest vocals from Jim Thirlwell from Foetus and saxophone from long term Soft Cell collaborator Gary Barnacle. Previously Ghost Rider only existed as part of the band’s live shows during The Art of Falling Apart era in 1983. It was performed for the first time in nearly 40 years at Soft Cell’s show at New York’s legendary Beacon Theatre in 2022, with Jim Thirwell duetting with Marc once again.

Watch the visualiser, below:

A Darker Side

The LP was recorded during a period of pressure from then-label Phonogram to follow the success of 1981’s debut Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret and its chart-topping single Tainted Love. The reality of pop stardom for Marc Almond and Dave Ball was unwelcome and rather uncomfortable.

Almond said: “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.”

Lavish Boxset

The expanded super deluxe version features 36 previously unreleased tracks and follows in the footsteps of the hugely successful Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret 40th anniversary boxset in 2023. All is housed in a lavish 10″ × 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.

This new edition also includes a 60-page hardback book, new notes from Adrian Thrills, and images from long-term collaborator, photographer Peter Ashworth. Double LP and double CD packages, featuring highlights from the 6CD box, will also be available.

Additionally, Soft Cell will release the Martin EP digitally and as a limited 12″. Featuring Dave Ball’s Halloween Mix alongside the original, the EP is also perfectly timed for 31 October – pre-order here

Six-CD Tracklisting

CD1 – REMASTERED ALBUM, B SIDES, BONUS 12″

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. Martin
10. Hendrix Medley
11. It’s A Mug’s Game (7″ Version)
12. Barriers (7″ Version)
13. Loving You, Hating Me – Special Mix

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

1. Forever The Same (Original 12″ version) – previously unreleased
2. Where The Heart Is (Original 12″ version)
3. Numbers (Original 12″ version)
4. Heat (2018 extended version)
5. Kitchen Sink Drama (2018 extended version)
6. Baby Doll (2025 extended version)
7. Loving You, Hating Me (Original 12″ version)
8. The Art Of Falling Apart (2018 extended version)
9. It’s A Mug’s Game (Original 12″ version)
10. Barriers (Original 12″ version)

CD3 – CURIOS, RARITIES, REMIXES & NEW MIXES

1. Ghost Rider (New 2025 version featuring Jim Thirlwell) – previously unreleased
2. Martin (The Hacker Remix) – previously unreleased
3. It’s A Mug’s Game (Dave Ball 2025 Re-Eq Version) – previously unreleased
4. Where The Heart Is (The Grid Remix)
5. Baby Doll (Nightwreckers Remix)
6. Barriers (Dave Ball Broken Down Angels Mix – Full Version) – full version previously unreleased
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 2025 Remix) – previously unreleased
12. Martin (Nightwreckers 2025 Remix) – previously unreleased

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

1. Forever The Same (Original 1982 demo) – previously unreleased
2. Where The Heart Is (Original 1982 demo) – previously unreleased
3. Numbers (Original 1982 demo) – previously unreleased
4. Heat (Original 1982 demo) – previously unreleased
5. Kitchen Sink Drama (Original 1982 demo) – previously unreleased
6. Baby Doll (Original 1982 demo) – previously unreleased
7. Loving You, Hating Me (Original 1982 demo) – previously unreleased
8. The Art Of Falling Apart (Original 1982 demo) – previously unreleased
9. Numbers (Live on BBC ORS, 14/1/83) – previously unreleased audio
10. Heat (Live on BBC ORS, 14/1/83) – previously unreleased audio
11. Ghost Rider (Live on CH4 The Tube) – previously unreleased audio
12. Numbers 7″ (DJ Version) – previously unreleased audio
13. Heat (US Single Edit) – previously unreleased audio
14. Baby Doll (Dave Ball Non-Stop Euphoric Dubbing version) – previously unreleased audio
15. Numbers (Dave Ball Non-Stop Euphoric Dubbing version)
16. Barriers (Dave Ball Broken Down Angels Dub version)

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

1. Forever The Same (Instrumental version) – previously unreleased
2. Where The Heart Is (Instrumental version) – previously unreleased
3. Numbers (Instrumental version) – previously unreleased
4. Heat (Instrumental version) – previously unreleased
5. Kitchen Sink Drama (Instrumental version) – previously unreleased
6. Baby Doll (Instrumental version) – previously unreleased
7. Loving You, Hating Me (Instrumental version) – previously unreleased
8. The Art Of Falling Apart (Instrumental version) – previously unreleased
9. It’s A Mug’s Game (12″ Instrumental version) – previously unreleased
10. Martin (2025 Dub Mix) – previously unreleased
11. Hendrix Medley (Instrumental) – previously unreleased
12. Barriers (Instrumental) – previously unreleased
13. Ghost Rider (Original 1983 Backing Track) – previously unreleased

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

1. Forever The Same – Live at The O2 Arena – 30th September 2018
2. Where The Heart Is – Live at Hammersmith Apollo – 16th November 2021
3. Numbers – Live at The O2 Arena – 30th September 2018
4. Heat – Live at The O2 Arena – 30th September 2018
5. Kitchen Sink Drama – Live at Hammersmith Apollo – 16th November 2021
6. Baby Doll – Live at The O2 Arena – 30th September 2018
7. Loving You, Hating Me – Live at The O2 Arena – 30th September 2018
8. The Art Of Falling Apart – Live at The O2 Arena – 30th September 2018
9. Martin – Live at The O2 Arena – 30th September 2018
10. Barriers – Live at The O2 Arena – 30th September 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  and previously unreleased
14. Numbers – Live at Hammersmith Palais, 1983

For 2CD and 2LP tracklistings and to pre-order, click here.

Featured image credit Andrew Whitton

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