Soft Cell - Happiness not Included

Getting this was an accident, but I'm not complaining or crying foul. My old record store shuttered and moved to a warehouse and now runs an auction to purge inventory. For me this is a bit of a double edged sword. Over the last couple of years I'd ended up with a lot of stuff as I fished through the dollar section, and every so often splurged when it was my birthday or Christmas. The end result being a shortage of storage space, and an inability to expand as it was made clear from the onset that I couldn't take up more space.

It was the auction section that became my win some lose some playground. I'd scan through the listings, and click on a couple here and there to satisfy the minimum bids, then walk away until things closed. This last cycle there were a couple that caught my eye, and this one. Soft Cell's Happiness not Included was on yellow vinyl. I really didn't want it but it looked interesting, and until I brought it home didn't know it was a relatively new release. For most of us, Soft Cell is known for one song "Tainted Love" and back in '81 this was just about as cool as it got. This was the future of techno new wave wrapped up in one extraordinary song. Of course, I suspect to the band's real fans they were so much more than the perceived North American One Hit Wonder. In the UK during the band's initial run between 1981 and 1984 they had a dozen songs in the top 40, with a few landing in the top 5.

The band apparently had a love hate relationship with success. They would play live, but eschewed playing their biggest hit. Kind of like what I read about early '80s Deep Purple who wouldn't play "Smoke on the Water" in concert. However this is based on tidbits I'd heard decades ago, and can't substantiate any of it now, so I suspect it was about as true as the cat in the microwave urban myths.

Soft Cell weren't exactly prolific. They'd release three albums in the early '80s, and then after a break of almost two decades would drop an album in 2002, and then wait another twenty years before Happiness not Included was released.

I will probably go back and listen to their other stuff now, as I'm finding this album to be a lot of fun. It's weird hearing new stuff from a band I only know one song from over forty years ago. All I can hear are the echoes of all the bands who came after them they no doubt influenced. It's a chicken and egg thing, but I'm pretty sure Soft Cell is the chicken who laid the little disco ball that inspired generations of musicians.

Soft Cell is Marc Almond on vocals and guitar and David Ball who plays synthesisers. The music here is a an mixed experience as so much of it feels cemented in the past, but it also feels strangely fresh. I suppose this just goes to show that if you wait long enough things will eventually come full circle. The guys seem to know it too as one of the more quirky and upbeat tracks is titled "Nostalgia Machine."

As to whether this is good on its own merits or merely mining my sense of nostalgia I can't really separate the two. Is it good? Yes, it's good. Very good at times. In fact I'd challenge the title of the album, and state that happiness was included. Of course if I'd not won the auction and spent my $10 bucks, the likelihood of me actually ever listening to this would have been zero.

Like I said this was an accident, and I'm not complaining.

Of course the problem with good is good is relative. It's also the minimum threshold most of us will accept when judging whether we like something or not. If you've ever had to fill out a survey you've had to decide between a list of choices designed to gauge your level of satisfaction. The two more common scales will illicit a response measuring "excellence" or "satisfaction" which while similar are not completely interchangeable. One is a measure of quality the other is the more intangible whether or not you're satisfied with something ... the goal being you're so satisfied you want more. So it's always kind of fun to know that when we're talking about things we like we seldom speak in terms of being satisfied. Things are either good, or they're not, but it's more nuanced, and scales have changed over the years but generally achieving good just means you've checked the boxes. It's enjoyable but in terms of making a memorable or lasting impression it's merely good.

So is this a good record? Yeah it's a good record. It actually kind of surprised me at how good it was for me. It was sort of what I expected it to be, but it was deeper and more nuanced than I expected. The first time through didn't reveal anything that truly popped, the songs were all enjoyable, but I did want to turn it over and play it again when it was over. I've played it several times, and each time it gets a little deeper under my skin.

It's been time well spent as the album does deserve a little time to sink in, and there are some wonderfully moody pieces wrapped around sparkly pop arrangements. As you'd expect from a band whose stock and trade is a steady dance beat and catchy songs. As for moody "I'm Not a Friend of God" more or less regurgitates the old "God is responsible for the bad things" like it's some sort of revelation. Kind of like an even more pithy version of XTC's "Dear God" but it's a good song. Where as "Purple Zone" and the title track is up tempo, although the self aware "Nostalgia Machine" is pretty self effacing and a lot of fun.

The guys aren't above playing their boomer card either, which is kind of fun, why not they're getting old, and like or not they've seen stuff. They're not above popping some of the bubbles on the bubble wrap. The title track starts with the following,

We can't sanitize our history
Just because it's not what we want it to be
England was built on sorrow and pain
Slavery and ill-gotten gain
We gotta look around and recognize
Who we are now, how far we've come
Recognize those who deserve it
And live with those who don't

I was actually a little surprised at some of the songs. The guys weren't being tone deaf or offensive, they were calling out the human condition, and it was all wrapped up in decent beat. Those expecting another "Sex Dwarf" are going to be a little disappointed. Besides any band who can find a way to name check Soylent Green and actress Kim Novak is going to go over the heads of some people who didn't grow up in the '70s.

This is an excellent sounding record, and time and technology have only served to help Soft Cell capture their vision, and unlike the early '80s techno scene, there is a lot more organic material included in the band's compositions, from cello, flute, violin, and real strings. It's fitted perfectly into the mix. Another thing that, and it's more than likely I'm out to lunch on this one as it's so pervasive it's probably used all over this one too, is auto-tune. If it's used here to drag Marc's vocals to snap to the grid, it's being used sparingly, as there's something warm and a bit vulnerable to many of the tracks here, he's not pitchy but it sounds like he's actually singing. For a band whose stock and trade is technology this is really cool.

"Purple Zone" is a song I kept returning to, there was something that was oddly raw and vulnerable about the track. It's not the best track on the album but it is one of my favourites. Oddly enough, when I streamed the album, the album track had been replaced with a version that was performed with Pet Shop Boys. It's very good and feels like a natural pairing. It's too bad they didn't also include the album version, as for most people who will listen to the album will no doubt hear the streaming version. As good as it is, they're missing out on a more intimate iteration of the song.

I find myself returning to the question that keeps popping into my head? "Is this good?"

No, it's not.

It's very good.

While none the songs here will likely have the lasting power of "Tainted Love" that's not a shot. Let's be honest, the majority of the songs on their '81 debut Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret aren't all keepers either. There's something truly special about the return of Soft Cell after all these years that showcases two aging musicians who are still able to lay claim to being masters of their craft. They're still mining a past they thought would be the future.