Art of Falling Apart [Import, Original recording remastered]

Soft Cell | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 29, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import, Original recording remastered
• Label: Universal I.S.
• ASIN: B00000B94X
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #171,006 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

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. Hendrix Medley

10. Martin

11. Barriers

12. It's A Mug's Game

Editorial Reviews

Digitally Remastered With New Sleeve Notes & New Packaging.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good 3rd Time Effort as Soft Cell Grows Up!, September 14, 2005

By 

Frederick Baptist (Singapore) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Art of Falling Apart (Audio CD)

Why 3rd time effort? Some people forget about "Non-Stop Esctatic Dancing" which was their 2nd effort and judging from the quality of said album compared to this and the first one, I'm not surprised. This remastered version, however, sounds a lot better than my lp version of this good grown up effort by the band except that some tracks still seem to be too bottom heavy and the highs not quite there.

About the tracks though what I mean about growing up is that the quality of the music and the lyrics is a far cry from what's on their freshman effort. That's not to say that "Non-Stop...Cabaret" isn't good; on the contrary it's one of my favourite albums of all time but the subject matter and the choice of lyrics for this album are much more complex and serious and show a band that's developing and growing.

Other than the not so great apparently "remastered" sound, the reason this only got 4 stars from me is the fact that the bonus tracks other than the brilliant "It's a Mug's Game" actually detract from and spoils the enjoyment of the cd. The Jimi Hendrix medley was really awful and did nothing to enhance the disc and really should never have been added. This was just pure filler material to make up the space.

Otherwise, there are many great tracks here like my favourite, "Numbers", "Kitchen Sink Drama" as well as "Where the Heart Is" and "Loving You, Hating Me."

This and their first album are by far the best work Soft Cell have ever done.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Superb Re-release, March 24, 2000

By 

yipyipcoyote - See all my reviews

This review is from: Art of Falling Apart (Audio CD)

Beautifully remastered, this is arguably the best album they've made. Includes bonus tracks "Martin" "Hendrix Medley" "Barriers" and "It's a Mugs Game", the first two ONLY available on this cd! Totally indispensable.

5.0 out of 5 stars Listen to it more than once..., November 21, 2011

By 

CiCiSariego - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Art of Falling Apart (Audio CD)

If you like Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret and Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing, then there's a really good chance that you will enjoy this album, as well. I say "really good" because this album is not exactly the same style as its predecessors...

Songs like Where The Heart Is, Kitchen Sink Drama, Loving You Hating Me, Barriers, and It's a Mug's Game are the ones on this album that evoke the same carefree, upbeat feeling of the two Non-Stop albums.

And then, there are the songs Heat, Baby Doll, The Art of Falling Apart, and Martin. I'd consider these songs to be a bit darker in tone than the rest of the album and the two previous albums. They sound like they would've fit in well on Soft Cell's next album, This Last Night in Sodom.

So, because The Art of Falling Apart is almost like a mix of the Non-Stops and This Last Night, I'd say it's a very balanced album. And although it isn't my overall favorite of Soft Cell's, it still has really great songs! Some of the songs may take a few listens before you can really get into them. The song that I love the most is The Art of Falling Apart. It's such an incredible song! Definitely one of my all time favorites by Soft Cell!

A lot of people seem to be criticizing the songs "Martin" and "Hendrix Medley," but these are great songs! Yes, they are both 10 minutes in length, but good none the less. Hendrix Medley contains 3 songs (Hey Joe, Purple Haze, Voodoo Chile), so it really doesn't feel like a 10 minute song when you listen to it. Martin does drag slightly, but it's still an interesting song. It's actually based on the film "Martin" from 1977, and if you watch this movie, then the song becomes even more intriguing.

So, I'm not gonna lie, you might have to listen to it a couple times before considering it to be a GREAT album. But, upon one listen, it should at least be considered a GOOD album. You'll probably find some songs that you love, and others not so much.