Stardom Road

Marc Almond | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 26, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sanctuary Records
• ASIN: B000QFCD7M
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #295,073 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

2007 album from the flamboyant performer best known as the voice behind Soft Cell. The album is a musical journey of cover songs that have influenced Marc through his life and his significant growth as an artist. The album also contains one new song, 'Redeem Me (Beauty Will Redeem The World)', which Almond wrote specifically for Stardom Road. This collection features many of the genres that Marc has been associated with over the years, including Torch Song; the 1950's crooners; the grand orchestral sounds of the1960's; the 'over the top' pop glam of the 70's and the electro-style of the 80's that made him famous as part of Soft Cell. Stardom Road gives the listener a personal glimpse into Marc Almond's inspirations, aspirations and conclusions. It is a tremendously important album, being his first since his near-fatal motorcycle crash in 2004. The crash proved life changing, as such ordeals often are. Recording this album has formed an important part of the recovery process and represents the turning point as Marc Almond the artist, returns to form. The album has been compiled with the help of Tris Penna, who produced many of the tracks with the acclaimed producer Marius de Vries and arranger Mike Smith. It features guest spots from Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons; Jools Holland, with whom Marc has often toured; and Sarah Cracknell from St Etienne. Sanctuary. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Kitsch, camp, melodramatic, yet full of heartfelt emotion.This is a fantastic comeback., June 30, 2007

By 

pp777 (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stardom Road (Audio CD)

"Stardom Road" is a collection of covers chosen by the former Soft Cell frontman to tell his life story.It consists of his favourite songs by other people and is produced by Tris Penna: the album also features Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons, Jools Holland and St Etienne's Sarah Cracknell, who duets with Almond on the Dusty Springfield song "I Close My Eyes and Count to Ten".
This is a clever idea. Marc Almond has chosen a series of cover versions - with one exception - and they chronicle his story in sequence. What a story it is, too.
From his successful partnership with Dave Ball in Soft Cell, through to the famous duet with Gene Pitney, he has continued working right through to 2004. Following his motorbike accident, this album brings us to the here and now.
Sixties classic "I Close My Eyes And Count To Ten" is wonderfully evocative and features the vocals of Sarah Cracknell. Likewise, Al Stewart's "Bedsitter Images" is a perfect cover as it reminds you of Marc's very own Bedsit land.
This is a very moving and beautifully crafted album. Far from being cover after cover, karaoke style, there is a journey feel to the proceedings.
"Backstage I'm A Lonely" is a tribute to the late Gene Pitney and it really is a tear jerker as a result.
But it is far from maudlin as proven by the upbeat tale of surviving against the odds, "Happy Heart".
The new track "Redeem Me" sounds like a classic already. Marc has never sounded as chipper as he does here.
Kitsch, camp, melodramatic, yet full of heartfelt emotion.
This is a fantastic comeback.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Came for Antony. Stayed for Marc., September 26, 2007

By 

David A. Scott - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Stardom Road (Audio CD)

I had been a Marc fan for some time, emphasis on the past tense because his output became so repetitively prodigious that somewhere circa Fantastic Star I threw in the towel. (I mean, who has that kind of room on their cd shelves? And just how many albums can you release with the word Star in the title?) I picked this up because I'm a huge Antony fan and love "Ballad of the Sad Young Men." M&A do a good job on it (although it's nowhere near as focused or ultimately arresting as Anita O'Day's read), but I was even more pleasantly surprised with the unexpected excellence of the rest of the disc. The covers are surprisingly sharp, often unexpected and exceedingly well-chosen (love the resurrection of the Barry Ryan and especially the Dana Gillespie - perhaps he's saving "Weren't Born a Man" for a b-side?). Best surprise? The one original damn near outshines the lot. Welcome back, Marc!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Marc Almond's best solo effort since Enchanted, September 26, 2007

By 

DJ Gilbert "stevevil13" (Phillipsburg, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Stardom Road (Audio CD)

As a fan of Soft Cell, I've always viewed Almond's solo albums as hit or miss. He's dabbled in many musical styles, always with mixed results. Naturally, I approached the new album with caution, unsure if I should buy it or not. I'm glad I did. He returns to the sound he did so successfully on "The Stars We Are" and even updates it a bit here and there with the occasional synth or strange mixing effect. The album starts off strong with "I Have Lived" and even though he didn't write it, it seems poignantly personal after his motorcycle accident and subsequent recovery. In fact, most of the songs on the album cover themes that Almond has always been fond of which, strangely, makes it almost feel like an album of originals. There are only a couple of songs that I don't care for, like the plodding "London Boys" and "Backstage (I'm Lonely)". I really, REALLY want to hate "Kitsch" but it's so damn catchy I can almost forgive the over-produced, bombastic arrangement (complete with a bizarre "Also Sprach Zarathustra" ending). Almost. I suppose if you're going to do a song called "Kitsch" you might as well make it hammy. The album's single original, "Redeem Me (Beauty Will Redeem The World)" is a fantastic song and, even though Almond has sworn to only record covers, shows that he's still got great songwriting chops as well. His vocals are surprisingly in top form and I only noticed him going flat on maybe two notes over the course of the entire album. All in all a wonderful piece of work.