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Soft Cell / The Art Of Falling Apart box set

6CD set for 1983 album

By John Earls

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Soft Cell’s 1983 album The Art Of Falling Apart is to receive a 6CD reissue in October, following the format of multiple versions of each song established with last year’s similar 6CD edition of the duo’s 1981 debut, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret.

With the remix album Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing (reissued in June) following in 1982, Marc Almond and Dave Ball were determined to torpedo their pop career with their second full LP. It reached No 5, but its singles ‘Where The Heart Is’ and ‘Numbers’ both missed the Top 20, whereas predecessors ‘Tainted Love’, ‘Say Hello Wave Goodbye’, ‘Torch’ and ‘What!’ had all made the Top Five.

The original album (“freshly remastered by Barry Grint”) is joined on the first CD by the songs ‘Martin’ and ‘Hendrix Medley’, initially given away on a 12” with early copies of the album: ‘Hendrix Medley’ comprises covers of Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Hey Joe’, ‘Purple Haze’ and ‘Voodoo Chile’. The CD is rounded off with the B-sides ‘It’s A Mug’s Game’ and ‘Barriers’, plus a US mix of ‘Loving You, Hating Me’.

CD2 features extended versions of all eight album songs and its B-sides. Most of these were remixed around the original album, but ‘Kitchen Sink Drama’, ‘Baby Doll’ and the title track were mixed by Dave Ball around Soft Cell’s reunion shows in 2018.

The third CD features external remixes, by the likes of The Hacker, Nitewreckers, Atomizer, Dark Poets and Marcas Lancaster, as well as Ball’s group The Grid. It also includes a new vocal version of Soft Cell’s cover of Suicide’s ‘Ghost Rider’. Their original instrumental cover, a fan club-only release, is included among the instrumental and dub versions on CD5.

6CD box set version of Soft Cell’s The Art of Falling Apart

Demos, edits and the audio of TV appearances features on CD4, with ‘Numbers’ and ‘Heat’ taken from The Oxford Road Show; ‘Martin’, ‘Where The Heart Is’ and ‘The Art Of Falling Apart’ from The Tube; and ‘Ghost Rider’ from The Switch.

CD6 has live versions of each song from the album, plus ‘Martin’, ‘Hendrix Medley’, the two B-sides and ‘Ghost Rider’. Most of these are taken from Soft Cell’s reunion show at London O2 from 2018, the full concert of which was released as the live album Say Hello Wave Goodbye: The O2 London, in 2019. The exceptions are ‘Kitchen Sink Drama’, from Hammersmith Apollo in 2021 – a gig itself released as Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret And Other Stories – ‘Hendrix Medley’ from Los Angeles Palace Theater in 1983 and three songs from Hammersmith Palais in 1983: ‘It’s A Mug’s Game’, ‘Ghost Rider’ and a second version of ‘Numbers’, in addition to its O2 rendition.

In addition to the 6CD version, there’s a 2CD deluxe with the second disc offering a mix of new/old 12″ versions plus a few live tracks. The 2LP coloured vinyl has just six seven-inch versions added to the bonus LP.

Despite its cult status, The Art Of Falling Apart hasn’t received an expanded reissue before, though a 2LP vinyl version adding the original ‘Martin’/’Hendrix Medley’ 12” was released in 2016. The 6CD package also includes a 60-page hardcover book with sleeve notes by journalist Adrian Thrills, featuring new interviews with Almond and Ball.

After 2022 comeback album *Happiness Not Included returned Soft Cell to the Top 10, the duo recently announced they’re working on a new album, to be titled Danceteria, for release next year. Almond has also signed a two-album solo deal with Cherry Red, who have reissued much of his existing catalogue.

Soft Cell’s 6CD edition of The Art Of Falling Apart will be released on 31 October 2025, via UMR.

Tracklisting

The Art of Falling Apart Soft Cell /

    • CD 1: Remastered album, B-sides, bonus 12″
      1. Forever The Same – remastered
      2. Where The Heart Is – remastered
      3. Numbers – remastered
      4. Heat – remastered
      5. Kitchen Sink Drama – remastered
      6. Baby Doll – remastered
      7. Loving You, Hating Me – remastered
      8. The Art Of Falling Apart – remastered
      9. Martin – remastered
      10. Hendrix Medley – remastered
      11. It’s A Mug’s Game (7″ version) – remastered and previously unreleased on CD
      12. Barriers (7″ version) – remastered and previously unreleased on CD
      13. Loving You, Hating Me – Special Mix – remastered
    • CD 2: Extended Versions
      1. Forever The Same (Original 12″ version) – remastered and previously unreleased
      2. Where The Heart Is (Original 12″ version) – remastered
      3. Numbers (Original 12″ version) – remastered
      4. Heat (2018 extended version) – remastered
      5. Kitchen Sink Drama (2018 extended version) – remastered
      6. Baby Doll (2025 extended version) – previously unreleased
      7. Loving You, Hating Me (Original 12″ version) – remastered
      8. The Art Of Falling Apart (2018 extended version) – remastered
      9. It’s A Mug’s Game (Original 12″ version) – remastered
      10. Barriers (Original 12″ version) – remastered
    • CD 3: 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) – remastered
      5. Baby Doll (Nightwreckers Remix) – previously unreleased
      6. Barriers (Dave Ball Broken Down Angels Mix – Full Version) – previously unreleased
      7. Martin (Dave Ball Halloween Mix) – remastered
      8. Where The Heart Is (Marcas Lancaster Remix) – remastered
      9. The Art Of Falling Apart (Atomizer Remix) – remastered
      10. Barriers (Dark Poets Remix) – remastered
      11. Heat (Yer Man 2025 Remix) – previously unreleased
      12. Martin (Nightwreckers 2025 Remix) – remastered and previously unreleased
    • CD 4: Demos and Live TV Appearances
      1. Forever The Same (Original 1982 demo) – remastered and previously unreleased
      2. Where The Heart Is (Original 1982 demo) – remastered and previously unreleased
      3. Numbers (Original 1982 demo) – remastered and previously unreleased
      4. Heat (Original 1982 demo) – remastered and previously unreleased
      5. Kitchen Sink Drama (Original 1982 demo) – remastered and previously unreleased
      6. Baby Doll (Original 1982 demo) – remastered and previously unreleased
      7. Loving You, Hating Me (Original 1982 demo) – remastered and previously unreleased
      8. The Art Of Falling Apart (Original 1982 demo) – remastered and previously unreleased
      9. Numbers (Live on BBC ORS, 14/1/83) – remastered and previously unreleased audio
      10. Heat (Live on BBC ORS, 14/1/83) – remastered and previously unreleased audio
      11. Ghost Rider (Live on CH4 The Switch) – remastered and previously unreleased audio
      12. Numbers 7″ (DJ Version) – remastered and previously unreleased audio
      13. Heat (US Single Edit) – remastered and previously unreleased audio
      14. Baby Doll (Dave Ball Non-Stop Euphoric Dubbing version) – remastered and previously unreleased audio
      15. Numbers (Dave Ball Non-Stop Euphoric Dubbing version) – remastered
      16. Barriers (Dave Ball Broken Down Angels Dub version) – remastered
    • CD 5: Instrumentals and Dub Versions
      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 Mugs’ Game (12″ Instrumental version) – previously unreleased
      10. Martin (2024 Dub Mix) – previously unreleased
      11. Hendrix Medley (Instrumental) – previously unreleased
      12. Barriers (Instrumental) – previously unreleased
      13. Ghost Rider (Original 1983 Backing Track) – remastered and previously unreleased
    • CD 6: The Art of Touring Apart (Live in London 2018-2021 + More)
      1. Forever The Same – Live at The O2 – 30th September 2018
      2. Where The Heart Is – Live in Hammersmith, 2021
      3. Numbers – Live at The O2 – 30th September 2018
      4. Heat – Live at The O2 – 30th September 2018
      5. Kitchen Sink Drama – Live in Hammersmith, 2021
      6. Baby Doll – Live at The O2 – 30th September 2018
      7. Loving You, Hating Me – Live at The O2 – 30th September 2018
      8. The Art Of Falling Apart – Live at The O2 – 30th September 2018
      9. Martin – Live at The O2 – 30th September 2018
      10. Barriers – Live at The O2, 30th September 2018
      11. Hey Joe/Purple Haze – Live in USA, 1983
      12. It’s A Mug’s Game – Live at Hammersmith Palais, 1983 – remastered
      13. Ghost Rider – Live at Hammersmith Palais, 1983 – remastered and previously unreleased
      14. Numbers – Live at Hammersmith Palais, 1983 – remastered

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