Marc Almond
Marc Almond |
|---|
Marc Almond (born Peter Mark Sinclair Almond on 9 July, 1957 in Southport, Lancashire, (now in the county of Merseyside, England) is a popular English singer, songwriter and recording artist, who originally found fame as half of the seminal synthpop/New Wave duo Soft Cell.
Childhood and early life [1]
Marc Almond was born on 9th July 1957 in Southport on the Lancashire coast between Liverpool and Blackpool, the son of Sandra Mary Almond (formerly Dieson) and Peter John Sinclair Almond, Second Lieutenant in the King's Liverpool Regiment. He was brought up at his grandparent's house in Birkdale with his younger sister Julia, and as a child suffered from Bronchitis and asthma. At the age of 4 they left their grandparent's house and moved to Starbeck on the edge of Harrogate, North Yorkshire but then two years later returned to Southport and then onto Horsforth near Leeds. Due to a car crash at the age of 14, he is nearly completely deaf in his left ear.
He just managed to scrape into Aireborough Grammar School in nearby Yeadon. By this time his father was suffering from alcoholism, and Almond found solace in music, listening to British radio pioneer John Peel. The first album he purchased was the soundtrack of the stage musical Hair and the first single Green Manalishi by Fleetwood Mac. He became a great fan of Marc Bolan, Brian Eno and David Bowie and got a part-time job as a stable boy to fund his musical tastes.
He managed to gain two O-Levels in Art and English and was accepted onto a General Art and Design course at Southport College, specialising in Performance Art. He applied to Leeds Polytechnic where he was interviewed by Jeff Nuttall, also a performance artist, who accepted him on the strength of his mime skills.
It was whilst at Leeds Polytechnic that that Marc met David Ball a fellow student, forming Soft Cell in 1979.
Musical influences
As a child Marc listened to his parent's record collection, which included his mother's Let's Dance by Chris Montez and The Twist by Chubby Checker, also his father's collection of jazz including Dave Brubeck and Eartha Kitt. As an adolescent Marc listened to Radio Caroline and Radio Luxembourg. The first single he bought was The Green Manalishi by Fleetwood Mac, the first album the soundtrack to the stage musical Hair. He became a great fan of Marc Bolan after hearing him on the John Peel Show, buying the T.Rex single Ride a White Swan, from then on he 'followed everything Marc Bolan did'. He was also a great fan of David Bowie, Roxy Music, Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop, Nico, the New York Dolls, Wayne County and Brian Eno. He went to Lou Reed, Captain Beefheart, and Cockney Rebel concerts in Liverpool. But the highlight was when he climbed over the barriers at the front of a David Bowie concert, reached out and was touched by the man himself.
Career and later life
Marc Almond has had a long and varied career spanning almost 30 years. During this time, after a career with Soft Cell and Marc and the Mambas, he has collaborated with an extremely wide range of artists including Antony and The Johnsons, Jools Holland, Siouxsie Sioux, Nick Cave, P.J. Proby, Nico, Kelli Ali of the Sneaker Pimps, Neal X (on the albums Fantastic Star and Open All Night), Marie France, Agnes Bernelle, Lydia Lunch, Gene Pitney on the #1 UK single "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart", Foetus (a.k.a. J. G. Thirlwell), Jimmy Somerville of The Communards and Bronski Beat, Psychic TV, Coil, Sally Timms of the Mekons, King Roc, John Cale and David Johansen of The New York Dolls and German band Rosenstolz.
Almond initially shot to fame in the early 1980s as one half of synth duo Soft Cell, whose combination of drama and peep show sleaze set to an electronic beat gave them hits such as "Tainted Love" (UK #1), "Bedsitter" (UK #3), "Torch" (UK #2), "Say Hello Wave Goodbye" (UK #3), "Soul Inside" (UK # 16), "What?" (UK #3) and the club hit "Memorabilia". They were first spotted by David Oddie, boss of Wakefield based Ambergris Records in a Bradford club, who passed his enthusiasm onto Dead Good Records in Lincoln, famous for their Hicks From The Sticks compilation, who in turn approached Polygram , the newly formed amalgam of Polydor and Phonogram. Although Soft Cell disbanded in 1984 just before the release of fourth album, This Last Night In Sodom, the duo reunited in 2001 for live shows and in 2002 released a new album entitled Cruelty Without Beauty, from which the single "The Night" (UK #39) was taken.
His biggest UK hits as a solo artist have been cover versions; the aforementioned 1989 number one duet with Gene Pitney and another near chart-topper in 1991 with David McWilliams' "The Days of Pearly Spencer", which peaked at #4. In 1985, he duetted with Jimmy Somerville and Bronski Beat on a cover of Donna Summer's "I Feel Love (Medley)" and it hit #3. The highest UK positions his self-penned singles have reached so far have been "Stories of Johnny" (#23 in 1985), "Tears Run Rings" (#28 in 1988) and "Adored and Explored" (#25 in 1995).
Almond's work runs the gamut from electronica and dance music to French chanson, traditional piano ballads, and Russian romance songs, as exhibited on his 2003 album Heart on Snow. Influences include David Bowie, a childhood hero of his, as well as early 1960s Northern Soul and disco. Other major influences have been Scott Walker from the Walker Brothers and Jacques Brel, 12 of whose songs Almond reworked in English for his 1989 album Jacques. Almond's own lyrics are a creative expression of what he sees and are not to be confused with his own life. He also operates a record label, Blue Star Music, on which he has released many of his solo and collaborative records in the UK.
In 1999, Almond received attention and accolades for his autobiography, entitled Tainted Life, which confronts details of his early life, creative ventures, his sexuality, and drug addiction, for which he was hospitalized in 1994. Almond wrote the autobiography without a ghost writer and his publishers subsequently commissioned him to write a travel book, In Search of the Pleasure Palace: Disreputable Travels, whose publication in 2004 was accompanied by a book-signing tour.
On 17 October, 2004, Almond was badly injured in a motorbike accident in London, in which he was a pillion passenger. Although the initial prognosis was considered poor, he was discharged from Royal London Hospital on around 6 November 2004 and was said to be making a "remarkable" recovery. Two months later he was giving press and TV interviews saying he could not wait to get back on stage. His recovery was, however, to take longer than he thought, involving several operations and counseling for post traumatic stress disorder.
In 2005, he continued his recovery, did some DJ gigs all over Europe and guested at the Meltdown Festival in London in June 2005, hosted by Patti Smith. Almond contributed two songs to this night of Brecht music, "Bilbao Song" and "What Keeps a Man Alive". In October, November and December 2005, Almond went on tour with Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, singing two songs during the shows, "Say Hello Wave Goodbye" and "Tainted Love", which had a new arrangement done by Holland. 2006 saw Almond concentrate on recording, making few public appearances, though he did headline the Manchester Gay Pride Festival in August of that year. In 2005 he also contributed a track to the Serge Gainsbourg tribute album Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited.
Almond's new album of cover songs, Stardom Road, was released on 4 June 2007, and features artists such as St Etienne's Sarah Cracknell and Antony from Antony and the Johnsons. Two of the cover versions included in this new album are Dusty Springfield's "I Close My Eyes and Count to Ten", which he has recorded with Sarah Cracknell, and Gene Pitney's over the top "Backstage (I'm Lonely)", as a tribute to the late crooner, featuring a guest appearance by Jools Holland. The album also includes one new self-penned song, "Redeem Me (Beauty Will Redeem the World)", his first composition since the near-fatal motorbike accident.
Marc also appears on the 2006 album Black Ships Ate the Sky by experimental band Current 93. He is also working on a DVD compilation of all his promotional video clips as well as his last ever self-penned album, tentatively titled Dining with Panthers, which is due to be completed in 2008.
Almond made his return to the London stage for a three-night run at the historic Wilton's Music Hall from May 4-6 2007, his first full-length UK shows since his accident. He had been warming up with shows in Barcelona, Athens and Moscow. He then recorded a BBC Radio special which was broadcast on Radio 2 on 1st June, and played a mini-tour in June and July, culminating in a 50th birthday concert before 2,000 fans and friends at Shepherd's Bush Empire in London on July 9th. The concert, a tour de force at nearly three hours on stage, had the audience in rapture. Marc himself was overcome with emotion on a couple of occasions especially when paying tribute to Gene Pitney.
On July 29th, Marc made his first ever live appearance in his home town of Southport as a guest of Jools Holland's Rhythm and Blues Orchestra. He performed "Say Hello Wave Goodbye" and "Tainted Love".
Almond has been booked to perform at the British International Motor Show on August 1, 2008 at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre with Jools Holland.
Almond currently lives in the Bermondsey area of south east London. In his autobiography he describes previously living in Earl's Court, in a converted church in Fulham and most memorably in Soho's Berwick Street, where he lived in a flat overlooking the Raymond Revuebar.
Discography
Albums
With Soft Cell
- 1981 Non-stop Erotic Cabaret #5 UK
- 1982 Non-stop Ecstatic Dancing #6 UK
- 1983 The Art of Falling Apart #5 UK
- 1984 This Last Night In Sodom #12 UK
- 1986 The Singles
- 1991 Memorabilia: The Singles
- 1994 Down in the Subway (compilation)
- 1996 Say Hello to Soft Cell (compilation)
- 1999 The Twelve Inch Singles
- 2002 The Very Best of Soft Cell #37 UK
- 2002 Cruelty Without Beauty #116 UK
- 2003 Live
- 2003 Soft Cell at the BBC (BBC)
- 2005 The Bedsit Tapes Early/Rare Demos 1978-1982
- 2006 Demo Non Stop - More Rare Demos
With Marc & the Mambas
- 1982 Untitled #42 UK
- 1983 Torment and Toreros #28 UK
With Raoul and the Ruined
- 1984 Bite Black and Blues Live (Fan club only release)
With The Willing Sinners
- 1984 Vermin in Ermine #36 UK
- 1985 Stories of Johnny #22 UK
- 1987 Mother Fist & Her Five Daughters #41 UK
With Michael Cashmore
- 2008 Gabriel and The Lunatic Lover
Solo
- 1986 Violent Silence (mini album)
- 1986 A Woman's Story (mini album)
- 1987 Singles 1984 - 1987
- 1988 The Stars We Are
- 1989 Jacques
- 1990 Enchanted
- 1991 Tenement Symphony
- 1992 A Virgin's Tale - Volume I (1985-1987 era B-sides & remixes)
- 1992 A Virgin's Tale - Volume II (1985-1987 era B-sides & remixes)
- 1993 Twelve Years of Tears (Live at the Royal Albert Hall)
- 1993 Absinthe: The French album
- 1995 Treasure Box (rarities compilation)
- 1996 Fantastic Star
- 1998 Marc Almond & La Magia Live in Concert
- 1999 Open All Night
- 2000 Liverpool Philharmonic Hall (Fan club only release)
- 2001 Stranger Things
- 2001 Live at the Union Chapel (Fan club only release)
- 2002 Little Rough Rhinestones Volume 1 (Fan club only release)
- 2003 The Willing Sinner Live in Berlin
- 2003 Marc Almond in Session Volume 1 (BBC)
- 2003 Heart on Snow
- 2003 Marc Almond in Session Volume 2 (BBC)
- 2006 Little Rough Rhinestones Volume 2 (Fan club only release)
- 2007 Stardom Road (covers album, released 4 June 2007)
Singles
| Year | Title | Notes | U.K. Singles Peak | IRE Singles Peak[2] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | "Sleaze" | as Marc and the Mambas, fan club only release | - | - |
| 1983 | "Black Heart" b/w "Your Aura" | as Marc and the Mambas | 49 | - |
| "Torment" b/w "You'll Never See Me on a Sunday" | as Marc and the Mambas | 90 | - | |
| 1984 | "The Boy Who Came Back" b/w "Joey Demento" | 52 | - | |
| "You Have" b/w "Split Lip" | 57 | - | ||
| "Tenderness Is a Weakness" b/w "Love for Sale" | 88 | - | ||
| 1985 | "I Feel Love" | Bronski Beat with Marc Almond | 3 | 3 |
| "Skin" | with Guy Chambers as The Burmoe Brothers | - | - | |
| "Stories of Johnny" | 23 | 17 | ||
| "Love Letter" | 68 | - | ||
| 1986 | "The House Is Haunted (By the Echo of Your Last Goodbye)" | 55 | - | |
| "A Woman's Story" | 41 | - | ||
| "Ruby Red" | 47 | - | ||
| 1987 | "Melancholy Rose" | 71 | - | |
| "Mother Fist" | 93 | - | ||
| "This House Is a House of Trouble" | with Sally Timms (Mekon) and The Drifting Cowgirls | - | - | |
| 1988 | "Tears Run Rings" | also charted at #67 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100[3] | 26 | - |
| "Bitter Sweet" | 40 | - | ||
| "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" | feat. Gene Pitney | 1 | 1 | |
| 1989 | "Only the Moment" | 45 | 26 | |
| 1990 | "A Lover Spurned" | 29 | - | |
| "The Desperate Hours" | 45 | - | ||
| "Waifs and Strays" | 88 | - | ||
| 1991 | "Say Hello Wave Goodbye '91" | with Soft Cell | 38 | - |
| "Tainted Love '91" | with Soft Cell | 5 | 4 | |
| "Jacky" | 17 | 14 | ||
| 1992 | "My Hand Over My Heart" | 33 | - | |
| "The Days of Pearly Spencer" | 4 | 8 | ||
| 1993 | "What Make a Man a Man" | 60 | - | |
| 1995 | "Adored and Explored" | 25 | - | |
| "The Idol" | 44 | - | ||
| "Child Star" | 41 | - | ||
| 1996 | "Out There" / "Brilliant Creatures" | 76 | - | |
| "Yesterday Has Gone" | with P.J. Proby and the My Life Story Orchestra | 58 | - | |
| 1998 | "Black Kiss" | 97 | - | |
| 1999 | "Tragedy (Take a Look and See)" | 144 | - | |
| "My Love" / "Threat of Love" | with Siouxsie | - | - | |
| 2001 | "Please Stay" | with Mekon | 91 | - |
| "Glorious" | - | - | ||
| "Total Eclipse" | Rosenstolz, Marc Almond & Nina Hagen | - | - | |
| "Soul on Soul" | System F & Marc Almond | - | - | |
| 2003 | "Gone But Not Forgotten" | - | - | |
| 2004 | "Vanity Poverty Revenge/Neo Burlesque" | Punx Soundcheck featuring Marc Almond | - | - |
| "Sheherezade" | limited edition, vinyl only | - | - | |
| "Face Control EP" | Replicant & Marc Almond | - | - | |
| 2005 | "Delirious" | limited edition | - | - |
| "Prime Evil" | limited dance release | - | - | |
| "Perfect Honey" | limited dance release | - | - | |
| "Baby's on Fire" | T-Total featuring Marc Almond | - | - | |
| 2007 | "I Close My Eyes and Count to Ten" | with Sarah Cracknell, download only | 43 | - |
Other contributions
- Vocals on "Discipline" & "Stolen Kisses" by Psychic TV from album Force the Hand of Chance.
- Vocals for "The Dark Age of Love" by Coil, from Songs of the Week.
- Vocals for cover version of "Who By Fire" by Coil, from Horse Rotorvator
- Vocals for "Idumea" by Current 93, from Black Ships Ate the Sky.
Books
- 1988 The Angel of Death in the Adonis Lounge (poems)
- 1999 Beautiful Twisted Night (poems, lyrics and prose)
- 1999 Tainted Life (autobiography, reprinted in paperback in 2000)
- 2001 The End of New York (poems and prose, including spoken word CD)
- 2004 In Search of the Pleasure Palace - Disreputable Travels (autobiography)
DVDs
- 1982 Soft Cell's Non-Stop Exotic Video Show (released 2004)
- 1987 A Lover Spurned - Live at the Astoria, London 1987 (released 2002)
- 1991 The Willing Sinner - Live at the Berlin Passionchurch 1991 (released 2002)
- 2000 Live at the Lokerse Festeen 2000
- 2000 Live at the Union Chapel Dec 2000 (released 2003)
- 2002 Soft Cell Live in Milan
- 2005 Sin Songs, Torch and Romance - Live at the Almeida Theatre 2004
- 2007 Twelve Years of Tears - Live at the Royal Albert Hall 1992
- 2008 Marc Almond: Songs Of Love And Pain - Live At Wilton's Music Hall
- TBA Marc and the Mambas LIVE - at the Duke Of York's Theatre, April 1983
References
- ^ Tainted Life (1999) autobography chapters 1-4
- ^ "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". chartstats.com. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
- ^ "Billboard.com - Artist Chart History - Marc Almond". Billboard. Retrieved 2008-08-20.