Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is the debut studio album by English synth-pop duo Soft Cell, released on 27 November 1981 by Some Bizzare Records.[1][2] The album`s critical and commercial success was bolstered by the success of its lead single, a cover version of Gloria Jones`s song "Tainted Love", which topped the charts worldwide and became the second best-selling British single of 1981. In the United States, as a result of the single`s success, the album had reported advance orders of more than 200,000 copies.[2] The album spawned two additional top-five singles in the UK: "Bedsitter" and "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye".

Recording

The album was created on a limited budget; it was supposedly recorded almost entirely with a ReVox tape recorder, a borrowed Roland drum machine belonging to Kit Hain, a Korg SB-100 Synthe Bass, and an NED Synclavier, belonging to producer Mike Thorne. David Ball noted the Synclavier would ordinarily have been well beyond the band`s means, costing pounds 120,000: "That was our technological advantage over the other synth bands at the time. In fact, I remember Don Was calling me – desperate to know how we got those sounds."[3] The group caused some controversy in the United Kingdom over the song "Sex Dwarf", the music video of which was banned due to its explicit, S&M-related content.[4]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[6]
Pitchfork	8.5/10[7]
Record Mirror	[8]
Rolling Stone	[9]
Rolling Stone Russia	[10]
Select	4/5[11]
Smash Hits	8 ?/10[12]
The Village Voice	B+[13]

Reviews for the album were generally positive. Critic Steve Sutherland of Melody Maker said "Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret... is the brashest, most brilliant and least-caring indictment of pop music`s bankruptcy I`ve ever heard. No compassion, no sorrow, no joy, it just faces facts and moves to the motions... Like traditional cabaret, the whole thing parodies true emotion and like the best subversive cabaret its shallowness makes those devalued emotions even more painful – the very real decadence of this album springs from its callous realisation of pop`s impotency, and yet its bored resignation to the ritual."[14] Similarly, Robert Christgau of The Village Voice stated that "these takeoffs on Clubland `decadence` get at the emotion underneath with just the right admixture of camp cynicism."[15] However, NME found the album`s premise was hollow, complaining that "the Soft Cell sex strategy should offer something spicy, rude and even a little wonderful... but Soft Cell are conceptualists who rely on too many preconceptions and play around with too many ideas to convince you of any personal energy or commitment... Soft Cell are very plain fare – unspectacular music and very drab and flat lyrics, wrapped in a hint of special promise which is never realised."[16]

Accolades

CMJ New Music Report included Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret on a list of The Top 25 College Radio Albums of All Time.[17] American magazine Out placed the album at number 66 on their list of The 100 Greatest, Gayest Albums (of All Time).[18] It was also included in Robert Dimery`s book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[19]

Track listing

All tracks are written by David Ball and Marc Almond, except where noted

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Frustration"		4:12
2.	"Tainted Love"	Ed Cobb	2:34
3.	"Seedy Films"		5:05
4.	"Youth"		3:15
5.	"Sex Dwarf"		5:15

Side two

No.	Title	Length
6.	"Entertain Me"	3:35
7.	"Chips on My Shoulder"	4:05
8.	"Bedsitter"	3:36
9.	"Secret Life"	3:37
10.	"Say Hello, Wave Goodbye"	5:24

1996 remastered CD bonus tracks[20]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
11.	"Where Did Our Love Go?" (B-side of "Tainted Love")	Brian Holland Lamont Dozier Edward Holland Jr.	3:14
12.	"Memorabilia" (B-side of "A Man Can Get Lost" in the UK and "Tainted Love" in the US)		4:49
13.	"Facility Girls" (B-side of "Bedsitter")		2:25
14.	"Fun City" (Marc and the Mambas B-side of "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" 12″ single)		7:45
15.	"Torch" (non-album single)		4:08
16.	"Insecure Me" (B-side of "Torch")		4:39
17.	"What?" (non-album single)	H. B. Barnum	2:50
18.	"....So" (B-side of "What?")	Ball	3:47

2002 remastered CD bonus tracks[21]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
11.	"Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go" (12″ mix)	Cobb B. Holland Dozier E. Holland	8:55
12.	"Tainted Dub" (12″ mix)	Cobb	9:12

2008 deluxe edition – disc one bonus tracks (Non Stop Ecstatic Dancing)[22]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
11.	"Memorabilia"		5:20
12.	"Where Did Our Love Go?"	B. Holland Dozier E. Holland	4:22
13.	"What?"	Barnum	4:31
14.	"A Man Could Get Lost"		3:57
15.	"Chips on My Shoulder"		4:28
16.	"Sex Dwarf"		5:10
17.	"Torch" (bonus track)		4:08
18.	"A Man Can Get Lost" (bonus track)		3:18

2008 deluxe edition – disc two[22]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Memorabilia" (extended)		7:45
2.	"Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go?" (12″ mix)	Cobb B. Holland Dozier E. Holland	9:02
3.	"Bedsitter" (extended)		7:52
4.	"Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" (extended)		8:53
5.	"Torch" (extended)		8:27
6.	"What?" (extended)	Barnum	6:06
7.	"Persuasion"		7:38
8.	"Facility Girls"		2:21
9.	"Fun City"		7:44
10.	"Insecure...Me?" (Extended)		8:14
11.	"....So"	Ball	3:49

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret.[23][24]

Soft Cell

• Marc Almond – vocals
• David Ball – electronic and acoustic instruments

Additional musicians

• Vicious Pink Phenomena – backing vocals
• David Tofani – saxophone (track 1); clarinet (track 3)

Technical

• Mike Thorne – production
• Don Wershba – engineering (tracks 1, 3–10)
• Paul Hardiman – engineering (track 2)
• Harvey Goldberg – mixing
• Nicky Kalliongis – engineering assistance
• Andy Hoggman – engineering assistance
• Michael Christopher – engineering assistance
• Jack Skinner – mastering
• Arun Chakraverti – mastering
• Daniel Miller – production (1996 reissue)
• David Ball – production (1996 reissue)

Artwork

• Peter Ashworth – photography
• Huw Feather – padded cell
• Andrew Prewett – design
• Richard Smith – liner notes (1996 reissue)

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret Chart (1981–1982) Peak position Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[25] 34 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[26] 2 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[27] 19 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[28] 23 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[29] 7 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[30] 25 UK Albums (OCC)[31] 5 US Billboard 200[32] 22 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[33] 55

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret Chart (1982) Position Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[34] 13 UK Albums (BMRB)[35] 20 US Billboard 200[36] 32

Certifications

Certifications for Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[37]	Platinum	100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[38]	Platinum	300,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.