This Last Night in Sodom

Infobox Album |
Name = This Last Night in Sodom
Type = Album
Artist = Soft Cell


Released = 1984
Recorded = 1983-84
Genre = Synthpop
Length = 64:10
Label = Some Bizarre
Producer = Soft Cell
Reviews = Allmusic Rating|2.5|5 [http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:fi4zefek8gf3 link] | Last album = "The Art of Falling Apart"
(1982)
This album = "This Last Night in Sodom"
(1984)
Next album = "Cruelty Without Beauty"
(2002)

"This Last Night in Sodom" is the name of a 1984 album released by seminal electro-synth pop duo Soft Cell for Phonogram records. It was released about a month after its two members Marc Almond and David Ball announced their breakup in a letter to various music magazines, including Melody Maker and NME, in the UK. The album represents a shift in style from the delicate, erotic, dancefloor-friendly pop of their earlier records, best represented by their most famous single, "Tainted Love (1981).

In addition to the use of an electric guitar played by lead singer Marc Almond, a first for the group, the album is groundbreaking in its frequent use of digital samples, which, along with their 1983 album "The Art of Falling Apart", was one of the first records to do so, The album contains a more eclectic mix of styles as well, from the Spanish-influenced "L'Esqualita" (inspired by the drag bar in New York City of the same name) to the rockabilly-tinged "Down In The Subway." The thematic elements of the songs are also noticeably darker, even for Soft Cell, and center around self-destruction and the breakdown of innocence. "Meet Murder My Angel," according to Almond, is about the mind of a murderer before he slaughters his victim, while "Where Was Your Heart (When You Needed It Most)" centers on a girl who loses all self esteem after being raped while intoxicated.

The record was originally printed entirely in red & gold ink, down to the liner notes, lyrics, LP labels, and serial number. The album was largely a critical success, but ultimately received little commercial attention, and has since gone out of print. A remastered version with bonus tracks, which included a 12" single mix of "Soul Inside", a cover version of the theme from the James Bond film "You Only Live Twice,", and "Her Imagination," cut during a session at the BBC, was also released, although this, too, has since stopped circulation and copies are quite rare.

Track listing

# "Mr. Self Destruct" - 3.12
# "Slave To This" - 5.04
# "Little Rough Rhinestone" - 4.33
# "Meet Murder My Angel" - 4.39
# "The Best Way To Kill" - 4.43
# "L'Esqualita" - 7.03
# "Down in the Subway" - 2.51
# "Surrender to a Stranger" - 3.38
# "Soul Inside" - 4.25
# "Where Was Your Heart (When You Needed It Most)" - 5.09

Extra tracks on remastered CD: Some Bizzare / Mercury (558 267-2, June 1998)

# "Disease and Desire" - 4.02 [B side of "Down in the Subway"]
# "Born To Lose" - 2.52 [B side of "Down in the Subway" 12"]
# "You Only Live Twice" - 4.30 [B side of "Soul Inside"]
# "007 Theme" - 3.34 [B side of "Soul Inside" 12"]
# "Soul Inside" (12" Mix) - 11.57
# "Her Imagination" - 5.21 [B side of "Soul Inside" double 7"]

References