'Tainted Love' Artist Hospitalized

Soft Cell singer Marc Almond was hospitalized yesterday following an accident near St. Paul's in London - riding as a passenger on a motorcycle, he was thrown off when it collided with a car in the rain. He's in critical but stable condition at Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel.

Soft Cell is best known for their remake of an obscure Gloria Jones tune, "Tainted Love". (Gloria Jones was the wife of T Rex's Marc Bolan). The group formed in 1980, self-destructed in 1984, but did a tour in 2001. They also did a memorable video featuring leather-clad, chained midgets called
"Sex Dwarf".

Some lyrics, if you don't know what I'm talking about...

"Sometimes I feel I've got to
Run away I've got to
Get away
From the pain that you drive into the heart of me
The love we share
Seems to go nowhere
And I've lost my light
For I toss and turn I can't sleep at night "

Hope he's doing okay - those bike wrecks hurt like a bitch.

They hurt like a stinging mo'fo.

I do hope he doesn't become one of MY clients for where I work: Court of Protection: rife with head injury patients incapable of managing their own affairs.

I remember getting to the UK and boggling at the acts on the popular BBC chart show Top of the Pops - Top of the Slops, more like - and being amazed at Toya Wilcox (weird), Adam Ant (Piratey weird, and currently sectioned - he's mad, Miss Babs) and the absolutely alien Soft Cell (Marc was just from a different planet).

Of course, I eventually got into the groove - boy I had to move - and now quite appreciate his singing if not totally embracing his weirdness. He even did a duet with Gene Pitney on Something's Got A Hold of My Heart. Double weird.

Hope he recovers.

GUARDIAN report - Almond critical after road accident

Marc Almond, former lead singer of electro-pop group Soft Cell, is critically ill after a motorcycle accident.

The 48-year-old, best known for his number one hit Tainted Love, a cover of the Gloria Jones Northern Soul classic, is in a stable condition in the intensive care unit of the Royal London hospital following emergency surgery. He sustained severe head injuries when the bike on which he was a pillion passenger collided with a car near St Paul's Cathedral, London, on Sunday...

Just to recap, but it goes on to reveal some starling facts I'd never known...

He spent 12 years fighting his drug addictions and survived an attack where two associates tried to throw him out of a sixth-floor window.

I never was a huge fan of that genre of music but I always liked that song.. I have some rather , ummm.. "personal" memories wrapped up in that tune....if you get my drift..nudge, nudge, wink, wink.

Hope he's doing better.

I wasn't aware it was a cover of an older version - I'm looking to see how Gloria Jones did with it now.

Truthfully, it's the only Soft Cell song I really knew about; like chinese food, I figured it was best not to inquire what went into it. It still gets a lot of play on the alternative stations here.

Byron, stop reading the Guardian, that rag is suitable only to be recycled into toilet paper, if that. This is your last warning.

I love Soft Cell! Check out This Last Night In Sodom - class!

Soft Cell are also behind my 3rd favourite Nine Inch Nails cover: "Memorabilia." Possibly the first song ever written on Ecstacy.

I see "Mr Self Destruct" is on there too.

I don't read the Guardian, I just pinch news links from them 'cause it's handy, mate.

And what's all this, "this is your last warning" malarky?

Say Hello Wave Goodbye is a beautiful song as well.

Well yeah... it's The Downward Spiral deluxe edition. Memorabilia was originally a Soft Cell song, was there one called "Mr Self Destruct" as well?

Yeah, it's the first track on this

Ah, well Reznor's "Mr. Self Destruct" is a different track entirely.

I'm not going to read any of the posts, but upon reading the title, all I can think is, good, I wish it had happened right before he wrote that awful song.

What awful song was that? If you're thinking of Tainted Love he didn't write that, it was a cover of a 1964 song by Gloria Jones. Maybe you better read all the thread afterall!

Perhaps. It's an awful song anyway.