[2018-09-07] Soft Cell "Keychains And Snowstorms: The Soft Cell Story" 9CD/1DVD box set (Mercury)

Linda · **Posted:** Tue Apr 17, 2018 3:14 pm

Description
This comprehensive 10 disc – 9CDs and 1 DVD – box set tells the definitive story of one of electronic music’s most thrilling and pioneering acts, Marc Almond and Dave Ball, better known as Soft Cell. With over 50% previously unreleased music, ‘Keychains & Snowstorms’ is a genuine treasure trove of art-school experimentation, huge pop hits, ground-breaking club tracks and piercing introspection straight out of bedsit land.

Containing remastered versions of both the A and B-sides of the band’s legendary early-‘80s 12” singles it comes augmented with an entire disc of new extended versions of Soft Cell classics, from Dave Ball. Using the original studio parts, Dave has taken 12 fan favourites, including album tracks, B-sides and the huge hits ‘Say Hello, Wave Goodbye’ and ‘Bedsitter’ and created new, extended masterpieces fit to take their place among the existing greats.

Among the rarities and curios on Discs 4 and 5 are 7” edits, alternate versions, newly remastered audio for the legendary ‘Mutant Moments’ release, demos, and an entire suite of early songs produced by Daniel Miller, including his version of ‘Tainted Love’. Live highlights include the band’s first gig at Leeds Polytechnic from 1979, Live In Los Angeles from 1983, 5 songs from the 1984 farewell gigs at the Hammersmith Palais and 6 from the 2003 reunion tour.

Disc 8 features ‘Non-Stop Euphoric Dubbing’, a Dave Ball directed 12-suite continuous mix of Soft Cell classics which forms a moody counterpart to the pioneering dub album 1982’s ‘Non Stop Ecstatic Dancing’, while Disc 9 brings together BBC sessions and highlights from the ‘Cruelty Without Beauty’ reunion period of the early 2000s.

Finally, the DVD features the ‘Non-Stop Exotic Video Show’ plus the official promos for ‘Where The Heart Is’, ‘Numbers’, ‘Down In The Subway’ and ‘Monoculture’. There’s a host of TV appearances, including The Oxford Road Show, The Old Grey Whistle Test, Top Of The Pops, The Tube, The Switch and The 1983 Supersonic Christmas Special plus a previously unreleased gig ‘Live At The Amnesia’ from 28th May, 1981. Finally, there’s the ‘Young Guns Go For It’ BBC documentary.

The box is 10”X10” square with a comprehensive book packed with photos and a new essay by Simon Price.

[tracklisting][CD1: 12” Singles Remastered]
1. Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go
2. Bedsitter
3. Say Hello, Wave Goodbye
4. Torch
5. What
6. Where The Heart Is
7. Numbers
8. Soul Inside
9. Down In The Subway

[CD2: B-Sides Remastered]
1. Tainted Dub/Where Did Our Love Go?
2. Facility Girls (12” Version)
3. Fun City
4. Insecure Me (12” Version)
5. So (12” Version)
6. It’s A Mug’s Game (12” Version)
7. Barriers (12” Version)
8. You Only Live Twice (12” Version)
9. Her Imagination
10. 007 Theme
11. Disease & Desire
12. Born To Lose

[CD3: New Mixes]
1. Say Hello, Wave Goodbye (Dave Ball Lateral Mix)
2. Youth (Dave Ball Wasted On The Young Mix)
3. Barriers (Dave Ball Broken Down Angels Mix)
4. Chips On My Shoulder (Extended Mix)
5. Facility Girls (2018 Mix)
6. Secret Life (Extended Mix)
7. Martin (Hallowe’en Mix)
8. Kitchen Sink Drama (Extended Mix)
9. The Art Of Falling Apart (Extended Mix)
10. Heat (Alternative Version)
11. Meet Murder, My Angel (Extended Mix)
12. Slave To This (Life Of Existence Mix)

[CD4]
1. The Girl With The Patent Leather Face (Original Version)
2. A Man Could Get Lost (Daniel Miller Vocal Edit)
3. Memorabilia (Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing Version)
4. Forever The Same (Unreleased Extended Version)
5. Heat (US 7” Version)
6. Loving You, Hating Me (Special USA Mix)
7. Martin
8. Hendrix Medley (Hey Joe, Purple Haze, Voodoo Chile)
9. Numbers (7” DJ Version)
10. Down In The Subway (7” Remix Version)
11. L’Esqualita (7” Version)
12. Soul Inside (Demo)
13. So (Dave Ball Demo Outtake)

[CD5]
1. Memorabilia (Daniel Miller Mix)
2. Persuasion(Daniel Miller Mix)
3. Metro MRX (Flexipop Version)
4. A Man Could Get Lost (Daniel Miller Demo)
5. The Girl With The Patent Leather Face (Demo)
6. Tainted Love (Demo)
7. Bedsitter (Demo)
8. Potential (From Mutant Moments EP)
9. L.O.V.E Feelings (From Mutant Moments EP)
10. Metro MRX (From Mutant Moments EP)
11. Frustration (From Mutant Moments EP)
12. Red Tape (Demo – Previously Unreleased)
13. Martin (Original 1980 Demo)
14. Paranoid (Black Sabbath Cover)
15. Science Fiction Stories (Demo)
16. Bleak Is My Favourite Cliché (Demo)
17. Cleaning Fanatic (Demo)
18. Mix (Demo)
19. A Man Could Get Lost (Original Version)
20. Walking Make Up Counter (Live at Leeds Polytechnic, December 1979)
21. Occupational Hazard (Live at Leeds Polytechnic, December 1979)
22. Persuasion (Live at Leeds Polytechnic, December 1979)
23. Dave’s Theme (Previously Unreleased Demo)

[CD6]
1. Mr Self Destruct
2. Soul Inside
3. Forever The Same
4. Insecure Me
5. L’Esqualita
6. Loving You, Hating Me
7. Torch
8. Youth
9. Disease & Desire
10. Where Was Your Heart
11. Baby Doll
12. Martin
13. The Art Of Falling Apart

[CD7]
1. Hey Joe/Purple Haze
2. Memorablilia
3. Heat
4. Ghost Rider (with Clint Ruin)
5. Say Hello, Wave Goodbye – Live at Hammersmith Palais, ’84 (Fan Recording)
6. Down In The Subway
7. The Best Way To Kill
8. Numbers
9. It’s A Mug’s Game
10. Frustration – UK Tour, Live in 2003
11. Tainted Love 3.39
12. Where Did Our Love Go 5.33
13. Bedsitter 3.43
14. Sex Dwarf 6.17
15. Barriers 5.28
16. Surrender To A Stranger 4.29

[CD8]
1. Non-Stop Euphoric Dubbing (Continuous Mix)
2. Bedsitter (Erasure Remix)
3. Where The Heart Is (The Grid Remix – 2018 Re-Edit)
4. Memorabilia (The Grid Remix – 2018 Re-Edit)
5. So (The Grid Remix)
6. Insecure Me (Hifi Sean Remix)
7. A Man Could Get Lost (Jon Pleased Wimmin Remix)

[CD9]
1. Entertain Me (Richard Skinner Radio 1 Session)
2. Seedy Films (Richard Skinner Radio 1 Session)
3. Chips On My Shoulder (Richard Skinner Radio 1 Session)
4. Youth (Whistle Test)
5. Sex Dwarf (Whistle Test)
6. Soul Inside (David Jensen Radio 1 Session)
7. Where Was Your Heart (When You Needed It Most) (David Jensen Radio 1 Session)
8. God – Shaped Hole
9. Divided Soul (Hooker Mix)
10. Somebody Somewhere Sometime
11. Monoculture (Dave Ball Extended Mix)
12. The Night
13. Darker Times
14. Last Chance
15. Together Alone
16. Caligula Syndrome
17. Desperate

[DVD]
TV appearances, promos etc.[/tracklisting]

Amazon USA
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C5HJ2K8/?tag=imwan-20

Amazon Canada
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07C5HJ2K8/?tag=imwanca-20

Amazon UK
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07C5HJ2K8/?tag=imwan-21

Linda · **Posted:** Wed Apr 18, 2018 12:37 pm

Bump: We now have the official label description in the first post, along with a more detailed tracklist.

And the UK pre-order price has dropped by a whopping £25, down to £73.60:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07C5HJ2K8/?tag=imwan-21

eelkiller · **Joined:** 10 Dec 2006 **Posts:** 1681

No fans here by the looks of things?

Looks like the DVD has issues according to other sites but the label has already provided the contact info for replacements. Some of the booklet spines also are faulty.

Caveat emptor.

TSmithPage · **Joined:** 20 Sep 2006 **Posts:** 3671

I"m a longtime fan, and already have the comparable Marc Almond solo box, so I'm looking forward to getting this.

GodsComic · 03 Aug 2006

Price drop. Just got it for $64

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07C5HJ2K8/?tag=imwan-21

Rick A · 23 Jul 2006

GodsComic wrote:

Price drop. Just got it for $64

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07C5HJ2K8/?tag=imwan-21

Thanks Dean my musical brother, better than a Christmas card with well wishes. At this price this is a no-brainer.!

GodsComic · 03 Aug 2006

Rick A wrote:

GodsComic wrote:

Price drop. Just got it for $64

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07C5HJ2K8/?tag=imwan-21

Thanks Dean my musical brother, better than a Christmas card with well wishes. At this price this is a no-brainer.!

Merry Christmas Brother Rick.
Glad there was at least one boxed set we didn't initially jump on this year.

Rick A · 23 Jul 2006

GodsComic wrote:

Rick A wrote:

GodsComic wrote:

Price drop. Just got it for $64

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07C5HJ2K8/?tag=imwan-21

Thanks Dean my musical brother, better than a Christmas card with well wishes. At this price this is a no-brainer.!

Merry Christmas Brother Rick.
Glad there was at least one boxed set we didn't initially jump on this year.

I hear you about this. I made a proclamation earlier in the month that I will await Amazon 2019 Christmas sales for my fourth quarter box set purchases but Yes, we did score big here. :ohyes:

eelkiller · **Joined:** 10 Dec 2006 **Posts:** 1681

Good price but can we assume Universal has corrected the DVD? Sounds like some people were struggling to get a replacement.
Plus the sound is supposed to be of marginal quality which is too bad. Great music.

TSmithPage · **Joined:** 20 Sep 2006 **Posts:** 3671

Although I ordered this in October, it's been lost in Amazon limbo land and has never shipped. I bought at $91 and their delay is now going to save me about $25...

RackleNut · **Joined:** 07 Nov 2006 **Posts:** 1356

the single-disc distillation of this set is super-sweet!

Linda · **Posted:** Thu Dec 27, 2018 2:44 pm

Here's the 1CD distillation that RackleNut referred to:

1. Memorabilia
2. Tainted Love
3. Where Did Our Love Go?
4. Bedsitter
5. Say Hello, Wave Goodbye
6. Sex Dwarf
7. Torch
8. Insecure Me
9. What
10. Where The Heart Is
11. Numbers
12. Barriers
13. Loving You, Hating Me
14. Soul Inside
15. Down In The Subway
16. Divided Soul
17. Monoculture
18. The Night
19. Northern Lights
20. Guilty ('Cos I Say You Are)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DY2M7G8/?tag=imwan-20

Linda · **Posted:** Thu Dec 27, 2018 10:26 pm

The box set deal at Amazon UK has now finished.

Rick A · 23 Jul 2006

Well it looks like Godscomic, TSmithPage and I scored on this one. Ton's of material on this box.

Will need to inspect the DVD's according to Barry. Glad to see the label stepping up and acknowledging the issue(s).

eelkiller · **Joined:** 10 Dec 2006 **Posts:** 1681

Rick A wrote:

Well it looks like Godscomic, TSmithPage and I scored on this one. Ton's of material on this box.

Will need to inspect the DVD's according to Barry. Glad to see the label stepping up and acknowledging the issue(s).

Awesome, the DVD if it gives problems is supposedly with BBC material. Glad you three got in on the deal and hope you will not have to do the exchange as some people's players had zero issues. I checked the Amazon.co.uk link and it is all third party sellers now, maybe they liquidated all "on hand" copies and are waiting for the restock after the correction?
I was so tempted but the number of multidisc sets looking at me made me finally say no.

[2018-09-07] Soft Cell "Keychains And Snowstorms: The Soft Cell Story" 9CD/1DVD box set (Mercury)

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