The Art of Falling Apart

The Art of Falling Apart is the second full-length album released in 1983 by Soft Cell, a pioneering synthpop/new wave duo which featured Marc Almond singing and David Ball playing synthesizers.

The album reached #5 on the UK charts upon release, although its two singles "Where the Heart Is" and "Numbers" both failed to reach the Top 20, breaking the duo's run of five consecutive Top 5 singles in the UK.

Track listing

1. "Forever the Same" – 5:06
2. "Where the Heart Is" – 4:34
3. "Numbers" – 4:55
4. "Heat" – 6:11
5. "Kitchen Sink Drama" – 3:56
6. "Baby Doll" – 6:44
7. "Loving You, Hating Me" – 4:18
8. "The Art of Falling Apart" – 5:01

Extra tracks on remastered CD: SOME BIZARRE/MERCURY (558 266-2, June 1998)

1. "Hendrix Medley" – 10:20 [on free 12" with initial copies of the vinyl LP]
2. "Martin" – 10:16 [on free 12" with initial copies of the vinyl LP]
3. "Barriers" – 7:05 [double A-side of "Numbers" 7" and 12" singles]
4. "It's a Mug's Game" – 8:15 [B-side of "Where the Heart Is" 12"]

The song "Martin" was inspired by the 1978 horror film Martin of the same name by George A. Romero.^[3]

Production

• Produced by Soft Cell and Mike Thorne
• Mixed by Harvey Goldberg
• Engineered by Harvey Goldberg and Don Wershba

Credits

• Marc Almond: Lead vocals
• David Ball: Synthesizers, backing vocals, multi-instruments
• John Gatchell: Trumpet, horns

References

1. ^ Allmusic review
2. ^ Rolling Stone review
3. ^ Making The Art of Falling Apart by Mike Thorne