Marc
Almond – Trials Of Eyeliner (The Anthology 1979/2016) (Universal)
Deluxe
CD Box Set
Out
Now
10
/ 10
Marc Almond curates a thirty-seven-year anthology.
It’s difficult to know where to start
appraising Marc Almond. For many music lovers,
he has been a constant in our lives for longer than us, and probably he, would
care to remember. A man who through a
huge expanse of solo work and collaboration has entertained everyone, and that
is literally ‘everyone’ in one way or another during his sparkling, lurex and
rubber filled career.
He has just signed his first major record
contract in twenty years, and Universal are quick to release this ten disc, 189
track anthology. But, far from being
something predictable and commercially safe, this is something quite
extraordinary. Almost everything you could
possibly want to represent his career to date is present (sure, you can’t have
everything, and tracks like Martin and Hendrix Medley from the bonus 12” of the
The Art Of Falling Part album would have been simply the icing on top of the
existing icing on the cake), and there at least one thing that everyone will
adore from this set.
The emergence on the pop scene as part of Soft
Cell with fellow polytechnic student David Ball saw the duo take the music
scene by storm. The singles that immediately
ensued following the multimillion selling Tainted Love (backed by a second
cover version, Where Did Our Love Go ensuring that they made no song writing royalties
whatsoever from its sale), ensured that everyone knew their name. Bedsitter and Say Hello Wave Goodbye from
their debut album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret were joined by more risqué tracks
which showed that they weren’t afraid to dabble in a little alternative
music. The remix album Non-Stop Ecstatic
Dancing also contained the further hit What! and all seemed bright and rosy. Unfortunately, they then committed commercial
suicide with albums The Art Of Falling Apart and This Last Night In Sodom the latter
of which prompted the dissolution of the act despite having reasonable chart
success.
Coupled with the criminally underrated Marc And
The Mambas whose dark/new wave/gothic albums Untitled and Torment And Toreros
saw Almond work with the likes of Matt Johnson, Annie Hogan and J.G. Thirlwell,
he lost favour and for a short while disappeared. His return with solo work saw him become a
regular chart fixture albeit at the lower end, but tracks like The Boy Who Came
Back, Stories Of Johnny and Tears Run Rings slowly saw him back in our lives
and inevitably, our hearts.
Trials Of Eyeliner sees three distinct themes –
History showcases Marc’s favourites, album tracks and B-sides over four cds
recounting Soft Cell’s The Girl With The Patent Leather Face (a track which is
simply stunning in its naiveté and roughness), Sex Dwarf and Meet Murder My
Angel as well as one of his finest moments Catch A Fallen Star (Marc And The
Mambas). It also introduces us to
Jacques Brel, the Belgian writer and actor considered to be the master of
modern chanson with The Devil (Okay), a writer who along with Scott Walker was
a major influence. Almonds version of
Brel’s Jackie (Jacky), which was also recorded by Walker, remains one of the
finest pop songs ever and rewarded him with a top 20 hit in 1991.
Second section, Singles compiles all his
official single releases not already appearing in the first section in an
almost chronological order, and includes appearances from Soft Cell, the Mambas
and solo work. Works of Soft Cell genius
such as Numbers, Soul Inside and Down In The Subway rub shoulder with duets
with Bronski Beat, Gene Pitney and Sarah Cracknell, and a stream of superb solo
pieces in A Woman’s Story (still bringing goose bumps to this day), Ruby Red
and Melancholy Rose. Once more, the tracks
that may have once been forgotten re-emerge to engage us once again.
The final three cds come together as Gems, a
selection of rarities, collaborations and soundtrack contributions which includes
eighteen previously unreleased tracks from Marc’s own collection. Coil, The Burmoe Brothers and Othon aid a collection
of, well, gems, which also consists of remixes and original demo’s no doubt
pleasing the Almond die-hard. The
Exhibitionist, Sequins And Stars and Dark Is My World perhaps hint at the
workings of his career in mini sound-bytes, but as he turns 60 next year the closing
track I Created Me is a fitting close to a release nothing short of
perfect. He may have created himself or
even been a product of many different times and instances but one thing remains
– Marc Almond is a British institution and a well-loved one at that - and
Trials Of Eyeliner is the exceptional story of a national treasure.
Published on Louder Than War 2/11/16 - here
Published on Louder Than War 2/11/16 - here
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