Marc Almond (Soft Cell)

Soft Cell's Marc Almond joins Vernon Kay to choose ten songs from his life, including tracks by The Kinks, Kate Bush, Lana Del Rey, Madonna and more.

Speaking ahead of the release of Soft Cell's final studio album, Danceteria, Marc's ten-track journey starts with his childhood in Southport, where 70s glam rock and punk influenced the music he would later make. Then he tells the story of how he moved to Leeds to study art and met his Soft Cell bandmate Dave Ball. Together they began recording and performing some fairly wild and unpredictable gigs before finding success with their massive hit Tainted Love, which was the biggest selling single of 1981. Marc talks openly about the challenges that came with that success, including some famous performances on Top Of The Pops, and how the band developed in that initial period until their split in 1984. He also tells Vernon about the New York 80s club scene that has inspired the new album, as well as paying tribute to Dave who passed away in 2025, just two days after they finished recording Danceteria.

You can also watch Vernon's conversations for Tracks Of My Years on BBC iPlayer and Radio 2's YouTube channel, just search for 'Tracks Of My Years'.

A BBC Audio production for BBC Radio 2.