News

Marc Almond To Release New Album

• 7th Apr 2010

Critically acclaimed and popularly adored, one of Britain’s most musically eclectic singer/songwriters, Marc Almond, releases his new album Varieté on 7th June through Cherry Red Records. Varieté is Marc’s first complete album of self-written songs since Open All Night, over a decade ago. The first 3000 copies of the album will be in a limited edition digipack with an exclusive bonus acoustic CD featuring additional unreleased tracks.

In this, Marc’s 30th year as a recording artist, Varieté, revisits the eras of Marc’s personal and musical life providing an eloquent and sometimes nostalgic, insight into what defines him as a performer.

Almond says “The album deals with the themes of the changing times, a yearning for simplicity, regret at loss, growing older, loneliness through the eyes of a performer, madness, letting go, acceptance, as well as our obsession with nostalgia. For me the past and a sense of history is what gives us soul and humanity, gives us value. I wanted to celebrate nostalgia.

He goes on to elaborate “This is a personal record of my own life and the decades I’ve grown through: born in the 1950's, a child of the 60's, a troubled teen of the 70's, a star of the 80's, a drug casualty of the 90's, an actual road casualty in the new millennium, and from it a rehabilitated and re-invented person, with a new sense of self.”

Marc has always excelled at mixing musical genres and writing vividly poignant lyrics, as well as collaborating with musicians of note. Varieté is produced and arranged by Marc himself, with the exception of 3 tracks (The Trials of Eyeliner, Bread and Circus and Soho So Long) which are produced and co-arranged by Tris Penna, who produced much of Marc’s 2007 album Stardom Road.

Marc is joined on Varieté by long-term musical collaborators:- Neal Whitmore – Guitars, ukulele, piano, harmonica, Omnichord; Martin Watkins – Piano, keyboards, Omnichord; Dave Ruffy – Drums & percussion and Carl Holt – Bass. The album also features a selection of diverse musical guests and collaborators.

Full Track Listing
1. (Intro) – Almond/Cashmore
2. Bread & Circus – Almond/Fedorov
3. Nijinsky Heart – Almond/Faber
4. The Exhibitionist – Almond/Watkins
5. The Trials of Eyeliner – Almond/Cashmore
6. Lavender- Almond/Watkins
7. Soho So Long – Almond/Fedorov/Whitmore
8. Unloveable – Almond/Faber
9. Sandboy – Almond/Watkins
10. It’s All Going On – Almond/Faber
11. Variety – Almond/Faber
12. Cabaret Clown – Almond
13. My Madness and I – Almond/Whitmore
14. But Not Today – Almond/Whitmore
15. Swan Song – Almond/Whitmore
16. Sin Song – Almond/Cashmore

Marc Almond first found fame as one half of Soft Cell in the 1980’s, when their seminal cover of Tainted Love, reached No. 1 in 1981. A long and distinguished solo career followed, with Marc selling over 30 million records. He has achieved significant critical acclaim as a recording artist and performer during his 30 year career, encompassing genres as diverse as chanson, torch song, caberet and Russian folk.

‘All I need is a glittery curtain
To sing a cheap but potent song
On a small wooden stage
At the back of a bar
That’s where I belong.’