Non-stop Ecstatic Dancing

Infobox Album |
Name = Non-stop Ecstatic Dancing
Type = Album
Artist = Soft Cell


Released = 1982
Recorded = 1982
Genre = New Romantic
Length = 32:20
Label = Some Bizzare
Producer = Mike Thorne
Reviews = Allmusic Rating|4|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:1ofe4j370wa4 link]
Last album = Non-stop Erotic Cabaret
This album = Non-stop Ecstatic Dancing
Next album = The Art of Falling Apart

Non-stop Ecstatic Dancing is a short album released in 1982 by Soft Cell, a pioneering synthpop/new wave duo which featured Marc Almond singing and David Ball playing synthesizers. The album produced a hit single, "What?," as well as remixes of both sides of the band's first single, "Memorabilia" and "A Man Could Get Lost."

Considered to be the first ever remix album, Non-stop Ecstatic Dancing is also widely recognized as being one of the first house records in the UK, as well as the first record in the UK to feature turntable scratches. However, it is notable that the scratch sounds heard on the record were not created on actual turntables but, rather, on producer Mike Thorne's modular Serge synthesizer.

As the name implies, "Non-stop Ecstatic Dancing" was conceived, by the band's own admission, under the influence of MDMA (commonly referred to as ecstasy). The album and its inspiration, "Non-stop Erotic Cabaret", were both recorded almost simultaneously in New York City at a time when its gay club scene was just beginning to emerge. Almond later admitted in an interview with journalist Simon Tebbutt that the album's sound, and indeed, the sound of the band, was influence by a short stint working at the Leeds Warehouse, a popular nightclub. The album is much more dance-oriented than "Non-stop Erotic Cabaret", with extended versions and instrumental cuts of various songs from "Erotic Cabaret" as well as several new tracks.

The album caused some controversy as well with the music video for the song "Sex Dwarf," which included whips, raw meat, chainsaws, transvestites, and even a so-called "sex dwarf." An unedited version of the video was seized by police and provided fuel for major scandal, largely fueled by tabloid newspapers, that eventually resulted in violence and unrest at many concerts during a small club tour to promote their video collection, "". The band went on hiatus for a small period of time after the album's release, with Ball taking time to reconcile with his girlfriend and Almond performing with Marc and the Mambas. This fueled rumours that the band was splitting up; although they would release two more albums (1983's "The Art of Falling Apart" and 1984's "This Last Night In Sodom"), tensions were already beginning to tear the band apart.

Track listings

U.K. release:

# "Memorabilia" - 5:22
# "Where Did Our Love Go?" - 4:22
# "What?" - 4:33
# "A Man Could Get Lost" - 4:05
# "Chips on My Shoulder" - 4:36
# "Sex Dwarf" - 5:15

U.S. release:

(Original U.S. vinyl release replaced "Chips On My Shoulder" with the extended version of "Insecure...Me?")

# "Memorabilia" (Remix) - 5:20
# "Where Did Our Love Go" (Original 7" single) - 4:20
# "What?" - 4:31
# "A Man Could Get Lost" - 3:57
# "Insecure...Me?" (Extended) - 7:33
# "Sex Dwarf" (Remix) - 5:15

Extra tracks on remastered CD: SOME BIZZARE/MERCURY (558 265-2, June 1998)

# "Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go?" (Extended) - 8:57
# "Memorabilia" (Extended) - 7:45
# "What!" (Extended) - 6:11
# "....So" (Extended) - 8:50
# "Torch" (Extended) - 8:30
# "Insecure...Me?" (Extended) - 8:15