Act (band)

Infobox musical artist
Name = Act


Img_capt = "Snobbery And Decay" 7" sleeve
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Genre = synthpop
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Years_active = 1987-1988
Label = ZTT Records
Associated_acts = Propaganda onetwo
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Past_members = Thomas Leer Claudia Brücken
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Act were a short-lived synthpop group signed to ZTT Records in the late 1980s, and comprising Thomas Leer and ex-Propaganda vocalist Claudia Brücken. Besides electropop and disco the group were also influenced by psychedelic rock and musical theatre. Lyrically their songs tended to be concerned with decadence and the moral bankruptcy of the world as they saw it, as summed up in the title of their debut single "Snobbery And Decay" — the cover of which, featuring pictures of Quentin Crisp and Liberace, is pictured on the right. The band dissolved shortly after the release of the album.

Discography

Albums

Act released only one album, "Laughter, Tears and Rage" in 1988.

It was reissued as a 3CD set "Laughter, Tears and Rage - The Anthology" in 2004 (ZTT185CDX)

[CD1 '(More) Laughter, Tears and Rage'] (expanded issue of the album - with 8 additional tracks)

*1 - Absolutely Immune
*2 - Chance
*3 - Laughter
*4 - I Can't Escape From You
*5 - Short Story (thinker)
*6 - Poison
*7 - Under the Nights of Germany
*8 - Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
*9 - The 3rd Planet
*10 - Gestures
*11 - Bloodrush
*12 - A Friendly Warning
*13 - Certified
*14 - Where Love Lies Bleeding
*15 - (Theme from) Laughter
*16 - Snobbery and Decay
*17 - I'd Be Surprisingly Good For You
*18 - (Theme from) Snobbery and Decay
*19 - Absolutely Immune (seven inch mix)
*20 - White Rabbit
*21 - Dear Life
*22 - (Theme from) I Can't Escape From You

[CD2 'Name Dropping (Songs from Beyond The Me-decade)'] (various remixes and alternative versions)

*1 - Snobbery and Decay (That's Entertainment!)
*2 - Absolutely Immune (Extended version)
*3 - Chance (Throbbin' Mix)
*4 - Winner 88 (Extended)
*5 - I Can't Excape from You (Love and Hate)
*6 - Snobbery and Decay (Extended, for Stephanie Beacham)
*7 - Strong Poison
*8 - Absolutely Immune (Trevor's Twelve Inch Mix)
*9 - States of Logic
*10 - (We Give You Another) Chance
*11 - Snobbery and Decay (The Naked Civil)

[CD3 'That's Entertainment! (Plundering the Vaults)'] (previously unreleased material and rarities)

*1 - Laughter (seven inch mix)
*2 - Chance (seven inch mix)
*3 - Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now (Lucky's Skank 2)
*4 - Absolutely Immune (take 4)
*5 - (Alternative) Gestures
*6 - Under the Nights of Germany (trial edit)
*7 - Body Electric
*8 - Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now (Lucky's Skank 1
*9 - Laughter (instrumental seven inch)
*10 - Absolutely Immune (instrumental)
*11 - Certified (instrumental)
*12 - Under the Nights of Germany (instrumental)
*13 - Gestures (instrumental)
*14 - I'd Be Surprisingly Instrumental For You
*15 - Winner '88 (instrumental)
*16 - 3rd Planet (Altered)
*17 - Bloodrush (Silent)
*18 - Gestures (Improvised)

ingles

* Snobbery and Decay (1987) UK#60, Italy#38 (7" ZTAS28 / 12" 12ZTAS28 / 2nd 12" 12XACT28 / Cassette CTIS28 / CD single CID28)
* Absolutely Immune (1987) (7" IMM1 / 12" TIMM1 / 12" remix VIMM1)
* Chance (1988) (7" BET1 / 12" BETT1) (single withdrawn prior to release due to copyright issues surrounding an Abba sample)
* I Can't Escape from You (1988) (7" IMM1 /12" TIMM1 /CD single CDIMM2)

All above released by ZTT Records Limited.

External links

* [http://www.ztt.com/ ZTT Records official site]
* [http://www.ztt.com/shop ZTT Records official store]
*Ian Peel: " [http://www.zttaat.com/article.php?title=172 Warriors of pop, 21 years of ZTT] " Record Collector, September 2004 (copy at "Zang Tuum Tumb and all that") Article about ZTT's history, contains info on Act

Additional referenceAct "Laughter Tears and Rage: The Anthology" sleeve-notes.