Without a doubt and with no need for hyperbole, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is one of the greatest albums ever recorded in any era on any planet. Marc Almond is at the top of his craft here, guiding the listener through the seamier parts of town and the darkest corners of the human psyche as David Ball's understated and hypnotic synth melodies drone on. Trace? That's a laugh!

Humor, tragedy, pathos, angst, irony, silvery... it's all here with even a few genuine hits thrown into the mix, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret delivers the goods and more. The lyrics are smart, funny and unforgettable and Almond embues them with palpable and genuine emotion. The performance and themes taken as a whole leaves one with the impression that Marc Almond circa 1982 was a total nutter, one psychotic break shy of permanent residency in the madhouse. And I mean that in a good way!

This recording is as fresh and engaging as it was nearly 30 years ago. The only thing that could possibly have made it aany better would have been the inclusion of Persuasion (an unsettling descent into madness) and Fun City (it's not). This has been addressed in the 2008 Deluxe Edition.

Even the most jaded cynic or misguided 80s hater would be defenseless when confronted by the irresistable hooks comprising Sex Dwarf. ("Sex Dwarf, isn't it nice? Luring disco dollies to a life of vice.") The video version apparently violated decency standards worldwide and it was disappeared down the memory hole. A pity, really.

What an amazing album this is some twenty plus years after its release.It's sometimes easy to forget what a vital part Marc Almond and Dave Ball played in the developpment of pop music.
This album sits very neatly, but somewhat uncomfortably, in between punk and new wave but manages delicatly not to be one or the other.It's an album whos theme documents the highs and lows of everyday life but in honesty not a life most of us lead.Still it's easy to connect the dots and find yourself drawn into Marc Almonds stories of paranoia,depravity and boredom.It's a dark album, but it's a fun album.At times it's angry but never too serious.Some days I consider it a party album and then on other days I'm more comfortable hearing it in the dark with a glass of red wine for company.It's an album of many characters and thus never uninteresting or tiresom to be around.

I've been listening this album for a couple of weeks now and I cant believe that I judge them (like a most of ''out of UK'' music lovers) and SC career with Tainted Love, What an album, it's amazing that Dave Ball produced this kind of staff in 1981! He played with synth and he had acciefed some crazy acid sounds( Sex Dwarf ) and in combination with sax and great vocals by Almond - it's great synth pop . The lyrics are provocative and cleverly ironic (Frustration, Seedy Films..).

According to the book Altered State (written by Matthew Collin, former editor of I-D mag, UK), this was the first record in the UK made under the influence of ecstasy. Marc and David spent some time in New York before going to studio and then they brought some of it to England.

It would have been nice to have seen the 7" instrumental of "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" included as a bonus track. It's super cool to see this classic re-issued with all these extra gems. Fischerspooner, Miss Kitten & the Hacker, Adult and the recent wave of electroclash artists bow down and take notes!

This is one of the very first cassettes I ever bought for my walkman back in '83. I listened to this the other day and was blown away how David Ball came up with all those crazy sounds. Listen to the twangy keyboard sounds of "Bedsitter" or the swirling keyboard sounds of "Sex Dwarf" and you'll see what I'm saying!