Editing Soft Cell (section)

===''Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret''===
The duo's first album, ''[[Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret]]'', hit UK No.&nbsp;5 and further explored the now-trademark Soft Cell themes of squalor and sleaze. "Seedy Films" talks of long nights in [[Pornography|porno]] cinemas, while "Frustration" and "Secret Life" deal with the boredom and hypocrisy associated with suburban life. A companion video titled ''[[Soft Cell's Non-Stop Exotic Video Show|Non-Stop Exotic Video Show]]'' was released in 1982 and featured videos directed by [[Tim Pope]]. The video generated some controversy in Britain, mainly due to a scandal involved with the "Sex Dwarf" clip.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/heres-why-soft-cells-38-year-old-video-is-still-banned-as-marc-almond-discusses-shocking-sex-dwarf-2450261 |title=Marc Almond discusses Soft Cell's shocking 'Sex Dwarf' video, which remains banned after 38 years |website=[[NME]] |date=20 February 2019}}</ref><ref name="thequietus.com"/>

''[[Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret]]'' garnered two additional hits: "[[Bedsitter (song)|Bedsitter]]" dealt with the loneliness and lifestyle of a young man having recently left home to live in a [[bedsit]] while partying hard. "Bedsitter" reached No. 4 in the UK Singles Chart in November 1981. The song was highly acclaimed in a retrospective review by [[AllMusic]] journalist Ned Raggett who wrote that it "ranks as one of the best, most realistic portrayals of urban life recorded."<ref>{{cite web|last=Raggett |first=Ned |url=http://www.allmusic.com/song/bedsitter-mt0026800785 |title=Bedsitter – Soft Cell &#124; Listen, Appearances, Song Review |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=25 July 2014}}</ref> The final single on the album, the ballad "[[Say Hello, Wave Goodbye]]", peaked at No. 3 in February 1982.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/19156/soft-cell/|title=Soft Cell &#124; full Official Chart History &#124; Official Charts Company|website=[[Official Charts Company|Official Charts]]}}</ref>

During 1982, the duo spent most of their time recording and relaxing in New York City, where they met a woman named Cindy Ecstasy who Almond would later confirm was his drug supplier (it was Cindy Ecstasy who introduced them to the new nightclub drug of the same name). Soon after "Say Hello Wave Goodbye" dropped out of the chart, Soft Cell released a brand new song: [[Torch (song)|"Torch"]], a love song which was to prove the closest the band ever got to having a No. 1 hit with one of their own songs. The song entered straight into the Top 20 and peaked at No. 2.<ref name="test">{{cite web|url=http://www.everyhit.com/ |title=UK Top 40 Chart Archive, British Singles & Album Charts |website=Everyhit.com |date=16 March 2000 |access-date=25 July 2014}}</ref>

In June 1982, as was the trend at the time, the duo released a mini album titled ''[[Non Stop Ecstatic Dancing]]'', containing remixes of older material along with their new single, "What!", which is a cover of the 1965 song by [[Melinda Marx]], which was later covered in 1968 by [[Judy Street]], whose version became extremely popular on the Northern Soul scene."What!" was a major hit in the UK and reached No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart in August that year.<ref name="test"/>