Marc Almond And The Willing Sinners: Stories Of Johnny

Most people know Marc Almond as the leader of Soft Cell, the early-'80s dance act best known for the single "Tainted Love"; that song's success overshadowed the group's other work while proving that getting famous with a cover can be as much a curse as a blessing. (See also "Mrs. Robinson" by The Lemonheads.) Others may know Almond only as an openly gay musician from a conservative era in which even the flamboyant Boy George found success while remaining in the closet. But Almond has been a good deal more prolific than his one-hit status would indicate, as illustrated by these two post-Soft Cell albums, released for the first time in America. Of the two, 1985's Stories Of Johnny is the more immediately accessible, thanks largely to its lush romantic sound, particularly on the title track (a hit in Britain) and the appropriately spooky "This House Is Haunted." While the piano- and string-dominated albums can sound like the missing link between the '80s dance-pop of Erasure and the current, overlooked, ambitious melodrama of The Divine Comedy, a sense of doom pervades 1987's Mother Fist. "Saint Judy" sounds like the lament of a tragic drag queen, and the title of "Mr. Sad" pretty much speaks for itself. Both are strong albums: Though they may provide a bit too much drama to take in one sitting, both should prove to be pleasant discoveries for fans of difficult, rewarding pop music.