Soft Cell were one of the first British electro-pop acts of the early ‘80s to inject hot human passion into their icy sound. Taking his cues from pre-Beatles pop, Marc Almond sang emotional songs about bad love (“Say Hello, Wave Goodbye”) and wild nights out (“Torch”) in a vulnerable, tremulous voice, while Dave Ball bent bass notes like a robot Duane Eddy (“Bedsitter”) and added sparkly synthetic drama to ‘60s girl group melodies (“What?”). Their celebrated cover of “Tainted Love” transformed a Northern Soul stomper into a darkly paranoid rant, with Almond's vengeful howl taking center stage.