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Dave Ball, one half of TAINTED LOVE hitmakers Soft Cell, dies, aged 66
Sky News ^ | Oct 23 | Sky News

Posted on 10/23/2025 6:48:41 AM PDT by RandFan

Synth-pop musician Dave Ball, who was one half of the popular 1980s band Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.

The electronic musician, who, along with bandmate Marc Almond scored a UK number one with Tainted Love, died on Wednesday, just days after completing a new Soft Cell album.

Almond, 68, described him as a "wonderfully brilliant musical genius".

(Excerpt) Read more at news.sky.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Music/Entertainment
KEYWORDS: daveball; marcalmond; music; softcell; taintedlove
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RIP

Who remembers their hit from the 80s, then?

1 posted on 10/23/2025 6:48:41 AM PDT by RandFan
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To: RandFan

Yep, remember that.


2 posted on 10/23/2025 6:50:49 AM PDT by HombreSecreto (The life of a repo man is always intense)
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To: RandFan

RIP Mr. Ball, but now I’m going to have that tune in my head all day.


3 posted on 10/23/2025 6:52:51 AM PDT by DallasBiff (Apology not accepted.la is not the sharpest knife in the drawer)
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To: HombreSecreto

Good memory

40 odd years ago. Crazy.


4 posted on 10/23/2025 6:53:04 AM PDT by RandFan
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To: DallasBiff

I had to capitalize it. Seemed appropriate

And yeah it was catchy


5 posted on 10/23/2025 6:57:26 AM PDT by RandFan
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To: DallasBiff

I can only hear Dan Akroyd singing it as a conehead…


6 posted on 10/23/2025 7:00:37 AM PDT by Skywise
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To: RandFan

Condolences to family and friends of David Ball.


7 posted on 10/23/2025 7:01:38 AM PDT by PGalt (Past Peak Civilization?)
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To: All

One of the most horribly overplayed songs of the 1980’s.


8 posted on 10/23/2025 7:02:36 AM PDT by MplsSteve
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To: RandFan
"Tainted Love" was composed by Ed Cobb, formerly of the Four Preps, and was originally recorded by Gloria Jones in 1964.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EH4yq-goqiA&list=RDEH4yq-goqiA&start_radio=1

Almost twenty years later, Soft Cell did a great cover of it.

9 posted on 10/23/2025 7:10:30 AM PDT by T.B. Yoits
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To: Skywise
I can only hear Dan Akroyd singing it as a conehead…

I'd rather have his version as an earworm than the original.

10 posted on 10/23/2025 7:17:31 AM PDT by IYAS9YAS (There are two kinds of people: Those who can extrapolate from incomplete data.)
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To: T.B. Yoits

Wow! That Gloria Jones version is great.


11 posted on 10/23/2025 7:22:22 AM PDT by sevlex
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To: T.B. Yoits

Wow! That Gloria Jones version is great.


12 posted on 10/23/2025 7:22:41 AM PDT by sevlex
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To: RandFan

One of my favorites from that genre. RIP.


13 posted on 10/23/2025 7:34:43 AM PDT by bigbob (We are all Charlie Kirk now)
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To: RandFan

I’m not one to start threads (let other FReepers do that!)

But a cool thread would be, “Name cool 80s one hit wonders!”

This song would be one.
Another couple of nice one hits would be:

Ship of Fools - World Party
Welcome to the Boomtown - David and David


14 posted on 10/23/2025 7:34:57 AM PDT by HombreSecreto (The life of a repo man is always intense)
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To: MplsSteve
One of the most horribly overplayed songs of the 1980’

Add "Amy" to that list

15 posted on 10/23/2025 7:35:39 AM PDT by llevrok (Keep buggering on!)
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To: RandFan

The song was not written by them. It was released in 1964 in the U. A. written by Edward Cobb and sung by Gloria Jones as a pseudo Motown track. In the late sixties and seventies it was very popular in the UK even though it had never been a big hit originally. Jones even re-released it in about ‘76 in the UK, so even re-released it in about 76 while she was dating Mark Bolan from T-Rex.


16 posted on 10/23/2025 7:43:17 AM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: RandFan

Apparently Dave Ball was grossly overweight.


17 posted on 10/23/2025 7:44:12 AM PDT by GSWarrior
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To: RandFan

Sex Dwarf?


18 posted on 10/23/2025 7:44:57 AM PDT by GSWarrior
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To: llevrok

Amy? Who did that song?


19 posted on 10/23/2025 7:45:27 AM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

PPL, “Amie”

Meh... whatchya gonna do?


20 posted on 10/23/2025 7:50:48 AM PDT by Cletus.D.Yokel (The Democrats' official policy is now, “Hate, Violence and Murder". Change my mind.)
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