Cruelty Without Beauty – 2020 Expanded Reissue

Released 4th December 2020

Soft Cell’s 2002 reunion album ‘Cruelty Without Beauty’ is set for reissue in new expanded and remastered 2CD and digital formats, as well as being released on double-vinyl for the very first time.

Long regarded by many fans as an overlooked masterpiece, the album features a lyrical outlook that was as true to Soft Cell’s maturity and perspective back in 2002 as it is relevant and accurate to the world situation in 2020. Harshly honest, fatalistic and bleakly humorous, Cruelty Without Beauty also preserves the band’s highly distinctive and edgy sound, and stands alongside their greatest work.

The new 2020 version includes tracks originally destined for the album, but for various reasons not on the final cut. It also includes brand new 2020 versions of album highlights Monoculture, Together Alone, Darker Times and Last Chance, updated this year by Dave Ball. Also included are a number of unreleased live versions of album tracks, plus rare remixes.

The album includes the singles Monoculture and a cover of Frankie Valli & The Four Season’s classic The Night, which became the band’s first Top 40 hit since since 1984.

All pre-orders of the album will receive an exclusive 4 postcard set featuring artwork from this album.

There will also be an expanded digital version of the album, with bonus material, and details of that will be announced soon.

If you have any questions about these pre-order products please get in touch via the CONTACT page.

FORMATS

2-CD DELUXE BOOK EDITION

Featuring almost 160 minutes of music, including previously unreleased and rare remixes, brand new 2020 mixes, and unreleased live tracks recorded at a triumphant homecoming reunion show in Leeds in 2002.

CD 1

Darker Times / Monoculture / Le Grand Cuignol / The Night / Last Chance / Together Alone / Desperate / Whatever It Takes / All Out Of Love / Sensation Nation / Caligua Syndrome / On An Up
+
Divided Soul / God Shaped Hole / Somebody, Somewhere, Sometime / Dancing Alone / Perversity

CD2

Darker Times (2020 Extended Mix) / Monoculture (2020 Extended Mix) / Le Grand Guignol (2020 Extended Mix) / Last Chance (2020 Extended Mix) / Together Alone (2020 Extended Mix) / Caligula Syndrome (2020 Extended Mix) / The Night (Manhattan Clique Remix) / Divided Soul (Live in Leeds, 2001) / God-Shaped Hole (Live in Leeds, 2001) / Somebody Somewhere Sometime (Live in Leeds, 2001) / Last Chance (Live in Leeds, 2001) / The Night (Live, 2002) / Together Alone (Live, 2002) / Darker Times (Live at London O2, 2018)

New artwork and sleeve notes, unseen photos, plus – for the first time – fully printed lyrics and other archive material .

LIMITED-EDITION PINK DOUBLE-VINYL ALBUM

VINYL 1

Darker Times / Monoculture / Le Grand Cuignol / The Night / Last Chance / Together Alone / Desperate / Whatever It Takes

VINYL 2

All Out Of Love / Sensation Nation / Caligula Syndrome / On An Up / Divided Soul / God-Shaped Hole / Somebody, Somewhere, Sometime / Dancing Alone / Perversity

Cut on deluxe double 180g pink vinyl discs, and especially remastered for this format.

LIMITED-EDITION WHITE VINYL 2020 REMIX EP

Darker Times (2020 Extended Mix) / Together Alone (2020 Extended Mix) / Monoculture (2020 Extended Mix) / Last Chance (2020 Extended Mix)

Featuring new updated 2020 mixes of Monoculture, Together Alone, Darker Times and Last Chance. Strictly limited to 500 copies.

USB STICK & LANYARD WITH LOSSLESS DIGITAL FILES

We are also making a 75-track digital download version of Cruelty Without Beauty 2020 available as lossless WAV files delivered on a special Soft Cell branded USB stick which comes with a black and white Soft Cell lanyard.

The USB edition expands the 54-track digital download available from Amazon with the addition of a selection of Cruelty Without Beauty demos that were recently sent to us on an old cassette, and which we have now converted to remastered digital files. Tracks include fantastic early versions of Whatever It Takes, Divided Soul, Somebody Somewhere Sometime, Darker Times and Monoculture.

We’ve also added the audio for Monoculture, Divided Soul, Together Alone, Last Chance and Darker Times, the five tracks performed at September’s Marc Life performance, as well as the five tracks from Cruelty Without Beauty that Soft Cell performed at London’s O2 in 2018, and we’re hoping to announce a couple of other tracks too, all of which will ensure this USB edition of the album will include a minimum of 75 tracks.

PRE-ORDER: INDIVIDUAL ITEMS

Please note that our official store software does not yet allow us to send individual notifications when items are despatched. All pre-ordered items will be shipped to arrive to arrive at UK addresses on or around release date, and to addresses in Europe and the Rest of the World within 7-14 days of release date. For orders placed after release date, please allow up to 7 days for UK delivery, and up to 14 days outside the UK.

PRE-ORDER: MONEY-SAVING BUNDLES

Please note that our official store software does not yet allow us to send individual notifications when items are despatched. All pre-ordered items will be shipped to arrive to arrive at UK addresses on or around release date, and to addresses in Europe and the Rest of the World within 7-14 days of release date. For orders placed after release date, please allow up to 7 days for UK delivery, and up to 14 days outside the UK.