Soft Cell - "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" 45 rpm Vinyl Single, 1982 (Some Bizarre)

I have a great admiration for Marc Almond's aesthetic and voice, but I never loved him.  I can't give you a reason why this is the case.  At the height of the Soft Cell fame, I had three of their albums, and all are fantastic.  Still, his voice is technically perfect but I find it lacking a certain amount of grit or soul.  This I think is more of a "me" problem than a Marc Almond problem.  A million fans will tell me otherwise, and I think they would be correct.  Still, the one song that I can never find fault with is "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye."  One of the great songs of the 1980s and such a beautiful melody.  Which comes to play in the big time with the instrumental b-side.  Dave Tofani's Clarinet solo is one of my favorite pieces of music.  Or I should say a series of moments. The playing is fantastic, but he really captures the Eros and regrets through the Clarinet.  It's an amazing sound and melody.  A perfection of sorts.   

Soft Cell -"Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" 7" 45 rpm single (Some Bizarre)

"Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" is a song that I sing in my daily morning baths.  I like to sing sad songs in the tub, and this Soft Cell classic stays with me.   A haunting melody with a classic torch vocal by Marc Almond.  I have never been to the Pink Flamingo, but the drawing on the sleeve hints Paris, but I suspect that there must have been a nightclub in Soho London.   Of all the electro-duos in the U.K., Soft Cell strikes me that Soho is their natural landscape.   It's a kiss-off regarding some sort of relationship where it has been kept a secret from the world.  I like to think it's a gay affair, that went past its due date.  

The b-side is the song, but instrumental with a beautiful clarinet solo by Dave Tofoni.   I may even love it more than the A-side.