SEAT AT THE BACK - SCRIBBLES! ~

Tuesday 10 January 2012

Still Looking For Love in a Sad Song? ~ The Lasting Memory of Cindy Ecstasy

 
 
Cindy Ecstasy will always be remembered as the girl who either tainted or enhanced a generation, including Marc Almond of Soft Cell, who fell under her chemical spell in New York in 1982. The result was the dance and remix album Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing, her vocals probably most fondly remembered on the single 'Torch', especially the 12" version, and the memorable rap: 'So call up Cindy Ecstasy, ...if you're looking for a memory', from the track Memorabilia. She became the possible 'girl most likely'.. to be known more for the fact she introduced and had a drug named after her, than for her delicious vocals on some of the most fondly remembered tracks of the early 80s, but it's fair to say that her music remains her lasting, if fairly brief, legacy, as much as the lifestyle that she as good as invented.

After Soft Cell, Cindy was a part of the band Six Sed Red which produced the one single; Shake It Right - after this, Cindy Ecstasy went off the radar. Marc Almond, interviewed for the online magazine Chaos Control, was asked some years back, what happened to his former muse: "She had a band called Six Sed Red, and that was, like, 1984. I don’t know what became of her after that. Someone told me that she had a guest house in some seaside town in Britain somewhere, that she’s running a hotel. But I have no idea!" So, if you happen to be indulging in a dirty weekend at any seedy seaside town anytime soon, listen out for the distinctive voice of Cindy Ecstasy filtering through from the kitchen, rising above the sizzle of bacon and eggs and the smell of strong coffee - the kind of forbidden brew liable to keep you up and dancing, all night long.


words: mark gordon palmer

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