Marc Almond - The House Is Haunted (By The Echo Of Your Last Goodbye) (Some Bizzare)

I've always been worried a bit about Marc Almond. He'll never be Jacques Brel or Scott Walker or, from the look of the sleeve in front of me, much of a body builder. However, he's ignored these set backs and managed to rework "This House Is Haunted" with a killer of an arrangement. All high camp melodrama and the sort of gorgeous trumpet that could be on a downbeat Special AKA record. (Jim Reid, Record Mirror, January 11, 1986)

Nailed It: Jim correctly predicts Marc's Brel fixation, culminating in his 1989 LP, Jacques.

Someone for whom chart success is less important than artistic integrity, Marc Almond will always make records worth listening to. This track drops the dramatic sleaze in favour of a tooting, jazzy-style swing thing that could be a hit if it's played enough on the radio. Taken from a Janice Long session, "The House..." is delicate and sensitive and a million miles away from the electro-pop of Soft Cell. The double pack features an extra five tracks, so seek it out. (Karen Swayne, No 1, January 11, 1986)

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