If you would like to learn to play this solo bass arrangement of Tainted Love, you'll find the transcription, along with many more of my arrangements, in both tab and standard notation, on my Patreon page, [ Ссылка ]

My arrangement, for 4-string electric bass guitar, of Tainted Love, as made famous by Soft Cell and Marc Almond.

Tainted Love is a song composed by Ed Cobb, formerly of American group the Four Preps, which was originally recorded by Gloria Jones in 1964. It attained worldwide fame after being covered and reworked by British synthpop duo Soft Cell in 1981 and has since been covered by numerous groups and artists.

English vocal-and-synth duo Soft Cell became aware of the song through its status as a UK "Northern soul" hit. In 2010, DJ Ian "Frank" Dewhirst claimed he was the first person to play the song for Marc Almond, the vocalist for Soft Cell. Some time after, Soft Cell began performing the song in their live setlist, choosing it instead of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons' The Night (a song they would go on to record in 2003). Eventually, a Phonogram Records A&R manager Roger Ames opted the band to record the single at a London-based Advision Studios, with producer Mike Thorne. There, Soft Cell's version was recorded in a day and a half with Almond's first vocal take being used on the record. Thorne commented that he was surprised by the choice as he had not been impressed by Jones's 1976 version on hearing it, but was impressed by the new arrangement and Almond's sinister vocal: "You could smell the coke on that second, Northern Soul version, it was really so over-ramped and so frantic. It was good for the dance floor, but I didn't like the record...when Soft Cell performed the song I heard a very novel sound and a very nice voice, so off we went."

The Soft Cell recording features a slower tempo than Jones's version and is in the key of G rather than the original C to match Marc Almond's lower voice. Synthesizers and rhythm machines replace the original's guitars, bass, drums, and horns.

Phonogram Records chose to release Tainted Love in 1981 as Soft Cell's second single (their first was "Memorabilia", which did not chart). The label's representatives implied that this single would be Soft Cell's final release on Some Bizzare if it did not sell. The 12" single version (extended dance version) was a medley, transitioning to a cover of the Supremes' Where Did Our Love Go halfway through the song, which gives a progressive dimension to this version.

Thanks to a memorable performance on the BBC's Top of the Pops chart show, Tainted Love reached number one on the UK Singles Chart, and was known as the best-selling single of 1981 in the UK, until the Official Charts Company recalculated the data in 2021 (giving the title to Don't You Want Me by The Human League). Tainted Love had 1.05 million sales in the UK in 1981, with that total increasing to 1.35 million copies as of August 2017.

American rock band Marilyn Manson covered Tainted Love with an arrangement based on Soft Cell's version. It was released in November 2001 as a single from the Not Another Teen Movie soundtrack. The accompanying music video featured cast members Chyler Leigh, Mia Kirshner, Chris Evans and Jaime Pressly. It was later included as a bonus track on international editions of the band's following album, The Golden Age of Grotesque. The eponymous vocalist said that he was not "really thinking about '80s nostalgia" during the recording, while recognizing it as a main concept behind the soundtrack.

Performed on a 2019 Bogart Silver Surfer bass.
Recorded directly into Cakewalk Sonar Platinum, via a Presonus Audiobox. Video edited using Wondershare Filmora X and TrakAx PC.

Karl uses Bogart basses: [ Ссылка ]
Instrument & speaker cables by Rigotti Cables: [ Ссылка ]
Custom leather guitar straps by River Straps: [ Ссылка ]
Gig bags by Harvest Fine Leather: [ Ссылка ]
Gear bags by Lugville: [ Ссылка ]
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