''Torment and Toreros'' is the second album to be released by

Marc and the Mambas Marc and the Mambas were a new wave group, formed by Marc Almond in 1982 as an offshoot project from Soft Cell. The band's line-up changed frequently, and included Matt Johnson from and Annie Hogan, with whom Almond worked later in his solo ...

. The album reached #28 on the UK album charts in August 1983. The song "Torment" was written by Marc Almond, Steven Severin of Siouxsie and the Banshees, Robert Smith of The Cure) –Official Charts Marc Almond (Marc and the Mambas) Torment and Toreros
/ref> It also is the last studio album to go under the name "Marc and the Mambas". The next album Almond issued was credited to "Raoul and the Ruined". The Mambas' third album, ''Bite Black and Blues'', is a live album and was initially only available via the Marc Almond fan club.

Track listing

All tracks composed by Marc Almond, except where indicated.

Disc 1

#"Intro" (Almond, Sally Mambas) – 3:17 #"Boss Cat" (Almond; original lyrics: Anne Stephenson, Ginny Hewes) – 4:17 #"The Bulls" (

Jacques Brel Jacques Romain Georges Brel (, ; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, l ...

) – 2:18 #"Catch a Fallen Star" – 5:12 #"The Animal in You" (Almond, Mambas) – 7:19 #"In My Room" ( Joaquin Prieto; English lyrics:

Lee Pockriss Lee Julian Pockriss (January 20, 1924 – November 14, 2011) was an American songwriter who wrote many well-known popular songs and several scores for films and Broadway shows, mainly during the 1960s and 1970s. Early life and career Born in ...

Paul Vance Joseph Paul Florio (November 4, 1929 – May 30, 2022), known professionally as Paul Vance, was an American songwriter and record producer, primarily from the 1950s until the 1970s. His most successful song compositions, all written with Lee Poc ...

) – 3:01 #"First Time" – 3:38 #"(Your Love Is A) Lesion" – 5:38 #"My Former Self" (Almond, Annie Hogan) – 2:45 #"Once Was" (Almond, The Venomettes) – 5:10 Universal Music Japan 2004 Extra Tracks #"Fun City" – 7:49 #"Sleaze Take It, Shake It" – 7:17 #"Sleaze Taking It, Shaking It" – 7:15

Disc 2

#"The Untouchable One" (Almond, Jenkinson) – 6:03 #"Blood Wedding" (Traditional Spanish; arranged by Marc and the Mambas) – 01:51 #"Black Heart" (Almond, Hogan) – 04:50 #"Medley: Narcissus/

Gloomy Sunday "Gloomy Sunday" ( Hungarian: ''Szomorú vasárnap''), also known as the "Hungarian Suicide Song", is a popular song composed by Hungarian pianist and composer Rezső Seress and published in 1933. The original lyrics were titled "Vége a vilá ...

/Vision" (Almond, Steve Sherlock/

Sam M. Lewis Sam M. Lewis (October 25, 1885 – November 22, 1959) was an American singer and lyricist. Career Lewis was born Samuel M. Levine in New York City, United States. He began his music career by singing in cafés throughout New York City, and be ...

Rezső Seress Rezső Seress (Hungarian: ''Seress Rezső,'' ; 3 November 1889 – 12 January 1968) was a Hungarian pianist and composer. Some sources give his birth name as Rudolf ("Rudi") Spitzer. Biography Rezső Seress lived most of his life in povert ...

Peter Hammill Peter Joseph Andrew Hammill (born 5 November 1948) is an English musician and recording artist. He was a founder member of the progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. Best known as a singer/songwriter, he also plays guitar and piano and ...

) 11:46 #"Torment" (Almond,

Steven Severin Steven Severin (born Steven John Bailey; 25 September 1955) is an English songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer. He is best known as the bassist of the rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees which he co-founded in 1976. He took th ...

, Robert Smith) – 4:21 #"A Million Manias" (Almond,

Foetus A fetus or foetus (; plural fetuses, feti, foetuses, or foeti) is the unborn offspring that develops from an animal embryo. Following embryonic development the fetal stage of development takes place. In human prenatal development, fetal develo ...

) – 5:52 #"My Little Book of Sorrows" (Marc Almond) – 5:59 #"Beat out that Rhythm on a Drum" (

Georges Bizet Georges Bizet (; 25 October 18383 June 1875) was a French composer of the Romantic music, Romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, ''Carmen'', whi ...

Oscar Hammerstein II Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II (; July 12, 1895 – August 23, 1960) was an American lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer, and (usually uncredited) director in the musical theater for almost 40 years. He won eight Ton ...

) – 5:00 Universal Music Japan 2004 Extra Tracks #"Your Aura" (Marc Almond) – 6:18 #"Mamba" (Mambas, Marc Almond) – 12:05 #"First Time" – 3:38 (Venomettes, Almond) #"You'll Never see Me on a Sunday" (Almond, Hogan) – 2:51 Some Bizzare 2009 Extra Tracks #"Your Aura" (Marc Almond) – 6:18 #"You'll Never see Me on a Sunday" (Almond, Hogan) – 2:51 #"Mamba" (Mambas, Marc Almond) – 12:05

Personnel

;Marc and the Mambas *

Marc Almond Peter Mark Sinclair "Marc" Almond, (born 9 July 1957) is an English singer. Almond first began performing and recording in the synthpop/ new wave duo Soft Cell where he became known for his distinctive soulful voice and androgynous image. He ...

– guitar, percussion, vocals *

Annie Hogan Annie Hogan (sometimes spelled as Anni Hogan) also known as Ann Margaret Hogan is a British musician, record producer, composer and club DJ, born in 1961. Originally known for her association with British musician Marc Almond, Hogan has since c ...

– piano, harpsichord, Farfisa organ, vocals *Lee Jenkinson – bass, guitar, drums, vocals * Steve Sherlock – flute, saxophone with: * Matt Johnson – guitar *

Peter Ashworth Peter Ashworth is an English photographer. Ashworth initially specialized in music photography, between 1979 and 2000. In the 1980s, he worked with many UK artists including The Smiths, Depeche Mode, Eurythmics, Soft Cell, Jimmy Page and The A ...

– drums, timpani * Frank Want – drums *The Venomettes – string arrangements **Anne Stephenson – violin **Billy McGee – double bass **Ginny Hewes – violin **

Martin McCarrick Martin McCarrick (born 29 July 1962) is an English cellist, keyboardist, guitarist and composer. Aside from being a live and recording artist, he is also a teacher and visiting lecturer in music. Career His first recording in the pop/rock ar ...

– cello ;Technical *

Flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

, Marc Almond – mixing *Huw Feather – cover design *Peter Ashworth – photography

References

{{Authority control Marc and the Mambas albums Marc Almond albums 1983 albums Some Bizzare Records albums Albums recorded at Trident Studios