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Pet Shop Boys

12:56 / 10.04.02

It's been variously reviewed as the best and worst album they've ever made - with many expressing surprise at its relative guitar-heaviness (Johnny Marr, dontcha know). Personally, I've found it - like previous PSB albums - to be something of a grower. It's not the cheeriest of collections but then, 'melancholy' is a pretty consistent PSB sentiment - and the 'separated lovers' theme ('Home and Dry', 'Email', even 'I Get Along') obviously strikes a particularly resonant chord with me at the present time.

Thoughts? They've been around a long time; are Pet Sop Boys still 'relevant', musically?

No star here laces

14:46 / 10.04.02

They are relevant because 30- and 40-somethings are a significant record-buying public. In media and yoof terms they are staggeringly irrelevant, IMHO. Not heard the album meself, but this thread looked lonely...

pointless and uncalled for

15:33 / 10.04.02

Seems to be another shift in the style again.

As long as they keep doing that and don't actually produce incredulous shite, which IMVHO this isn't, they will remain relevant.

PSB have never, again IMVHO, produced anything that will be given the accolade of timeless, but each production can be considered up to date.

18:58 / 10.04.02

There's a few songs of theirs that I think will become timeless. There's one called Jealousy that I think should do. I'm surprised no one has covered it yet.

19:01 / 10.04.02

Mmm. I particularly like the version with the quote from (I think) 'Othello'...

Goodness Gracious Meme

15:26 / 11.04.02

Bless you, Lovelaces, here's your rattle, now get back in the pram.

They're significant because they are among the most acute observers/cataloguers of a particular slice of English gay male life, and when they do it well there'e no one to touch them lyrically (eg 'It couldn't happen here' which is possibly my favourite).

That *may* not be particularly relevant to a 'yoof' demongraphic, but it's damn relevant to the preservation and validation of cultures and voices that the mainstream would seek to allow to only exist in a submerged manner.

Haven't heard this yet, btw.

Elijah, Freelance Rabbi

15:41 / 11.04.02

so, the pet shop boys do serve a purpose
cause, after the cover of "you were always on my mind" i had to wonder

may check out this one though, or see if the 80s night dj has heard it

16:23 / 11.04.02

Their stuff's always been non gender-specific (although, as with Morrissey, you always sort of knew) and I've always liked the sense of... 'optimistic melancholy' in their music, the tension between introversion and extraversion, staying in when you want to go out, going out when you want to stay in.

'Being boring' is probably still my favourite, but 'Left to my own devices', 'Jealousy', 'My October symphony' and 'You only tell me you love me when you're drunk' all hit the right buttons.

And who else could write movingly about Princess Diana, Tony & Mandy's falling out and Eminem shagging Nathan from 'Queer As Folk'?

pointless and uncalled for

17:42 / 11.04.02

They're playing Toronto next month, does anyone reckon that they make a good concert and why?

Given the venue this will probably be a sit down affair.

18:21 / 11.04.02

Given the band, it will probably be a sit-down affair. In a good way.

pointless and uncalled for

18:28 / 11.04.02

I may be tempted to attend. It's not like I've followed the band to any fan like degree but I get this feeling it will be something of an interesting show.

Our Lady of The Two Towers

07:51 / 12.04.02

For me the Pets have been victims of diminishing returns since the greatest hits album, only occasionally brilliant since then ('Go West', 'Relentless', 'Red Letter Day', 'I Don't Know What You Want...', 'You Only Tell me...'). Interestingly Neil has said that he wished he hadn't come out as it's led to the Pets being pigeon-holed and IIRC he thinks their career has suffered a bit from it. Is this true, or was it that they were at that stage where it would have happened anyway?

10:39 / 12.04.02

Not sure; I think they were definitely more vulnerable to being summarily dismissed as a 'gay band' but their beautifully-ambiguous lyrics didn't change much.

Interesting how we all have different favourites.

13:30 / 13.04.02

...and here are some more: "Liberation", "Shameless", "London".

I think it's their best album in ten years (since Very).

Patrick Neighly

14:30 / 13.04.02

re: Jealousy - it was covered by Dubstar a few years ago on an EMI compilation.

Someone wrote that PSB are "significant because they are among the most acute observers/cataloguers of a particular slice of English gay male life" but I would argue this isn't really true, unless the particular slice is what I'd call "post-activist" gay males who have little interest in homosexuality as a defining characteristic. Even the songs everyone would agree are "gay songs" are notably observations about other people (Later Tonight, It Couldn't Happen Here, Being Boring, The Night I Fell In Love), and observations that apply equally to heterosexuals at that.

Tennant is an acute observer of the human condition, but as someone who writes primarily in the third person on purpose and claims to now regret coming out via that infamous piece in Attitude magazine, it's difficult to view him as a "gay artist," whatever that means. Anybody want to jump into this can of worms?

I agree with whoever said Release is their best album in 10 years, by the way.

Regrettable Juvenilia

16:14 / 23.04.02

I really like several of the songs on the new album = 'Home and Dry', 'I Get Along' (which sounds like good Oasis to me, er please don't hit me anyone), 'London', 'E-Mail', 'The Night I Fell In Love' (the one about the guy having a one-night stand with Eminem, which is really clever, funny and touching - "your name's not Stan, is it? We should be together...").

I like the Pet Shop Boys. I think their existence is a Good Thing.

Our Lady Has Left the Building

08:09 / 29.05.06

I'm listening to 'Fundamental' now and am just being blown away, I never really liked 'Release' and this, for me, is shaping up to be their best album since 'Behaviour' and possibly one of their best ever.

There's some very Pet Shop Boys titles in there too, 'The Sodom and Gomorrah Show', 'I Made My Excuses and Left', 'I'm With Stupid'. The Boys are back in town.

foolish fat finger

11:49 / 29.05.06

I haven't heard either album- the last Pets album I listened to all through was the bobbly orange one... was that 'very'?

my favourite PSB song is probably 'Don Juan', the B-side to 'domino dancing', which incidentaly, I didn't especially like.
'Don Juan' just had this really long drawn out instrumental intro, which they sadly cut off when they put the track on 'alternative', their b-sides collection. I really like the air of unease in there, and the chord sequence ('chords for the musos' as Chris says). enigmatic lyrics as well. it's an allegory about events surrounding the second world war, don'cha know...