“West End Girls” – I really hated this when it got to number one, ha ha stupid me because in a few months it was obvious that this was the finest pop group of my lifetime. The ‘girls’ are completely irrelevant to the action of the song. Best existentialist pop song EVER MADE!
“Love Comes Quickly” – Ultra-ominous intro and opening lines, kind of a thematic sequel to ABBA’s “Day Before You Came”. Gorgeous thundercloud synths. Neil Tennant making a real virtue of his posh tremulous weediness (W.Young is an ironed-out version of Tennant theory). Profound, for what it’s worth.
“Opportunities” – Another diamond intro, diamond beats too – PSB singles showing off everything that was great about shuddery 80s production before house came along. “My car is parked outside / I’m afraid it doesn’t work”! Fantastically well-designed single too – would have been a banker as a novelty single but also a terrific career-starter (ended up as neither haha).
“Suburbia” – first slight mis-step but the pattery beats and barking dogs are great and so it the tune, and most of the lyrics are fine it’s just that felt-pen graffiti is hardly “running with the dogs” and the chorus is somewhat too soaring for the subject matter. On the other hand the middle-eight is terrific so fuck it.
“It’s A Sin” – Hi-NRG Catholic guilt trip invents the London Boys sound! Complete disco juggernaut, also the best Erasure single EVER MADE and still one of the weaker PSB number ones.
“What Have I Done To Deserve This?” – successful incorporation of divas into the PSB sound. Pristine designer regret and the possibility of glorious redemption. Hook after hook after hook. Tennant’s “at night the people…” verse is sublime. Best duet EVER MADE!
“Rent” – this single IS 80s London – the synths are plate glass and the beats are steel, listening to it is like walking up Victoria Street or Kingsway. Actually is the great Thatcherism LP and this is its sad and frightened heart.
“Always On My Mind” – the best cover version EVER MADE. Would have been even better with Elvis’ vocals – someone bootleg it! Actually no, I am wrong, this is one of Tennant’s finest vocal hours because in his slight diffidence you can hear exactly how and why he neglected his lover, and in the unstoppable synthesized beat you can hear exactly how he’s going to get him back. I want this played at my wedding.
“Heart” – pretty much pure disco, the PSBs demonstrating that they don’t need any of that clever lyrical malarkey to make terrific pop. Surely a sitter for an S Club/Atomic Kitten cover version. Almost the last of their full-on Hi-NRG tracks and hence their last Number 1 but the greatness only continues.
“Domino Dancing” – well except for this which is another mis-step but hey points for trying, no other British group was going to cop ideas off freestyle. Alas Neil T on the beach isn’t a dapper wit, he’s just another pasty Brit but the tune is still a winner and the Spanglish guitars are nice too. Still good! (And is that a lick of house piano in the background?)
“Left To My Own Devices” – The 12” of this is transcendental – even on 7” its an odd and powerful piece of pop, a self-reflexive (life) story-so-far that’s also an ultra-danceable manifesto for free will in the face of love – BLIMEY! The echoey, back-of-mix string arrangement is lovely. (Progressive NRG, anyone?)
“It’s Alright” – The PSBs jump fully into house with a Sterling Void cover. I didn’t get it at the time, now I do, mostly because it’s a lovely song. House was in part the undoing of the Pets because while Tennant’s voice curdled Hi-NRG in interesting ways it never really got to grips with the deeper and more rigorous beats of house, and also remix culture meant the PSB’s mastery of the 12” format ebbed. But the sweetness of “It’s Alright” endures.
“So Hard” – Where detailed, non-abstract, adult relationship pop is shown to be something the Pet Shop Boys do extremely well. A riff, a pulsebeat, and Tennant’s tender, conciliatory delivery. I get the feeling this is underrated a bit.
“Being Boring” – The mildly smug chorus sentiment stains an otherwise entirely successful shift into ballad territory. You can see the seeds of their downfall – they never wrote a ballad as great again and the production touches are just starting to become clumsy (picking out the melody in the intro, icky ‘stardust’ keyboard trills) but all is redeemed by the payoff which – even if you can see it coming – turns the single into the most bittersweet EVER MADE!
“Where The Streets Have No Name / I Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You” – Hi-NRG as pastiche, not living genre, but still the Boys discern the angel in the block-headed U2 marble and give it fabulous pop wings. It lit up a miserable winter and it pissed off Bono – what more can you ask? The Andy Williams bits are 4/4 hugs.
“Jealousy” – Oh, sorry, they did write a ballad as great again. End-of-the-first act torch song: why didn’t they write their musical ten years earlier? “And anyone who wanted to could – contact me”. If I’d had a glass or two of wine I’d be getting the keyboard wet listening to this.
“DJ Culture” – After more than ten years I am still not exactly sure what is going on in this song. The Gulf War, hedonism, individuality, dance music, Oscar Wilde…what I do know is that Neil Tennant by his meticulous delivery, and Chris Lowe by his restrained, ominous programming make you think they’re saying something very serious and that in their heads all these things are linked up. So they might start linking up in your head too. Even if it’s all completely bogus the overall effect remains deceitfully thrilling.
“Was It Worth It?” – Sandwiched between their two most ambitious singles, a great pop song, because they could.
“Can You Forgive Her?” – A quick reminder, then: the song is about a gay man, closeted even to himself, whose female lover has guessed the truth about him. The song’s invisible narrator is dragging him back through his past, forcing him to confront his feelings – and his loathing for her and himself – for the first time. Now I know it is incredibly cheesy to talk about ‘adult subjects’ getting into the Top 10 but unlike shitty ooh-its-about-heroin songs like “Perfect Day” this actually is groundbreaking, adult, and brilliantly done: a conflicted psychodrama on a par with the greatest soul music. And the music is magnificent. Lyrical intelligence isn’t a prerequisite for great pop, duh, but that doesn’t mean we should ignore it when it turns up, and nothing like this turned up in the charts again until “Ms Jackson”.
“Go West” – fuck the video and the extra levels, on the levels (foot, hip and heart) that hit you first this is the best hi-NRG track EVER MADE.
After that they made “Liberation” which was the first single I really disliked and kept disliking by them, and after that they made a few other good singles but hardly anything that could muscle its way into this line-up. Forget all that though because these songs are some of pop’s absolute pinnacles. Bloody marvelous!
― Tom (Groke), Friday, 4 October 2002 14:35 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Panagiotis Pileidis (Panagiotis Pileidis), Friday, 4 October 2002 14:40 (twenty-two years ago) link
This was written while listening to Sarah's copy of Discography - ta Sarah.
― Tom (Groke), Friday, 4 October 2002 14:43 (twenty-two years ago) link
"Rent" is one of the greatest songs ever written.
― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 4 October 2002 14:43 (twenty-two years ago) link
i didnt rate 'Was It Worth It' tho
do people remember 'I Dont Know What You Want But I Can't Give ANymore' much - its probably their best post 'Go West' single, followed by 'Before' - 'Se A Vide E' is just too dam cheesy for me
― blueski, Friday, 4 October 2002 14:46 (twenty-two years ago) link
blueski, i have 'idkwywbicgia' on douuble gatefold 12" with felix da housecat remixes. it's ace.
― michael wells (michael w.), Friday, 4 October 2002 14:49 (twenty-two years ago) link
"Go West" is tremendous!
Blueski - I think it might be. It has stiff competition from ABBA Gold obv.
― Tom (Groke), Friday, 4 October 2002 14:49 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Tom (Groke), Friday, 4 October 2002 14:51 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Ronan (Ronan), Friday, 4 October 2002 14:52 (twenty-two years ago) link
― michael wells (michael w.), Friday, 4 October 2002 14:54 (twenty-two years ago) link
No way! New Order!
― Manny Parsons (Rahul Kamath), Friday, 4 October 2002 14:57 (twenty-two years ago) link
The best PSB album is _Alternative_; their b-sides are AWE-INSPIRING. And they are way better than New Order, sorry.
― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 4 October 2002 14:58 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Tom (Groke), Friday, 4 October 2002 15:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
I berated Ned for not telling me how absolutely bonkers it is
Listen, you, I can't know what you have or haven't heard yet. You are right, of course. :-)
The expanded and rereleased versions of the first six albums are slices of heaven from on high. They are to be worshipped (and the liner notes rule).
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 4 October 2002 15:34 (twenty-two years ago) link
but bloody hell, what was going on when they were on totp the other week? guitars, hollow anthemicism, crappy lyrics. i almost cried.
― adam b (adam b), Friday, 4 October 2002 15:52 (twenty-two years ago) link
No it isn't, ^Tom. And, er, I love "Domino Dancing"!!
You're right about everything else, mind.
― Venga, Friday, 4 October 2002 17:14 (twenty-two years ago) link
but Tom's right, 'Home And Dry' sucks - its just a pointless Johnny Marr advert
― blueski, Friday, 4 October 2002 17:17 (twenty-two years ago) link
― blueski, Friday, 4 October 2002 17:20 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Vinnie (vprabhu), Friday, 4 October 2002 17:25 (twenty-two years ago) link
1) The definitive image of them is with Neil in a suit and Chris in the background somewhere with a townie/b-boy wardrobe and a computer (first time i'd ever seen someone use an actual computer in their performance)...tho you may also consider the pointy hats phase
2) They never toured
3) The fact that Tenant used to be a hack but also went and showed people how to really do it - a remarkable achievement
4) They never seemed camp at all (avoiding stereotypes is cool)
5) Good album artwork
― blueski, Friday, 4 October 2002 17:26 (twenty-two years ago) link
? They've done tours on and off since 1989.
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 4 October 2002 17:27 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Venga, Friday, 4 October 2002 17:40 (twenty-two years ago) link
Have we had any hatas on this thread yet? Are the PSB another one of those rare ILM groups that everyone likes (at least a bit)?
― Andrew L (Andrew L), Friday, 4 October 2002 17:46 (twenty-two years ago) link
― g (graysonlane), Friday, 4 October 2002 18:43 (twenty-two years ago) link
The Universal Ampitheatre and Irvine Meadows, to name two venues they've played around here over the moons, are very very hoary indeed.
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 4 October 2002 18:43 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Friday, 4 October 2002 19:31 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 4 October 2002 19:35 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Tom (Groke), Friday, 4 October 2002 22:15 (twenty-two years ago) link
i bought psb, kate bush + madness compos on the same day - their albums SUCK
― a-33, Saturday, 5 October 2002 12:32 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Kim (Kim), Saturday, 5 October 2002 13:09 (twenty-two years ago) link
("State Of The Nation" is a fantastic song; better than "Ruined In A Day", anyway.)
― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Saturday, 5 October 2002 14:51 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Saturday, 5 October 2002 16:04 (twenty-two years ago) link
**Go West” – fuck the video and the extra levels, on the levels (foot, hip and heart) that hit you first this is the best hi-NRG track EVER MADE**
Tom - I salute you!
― Dr. C (Dr. C), Saturday, 5 October 2002 18:56 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Mary (Mary), Sunday, 6 October 2002 02:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Tom (Groke), Monday, 7 October 2002 08:23 (twenty-two years ago) link
a) I'm not sure how well they ever worked as perfect Hi-NRG, or proper go-mental-on-the-dance-floor disco, cos of NT's weedy vocals - the closest they got was probably 'Was it worth it?' - but it would have been better with Taylor Dane/Hazel Dean/Pete Burns/Divine/Marc Almond singing. The PSBs could never do abandon .
b) There has never been such a dismal fall from grace as the PSB's 'Absolutely Fabulous' single. This, coupled with NT's godawful pretentious pronouncements on the state of pop on every comeback promo tour of the last ten years, make me wonder how fondly I will look back on them. They've kind of ruined the spell, a bit, for me. That said, the first record I put on when I moved house last week was 'Behavior'.
― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Monday, 7 October 2002 09:04 (twenty-two years ago) link
You are so right about "Absolutely Fabulous", and it did actually 'infect' their surrounding stuff - one reason why the other upbeat singles off Very didn't do it for me any more is that they suddenly sounded like cousins of AbFab.
― Tom (Groke), Monday, 7 October 2002 09:11 (twenty-two years ago) link
"I never dreamed that I would get to be the creature I always meant to be - but I thought, in spite of dreams, you'd be sitting somewhere here with me."
My life, as of October 2002, in a nutshell.
The PSBs - I can't really talk about them right now. They belonged to both of us, not just to me, like Northern Soul, Joy Division, Dexy's, Cocteau Twins, etc. It was OUR music.
― Marcello Carlin, Monday, 7 October 2002 12:58 (twenty-two years ago) link
????? I don't think I've ever heard the original mix of "Absolutely Fabulous" then, because none of the _Very_ singles remind me of it at all. I'd go so far as saying "I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind Of Thing" is one of their best singles, particularly when remixed.
― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 7 October 2002 13:07 (twenty-two years ago) link
And for all my talk about lyrics and what they generally don't mean to me, Marcello's comment reminds me about how that line in particular always was suffused with...I don't want to call it a 'perfect' grief, but the combination of delivery and words speaks to my heart more than a thousand screams at an empty universe.
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 7 October 2002 14:32 (twenty-two years ago) link
Big surprise: John Peel show:
Thursday 10 October - Pet Shop Boys ! Is this the most mainstream pop artist ever to record a Peel Session?
The boys have been having a quiet one since the end of their massive 'Release 2002 Tour'. The next single they are set to release from their album Release is 'London'.
The Pet Shop Boys have adopted a 'back to basics' approach towards tonights set with fully live guitars, bass and drums on stage. They recorded two songs which they wrote back in 1983 but never got down to recording and they also recorded an old Bobby O song from the early 80's. Their next single is 'London' which has also been recorded for tonight's session.
The lads have tried to approach this Peel session with a view to doing something different and they hope that's what comes across.
I only have listened to "Please" and "Disco", taped "Actually" off my sister years ago back in the 80s. After that not listened to any PSB (albums) apart from a few chart singles on the radio that have not interested me.
The production on Disco - is superb.
― DJ Martian (djmartian), Monday, 7 October 2002 18:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
I still don't like the descent into balladry, though, for me Behaviour was when they turned from the coolest band on the planet into a decent duo turning out one or two good singles per album. Those singles could still be astonishing, Tom says everything that needs to be said about "Can You Forgive Her?" far more eloquently than I ever could, but "So Hard" was their perfect single. The KLF remixed it while they were at their glorious best and the result is a pop Field Of The Cloth Of Gold, two titans in their pomp competing in splendour.
Random thoughts: Chris Lowe should release a hi-nrg spoken word album (cf "Paninaro", "One Of The Crowd") and promote it standing motionless on Top Of The Pops. I saw them play from the back of Wembley Arena, hoary rawk venue par excellence, and it was great, especially the baroque freakshow accompanying "It's A Sin". Introspective is perfect. Can you get the dance album that came with initial copies of Very anywhere?
I could go on.
― Mike (mratford), Monday, 7 October 2002 18:28 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Paul Cunningham, Tuesday, 8 October 2002 19:27 (twenty-two years ago) link
In that sense, if no other, I am the inverse of the Nipper.
― the pinefox, Tuesday, 8 October 2002 19:35 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Arthur (Arthur), Tuesday, 8 October 2002 19:43 (twenty-two years ago) link
Ta!
― Charlie (Charlie), Wednesday, 9 October 2002 01:50 (twenty-two years ago) link
Vaguely more seriously...well, this might be a dumb question, but what songs on Discography do you especially like? That'll help in determining a good starting point. :-)
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 9 October 2002 02:11 (twenty-two years ago) link
― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Wednesday, 9 October 2002 03:07 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Vinnie (vprabhu), Wednesday, 9 October 2002 03:38 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Sean (Sean), Wednesday, 9 October 2002 04:47 (twenty-two years ago) link
personal fave moment from the commentary is Chris's exhausted "..urgh God" when the shot of him at the start of What Have I Done To Deserve This comes on.
― piscesx, Monday, 17 December 2012 18:44 (eleven years ago) link
STUPID haircut. DICKIE bow.
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 17 December 2012 18:54 (eleven years ago) link
reNAISSANCE
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 17 December 2012 18:55 (eleven years ago) link
[you know what is a totally underrated PSB song, is "Heart"
Yeah, top 5 imo.
― ewar woowar (or something), Thursday, 21 November 2013 17:53 (eleven years ago) link
I may have said this before, even on this thread, but on what planet is Suburbia even a slight misstep?
― Matt DC, Thursday, 10 April 2014 21:45 (ten years ago) link
fuck stopping this at “Liberation”
― g simmel, Thursday, 10 April 2014 22:26 (ten years ago) link
Ha everytime I see this thread I think the same thing. I love "Liberation".
― LeRooLeRoo, Friday, 11 April 2014 00:05 (ten years ago) link
'Liberation' is such an incredibly beautiful song. One of my favourites!
― Toni Braxton-Hicks (Turrican), Friday, 11 April 2014 06:25 (ten years ago) link
It's only in the past few months that I've begun to enjoy the single mix, which always felt tacky and overblown when compared to the album version to me. That's where I feel the misstep is.
― Wahaca Flocka Flame (DJP), Friday, 11 April 2014 15:29 (ten years ago) link
I love the breakdown in the middle of the Introspective version of 'Domino Dancing' ... "ALL DAY ALL D-D-DAY D-D-DAY DDDAY" - great use of stereo panning. Sublime.
― You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart (Turrican), Tuesday, 18 August 2015 19:37 (nine years ago) link
Here are my twenty-five tracks.
― morning wood truancy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 8 August 2018 11:34 (six years ago) link
My list would look very different, but great to see 'Burn' and 'Thursday' on there!
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Wednesday, 8 August 2018 16:00 (six years ago) link
typical quality list
― Dreadnought of chicanery (Ross), Wednesday, 8 August 2018 16:06 (six years ago) link
The only thing that sucks about these lists is that Soto seems to spend more time compiling 'em than posting here!
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Wednesday, 8 August 2018 16:12 (six years ago) link
good mourning Alfred!
― Dreadnought of chicanery (Ross), Wednesday, 8 August 2018 16:15 (six years ago) link
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican),
Maybe! I'm all over the political, book, film, and poll threads.
― morning wood truancy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 8 August 2018 16:16 (six years ago) link
Was out doing some quick grocery shopping this afternoon when I heard a familiar voice and keyboard lick playing faintly over the speakers, and after listening intently for a while to figure out what it was, it turned out to be...
...'DJ Culture'
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Saturday, 19 January 2019 15:27 (five years ago) link
dance with me
― Your sweetie-pie-coo-coo I love ya (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 19 January 2019 15:40 (five years ago) link
I always find myself forgetting about 'DJ Culture' for some reason. I think it's because I very rarely put Discography on, but then I don't have a similar issue with 'Was It Worth It?' ... it's not a song I ever hear out "in the wild" anyway, so it was a real surprise.
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Saturday, 19 January 2019 21:29 (five years ago) link
"Was It Worth It" is by far the best song and one of their least heralded great songs -- Tennant's unofficial coming out record.
― Your sweetie-pie-coo-coo I love ya (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 19 January 2019 22:45 (five years ago) link
It's very cleverly done because it's only apparent if you're really paying attention. Like the second verse in which he acknowledges that he's in love with a guy and it's changed his life and he regrets it not happening much sooner, or later on in the song with "I reserve the right to live my life this way and I don't give a damn when I hear people say I'll pay the price that others pay" ...
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Saturday, 19 January 2019 23:10 (five years ago) link
It sure sounds to me like "then he smiled and I was lost" instead of you, too.
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Saturday, 19 January 2019 23:13 (five years ago) link
that's how I heard it for years
― Your sweetie-pie-coo-coo I love ya (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 19 January 2019 23:13 (five years ago) link
I think it's a better lyric/song than the later and similarly themed 'Metamorphosis', which is really on the nose. I dunno, Tennant must have thought he needed to address the subject as directly as possible after many missed it on 'Was It Worth It?' ... although there was a lot that went over people's heads as far back as Please, really.
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Saturday, 19 January 2019 23:19 (five years ago) link
"Later Tonight" is explicit as he was before 1991, and no straight man would have written "Why Don't We Live Together"
― Your sweetie-pie-coo-coo I love ya (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 19 January 2019 23:20 (five years ago) link
Yeah, 'Later Tonight' is so blatant!
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Sunday, 20 January 2019 00:01 (five years ago) link
or later on in the song with "I reserve the right to live my life this way and I don't give a damn when I hear people say I'll pay the price that others pay" ......all of these lines rhyming with (a very implicit) “gay”
― breastcrawl, Sunday, 20 January 2019 00:04 (five years ago) link
since nobody ever got around to it back in 2003, a poke through Discogs suggests these were Chic's first 32 US commercial A-sides:
1977 Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)1977 Everybody Dance 1978 NORMA JEAN - Saturday1978 NORMA JEAN - Having A Party [Cooke] b/w So I Get Hurt Again [Nile/Bernard]1978 NORMA JEAN - Sorceror1978 Le Freak 1978 I Want Your Love 1979 SISTER SLEDGE - He's The Greatest Dancer1979 SISTER SLEDGE - We Are Family1979 SISTER SLEDGE - Lost In Music1979 NORMA JEAN - High Society1979 Good Times 1979 My Forbidden Lover1979 My Feet Keep Dancing 1979 SISTER SLEDGE - Got To Love Somebody1979 SHEILA & B. DEVOTION - Spacer1980 SISTER SLEDGE - Reach Your Peak1980 SISTER SLEDGE - Let's Go On Vacation1980 SISTER SLEDGE - Easy Street1980 SHEILA & B. DEVOTION - Your Love Is Good1980 SHEILA & B. DEVOTION - King Of The World1980 DIANA ROSS - I'm Coming Out1980 DIANA ROSS - Upside Down1980 DIANA ROSS - My Old Piano1980 Rebels Are We1980 Real People1981 Stage Fright 1981 DEBBIE HARRY - Backfired1981 DEBBIE HARRY - The Jam Was Moving1982 Soup For One1982 CARLY SIMON - Why b/w CHIC - Why1982 Hangin'
― sans lep (sic), Sunday, 20 January 2019 20:51 (five years ago) link
I can hear what Tennant is on about when he says it's PSB doing SAW, because the verses of 'Was It Worth It?' remind me of late '80s Kylie stuff melodically, although not so much the chorus. I could totally imagine '80s Kylie doing a rendition of it.
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Monday, 21 January 2019 00:53 (five years ago) link
so I rank the first twenty-five to thirty...
https://humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2019/04/23/ranking-pet-shop-boys-british-top-forty-singles-1985-1999/
― recriminations from the nitpicking woke (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 24 April 2019 00:23 (five years ago) link
Conspicuously, no Hague! (But yes Stephen Hague!) Knowing that none of those songs are necessarily bad, I can totally get with your grouping.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 24 April 2019 00:35 (five years ago) link
Not one is less than meh, and only after a certain year. What a run.
― recriminations from the nitpicking woke (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 24 April 2019 00:58 (five years ago) link
Just about to be live on BBC2 for their headline show at Hyde Park.
― piscesx, Sunday, 15 September 2019 19:20 (five years ago) link
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p07mddc9/radio-2-live-in-hyde-park-2019-radio-2-live-in-hyde-park
― just another country (snoball), Sunday, 15 September 2019 19:25 (five years ago) link
Chris's hat makes him look like odious pickup artist Mystery.
― just another country (snoball), Sunday, 15 September 2019 19:26 (five years ago) link
relistening to Bilingual and it's pretty much as i remember it - that is, not remembering much of it other than the stand out tracks. but rediscovered the closer, Saturday Night Forever and i think it didn't get the attention it really deserves.
that includes treatment from the boys themselves - it could be a proper disco anthem instead of what feels like an afterthought. Love To Infinity remix gets a bit closer - i wonder why it was never officially released:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kms6dlWs078
― scanner darkly, Thursday, 19 September 2019 17:19 (five years ago) link
So many old videos look like they’re viewed through ground glass, nice to be able to view them properly. Hopefully others will be remastered.
Five Pet Shop Boys music videos that have been updated with improved high definition audio and video tracks are now available to watch in a new YouTube playlist at the link below.https://t.co/Eubo2IeaTd pic.twitter.com/qN181pujNa— Pet Shop Boys (@petshopboys) June 26, 2020
― Dan Worsley, Saturday, 27 June 2020 09:02 (four years ago) link
I don't know exactly when or why this started happening, but whenever I hear the synthy intro to Bon Jovi's "Living On a Prayer," at exactly where you would expect it to be I hear a British voice intoning, "Sooner or later, this happens to everyone ..."
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 1 July 2020 17:22 (four years ago) link
lol
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 1 July 2020 17:24 (four years ago) link
Taking Sides on songs with short spoken intros: "Love Comes Quickly" vs "Livin' on a Prayer" vs "Caribbean Queen"
― Vinnie, Thursday, 2 July 2020 08:34 (four years ago) link
vs Modern Love.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 2 July 2020 16:00 (four years ago) link
Now imagine Neil Tennant starting "Love Comes Quickly" with "She's so awesome."
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 2 July 2020 16:11 (four years ago) link
As they did fifteen of these twenty songs last night I hold Tom's original collective judgment of their worth to be fully accurate. (DJP is still wrong about "Domino Dancing" of course -- and that was a LOUD crowd singalong.)
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 13 October 2022 14:38 (two years ago) link
Best bit about the news of yet another compilation; a Blu Ray with 66 videos
https://superdeluxeedition.com/news/pet-shop-boys-smash-the-singles-1985-2020/
― piscesx, Thursday, 30 March 2023 14:09 (one year ago) link
Great indeed, but my real hope is that they do a sequel/update to the amazing commentary track they did for the PopArt DVD -- and if that's not ported over somehow I'm holding onto my copy.
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 30 March 2023 14:41 (one year ago) link
Hear, hear. A friend you and I have in common quote it all the time.
"Fabulous acting here."
"Unintentionally hilarious.""As ever."
"Oh, look! We're doing choreography."
― the very juice and sperm of kindness. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 30 March 2023 14:44 (one year ago) link
Chris Lowe's laugh at the end of the commentary for "Somewhere" lives in my head rent-free, as does "Ah...revenge" from the "I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind Of Thing" commentary.
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 30 March 2023 14:50 (one year ago) link
SO many highlights but Chris’s drawling, sighing “Urrgh GOD.. “ when he sees himself at the start of ‘What Have I Done To Deserve This?’ is the one that has entered my lexicon.
― piscesx, Thursday, 30 March 2023 16:50 (one year ago) link
"I look TERRIBLE! Stupid hair. Dickie bow."
― the very juice and sperm of kindness. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 30 March 2023 16:58 (one year ago) link
Here’s that old Pop/Art DVD commentary in full
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MG9W0NbssnI
― piscesx, Tuesday, 4 April 2023 17:31 (one year ago) link