Pet Shop Boys

by **Chun** » Mon Jul 09, 2012 10:53 pm

Happy birthday, Neil.

by **Ruthymon** » Tue Jul 10, 2012 2:50 am

chun1702 wrote:Happy birthday, Neil.

by **Vindrag** » Sun Jul 15, 2012 10:10 am

I'm reading through my compilation which I update every week, of my top 20 songs chart from 1996-2012. I have reached artists/groups under P and reacted to something funny.

Pet Shop Boys highest charting song is Being Boring which peaked at #3 in 1999 and dropped out after 5 weeks. 3-3-8-20-16-out

The groups lowest charting song is The Resurrectionist which peaked at #14 in 2006 but it left the chart after 17 weeks. 19-20-20-16-14-14-14-20-14-18-17-17-15-16-14-20-19 Which also makes it their longest charting song!

LISTEN

It is featured as a B-Side on the lead single "I'm With Stupid" to their 2006 album "Fundamental". I'm With Stupid peaked at #20 and dropped out after 2 weeks. So.... in my opinion.. wrong A-Side?

I don't remember it staying for that long, but listening to it now I remember that I used to love it although not playing it that often. I think there was a remix as well which I found great.

Oh well! I've heard only a snippet from their new song "Winner" - and it doesn't sound very exciting unfortunately. Still looking forward to new material though. I'm a fan of their sound and I have always been in touch with their music thanks to my older brothers playing their music when I was a kid. I think that's why The Resurrectionist did so well - it was the first song I discovered by myself from them

by **Vindrag** » Sun Jul 15, 2012 10:44 am

Howver. If I must pick one Pet Shop Boys song to bring with me to a desert island it would be It's A Sin. Their #1 song!

by **Chun** » Sun Jul 15, 2012 10:55 am

^ Yes. The Resurrectionist is good. Their b-sides, album tracks and remixes are sometimes better choices. Even more so when speaking of their lead singles. Did you listen to The Way It Used To Be from the recent album Yes? And the accompanied remix album Etc. was simply amazing. I love it.

Here are some great album tracks and b-sides (I'm getting goosebumps only by thinking about some of them):

I'm Not Scared
The Way It Used To Be (Left Of Love Dub)
This Used To Be The Future
King's Cross
More Than A Dream (Magical Dub)
Two Divided By Zero
A Man Could Get Arrested
Try It (I'm In Love With A Married Man)
In The Night
Here (PSB New Extended Mix)
That's My Impression
The Clock 10/11/12
I Want A Dog
The End Of The World
The Squadron
My Girl
Dreaming Of The Queen
To Step Aside
Paninaro
Confidential (Demo for Tina Turner)
The Sodom And Gomorrah Show
Invisible
The Truck-Driver And His Mate
Screaming

by **Chun** » Sun Jul 15, 2012 11:09 am

Vindrag wrote:Howver. If I must pick one Pet Shop Boys song to bring with me to a desert island it would be It's A Sin. Their #1 song!

Listen to this: It's A Sin (Disco Mix) 7:41

I always have a hard time picking one song.
Suburbia, It's A Sin, Always On My Mind and Heart for smashing totally - check the remixes! A Man Could Get Arrested. Rent, King's Cross, What Have I Done To Deserve This? for their beauty. I'm Not Scared and Being Boring having most amazing intros ever.

by **Vindrag** » Sun Jul 15, 2012 11:32 am

I remember listening to the YES album when it was released at my friends place, because he owns everything with PSB. Apart from that time, I can't remember ever listening to their albums. If I do - I think I'd give the Behaviour album a dedicated listen.

I have been going through their videos this morning. Suburbia!!! - This I will purchase right away from iTunes! It has never charted on my chart, but the melody brings me back...

The Disco remix was cool! More like an extended version though. Did you win your jacket by the way!? (Page 1)

by **Chun** » Sun Jul 15, 2012 11:42 am

^ I did not. :lol:

I like the Actually album the most..

by **Chun** » Sun Jul 15, 2012 11:44 am

Vindrag wrote:The Disco remix was cool! More like an extended version though.

Extended with a different melody hook in the intro.

by **Vindrag** » Sun Jul 15, 2012 11:45 am

The Way It Used To Be

First time hearing this track! It grew on me! It becomes more and more aggresive as it build up. The instrumental part from 3:10 is sooooooo similar to Nintendo's Mega Man soundtracks. Love it!

Legacy and Vulnerable sounds good too! I have never thought of them as an album duo.

by **Chun** » Sun Jul 15, 2012 11:56 am

^ They are! I'm re-listening now to investigate the 3:10 part on TWIUTB. - Yes!

What is left of love? Tell me who would even care?
So much time has passed I'd still meet you anywhere

Legacy is dull IMO. King Of Rome is much better a slow song on the Yes album. Never heard Neil sing so relaxed before.

Vulnerable is great. Check the Public Eye Dub version.

by **Vindrag** » Sun Jul 15, 2012 12:37 pm

I'm watching their 2010 concert from Glastonbury!

WATCH

Was "What Have I Done To Deserve This?" a single? It feels very familiar.

by **Chun** » Sun Jul 15, 2012 1:05 pm

^ Yes it was a single, with Dusty Springfield. I was at their concert in Cologne in 2009. Same show, Pandemonium tour.

Every night is Friday night...

I was totally out of my mind. It was great. Loved the transition from Se A Vida E to Viva La Vida (Coldplay song) because it was a total surprise.

by **Vindrag** » Sun Jul 15, 2012 1:09 pm

Tell me about the show? Did you go with a bunch of friends or did you go experience it alone? Where in the crowd were you? Did you recognize and dance and sing to every song? Was it euphoric... was it melancholic... was it crazy? I would've loved to attend one of their shows... the Glastonbury show seems amazing.

Repeating Being Boring now. It's a really sad song. Somehow.

by **Chun** » Sun Jul 15, 2012 1:18 pm

It was in an industrial hall. With friends. I was about 20 meters from the stage. Sang along all the time. Euphoric, yes that's the word. I was happy because I've been a fan for 20 years and haven't seen them this close yet. Being Boring is fantastic, the best performed live alongside King's Cross. I also loved the intro song, More Than A Dream/Heart, but it is cut off on YouTube.

by **Vindrag** » Sun Jul 15, 2012 1:20 pm

What Have I Done To Deserve This

Of course!! I have heard so much of their music from my brothers that I recognize so many hooks and melodies without knowing the song titles - this is one of them.

Dusty is a woman isn't she? Looks like a man in the video! :oops:

I ahve watched plenty of their videos this morning, I like the sense of freedom I get from them.. accompanied with the music of course.. Reading some comments on youtube irritate me - homosexual eroticism??? The guys fighting in the Domino Dancing video or the intro to the Being Boring video... To me it's more incredibly beautiful photography.

by **Chun** » Sun Jul 15, 2012 1:23 pm

Before I've seen them in Dresden performing Battleship Potemkin. I lived in Dresden and they came visiting!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QmQ0cnp ... ure=relmfu

They performed from the rooftop and center of an apartment block with the orchester playing around them from balconies and the film showed below. It was crazy.

by **Vindrag** » Sun Jul 15, 2012 1:32 pm

What an odd "stage" :lol:

Do you think they will tour again with the new record? Do they always tour with new material?

MGMT - Kids (Pet Shop Boys Synthpop Mix)

Love this!!!

by **Chun** » Sun Jul 15, 2012 1:34 pm

Vindrag wrote:What Have I Done To Deserve This

Of course!! I have heard so much of their music from my brothers that I recognize so many hooks and melodies without knowing the song titles - this is one of them.

Dusty is a woman isn't she? Looks like a man in the video!

I ahve watched plenty of their videos this morning, I like the sense of freedom I get from them.. accompanied with the music of course.. Reading some comments on youtube irritate me - homosexual eroticism??? The guys fighting in the Domino Dancing video or the intro to the Being Boring video... To me it's more incredibly beautiful photography.

She is a woman.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Q9DSFu6eCQ

I can't even read comments under blocked music videos.

Yes, these two videos are as sexy as Pet Shop Boys get, these also belong to their best videos. It is art.

by **sneakythesnake** » Sun Jul 15, 2012 1:35 pm

Vindrag wrote:I'm watching their 2010 concert from Glastonbury!

WATCH

Was "What Have I Done To Deserve This?" a single? It feels very familiar.

yes it was! it even got to No.1 here in Ireland

by **Chun** » Sun Jul 15, 2012 1:41 pm

Vindrag wrote:What an odd "stage"

Do you think they will tour again with the new record? Do they always tour with new material?

MGMT - Kids (Pet Shop Boys Synthpop Mix)

Love this!!!

I think they will go on tour but don't know about their past touring.
I did not knew about that Kids mix. Nice. Wow and there are even more mixes. I have to explore all their mixes when we are done with Björk.
I love their Walking On Thin Ice (Electro mix).
And the stuff they did for Liza Minnelli.

by **Vindrag** » Sun Jul 15, 2012 1:47 pm

Yoko remix huh? I'll check that out soon! I was reading through their discography = chart success on wikipedia. Their singles have done so well in the UK, but I'm not familiar with half of those titles!

Songs reaching the top 10 - you'd assume you should be familiar with them.

Being Boring peaked at #20 in the UK? What Have I Done... #2 in the US. Dusty is a woman, I know that

but she looked like a transvestite in the video. Sorry :oops:

Yoko remix..... sounds OK! Nothing amazing.

by **Chun** » Sun Jul 15, 2012 1:54 pm

Yeah, the Being Boring chart performance was devastating for them. Do you know their U2 cover Where the Streets Have No Name/Can't Take My Eyes Off of You? Also a highlight for me. Jealousy is great as well.

Dusty... that's the 80's look :lol:

Apparently she wanted to look like a drag queen back then. The haircut. Her Reputation album (1990) was produced by the Pets and they composed 4 songs for her.

by **Chun** » Sun Jul 15, 2012 2:03 pm

And in the US, they killed their career earlier with their Disco album (disco was so over by then), their Introspective album with 7-9 minute long extended versions and the Always On My Mind single which was not to be found on a current album.

by **Vindrag** » Sun Jul 15, 2012 3:31 pm

Wasn't Always featured on a current album?

Strange, cause it seems like Being Boring has become one of their signature tracks now. What do you mean by devestating? I find it odd how it did so bad considering the quality and the fact that the other singles at the same time did much better.

I only saw the title - not a fan of the U2 track, do you think it's worth checking out PSB's version?

Suburbia is really my song!! But I can't decide which version to purchase from iTunes!

I want it to sound like in the video without the long video intro :-?

I have not heard the full album version, but the snippet sound very different than the video mix. And as I fell for the video mix today that's the one I want.

There's a 4:04 version from the Complete Singles Collections but with a terrible sound quality in my opinion. So I'll have to go with the 5 minutes video mix featured on PopArt! 8-)

My friends will wonder where this revival came from :lol: