Pet Shop Boys POX

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"The Way It Used to Be"

TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 21 July 2020 12:46 (three years ago) link

Super has "Happiness", "The Pop Kids", "The Dictator Decides", "Inner Sanctum", "Say It To Me", "Burn", and "Into Thin Air", all of which range from very good to fantastic.

shout-out to his family (DJP), Tuesday, 21 July 2020 13:34 (three years ago) link

yeah but what about the non-Ilx version

imago, Tuesday, 21 July 2020 13:49 (three years ago) link

The Pop Kids just sneaks into my Top 6 or 7 PSB singles; just below What Have I Done To Deserve This? but above Opportunities. It's probably my all time favourite 'late period banger' by any band, i didn't know they had it in them.

piscesx, Tuesday, 21 July 2020 13:59 (three years ago) link

Thanks all.

Have compiled everything mentioned into a Spotify list, here:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5ksHIsa9UOMtH3pXOqSQ3I

djh, Tuesday, 21 July 2020 19:56 (three years ago) link

I soured a bit on "The Pop Kids," alas. A bit awkward in places.

TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 21 July 2020 20:00 (three years ago) link

Should've added:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ywk3vA8Y8xY

TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 21 July 2020 20:07 (three years ago) link

I love The Pop Kids, but it manages to be Being Boring-lite and Vocal-lite at the same d. t.

Steppin' RZA (sic), Tuesday, 21 July 2020 20:12 (three years ago) link

Tiga mixes of Minimal are good iirc.

Steppin' RZA (sic), Tuesday, 21 July 2020 20:13 (three years ago) link

These are 20 from the 21st century that I'd be happy to have on a playlist.

The Samurai In Autumn
Try It (In Love With A Married Man)
Flamboyant
The Sodom & Gomorrah Show
Minimal
Casanova In Hell
Fugitive
Love Etc.
More Than A Dream
The Way It Used To Be
Leaving
Love Is A Bourgeois Construct
Inside A Dream
Thursday
Vocal
Happiness
The Pop Kids
Burn
Willow The Wisp
Hoping For A Miracle

kitchen person, Tuesday, 21 July 2020 20:24 (three years ago) link

Thanks! In truth, the original 2020 question was intended to find a full career CD-R80, partly because I was making a compilation for a friend. However, it has ended up at a more interesting place.

Modern era track I really like that hasn't been mentioned: "E-mail".

djh, Tuesday, 21 July 2020 20:28 (three years ago) link

Other recommendations for your Spotify list: Psychological (also the Ewan Pearson remix), Flamboyant, She's Madonna (by Robbie Williams), Sorry (PSB Maxi-Mix, by Madonna), This Used To Be The Future, Axis, I Don't Wanna, My Girl, the Genuine Piano version of London (not released outside Germany until 2003), Girls Don't Cry

Their cover of We're The Pet Shop Boys is not as good as My Robot Friend's original, but is very fun, and their cover of Viva La Vida is 1000x better than Coldplay. They also did a cover of the song In Private that they wrote for Dusty Springfield in 1990, now as a duet with Elton John, that goes much harder than the original.

Steppin' RZA (sic), Tuesday, 21 July 2020 21:08 (three years ago) link

djh see also POX Pet Shop Boys B-sides

nashwan, Tuesday, 21 July 2020 22:52 (three years ago) link

Cool. Ta.

djh, Wednesday, 22 July 2020 10:50 (three years ago) link

Their cover of We're The Pet Shop Boys is not as good as My Robot Friend's original

I think they did it better! Great track.

LeRooLeRoo, Wednesday, 22 July 2020 13:30 (three years ago) link

"I Don't Like Much Really, do I? But What I Do Like, I Love Passionately - A PSB compilation"

Alternative title: "Drunk"

Paninaro
Sexy Northerner
The Truck Driver and His Mate
It Must Be Obvious.
I Don't Know What You Want
You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk.
Violence (Hacienda)
Euro Boy
Home & Dry
Why Don't We Live Together
Betrayal
You Choose
Email.

There's room for a few more perfectly poised tracks.

djh, Wednesday, 22 July 2020 22:00 (three years ago) link

There's some great stuff in your suggestions - thanks.

djh, Monday, 27 July 2020 15:36 (three years ago) link

:D

Steppin' RZA (sic), Monday, 27 July 2020 20:40 (three years ago) link

"You Choose" is a minor masterpiece.

TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 27 July 2020 20:50 (three years ago) link

It's great, isn't it?

It's a track I'd missed but I'm quite bad (good?) for just getting engrossed in a group for a bit ... and I love it.

djh, Monday, 27 July 2020 21:27 (three years ago) link

Link to the (slightly mutating) playlist here:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/205aTQBpnwJEwUZzQMMS6W

djh, Monday, 27 July 2020 21:29 (three years ago) link

You Choose meant a great deal during a period when I felt the stirrings of love for a guy who three years earlier hadn't returned it.

TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 27 July 2020 21:53 (three years ago) link

Makes sense.

djh, Monday, 27 July 2020 21:58 (three years ago) link

Compilation artwork, obvs.

First time I’ve been on a train since March! Hope you’re all keeping well. Neil xx#PetText pic.twitter.com/ASouFg5OaY

— Pet Shop Boys (@petshopboys) August 1, 2020

djh, Saturday, 1 August 2020 18:46 (three years ago) link

eight months pass...

Might be of interest:

https://thequietus.com/articles/29906-pet-shop-boys-best-of-b-sides-album-tracks-beyond-the-hits

Contains Mr Raggett.

djh, Wednesday, 28 April 2021 13:27 (three years ago) link

They praised the wrong version of "I Want A Dog"

80's hair metal , and good praise music ! (DJP), Wednesday, 28 April 2021 14:20 (three years ago) link

The great wars begin. Mr. Soto is also in there.

Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 28 April 2021 14:32 (three years ago) link

Excellent selection !

LeRooLeRoo, Wednesday, 28 April 2021 14:37 (three years ago) link

It’s a dialogue between robots well before Daft Punk. Camp and terrifying, electronic exultation achieved at the expense of everyone and everything else — perhaps that’s the real European canon in the end

A terrific insight, Ned. Also, "Euroboy" and "Some Speculation" made my shortlist too. In the '00s my online dating profile name was SomeSpeculation. Only one dude got it.

So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 28 April 2021 14:41 (three years ago) link

Credit to that dude. And thanks!

Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 28 April 2021 14:44 (three years ago) link

re Mr Soto - oddly, I've only heard that Timmy Thomas song this year ... on a mix by ISAN.

djh, Wednesday, 28 April 2021 17:13 (three years ago) link

Anyway, spent a happy hour or so compiling this into a playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5CH0dsOUoBVJ6kE9A1Rmp4

djh, Wednesday, 28 April 2021 17:17 (three years ago) link

oooh thanks

So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 28 April 2021 17:18 (three years ago) link

Genuinely, that was a gorgeous read - full of love and affection (and, remarkably, some tracks I've missed and/or didn't know).

djh, Wednesday, 28 April 2021 17:38 (three years ago) link

POX from the Quietus list:

Discoteca
Do I Have To?
Dreaming of the Queen
It Always Comes As A Surprise
I Want A Dog
A Red Letter Day
Some Speculation
This Must Be The Place I've Waited Years To Leave
The Theatre
Violence

LeRooLeRoo, Wednesday, 28 April 2021 21:34 (three years ago) link

"In the Night" really is a banger of the first order.

So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 28 April 2021 21:36 (three years ago) link

I like the Quietus List

Personally, I would have added these:

Was That What It Was?
I'm Not Scared
Hit And Miss
Always
We're The Pet Shop Boys
Fugitive

daavid, Thursday, 29 April 2021 03:56 (three years ago) link

On a second thought, perhaps not Hit and Miss. It hasn't aged that well.

daavid, Thursday, 29 April 2021 04:02 (three years ago) link

I love "Hit and Miss" and a few other b-sides on Format, but I imagine my POX would still be ten songs from Alternative

Vinnie, Thursday, 29 April 2021 04:13 (three years ago) link

My b-side POX, that is

Vinnie, Thursday, 29 April 2021 04:19 (three years ago) link

it seemed they skipped covers? so that would rule out We're The Pet Shop Boys and, kinda, I'm Not Scared

both megabangers ofc, as is Fugitive

bobo honkin' slobo babe (sic), Thursday, 29 April 2021 04:44 (three years ago) link

I never understood the issue with the Instrospective version of "I Want a Dog". Possibly my favourite thing on it since I was a child. The b-side rendition feels like a less perfect iteration along the journey to the bitchin' housey endpoint. The Quietus OTM.

Perticularly good to see the likes of King's Cross, You Choose, The Theatre, Flourescent and Your Funny Uncle there too.

Nag! Nag! Nag!, Thursday, 29 April 2021 05:05 (three years ago) link

pArticularly, obv.

Devastating lack of "A Man Could Get Arrested" though!

Nag! Nag! Nag!, Thursday, 29 April 2021 06:19 (three years ago) link

it seemed they skipped covers? so that would rule out We're The Pet Shop Boys and, kinda, I'm Not Scared

both megabangers ofc, as is Fugitive

― bobo honkin' slobo babe (sic), T

Ned wrote about the Springteen cover.

So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 29 April 2021 09:34 (three years ago) link

Ah yeah! I even approved of his non-Boss-belief.

bobo honkin' slobo babe (sic), Thursday, 29 April 2021 09:55 (three years ago) link

The issue with the Introspective version of I Want A Dog is that they took a wistful, delicate song and removed all of the personality from it with a boring beat

80's hair metal , and good praise music ! (DJP), Thursday, 29 April 2021 11:29 (three years ago) link

One could and should quibble with bits and pieces of that list, but it's at the very least a great reminder of the wealth of good stuff this group has released or, more shockingly, sometimes barely released.

Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 29 April 2021 12:42 (three years ago) link

xp
It was entirely Knuckles's work according to the Introspective sleevenotes.

Neil: "We got back to London and played it to Trevor Horn and Steve Lipson and Trevor said 'See? Cheap gear sounds better.'"

piscesx, Thursday, 29 April 2021 12:43 (three years ago) link

The Communards keyboardist plays the piano, I think.

So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 29 April 2021 12:52 (three years ago) link

He plays the piano on What Keeps Mankind Alive? but as far as i know that was it.

Confusingly, I did once play with the Pet Shop Boys #pointlesstrivia

— Richard Coles (@RevRichardColes) October 4, 2012

piscesx, Thursday, 29 April 2021 13:07 (three years ago) link

I quite enjoyed that the bonus disc for "Nonetheless" was "Furthermore".

Saw them play some tracks on a Vernon Kay presented thing a few weeks back and found it a bit cringey.

djh, Friday, 26 April 2024 18:10 (one month ago) link

The new album sounds like one of those drugstore-dollar-bin "greatest hits" albums where a Sixties act re-records their old songs, and you buy it by mistake and get those uncanny-valley "this is the song I like...but it's not quite right somehow" shivers.

Instead of create and send out, it pull back and consume (unperson), Friday, 26 April 2024 18:58 (one month ago) link

This happened to me precisely with a George Jones comp.

the talented mr pimply (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 26 April 2024 19:05 (one month ago) link

I think the re-records are just the arrangements for the new tour with vocals added

PaulTMA, Saturday, 27 April 2024 09:36 (one month ago) link

'I’d love to be in the House of Lords, because it’s a job, isn’t it?'

The most successful British pop duo in music history on tantrums, touring when you turn 70, and why it feels unreal to hang out with Liza Minnelli — over Lunch with the FT: https://t.co/ujKxMKGSJW

— FT Weekend (@ftweekend) April 26, 2024

paisley got boring (Eazy), Saturday, 27 April 2024 12:40 (one month ago) link

A pro­du­cer for an earlier album, Stu­art Price, worked with them in Ber­lin and made them go out for din­ner in week two to the same places they’d been to in week one, in the same order. He also made them record all the tracks in alpha­bet­ical order. “And we did, didn’t we?” Ten­nant mar­vels. “And then we put them on the album in alpha­bet­ical order. It’s actu­ally quite a good logic. It worked out quite well.”

paisley got boring (Eazy), Saturday, 27 April 2024 12:51 (one month ago) link

They must have cheated a little bit but so close:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_(Pet_Shop_Boys_album)

PaulTMA, Saturday, 27 April 2024 15:48 (one month ago) link

Maybe “Bourgeois Construct” was the working title for track 3…

paisley got boring (Eazy), Saturday, 27 April 2024 17:54 (one month ago) link

The first few songs are the weakest for me. Once it gets to New London Boy it gets really good and stays as such. I have a lot of time for the freestyle getup on Dancing Star.

you can see me from westbury white horse, Sunday, 28 April 2024 12:29 (one month ago) link

yeah I feel like it's missing a really great single up front, something like that would do wonders for this album. it's still quite good I think, especially given the point in their career that they're at. Neil's voice still sounds pretty good to me!

frogbs, Monday, 29 April 2024 18:03 (one month ago) link

Hilarious interview.

the talented mr pimply (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 4 May 2024 17:18 (one month ago) link

Aw, teasing the idea that we could have a George Michael cover of "End of the World" is really too much. I agree it's a hidden gem though - that segue at the end of "Nervously" gets me every time.

Chuck_Tatum, Saturday, 4 May 2024 17:41 (one month ago) link

He may dislike it because that's Tennant playing the twang guitar.

the talented mr pimply (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 4 May 2024 17:42 (one month ago) link

one month passes...

Directed by Andrew Haigh and filmed in Margate in the spring of 2024, the official video for Pet Shop Boys’ new single, “A new bohemia”, is premiering exclusively on @NOWNESS today. Link to watch below.https://t.co/dsE3puO1OP pic.twitter.com/CCklIlwhAq

— Pet Shop Boys (@petshopboys) June 4, 2024

paisley got boring (Eazy), Tuesday, 4 June 2024 22:22 (one week ago) link

That song doesn't feel like a single at all to me.

LeRooLeRoo, Wednesday, 5 June 2024 12:35 (one week ago) link

It doesn't.

the talented mr pimply (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 5 June 2024 12:35 (one week ago) link

Not single material for sure. But being of a certain age, I have to admit that song (and video) got me.

daavid, Wednesday, 5 June 2024 18:29 (one week ago) link

Still playing the new album a lot. Every time they put out something that doesn't really do it for me, they always win me back round with the follow-up. Fundamental after Release, Electric after Elysium and now this one coming after Hotspot which could be my least favourite album of theirs. Feels like they're a band I can never truly write-off and I was worried after Hotspot, that terrible EP and the never-ending Cricket Wife single.

kitchen person, Thursday, 6 June 2024 00:45 (one week ago) link

Good b-side

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mffClF45eS0

Chuck_Tatum, Saturday, 8 June 2024 13:45 (one week ago) link

(And the dance remix is much better than the single.)

Chuck_Tatum, Saturday, 8 June 2024 13:53 (one week ago) link

Liking "I've Got Plans (Involving You)".

djh, Saturday, 8 June 2024 18:07 (one week ago) link

A silver sliver of PSB cover of "Go West" passed through recent installment of Democracy Now---perfect placement of wistfulness x certainty---and I still can't get it out of my head, my head, not that I want to.

dow, Saturday, 8 June 2024 20:11 (one week ago) link

Oh yeah, here 'tis:

Meet the Pro-Ceasefire MP Candidate Banned by U.K. Labour Party for “Liking” Jon Stewart Skit on Israel
STORY JUNE 03, 2024
Watch Full Show

(You can also just catch the audio, in various formats)
https://www.democracynow.org/2024/6/3/uk_election

dow, Saturday, 8 June 2024 20:24 (one week ago) link

Has "A New Bohemia" got a hint of Oasis about it or am I imagining that? (I can't really describe why I think that).

djh, Sunday, 9 June 2024 21:24 (one week ago) link


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