Question to Neil Tennant

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When you finished recording the album Bilingual, had you ever actually spoken to any Portuguese-speaking people?

― Gatinha (rwillmsen), Sunday, 22 January 2006 19:05 (twenty years ago)

No. Sorry about that.

― I Am Neil Tennant (Barry Bruner), Sunday, 22 January 2006 19:24 (twenty years ago)

Ah, well. Carry on, then.

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Monday, 23 January 2006 01:29 (twenty years ago)

In 50 years, the Pet Shop Boys will rightfully be considered better than the Beatles.

― beaux knee (boney), Monday, 23 January 2006 01:31 (twenty years ago)

Oh, that's about 60 years too late to make that claim timely.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 23 January 2006 01:32 (twenty years ago)

Why does everyone make such a big deal about "Always on My Mind" or "Go West"? It's obvious that their best cover is "Losing My Mind" or maybe "Try It (I'm In Love With A Married Man)." Although I must say that I'm daying to hear their cover of Serge Gainsbourg.

― danzig (danzig), Monday, 23 January 2006 01:40 (twenty years ago)

Which Gainsbourg? I have not heard of this. Tell all.

― emil.y (emil.y), Monday, 23 January 2006 01:45 (twenty years ago)

I hope it's 'Lemon Incest'. I nearly typed that as 'Lemon Insect'.

― beaux knee (boney), Monday, 23 January 2006 01:56 (twenty years ago)

Who would he sing it with? His mum? His nephew? (If it was Lemon Insect, maybe they could put it on the bee-side. Get it? Huh? Huh?)

― emil.y (emil.y), Monday, 23 January 2006 01:59 (twenty years ago)

Are you actually taking offence that he might sing a HYPOTHETICAL MADE UP NON-FACTUAL incest song?

― beaux knee (boney), Monday, 23 January 2006 02:01 (twenty years ago)

They did "Je T'Aime Moi Non Plus" a few years back.

― edward o (edwardo), Monday, 23 January 2006 02:15 (twenty years ago)

Are you actually taking offence that he might sing a HYPOTHETICAL MADE UP NON-FACTUAL incest song?

Er, no. I'm just wondering. You know, it worked with Serge because he's a creepy mo-fo and you can imagine him actually being a kiddly felcher (see also: Devendra Banhart's obsession with kids on Cripple Crow). But it'd be difficult for Tennant to be convincing, I reckon.

They did "Je T'Aime Moi Non Plus" a few years back.

Ah, cheers. Will search it out.

― emil.y (emil.y), Monday, 23 January 2006 02:19 (twenty years ago)

Yes, that's what I meant. It was a bside to "I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Any More." Never heard it though and can't find it anywhere.

― danzig (danzig), Monday, 23 January 2006 02:21 (twenty years ago)

Great potential PSB title, danzig: "I've Never Heard It and I Can't Find It Anywhere."

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Monday, 23 January 2006 02:29 (twenty years ago)

Wasn't Bilingual written and recorded while he was schtupping a Portuguese-speaking person? Okay, no, actually, the person in question may have spoken Spanish. Plus, even if he was, it still doesn't answer the question, ha.

― brittle-lemon (brittle-lemon), Monday, 23 January 2006 02:45 (twenty years ago)

I just got their Serge cover last week when I found the 2 CD version of Nightlife used. It's good fun. I could YSI tomorrow if people would like.

Oh, and "Losing My Mind" isn't a cover.

― D. Bachyrycz, Monday, 23 January 2006 03:23 (twenty years ago)

"Losing My Mind" they wrote for Liza didn't they?

My god, I've got "I'm Not Scared" stuck in my darned noggin now.

― beaux knee (boney), Monday, 23 January 2006 03:35 (twenty years ago)

According to allmusic, "Losing My Mind" is a Stephen Sondheim song from the Broadway show "Follies." Artists who have performed it include Liza Minnelli and Peggy Lee. That the PSB can take a Broadway tune can make it their own with their crazed electro keyboard and weird birdcalls and deceive us all only goes to show how great they are. And Please YSI the Serge cover, D. Bachyrycz. Thanks, I'll love you to bits.

― danzig (danzig), Monday, 23 January 2006 03:41 (twenty years ago)

Hmm, checking the booklet from the Introspective reissue, Neil does mention that the track is from Follies, although "Tennant/Lowe" are still listed as the composers in the credits. I imagine the later is just a mess-up. Danzing, please accept a YSI of "Je T'Aime . . ." tomorrow as recompense for my failed pedantry upthread!

― D. Bachyrycz, Monday, 23 January 2006 04:19 (twenty years ago)

On Liza's album "Losing My Mind" is (correctly) attributed to Sondheim.

― tokyo nursery school: afternoon session (rosemary), Monday, 23 January 2006 04:44 (twenty years ago)

That the PSB can take a Broadway tune can make it their own with their crazed electro keyboard and weird birdcalls and deceive us all only goes to show how great they are.

That's really the partial premise of Results, one of the PSB most underrated records: they take Broadway and Broadway-sounding tunes and make them sound like disco stompers; meanwhile, they take disso stompers (like their own "Rent" and "Tonight Is Forever") and make them sound like showtunes.

― brittle-lemon (brittle-lemon), Monday, 23 January 2006 04:53 (twenty years ago)

Pet Shop Boys' cover of "Je t'aime . . . mon non plus"

http://s65.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2XROMHWS0K08D2BUB6VR6YHJGJ

Enjoy!

― D. Bachyrycz, Monday, 23 January 2006 15:57 (twenty years ago)

talking of RESULTS they reissued it last year with a dvd attatched. i don't know anyone who bought the original let alone that.

― piscesboy, Monday, 23 January 2006 18:47 (twenty years ago)

I bought the original, and rather fantastic it is too. Though a full Dusty Springfield album would've been better.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Monday, 23 January 2006 19:42 (twenty years ago)

talking of RESULTS they reissued it last year with a dvd attatched

I didn't even notice that.

Results always made me laugh. I like some of it - "I Want You Now," "Losing My Mind" - but other parts are totally ludicrous. "Don't Drop Bombs"?!? I suppose the over-the-top aspects of it are somewhat the point, though...

― Myke Weiskopf (Myke Weiskopf), Monday, 23 January 2006 23:20 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, it must have seemed a good idea at the time.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Monday, 23 January 2006 23:28 (twenty years ago)

PSB are great, but being better and bigger than The Beatles would have been impossible.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 24 January 2006 00:23 (nineteen years ago)

I must add that "Je't'aime" version was brilliant though. :)

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 24 January 2006 00:25 (nineteen years ago)

I thought it was dismal.

― Momus (Momus), Tuesday, 24 January 2006 00:40 (nineteen years ago)

I agree with Momus, it's terrible. The PSB are still better than The Beatles though.

― daavid (daavid), Tuesday, 24 January 2006 02:14 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, I don't think it's a _particular_ highlight of their discography either. But I don't think it was intended to be - done for a comp, put on a B-side as mercy to fans so they don't have to buy the comp, all good.

PSB are the best singles act of all time if you count longevity. They come second to ABBA if you just compare them single-by-single up to the point where ABBA run out of singles, though. Fundamental fakes are all over networks now, you can tell just by the filenames they're fake.

― edward o (edwardo), Tuesday, 24 January 2006 02:37 (nineteen years ago)

I'd agree with you Edward, if you consider only the music. But if you think of it as "the whole package" (Tennant's own words to encompass the music, style, image, attitude, etc. of an artist) the PSB come first IMO.

― daavid (daavid), Tuesday, 24 January 2006 02:47 (nineteen years ago)

PSB are the best singles act of all time if you count longevity.

I would say Madonna is up there with them.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 24 January 2006 02:53 (nineteen years ago)

And the best singles act of all time if longevity is considered important is of course Depeche Mode.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 24 January 2006 02:53 (nineteen years ago)

You misspelled Sparks. (Much as I adore the Mode.)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 24 January 2006 02:55 (nineteen years ago)

Momus is correct, that cover of "Je Taime moi non plus" is just awful.

― jed_ (jed), Tuesday, 24 January 2006 02:56 (nineteen years ago)

ABBA (just) > PSB (just) > Madonna

I have no idea who would be fourth. Those three are just so obviously 1, 2 and 3 (order debatable, yeah) that everything else seems superfluous.

― edward o (edwardo), Tuesday, 24 January 2006 03:41 (nineteen years ago)

I'd add St. Etienne.

― daavid (daavid), Tuesday, 24 January 2006 03:52 (nineteen years ago)

I really liked PSB's version of "It's Alright", too (I prefer the 9-minute album version to the single version).

I'd also like to nomimate PSB as possibly the best B-sides band of all time.

― Kiffa Kitmouse, Friday, 27 January 2006 05:01 (nineteen years ago)

I have no idea who would be fourth. Those three are just so obviously 1, 2 and 3 (order debatable, yeah) that everything else seems superfluous.

You missed out Sir Cliff.

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Friday, 27 January 2006 15:03 (nineteen years ago)

I want to relaunch a Popist magazine.
Do you want to be the editor?

― Emapped (Jaap Schip), Friday, 3 February 2006 04:56 (nineteen years ago)

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