Pet Shop Boys - Tracks Poll

Really, anyone who's stuck on the early albums should try Disco 3. First half is flawless, fantastic.

Piano London >>>>>>>>> Housecat London

Man, I love the 7"-inch version of "A Man Could Get Arrested" on the second disc of Please, originally the B-side to "West End Girls." It's the only track about which you can say it sounds EXACTLY like 1985.

This poll is impossible. I'm listening through chronologically and noting down my votes. And i'm just listing every single, and most of the album tracks and bsides. IMPOSSIBLE.

Decided that "Home and Dry" might very well be top 5 for me. Take that post-Very h8rs.

Home and Dry is fantastic.

When is the deadline on this?

A week from Sunday.

shit I'm listening to some Fundamental tracks and thinking I need to revise my ballot

Albums were never nearly as consistent post-Very as they were before, but there a lot of absolute gems on them. Fundamental is probably the best of them. Or maybe Bilingual.

So, for clarity's sake, if I was to vote the PSB version of "I'm Not Scared", would that count as separate from those who might vote for the Eighth Wonder version?

lol I had no idea someone else did "I'm Not Scared" until this thread

Oh, Dan you lucky boy, you're in for a treat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkE-UKVEdCo

The different versions of "I'm Not Scared" will be counted seperately.

For info I had a vote for "Viva La Vida/Domino Dancing" and initially counted it as "Domino Dancing" but after listening to it for the first time I'm going to class is as a seperate work.

Their recent cover of "Viva La Vida" is their best song since 2006.

So, for clarity's sake, if I was to vote the PSB version of "I'm Not Scared", would that count as separate from those who might vote for the Eighth Wonder version?

yes, this is specifically mentioned in the first post

raise the ballots to fifty votes Billy

whoops xpost

I could easily do 50 songs but I think keeping the limit at 20 is a good idea tbh

Their recent cover of "Viva La Vida" is their best song since 2006.

It's better than Coldplay's original, I will give you that.

keep it at 20, it's a good mental exercise.

okay the demo version of "Don Juan" is so... different

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJMof6ThawI

My problem with the post-Very (I would even say post-Behaviour) era has less to do with consistency and more to do with a certain shift in the way the Boys decided to present themselves. Their sentimental side gradually became much more obvious (not necessarily in the lyrics, more in the delivery) and somehow that ruined things for me. If "It's A Sin" had been recorded circa Nightlife it would be a very different track and I would've probably hated it.

Bilingual has great b-sides:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viYi43QU2oA

My problem with the post-Very (I would even say post-Behaviour) era has less to do with consistency and more to do with a certain shift in the way the Boys decided to present themselves. Their sentimental side gradually became much more obvious (not necessarily in the lyrics, more in the delivery) and somehow that ruined things for me. If "It's A Sin" had been recorded circa Nightlife it would be a very different track and I would've probably hated it.

I don't buy this, especially considering the Actually singles besides "It's a Sin" were "What Have I Done To Deserve This?", "Rent" and "Heart" (with "Always On My Mind" released during the same era)

Their recent cover of "Viva La Vida" is their best song since 2006.

I just about prefer "Legacy", partly down to Owen P's contribution, though the paranoid lurch of the lyrics towards the end is my favourite bit. Actually the closers are easily my favourites on both the last two albums. "Viva La Vida" comfortably made it onto my ballot too though - love how much more dramatic they make the entry of the 'oh oh oh oh oh' at the end.

Man, I'd never heard "Legacy" before tonight, but the Owen P mention made me look it up and I am hooked!

what's that track playing towards the start of the soutbank show clip? the one that sounds like a Kompakt record from 2003?

Also, JEEEEEEESUS, 'Losing My Mind' .... just heard this for the first time, am literally gobsmacked...what an incredible record!

i'm NEVER going to be able to narrow this down.

xp South Bank Show song is this i think Darren
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1btaBgzGApk

check the Wogan clip of Liza doing Losing My Mind!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR_mjkxc7Ys

making an iTunes playlist with shortlist songs I consider "really good" and I'm already at 17 through the A's (Actually and Alternative). Going to be a fun week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cHsyCPUpDQ

This is probably not going to make my top 20 but I really enjoy this track. It's like a tasteful mashup of 2 Unlimited and "Go", or at least as tasteful as that combination can be.

I made one of those. Got into the high 90s. Been listening for the last 3 days and am no further to a decision. Watching Pandemonium, Performance, and Cubism didn't help either.

Have avoided clicking this thread so far because the idea of picking my favourite PSB track throws me into a kind of low level panic. I will think on, though. The Liza Minelli one is an all-time favourite of mine.

I've always liked Bumtschak's mashup of "Home & Dry" with Superpitcher's "Heroin":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2i88VHndDU

They've a pretty good strike rate with covers, don't they? "Try It (I'm In Love With A Married Man)" & "We're The Pet Shop Boys" (any other bands aside from the PSBs and the Ramones who've covered songs about themselves?) rank up there with the Elvis/Village People/U2/etc.

Losing My Mind too

nb: they've covered We're The Pet Shop Boys twice!

92-94 Further Listening is so damn good!

I want to vote for Discoteca-Single-Bilingual as one track but that's probably not kosher.

They've a pretty good strike rate with covers, don't they? "Try It (I'm In Love With A Married Man)" & "We're The Pet Shop Boys" (any other bands aside from the PSBs and the Ramones who've covered songs about themselves?) rank up there with the Elvis/Village People/U2/etc.

Not just 'up there'. They're all better!

Wait I misread that, I thought you were comparing "Always On My Mind", "Go West" etc. with their original versions.

down to 29 tracks, and they are surprisingly well-distributed across the years (except post-1999).

how long left have we got to do this?

people should vote for Miracles. I will.

Disappointed that In Private (Stuart Crichton Club Mix) is so vigorously removed from youtube by EMI. I remember it being quite ridiculous but haven't got a copy on me.

oppet, send me an email through ILX and I'll send it over.

armani armani a-a-armani

"Party Song"'s a great later B-side - grinding Benassi-style electro with a KC & the Sunshine Band interpolation, ha.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTvL1DUBNfA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBmAw9eoRJU

Disappointed that In Private...
― oppet, Sunday, June 26, 2011 6:35 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark

...which reminds me, I forgot to vote for "Disappointed". People, please don't forget about this amazing track. I counts right?

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

"Disappointed" is by Electronic, not PSB.

Does anyone have Helena Springs' "New Love" (her version of "A New Life") floating around? Can't find it on YouTube etc.