Revelation - Official ILX Pet Shop Boys tracks poll results

Wow kind of unexpected no? It's a great song though. Thanks Billy, that was fun!

14 of mine charted. The fallen six: in private, bet she's not your girlfriend, one of the crowd, that's my impression, on my mind/in my house, and fugitive.

2 Rent Actually 617 23 4
7 King's Cross Actually 409 15 2
8 Paninaro B-side 398 17 2
9 Love Comes Quickly Please 355 14 0
13 Two Divided By Zero Please 266 11 1
19 Home and Dry Release 216 10 0
25 I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing Very 189 9 1
26 I Want A Dog Introspective 169 7 0
30 In The Night B-side 157 7 0
31 We All Feel Better In The Dark B-side 138 6 1
35 One More Chance B-side 123 5 0
42 It Must Be Obvious B-side 98 5 0
43 Some Speculation B-side 98 4 0

songs I voted for

saddest about "Don Juan", "You Know Where You Went Wrong", "Jack The Lad", "Why Don't We Live Together?" and "Yesterday, When I Was Mad" not making it

So nothing from Fundamental... and only 4 tracks from the 00s. Still think Fugitive should have been top 50.

Thomas, I hadn't heard that version of 'In Private' before, a really great collaboration with Elton John. Sadly not available on youtube, otherwise I'd have linked it.

(my other two tracks were "For Your Own Good" and "One and One Make Five"

I don't really mind but there are people's real names on that spreadsheet. Just thought I should mention it.

I voted for 11 of the top 13. And yes, every Battleship Potemkin vote was mine.

xps In Private w/ Elton is ridiculously overblown and great, and yeah not available on youtube or spotify. Might not have made my ballot either if skip hadn't sent it over to me.

xp

If it's a problem, I can make it private and email it to anyone who's interested.

Nice work Billy!

Rightly or wrongly, "WHIDTDT" felt like lesser PSB to me from the outset, along with "Heart", so this comes as a surprise. (I also live under a rock.) Such a halting melody and a somewhat dinky-sounding arrangement to these ears. Always got much more mileage out of the somber bits of Actually. "Rent" was my #1.

My ballot:

1.Why Don't We Live Together?
2. Paninaro
3. Young Offender
4. What Have I Done to Deserve This?
5. Two Divided by Zero
6. Being Boring
7. You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk
8. The End of the World
9. I Get Excited (You Get Excited Too)
10. Suburbia
11. Shopping
12. Always On My Mind
13. Se a Vida E
14. Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)
15. Rent
16. This Must Be The Place I Waited Years to Leave
17. I'm Not Scared
18. A Man Could Get Arrested
19. Can You Forgive Her
20. Do I Have To

forgot about "To Step Aside", that's a really solid track.

I think two of us voted for it. It's my longtime Bilingual fav.

1. We All Feel Better in the Dark
2. I Want A Dog
3. Some Speculation
4. Two Divided By Zero
5. Rent
6. One More Chance
7. Jack the Lad
8. Don Juan
9. In The Night
10. Paninaro
11. Yesterday, When I Was Mad
12. You Know Where You Went Wrong
13. It Must Be Obvious
14. Love Comes Quickly
15. King's Cross
16. One and One Make Five
17. For Your Own Good
18. I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind Of Thing
19. Why Don't We Live Together
20. Home and Dry

My top 20:

Paninaro
Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)
*Absolutely Fabulous
So Hard
West End Girls
Left To My Own Devices
Love Etc
*New York City Boy
Always On My Mind
Heart
I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Anymore
*Euroboy
Some Speculation
In The Night
What Have I Done To Deserve This?
The Truck Driver and his Mate
*Discoteca
Home and Dry
Domino Dancing
I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing

Stars didn't make the top 50. I had the only vote for Euroboy and Absolutely Fabulous, ouch!

I almost voted for Absolutely Fabulous (was my no. 23) :/

My ballot:

1 - West End Girls
2 - Always On My Mind
3 - Paninaro
4 - Two Divided By Zero
5 - King's Cross
6 - The Crying Game (Boy George)
7 - Opportunities
8 - I'm Not Scared
9 - A Man Could Get Arrested
10 - In The Night
11 - Domino Dancing
12 - It's A Sin
13 - Go West
14 - What Have I Done To Deserve This?
15 - Hallo Spaceboy (David Bowie)
16 - Was That What It Was?
17 - Can You Forgive Her?
18 - I'm Not Scared (Eighth Wonder)
19 - Losing My MInd (Liza Minnelli)
20 - Fugitive

1. west end girls
2. king's cross
3. heart
4. rent
5. i want to wake up
6. love comes quickly
7. left to my own devices
8. the way it used to be
9. always on my mind
10. being boring
11. one more chance
12. paninaro
13. what have i done to deserve this
14. losing my mind (liza minelli)
15. i'm not scared (eighth wonder)
16. viva le vida/domino dancing
17. go west
18. so hard
19. i don't know what you want but i can't give it anymore
20. miracles (eric prydz mix)

20. West End Girls
19. King's Cross
18. Rent
17. Can You Forgive Her?
16. Minimal
15. The Truck Driver and His Mate
14. Flamboyant
13. I Want to Wake Up
12. Yesterday, When I Was Mad
11. Losing My Mind (PSB Version)
10. Being Boring
09. To Step Aside
08. Jealousy
07. You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk
06. It Couldn't Happen Here
05. I'm Not Scared (PSB Version)
04. Your Funny Uncle
03. Home and Dry
02. Young Offender
01. Always On My Mind

My selections that missed out:

A Man Could Get Arrested (pleased to see that this only missed by a whisker)
The Theatre
Twentieth Century (sole vote)
Did You See Me Coming (sole vote)

Wow. Totally thought "The Night I Fell in Love" or "Dreaming of the Queen" would place high. What are y'all's stance on those?

I like them both; neither one in my top twenty.

Yeah, they're both good, though "Dreaming" is not really one of my favourites. "The Theatre", otoh (despite not voting for it), is amazing.

1. "Flamboyant"
2. "The Samurai in Autumn"
3. "What Have I Done to Deserve This?"
4. "West End Girls"
5. "It's Alright"
6. "A Different Point of View"
7. "Nothing Has Been Proved" (Dusty Springfield)
8. "Left to My Own Devices"
9. "Always on My Mind"
10. "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off of You)"
11. "Being Boring"
12. "Later Tonight"

Made my list quickly, no re-listening, stopped at a point where I'd start to list songs that I think are just pretty good.

1) Being Boring

2) I Wouldn’t Normally Do This Kind Of Thing

3) Rent

4) Dreaming Of The Queen

5) The Survivors

6) The Way It Used To Be

7) Miracles

8) Nervously

9) Always On My Mind

10) Discoteca

11) Do I Have To

12) Liberation

13) We're The Pet Shop Boys

14) Your Funny Uncle

15) Shameless

16) Fugitive (Richard X Extended Mix)

17) One In A Million

18) Opportunities

19) Decadence

20) Hit And Miss

Happy to see another "The Samurai in Autumn" up there!

1. King's Cross
2. What Have I Done to Deserve This?
3. Always on my Mind
4. Integral
5. Rent
6. Being Boring
7. Legacy
8. Se A Vida É (That's the Way Life Is)
9. I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give it Anymore
10. Viva la Vida / Domino Dancing
11. Flamboyant
12. It's a Sin
13. Suburbia
14. The Samurai in Autumn
15. Can You Forgive Her?
16. West End Girls
17. I Get Along
18. Jealousy
19. A Red Letter Day
20. You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk

My list - 16/20

1. Rent
2. Always on My Mind
3. Left to My Own Devices
4. It’s a Sin
5. Being Boring
6. King’s Cross
7. Do I Have To?
8. What Have I Done to Deserve This?
9. In the Night
10. Dreaming of the Queen
11. Paninaro
12. So Hard
13. This Must Be the Place I Waited Years to Leave
14. West End Girls
15. Your Funny Uncle
16. Two Divided By Zero
17. I Get Along
18. You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You’re Drunk
19. Was That What It Was?
20. Later Tonight

Thanks Billy. Very enjoyable.

sad Miracles didn't make it :-(

Huh?! Missed the final part of the countdown.... "What Have I..."? Really?! o_O

Anyway, great work Billy!

My ballot:

1. Being Boring
2. My October Symphony
3. Love Comes Quickly
4. King's Cross
5. I Want To Wake Up
6. Paninaro
7. Rent
8. Domino Dancing
9. Left To My Own Devices
10. Only The Wind
11. To Face The Truth
12. Suburbia
13. Nervously
14. This Must Be The Place I Waited Years To Leave
15. Jealousy
16. What Have I Done To Deserve This?
17. It Couldn't Happen Here
18. It's A Sin
19. The Theatre
20. I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind Of Thing

There are only one or two placing songs I wouldn't want to hear right now, and at least a dozen or more I love equally. Man, these guys. You guys.

Oh, so glad WHIDTDT? won - as Tom said years ago on ILx, 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!.

Surprised Heart placed so low - I find it, er, classic/uncluttered rather than lightweight.

My ballot:

01. What Have I Done To Deserve This?
02. Heart
03. Bet She's Not Your Girlfriend
04. Some Speculation
05. Left To My Own Devices
06. Try It (I'm In Love With A Married Man)
07. Domino Dancing
08. One Of The Crowd
09. Rent
10. The Sound Of The Atom Splitting
11. Love Comes Quickly
12. I Want A Dog [/Alternative/ version]
13. I Get Excited (You Get Excited Too)
14. We're The Pet Shop Boys
15. A New Life
16. Jack The Lad
17. One More Chance [1984/Bobby 'O' version]
18. You Know Where You Went Wrong
19. Dry Heroin [Bumtschak bootleg, Superpitcher vs Pet Shop Boys]
20. Party Song

I was one of three people to vote for Jack The Lad, We're The Pet Shop Boys, and Bet She's Not Your Girlfriend; one of two people to vote for Party Song, You Know Where You Went Wrong, A New Life, I Get Excited (You Get Excited Too), The Sound Of The Atom Splitting, and One Of The Crowd, and the only vote for Dry Heroin (which didn't get folded within the Home & Dry votes).

Was hoping Bet She's Not Your Girlfriend would place - was my #1 until the last minute, one of Neil's most acrobatic vocal performances (the way the lyrics scan!), and a successful mesh of house and hi-NRG tropes in the production - those strings, and what sounds like Chris through a vocoder!

A question for all you guys who bought their singles and albums in their heyday: did you flip those singles over and say, for example, "Wow! 'I Get Excited (You Get Excited Too)' is a marvelous tune!" or did it take Alternative and the reissues to notice?

This thread is quickly becoming "people who read pitchfork are dumb"

A question for all you guys who bought their singles and albums in their heyday: did you flip those singles over and say, for example, "Wow! 'I Get Excited (You Get Excited Too)' is a marvelous tune!" or did it take /Alternative/ and the reissues to notice?

I loved "A Man Could Get Arrested", "Jack The Lad", "You Know Where You Went Wrong", "I Want A Dog", "We All Feel Better In The Dark", "It Must Be Obvious" and "Bet She's Not Your Girlfriend" when I heard them on the singles. Alternative just reaffirmed what I suspected; PSB B-sides pwn.

This thread is quickly becoming "people who read pitchfork are dumb"

do you mean this thread is a rebuke to Pitchfork?

It makes a big difference, I imagine, to hear all those b-sides in the context of "Alternative" at once, rather than scattered across various formats. That came out in, what, 95? Back then it took some doing to compile your own comprehensive collections. In the pre-downloading era, I think the impact of "Alternative" was more ... impactful? I readily admit that until the comp I had little to know idea about ANY of the PSB b-sides!

Ha, little to no.

Little to Know would make a great album title.

Just been catching on up on the final results, it made such an exciting read. Thanks so much for doing this Billy.

A bit gutted that four of my votes were in the 50-60 part of the list. I voted for A Different Point Of view (51) The Way It Used To Be (52) Dreaming Of The Queen (56) Yesterday When I Was Mad (57) Still it was a great list overall.

For anyone not bored with this sort of thing, I wrote blurbs for my picks.

I heard selected 80s b-sides at the time but, having been in possession of only a few of the singles, and having failed to keep a tape dub of the B-sides of a friend's copies of others, there are several even from that era that I've only heard a few times ("Do I Have To?", "You Know Where You Went Wrong"). I was distracted by Sebadoh or something when Alternative was finally released, such that I only bought my first (dirt cheap) copy just this week, for the convenience.

At the very least I think it's unlikely I would have given 36 points to "A Man Could Get Arrested" if I hadn't listened to both sides of the "WEG" single a zillion times as a pre-pubescent circa 1986. I mean, is it that good? I can't be even vaguely objective.

Didn't do homework, so stopped at 10:

If it's not too late. -Eazy

1. Go West
2. Try It (I'm in Love with a Married Man)
3. Positive Role Model
4. Two Divided by Zero
5. London
6. Rent
7. Love Etc.
8. Party Song
9. Love Comes Quickly
10. Home and Dry

(Oops-"If it's not too late" was part of my e-mail.)

Alfred, I had no idea it was you that wrote that Stylus write-up of "Young Offender". It's one of my favourite PSB write-ups.

My top 20,. My biggest disappointment, that I was the only one to vote for 'Nothing Has Been Proved' which I think's a highlight of both artists careers.

Incidentally has anyone seen 'It Couldn't Happen Here'? It looks like a rum piece of work. I remember it getting slammed at the time as indulgent and pretentious, but the clips I've seen have wetted my appetite.

Young Offender
You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk
What Have I Done to Deserve This?
Love Comes Quickly
So Hard
West End Girls
Nothing Has Been Proved (Dusty Springfield)
I'm Not Scared (Eighth Wonder)
Suburbia
The Crying Game (Boy George)
Always On My Mind
One In A Million
Se A Vida E
Try It (I'm In Love With A Married Man)
It's A Sin
Love Etc
This Must Be The Place I Waited Years to Leave
We All Feel Better In The Dark
Love is Everywhere (Cicero)
Your Funny Uncle

Yep, saw it in the cinema. It is rum and pretentious and indulgent, and fun.

I was tempted to vote "Casanova in Hell" for the Rufus Wainwright version, but I don't guess that would have gathered much steam.

Rufus version >>> Tennant version IMO. Concrete is pretty fantastic overall.

I wonder why wasn't King's Cross a single? Or anything else on Actually. After a no. 1 it's pretty much a no brainer to release another single from the album.

It had already been a backwards step to release another [fourth!] single off the album after a stand-alone single; presumably Heart was delayed due to the unplannedness of the Always single after the TV cover version. Since Introspective was probably close to finished around then, they could have been wearing on peoples’ familiarity by releasing a FIFTH old song as a single when they had two magnificent new ones to get out before the end of the year, PLUS a feature film spun off from the old album to get into cinemas as well!

The remixed live version on the last tour was astounding.

All the live arrangements from the Pandaemonium/Glasto sets were done with or by Jacques Lu Cont iirc?

"In My House" isn't really a song, is it? I would've just counted it as a remix. It doesn't make a big difference anyway.

It’s as much of a song as Music For Boys, or We All Feel Better In The Dark, and more of one than anything on Relentless

Wow. Totally thought "The Night I Fell in Love" or "Dreaming of the Queen" would place high. What are y'all's stance on those?

I wish The Night I Fell In Love was any good, but it’s clunky and hamfisted in so very many ways. Dreaming Of The Queen worked great pacing-wise on the Cubism tour (at full shows) as a gather your breath / go to the bar song, and also became the first time I’d ever paid any attention to it at all.

Idly thinking of a best-covers-of-the-PSB poll – do people have any favourites others of us might not be familiar with? (or particular favourites from Results or the WEG catalogue)
eg

Carter USM – Rent
Merril Bainbridge – Being Boring
Robbie Williams – I Wouldn’t Normally Do This Kind Of Thing
Splendid – You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You’re Drunk
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Axym3dOvCY4 )

For info, I've left the spreadsheet public but have anonymised the names.

My ballot:

Being Boring
Always On My Mind
Left To My Own Devices
What Have I Done To Deserve This?
Go West
Home And Dry
Se A Vida E (That's The Way Life Is)
* Too Many People
So Hard
Rent
Can You Forgive Her?
Losing My Mind (Liza Minnelli)
A Red Letter Day
I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind Of Thing
Heart
Love Etc
Where The Streets Have No Name
* Love Is Everywhere (Cicero)
* In Private (Dusty Springfield)
The Truck Driver And His Mate

* = didn't place in the 50

Billy: I voted for "Nothing Has Been Proved" too. Almost voted for it twice--I love the Strings of Love version even more than Dusty's, but I wasn't sure if Tenant/Lowe had anything to do with it beyond writing the song, so I skipped it. I was surprised it didn't make the Top 50 too.