The Pet Shop Boys' first twenty singles...

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I always find it miraculous, though I'm sure it took alot of hard work, that PSB always managed to sidestep becoming a "serious" act in a dance or a pop sense, and yet continued to make such amazing and often serious music.

It's like the vast majority of people just fall for the joke and then one day you actually listen to them and it's quite a shock how good they are, and yet people still think "but they're shit!" etc.

― Ronan (Ronan), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 21:07 (twenty-one years ago)

I honestly don't think I've heard anyone say something like that about them in years -- at least around here. Then again in America they simply aren't common currency, their moment was and remains what they themselves called their late eighties 'imperial' phase.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 21:08 (twenty-one years ago)

The chorus on New Order's - "Guilt is a Useless Emotion" is very Very-era PSB.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 21:10 (twenty-one years ago)

I love their remix of "True Faith" too, has that etc kick for playing out when I DJ.

― Ronan (Ronan), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 21:13 (twenty-one years ago)

"Love Comes Quickly" and "Rent" are both astonishingly fantastic pieces of music and encapsulate something like 85% of what I love about popular music.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 21:14 (twenty-one years ago)

"Rent" is one of my all time favourite singles, it's perfect in every way.

― Speedhump Bungle (noodle vague), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 21:15 (twenty-one years ago)

It slots in so well on the original album as well -- it's a great fourth song, if you get my drift.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 21:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Actually is their most underrated album.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 21:20 (twenty-one years ago)

I mean, it starts with "One More Chance" and ends with "King's Cross"! BEST ALBUM EVER!

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 21:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Is it underrated?

I must say when I read the Kompakt/PSB influence stuff I always think of "Violence", another one I think is really fantastic.

x-post "Kings Cross" is easily in my top 10 PSB.

― Ronan (Ronan), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 21:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I was thinking of the song earlier today because I was plotting things for my July trip and saw listings for Kings Cross station. So inevitably the song came to mind...

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 21:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Of all the things the world needs, a modern day PSB is really not one of them.

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 21:27 (twenty-one years ago)

You are surely mistaken.

― Leon the Fatboy (Ex Leon), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 21:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, I don't think anyone would want some soundalike PSBs, and so you have to ask what elements you would loosely want translated to this modern day version. And it all gets a bit meaningless to me at that point. So yeah, err... basically I agree with Dr. Bill and disagree with Ned that the question was good.

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 21:36 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah, I don't know of anyone who underrates Actually, Dan. it's pretty much a consensus pick as one of their (and the era's) best albums.

― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 21:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, it has "It's a Sin" which is sometimes my favorite PSB song.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 21:39 (twenty-one years ago)

i wish there was the equivalent of the 80s Pet Shop Boys in the Top Ten today...is there?

Super Furry Animals? (except they've never made the top Ten, so let's say top 40 instead)

common traits:

-- defintely left of centre for their time
-- consistently in the top ten/forty
-- eclectic styles, excelling in all of them
-- not much in common lyrically, but both cover a lot of "serious" topics even though their reputation as far as the casual fan is concerned is that of a band making cheery pop tunes.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 21:39 (twenty-one years ago)

"“Domino Dancing” – well except for this which is another mis-step but hey points for trying"

no way, it rulzzzzz!!!

― scott seward (scott seward), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 21:41 (twenty-one years ago)

I guess we have no way of knowing exactly how high Dan rates it, so his post can't really be gainsaid.

x-post:

Bruner, you have lost your mind.

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 21:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Of all the things the world needs, a modern day PSB is really not one of them.

I would be a bit more understanding of this claim if you weren't the one also claiming how it's a sad thing that Blink-182 are breaking up. I fear we must be opposed on these varying points.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 21:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Anyway, some more context on this question from Stevem's original post on said question way up top:

i just feel they possessed something thats lacking in today's hit parade...maybe its just that 'adult pop' thing - who makes what you could class as 'adult pop' now? (this doesnt mean the PSBs music couldnt appeal to children - cos i loved it as a child but only for the music, didnt pay much attention to the lyrics, but i'd say lyrically and conceptually and even technically their music was more sophisticated than much of today's pop)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 21:47 (twenty-one years ago)

(Allow for the fact as well that the question is two and a half years old now.)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 21:47 (twenty-one years ago)

there are only so many genius geniuses born in a century!!!!! the next ones might not even be born yet.

― scott seward (scott seward), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 21:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Ah, no WONDER you're waiting so impatiently on the birth of your second child!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 21:49 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't think stevem is as rockist as that these days.

"Adult pop" in the top 40? I dunno - times have changed. Putting ironic and clever lyrics to top 40 pop-dance tunes would not be ironic or clever at this point. The lyrics/music adult/child thing is a red herring too. I loved 'West End Girls' when I was 13 because of the lyrics, even if I didn't understand what they meant (still don't, actually). But they were even better to learn off heart than 'The Chicken Song'.

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 21:53 (twenty-one years ago)

1. Supersonic
2. Shakermaker
3. Live Forever
4. Cigarettes & Alcohol
5. Whatever
6. Some Might Say
7. Roll With It
8. Wonderwall
9. Don't Look Back In Anger
10. Champagne Supernova (Australia/US single)
11. D'You Know What I Mean?
12. Stand By Me
13. All Around The World
14. Go Let It Out
15. Who Feels Love
16. Sunday Morning Call
17. The Hindu Times
18. Stop Crying Your Heart Out
19. Little By Little/She Is Love
20. Songbird

not claiming that this as good a list as a lot of what's been posted, but if you ignore the declining quality of overall albums - its a really solid singles list.

― jonviachicago, Wednesday, 23 February 2005 22:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Let's not get back into the list meme, plz. More on the PSBs! ;-)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 22:27 (twenty-one years ago)

well Ned, this has inspired me to check out more of the PSBs - so i'll have to get back to you on that.

― jonviachicago, Wednesday, 23 February 2005 22:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Rah!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 22:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Too funny: I wrote a piece on the awesome "Young Offender" for today's Stylus: http://stylusmagazine.com/feature.php?ID=1491

(* cough. There's my bit of self-promotion).

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 22:41 (twenty-one years ago)

I've always defended "Please," which has a couple of other album tracks as least as good as the singles ("Why Don't We Live Together" and especially "Two Divided By Zero").

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 22:45 (twenty-one years ago)

ALFRED OTM I LOVE THOSE SONGS TO ITTY BITTY PIECES

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 22:54 (twenty-one years ago)

"I may not always love you/you may not care..."

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 22:56 (twenty-one years ago)

But intuition tells me, baby
There's something we could share
If we dare
Why don't we...?

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 22:57 (twenty-one years ago)

(Actually is underrated because it doesn't beat out albums like London Calling and Pet Sounds in canon polls.)

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 23:01 (twenty-one years ago)

(Yes, I am crazy.)

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 23:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Please is my favourite PSB album. Well, when it isn't Very, anyway.

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 23:03 (twenty-one years ago)

I thught that was going to be an "Actually, Please is a Very Flamboyant Release" kind of sentence.

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 23:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Such relentless introspective alternative behavior.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 23:07 (twenty-one years ago)

do I have to?

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 23:09 (twenty-one years ago)

I prefer Actually to Pet Sounds, actually, very much.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 23:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Of course the Pet Shop Boys nearly made the top 10 twice last year...

and Erasure have THIS year, with a single as weak as the charts sales benchmark itself

rockist til i die

― Sven Bastard (blueski), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 23:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Please - their Release 'Nightlife' was Very Introspective, Actually, but Disco (too).

Oh, I give up!

― davidsim (davidsim), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 23:48 (twenty-one years ago)

No mention of "How Can You Expect To Be Taken Seriously?". Boo. I love Neil's inept guitar solo and the Bobby Brown backbeat

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 23:59 (twenty-one years ago)

i wish there was the equivalent of the 80s Pet Shop Boys in the Top Ten today...is there?

Outkast

― Mr. Snrub, Thursday, 24 February 2005 00:05 (twenty-one years ago)

I would be a bit more understanding of this claim if you weren't the one also claiming how it's a sad thing that Blink-182 are breaking up. I fear we must be opposed on these varying points.

Eh. If I was around in the late 70s, I'd be more upset if The Buzzcocks broke up than I would be if ABBA did. I understand that a lot of reasonable people on this board would disagree, though.

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Thursday, 24 February 2005 00:12 (twenty-one years ago)

You're assuming ABBA is a group composed of flesh-and-blood carbon-based lifeforms. Those humanoids were intermittently spectacular tunes though.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 24 February 2005 00:19 (twenty-one years ago)

It's Buzzcocks, not The Buzzcocks, tsk.

― Late 70s Alba (Alba), Thursday, 24 February 2005 00:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Huh. I wonder why I never noticed that before.

It doesn't seem like anyone makes much of a note of that anymore, in any event.

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Thursday, 24 February 2005 00:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Re intelligent chart-pop: correct me if I'm wrong but weren't Pet Shop Boys coming from out of period (the eighties) when it was expected that UK pop stars/acts would mostly or often write their own lyrics (and I mean "pop" in the narrowest sense). These days when we think of that sort of pop it's usually in that SAK-Max Martin lineage of pre-fab pop. I wonder if Xenomania and Richard X are the closest we therefore come. If Neil Tennant had become a pop svengali at the beginning of the nineties I could imagine him coming up with singles like "The Show" and "Some Girls".

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 24 February 2005 00:27 (twenty-one years ago)

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