One record at a time: 368. Pet Shop Boys - Yes

I love "Yes" for a number of reasons. Firstly its release coincided with one of the happiest times in my life and hearing it brings back lots of great memories. The fact that this album was an unashamed celebration of pop and a return to form for the boys also adds to its appeal.

When the album was released in March 2009 a special box set containing eleven 12" singles was announced. There were to be only 300 copies with a promised delivery date of April 25th. I ordered it immediately.

When the delivery date came and went without a word I wrote a frustrated post on this blog and pondered when it might actually show up. As it turned out I didn't have to wait too long as my post was made on 25th of May and the box set was finally dispatched on 27th. You can read my verdict on it here. I also own two copies of the standard vinyl (which I seem to think was initially limited to 1000 copies) and the more recent remastered version from 2017.

The album begins with the lead single "Love etc." which was co-written by Pet Shop Boys with production team Xenomania. They chose Brian Higgins and Xenomania as they admired their work with Girls Aloud - which is as clear an indication of their intent to make a pop album as you can possibly get.

The first time I heard "Did You See Me Coming?" I was very impressed by it and the bassline in particular caught my attention. In fact, rich basslines are a consistent feature of this album with songs like "The Way It Used To Be" and "All Over The World" being especially impressive. Other favourites of mine are "Pandemonium" and "More Than A Dream" which are great pop songs with lush production. There are no duff tracks on this record but I have never been a big fan of "Building a Wall" or closing number "Legacy" and it is no coincidence that these are the least upbeat and positive songs on the album.

There's no doubt this album was a triumphant return and in my mind it was the final piece of the puzzle that qualified them for national treasure status and a Brit award for outstanding contribution to music. 4/5

One record at a time: 367. Pet Shop Boys - Disco 4

The fourth entry in the Pet Shop Boys "Disco" series was released in 2007 and is a remix album with a twist. Rather than remixes of Pet Shop Boys songs, this is chiefly an album of mixes Neil and Chris made for other artists.

I own a copy of the machine numbered, limited edition double LP along with a white label four track sampler. Rather strangely (or rather typically for Pet Shop Boys) the sampler has a remix that isn't on the main album and is not by the Pet Shop Boys. Quite why it is on there is anybody's guess.

The first track is the "Stars are blazing" remix of "Read My Mind" by The Killers and I'm not mad about either the song or the Pet Shop Boys embellishments. Then we rewind over ten years to Neil and Chris's remix of "Hallo Spaceboy" by David Bowie. The version presented here is the extended version that wasn't released commercially in the UK so it is nice to hear it being resurrected.

The first Pet Shop Boys song we come across is a radical reworking of the album track "Integral" which was also issued as a promotional single. Whilst this version isn't without charm, it strips away the melodies of the original and ultimately boils everything down to a monotonous club groove with some vocoder vocals.

There's a nice "Electro" remix of "Walking on thin ice" by Yoko Ono but its six minute plus run time sees it out stay its welcome. Having stolen the chord progression from "West End Girls" on "Jump" Madonna decided to make amends by offering the boys the opportunity to remix the single "Sorry". The PSB mix is typical of the electroclash style the boys adopted during this period but it doesn't excite me at all.

"Hooked on radiation" by Atomozer was also part of the electroclash club scene of the early millennium and the "Orange Alert Mix" by Neil and Chris was originally released on their own Olde English imprint in 2003. The most surprising partnership the boys ever forged was with Rammstein for their remix of "Mein Teil". As you might expect the Pet Shop Boys mix is a good deal faster than the original and adds more melodic elements that make it dance floor friendly. The album rounds out with the excellent "Maxi-mix" of single "I'm With Stupid" - which is probably the best thing on here. 2/5

One record at a time: 366. Pet Shop Boys - Fundamental/Fundamentalism (Part 1 and Part 2)

There were two remix singles released alongside "Fundamental" and I wasn't sure if they should be included here or not. However, as a compact disc of the "Fundamentalism" remixes was made available in a double pack with the main album, I have decided to cover them.

Originally this album was intended to be minimalist in approach and include electro influences. What we ended up with was a Trevor Horn production replete with orchestral arrangements, guitars and acoustic drums. Initially I was impressed, but as time has gone by my regard for it has slumped. 

The highlights are the opening track "Psychological" alongside the singles "I'm With Stupid" and "Minimal". I also like the final track "Integral" and the melody on "The Sodom And Gomorrah Show" is really infectious. The remaining seven tracks however aren't really to my taste.

"Twentieth Century", "Indefinite Leave To Remain" and "Luna Park" are especially disappointing as they meander along with weak melodies and dull production. I reserve particular scorn for the Dianne Warren composition "Numb" as it is an insipid, second-rate song that probably cost the boys a fortune to obtain. Having spent so much money I assume they felt duty bound to release it as a single but artistically it doesn't warrant attention. 

It's quite ironic that the best song recorded in this whole period is consigned to the companion piece "Fundamentalism" and not included on the main album. "Fugitive" was created with the genius producer Richard X and it outshines everything else on these records by a long way. The Trentemøller remix of "The Sodom And Gomorrah Show" is deserving of attention and the Lobe mix of "Minimal" is passable.

Also included on "Fundamentalism" is a toe curling rendition of the Dusty Springfield song "In Private" which features Elton John on vocals. The only thing worse than the version included here are the Tomcraft remixes that were released on a promotional 12" single. I can only assume these mixes were made available to DJs for the express purpose of clearing the dance floor; or possibly the entire club. There's nothing worse in the Pet Shop Boys back catalogue. 

In my collection are the original vinyl of "Fundamental" from 2006 alongside the recent remastered version. I have the commercial 12" singles of "Fundamentalism Part 1" and "Fundamentalism Part 2" alongside their promotional counterparts. For some reason I own two copies of the promo for part 1, but I have no recollection of how or why this came to be. 2/5

One record at a time: 365. Pet Shop Boys - PopArt (The Hits)

"PopArt" was released in 2003 as a triple LP set. There was also a 'sampler' promotional LP made available that featured four songs from the main album and two remixes from the "Mix" disc that was included with the limited edition CD. When I bought these records I assumed the promos would end up being collectible, but it is actually the commercial release that is much more desirable today.

This compilation came twelve years after their first singles collection "Discography", but rather than continue with the winning formula the boys decided to adopt a more scattergun approach this time around.  

For this record all their singles were classified as either "Pop" or "Art" and allocated to a disc with a corresponding title. Personally I think this was a mistake as when a casual music fan turned over the CD they would be presented with a jumble of song titles, half of which they didn't recognise. Let's face it, all the average punter wanted of an updated PSB compilation was "Discography" with "Go West" tacked on the end.

There are other issues with this album that seem to be a result of both genuine mistakes and strange choices. Much like "Discography", the single version of "How Can You Expect To Be Taken Seriously?" isn't included and its legitimacy as a single continues to be eroded. For some reason the version of "Suburbia" is an edit created for the video rather than the single mix, but as it is credited correctly I assume this was done knowingly. Mistakes include the use of the album remix of "Heart" instead of the single version and a previously unreleased version of "I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind Of Thing" appears out of nowhere. 

There are also two new songs to help drive sales in the form of "Miracles" and "Flamboyant". The former is an excellent track that is an overlooked gem in the PSB back catalogue. I'm less enamoured with "Flamboyant" and it might be nitpicking, but the version released as a single was different from the one included here.

Possibly as a result of these issues "PopArt" wasn't a hit with the record buying public and it entered the UK album charts at a lowly number 30. This commercial disappointment led "a legendary musician" (read Elton John) to comment to the boys that "it was over". There is no doubt this album found the Pet Shop Boys at a crossroads in their career, but Neil and Chris have since mastered the tricky transition from ageing outrage to national treasures and "PopArt" has been superseded more than once. 4/5

One record at a time: 364. Pet Shop Boys - Lively Tracks

My memory often plays tricks on me and this record is a case in point. For this post I was about to gleefully type about how this LP was released in France as a companion to the compilation album "PopArt". However, "Lively Tracks" is actually pressed on two twelve inch singles and was released to accompany the reissues of the first six PSB studio albums in 2001. I am not really clear if this was a commercial release or a promotional item, but the choice of format and content suggests it was aimed at DJs either way.

There's some interesting material on this album with the original 1992 extended version of "Go West" offering a very different take on the hit single. This mix was created prior to the involvement of Brothers in Rhythm and features the guitar of J.J. Bell more prominently, along with a synth riff that was excised from the released version. The last three minutes of this track sound like something Altern8 might have come up with and is much closer to the sound of contemporary dance music than anything on "Relentless". The second side of the first disc has some less inspired choices from the A&R man at EMI France with the original 12" versions of "West End Girls" and "Always On My Mind" being impressive but nothing new. 

On the second disc we have the "Extended" version of "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)" which rattles along nicely enough but I can't really see it getting much play in mainstream clubs in France. The final side finishes with the single mixes of "It's Alright" and "Paninaro '95". The choice of "Paninaro" is quite puzzling as it wasn't a big hit and I am not sure it is especially lively either. However, for a seemingly random collection of tracks culled from the "Further Listening" discs of the album reissues this is a pretty entertaining package. 3/5

One record at a time: 363. Pet Shop Boys - Disco 3

The first two entries in the "Disco" series were relatively straightforward remix albums, but the third is a little more complicated. 

Initially Neil and Chris considered calling this album "London/Berlin" as it was influenced by the music and club scene in both cities, but a last minute change of heart saw it dubbed "Disco 3". Yet this isn't a remix album in the strictest sense as half of the tracks are new recordings.

When compared to the CD, the commercial vinyl has two extra tracks as it features two additional dub mixes. The running order is also different on vinyl with no less than three different mixes of "London" pushed front and centre. As the promotional double LP (on the right of the picture) doesn't feature any new material, you could argue that this is a true remix album and is a much better fit for the "Disco" series.

Released in 2002, this album is something of a reaction to their previous effort "Release" which was a rather dour affair that didn't appeal to many. For me "Disco 3" felt like it was drawing a line under the guitar related nonsense and was returning them to their synth-pop roots.

Opening track "Time on my hands" was initially recorded for the album "Release" but it was set aside as it didn't fit with the soft rock theme. You'd never say this was amongst their best as there are too many echoes of "Electricity" from "Bilingual" and what melody there is, is not exactly anthemic. Yet it is better than almost everything on "Release".

"Positive Role Model" is a song from their rather disappointing musical "Closer To Heaven", and there is a cover version of "Try It (I'm In Love With A Married Man)" originally recorded by a Bobby Orlando vehicle called Oh Romeo. "If Looks Could Kill" was first heard on their first (and only) Peel session, but the version here is a little more frenetic and beat driven. The highlight of the package is the stunning "Somebody Else's Business" which is a track I adore and I can't understand why it is ignored by so many.

Of the remixes, the Blank & Jones trance version of "Home and Dry" is the pick, with the boys own revision of "Here" adding some sparkle to an otherwise mundane album cut. The Felix da Housecat remix of "London" is unedited and runs for just under three minutes longer than on CD. Whilst this is a mixed bag, it did feel like the boys were back on course after a brief trip off piste. 3/5

Pet Shop Synthesis

2021 Revision 

Pet Shop Synthesis is by far my most popular blog post and still seems to be providing people with enjoyment 13 years after I wrote it. However, a lot has changed since 2008, and whilst the majority of the text remains valid, there are a few inaccuracies and quirks of formatting that left the article looking a bit tired. Thus, I have revised the text and tried to bring it a bit more up to date. It's still not perfect, but I will endeavour to iterate and tweak it to keep improving.

Unfortunately I have had to turn off comments for this and all my other posts as this article seems to attract spam on a daily basis otherwise.

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