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