Nope. I got curious after I posted those pics, so started researching. Missing three things. There were *third* 12 inches of both 'It's Alright' and 'So Hard'. Never heard or saw either one, and I was actively looking for them. Anyone ever see them? There was also a US 3x12 club set for 'Introspective', sharing 4 of the album tracks, combined with 5 mixes that sound unfamiliar: 1. Left To My Own Devices - Shep Pettibone Mix 2. Left To My Own Devices - Device Mix 3. Domino Dancing - Base Mix 4. Always On My Mind - Shep's Holiday Mix 5. Always On My Mind - Shep's House I have a vague memory of seeing this at the time but thinking it was just the album split across three records, so am kicking myself now.
I have them both. One of the "It's Alright" 12"s is actually a 10" though. As for "So Hard", the Morales mixes (best of the bunch) were only commercially released in Germany and/or the Netherlands (not sure which). The US version was promo-only. It was also promo-only. And aside from the Base remix of Domino Dancing (which is on the second UK 12" of Domino Dancing), those mixes have never appeared anywhere else.
I wish we could have had singles boxes like DM and Erasure had. It doesn't need to be this difficult.
The challenge doesn't add to the thrill? Heck, even the mental giants at EMI managed to slip up and cough up two fairly nice boxes of singles for Duran..........maybe swapping record companies so many times threw a couple of twists in there?
Doesn't seem like a valid reason to me. It was only in the US where PSB bounced across a bunch of labels. Everywhere else, they were on Parlophone/EMI up until Electric.
Agreed. As someone who only got into them in 1990, tracking down some of the remixes and b-sides was nearly hopeless until online shopping came along. Now it's hopeless again because they have things like the RSD releases which don't come out in my country, and automatically go for... well, more than they're worth. And let's not even get started on the Yes box set.
Morrissey had a singles box in the mid 90s too. What was nice about the Duran and Depeche sets is that they rounded up songs that were originally in various formats (12", cd singles, promos, etc.).
Run away, run away! Collecting PSBs is a terrible disease! Below are the various UK releases for It's Alright, except for the 3" CD single which is German. To be honest, you've got the best two releases of It's Alright. I thought the DJ International mixes were kind of bland in comparison although they are more true to the original song they covered. The So Hard Morales mixes were released commercially in Germany on 12" single and CD. They're good but I still think the original 12" mix is the best of all. I like the Morales mixes better than the KLF one though. The Eclipse mix ended up on CD2 of Jealousy. You can get a feel for the mixes if you have that one. The exclusive mixes on the Introspective promo 3 pack are nice but not essential in my opinion. It seemed like Shep kind of stumbled with those mixes which may be why they weren't released commercially. They're interesting but try to give them a listen before spending any big bucks on them.
The collecting bug is a strange phenom most of us humans seem to have to some degree. I don't collect PSB, and yet with my lone 12" single I found, here I am searching online for the other Behavior-era vinyl singles to go with it. What is wrong with me?
It can still be a legal hodge podge. I can't think of another reason why a band with so much great singles material hasn't cobbled together something by now, unless they just don't like @jeffmo789 which is understandable. "I don't like jeffmo789" Neil Tennant 2013
Yes 2009 Produced by Brian Higgins, Xenomania This one "kind of" continued that upward trajectory although I know a few people who were left thinking "what happened?" I think a lot of those were maybe thinking that the band was going back to a stripped down "Release" sound with some of the work of Johnny Marr and Xenomania but I never quite understood that sentiment. There are some guitars in here for sure but that isn't a bad thing all the time and they don't seem quite as prominent in the mixes here. Being a fan of Trevor Horn I'm always sad to see the band move to a different producer but this one didn't turn out that bad. It's different but after spending some time with it I think it's a good kind of different. I don't know how to describe how it's different and maybe that's not so bad either. It's well deserving of its Grammy nomination as it is just a fun album to listen to save for the ridiculous compression. Not sure why an electronic album needs this kind of compression, maybe I'll find out when I cross over. Go get this one, if you can get over the lack of DR then you'll be money. 1. "Love etc." 2. "All Over the World" 3. "Beautiful People" 4. "Did You See Me Coming?" 5. "Vulnerable" 4:47 6. "More Than a Dream" 7. "Building a Wall" 8. "King of Rome" 9. "Pandemonium" 10. "The Way It Used to Be" 11. "Legacy"
I saw the top left limited one at the time, but had already bought the non-limited one and figured: same tracklisting. That was where I drew the line. Double-checked the 'hotel' cover vinyl of DD. You're right, it is the *base* mix. You know the funny part of all this? I didn't *even* like 'It's Alright' on 'Introspective' and didn't understand why they put it out as a single. This is where, mentally, I close out my Imperial Phase with PSB. The next two albums had their highs, but weren't as consistent for me, but this was just the first song of theirs I just didn't like very much, foreshadowing the two 'Bilingual' tracks. I guess I don't like them being sincere. I preferred the weird, mysterious, spikey vibes of songs like 'Don Juan' and 'That's My Impression'. Is anyone really a fan of 'To Face The Truth'? I always wish 'Miserablism' had been on there instead.
I think Yes is their best record since Very, and having listened to it frequently over the past couple of months I'd go beyond that to say it's probably Very's equal. For some reason I held off on picking this one up for years, finally snagging it - probably from Amoeba, maybe from Barnes & Noble - during a Thanksgiving 2013 visit to Los Angeles. I scored a slew of discs that trip and this one didn't end up getting much play until late last year, when this thread began and I went thru and updated my Pet Shop Boys playlists in MediaMonkey and on Amazon. I'm super busy this week so don't know if I'll have time to write a big review, but in short - killer melodies, perfect production (including a few daring tracks like "All Over The World" that take big risks and succeed brilliantly), great beats, and on top of it all really solid lyrics. Apart from the crushed dynamic range no complaints, and even that isn't as annoying in dance music as it is in other genres, since so much of the energy is in the deep bass.
Really solid album with a lot of strong melodies, and an album that actually sold outside of the fan base a bit. Includes the absolutely stunning "The Way It Used To Be", which has to be the best song any band 25 years into their career has created. Surprised that "Pandemonium", with the sing-a-long melody and pseudo Doctor Who theme intro didn't get a single release, but perhaps it was a bit too obvious. At least the tour was named after it, with the Glastonbury 2010 set a real triunph. My sleeper song is probably the optimism ode "More Than A Dream". .
Yes, I have to say that I quite like Yes. This one came out right around the time I moved my family from NYC to LA and was probably the first "new" album I picked up during that time period. I thought "Love, Etc." was a weak choice for first single, but they really upped their game with "Did You See Me Coming?," a song I listened to repeatedly for months around that time. The lyrics are a bit pedestrian, though - particularly the part where Neil sings "But now I think I'm starting to believe in fate, because it delivered youuuuuuuuuuuuuu." Maybe it was the Xenomania influence...
I was actually quite underwhelmed by Yes when I first picked it up in 2009. Being such a huge fan of Fundamental, I think my expectations may have been a little too high. I remember listening to it a few times over a week or so and then losing interest in it pretty quickly. However, I gave it another shot about a year later and found myself really enjoying it. For some reason, it just did not work for me at the time of its release. I like it very much, although for me, Fundamental is still the superior album, IMO this one is still up there with Very.
Thanks got the good laugh to start my morning! Totally agree. That song still blows me away whenever I hear it. Yes is my favorite album of theirs since Behavior and I still spin it regularly.
I like this idea in theory, but it could be a tough sell. Some of these songs have so many mixes that they could take up 2, maybe 3 CDs. So half of the fan base would be angry if PSB didn't include absolutely everything. The other half would not buy it because no matter how great "West End Girls" is, no one wants to buy 873 versions of it in one box. I'd personally vote for a box with one CD devoted to each song with the best mixes on each CD, but again, this would drive the completists bonkers.
But do casual fans buy these sort of collections? I think those fans are happy with Discography and don't even realize all the music PSB has produced since then. I hear you on the completist issue. A compromise would be your idea for the physical cd, and then release EVERYTHING else on iTunes. Why can't we at least have a digital version of these remixes if we wanted to buy them? Truthfully I wouldn't want 873 versions of WEG either, but I'd at least like to sample them and have the opportunity to buy those that I did want. But Havoc has a point about the licensing. Recall how hard it was for us to get PopArt and Format here in the US. No way could the US iTunes store get the rights to all these.
Count me among those who felt Yes was a big step down from Fundamental. However, I'm also among those whose early disappointment with the album has ebbed over the years, and I appreciate it more now than when it was released: The album tracks on this are way more interesting than the singles. "Love Etc." and "Beautiful People" do nothing for me. "Did You See Me Coming" is incredibly catchy and full of Johnny Marr, but as Surly said, the lyrics are pedestrian. Actually I'd categorize them as cringe-inducing. In contrast, "More Than a Dream," "Building a Wall," King of Rome," "The Way It Used to Be" and "Legacy" are all top-shelf PSB tunes. I especially love Chris's little poetry recital in "Building a Wall"... probably my favorite moment on the album. In addition to the brickwalling, I'm not a fan of the overall production of this album. This might be the one PSB album where it feels like the producers are running the entire show rather than Neil and Chris. In terms of overall sound, this strikes me more as a Higgins/Xenomania project than a PSB one, if that makes sense. The deluxe edition disc is pretty awesome, though. I like the thematic link of creating "dub" versions of all the songs. Many of these are pretty cool. My favorite is "More Than a Dream (Magical Dub.)" That said, the duet between Neil and Phil Oakey is underwhelming. I love the vintage analogue synth sounds, but the song itself is kind of throwaway. I expected more from it, but my expectations were probably too high to begin with. The deluxe edition packaging is THE. WORST. It is almost impossible to remove the CDs and booklet from the card sleeves without doing damage. I almost feel like my copy has a production error. The cardboard is SO TIGHT around the discs and booklet. It's a serious chore getting the booklet out, and once you finally do get it out, it's a very boring booklet anyway. Fundamental's was so much better.
I quite enjoyed Yes, particularly "Love Etc." (excellent video, too!). A solid collection of upbeat songs. The bonus disc with the deluxe edition is well worth it. Once again, my favourite track is only on the deluxe version, that being the excellent "This Used To Be The Future" (The Human League was originally called The Future: how meta is that?). The dubs on disc 2 aren't just quick-and-easy instrumentals but really explore the songs in a different way, with the dub version of "More Than A Dream" being particularly well done. Some good b-sides from this era too. "Gin and Jag" is an interesting exploration of the mindset of a wealthy sociopath, "We're All Criminals Now" is a political piece which wouldn't be out of place on Fundamental, and "After the Event" is another good one. This album also started the trend of the ultra-ultra-deluxe edition: an 11 x 12" version of the album, in which the packaging is objet d'art. Each disc contains one song from the album, coupled with an instrumental version, and was limited to 300 copies. It sold out before it was even officially announced.
That does make sense, although I'm totally unfamiliar with anything else Xenomania has done before. I do recall reading a thread on another forum by someone who said almost exactly the same thing Morgan. Having said that, I disagree with you and feel this is their strongest set of songs since '90. I think "More Than A Dream", "Vulnerable" and "All Over The World" could have been singles. The bonus disc is also one of their stronger ones, and I love the album artwork too. Yes, I do like Yes!
I think part of the issue is that Xenomania not only produced, they also CO-WROTE almost every track with PSB. As a result, for me, a lot of the songs seem to be missing a certain spark. But as I said before, there are some great songs here, and in my opinion the album tracks are the better than the singles. This album has definitely grown on me. "All Over the World" was remixed and released as a promo single, as well as appearing on the Christmas EP. I'm not sure what they were hoping for there. It's almost like they viewed "It Doesn't Always Snow at Christmas" and "All Over the World" as a double a-side.
