I don't think it's crap, and when it's good it's breathtaking. But it's no Behaviour or Actually, either.
I feel like I'm going against the flow somewhat, I've never really liked 'Very', but find Bilingual much more interesting. I've struggled to find much to enjoy since 'Yes'. Listening to the reissued LP of 'Nightlife', I think that it is their weakest LP from the Parlophone years. 'Elysium', 'Electric' and 'Super' all do nothing for me, and I do keep trying with them.
After 'Very' (1993) I lost my love for the PSB a little bit. Then came "Fundamental" (2006) and "Yes" (2009) and I rediscovered them again. Now along with all these reissues I've also found "Christmas' and ""Super"...
I think VERY is their last wholly satisfying lp for me and I love THE SURVIVORS from "Bilingual" but I thought "Nightlife" their worst when it should have been their dance masterpiece. I really liked "Fundamental" but most of the 2000-2017 PSB has lacked their strong melody innovation. Wow - but they're still around and playing so that's a testament to their durability!
I think "The Survivors" is a beautiful song with an absolute gorgeous melody. Maybe try and play it a few times as the melody might need repeated spins to fully sync in. However I really like Bilingual with one exception "Electricity" which really doesn't belong on the album in my opinion.
I think that'Give it A Go' 'Breathing Space' and 'Requiem' from Elysium are all amazing songs with gorgeous melodies. Try and play those 3 a few times and see if the songs get better.
I love Very, but it hasn't dated that well IMO. Of course the songs are still great and I'd love a remake in Fundamental-style
Opps I meant to say................No love for Yes ? Its a pop masterpiece Its the reissue that I am looking forward to, besides Elysium
I've got love for Yes but not for Elysium. I prefer the instrumental versions of Elysium but not by much. Listening to Fundamental right now.
Snap so am I. !!!!!!! With all that is happening now, its even more relevant today. The Elysium instrumental cd is nice for a lazy day
Watched the documentary "A Life in Pop" again. Great band, great catalogue - waiting for the next batch of reissues...
After reading their book "Catalogue" I realised again how many remixes are still not released in digital form.
After reading their book "Catalogue" I realised again how many remixes ar still not released in digital form.
Sheer amount of commissioned mixes on both sides with rights issues are going to keep a majority of these wax only I'm willing to bet. There are some gems, but most are god-awful
I have to be honest and say that somewhere in the mid '90's, I started to lose interest in the direction of where Neil & Chris were going musically. More often than not, their albums for me, started sounding too similar and not very interesting. This morning, I revisited the "Nightlife" album, which I completely shelved after my first spin of it, back when it was new. This morning, the song, "Happiness Is An Option" really got to me and I can't believe that I have overlooked this great tune for so long. With that said, I should be truthful and admit that I rarely, if ever, like a singer "rapping" lyrics to a song, but leave it to Neil and Chris, to find that perfect balance of rapping, a catchy female chorus and a touch of classical music, along with what we all love about Pet Shop Boys and come up with this album sleeper!
Neil figuring if Bernard can rap on Electronic albums..., why the hell not? Does a nice job on 'One Thing Leads To Another' from Relentless
Just dont mention these Liberation" (E Smoove Mix) Liberation" (E Smoove 7" Edit) Burn (Baba Stiltz Remix) etc, etc
Maybe some of them will show up in their Contains Everything boxset as a best of the mixes cd set, a bit like the Mix cd that came with the limited Pop Art set ?