Yes, Pet Shop Boys. (the first forum review) UPDATED

[DazzerUKUK]

I think there will be two singles....we already know about Love Etc and I suspect Did you see me coming might tickle the folks at Parlophone. In this day and age, I doubt there will be a third.

The low rating for 'All Around the World' is the use of the Tchaikovsky sample. I don't like it...it cheapens the songs, is an over used piece of classical music and Neil, knowing his love of classical music could used something a little less obvious.

DazzerUKUK

Two questions:

- Apart from "Love, etc." what are the obvious singles?

- Why the low rating for "All Around the World"? The PJ review made it sound like a highlight of "Yes" in addition to being an obvious single.

[DazzerUKUK]

Oh, I too saw the promo cover. Inside was the disc in a sealed plastic cover (you break the seal if you agree to the terms and conditions on the back and the CD has the name of the person it was sent to along with the issue number. On the reverse of the sleeve are the usual writing credit details.

I don't think its the final version of the cover. They can do much better than that!

D

[Rusty]

hmm only attitude with a good review

...and Popjustice!

Let's not all get too negative on the basis of a couple of so so forum fan reviews. You could just about take any PSB song, single, album and a Pet Shop Boys fan somewhere in the world would either loath or love it! As Neil has famously said, Pet Shop Boys and their fans have a lot of negative energy. So it's hardly surprising that the first fan reviews of a new album would be less then enthusiastic. Popjustice and Attitude seem to think differently, so let's all just wait and see shall we?

[DazzerUKUK]

Both JP and I have given the album 8 out of 11 tracks a score of five or more....that's not negative!!!

[BlueSwan]

Both JP and I have given the album 8 out of 11 tracks a score of five or more....that's not negative!!!

By fan-boy standards it is. Anything less than 8/10 for a track pretty much means that it's shit.

But what would really be telling is how you rate the album compared to other PSB albums. That would give readers an idea of whether or not they would even be inclined to agree with you or not. For instance, if someone who rates Please and Introspective as their best albums thinks that "Yes" is brilliant, I will probably end up agreeing with them. If someone rates Bilingual and Release, I'll probably disagree with them.

Anyway, I can already now tell that I'll probably like "Legacy", as I usually like the least popular songs on an album.

[BlueSwan]

Anyway, if the album has just one track as good as either Fugitive or Casanova In Hell on it, I'll be happy.

[JP1974]

I don't like Bilingual or Release very much, if that helps, but I would say that Vulnerable is a distant cousin of Casanova In Hell - it has a nice crisp and electronic ballad feel without the orchestral MOR feel of Luna Park or ILTR.

[Hmmm]

Track11. LEGACY

With talk of gathering "an army in the North, from York to the Firth Of Forth", could this be a reference to William Wallace.

[JP1974]

Track11. LEGACY

With talk of gathering "an army in the North, from York to the Firth Of Forth", could this be a reference to William Wallace.

Oh, you're right, I'd forgotten he captured York, south of the border. So we're talking 1297, I think?

And, no, I've still yet to see Braveheart.

[Blogo]

How does the album compare to previouse endaevours (Fundamental, released nightlife)?

err


IS IT BETTER THAN FUNDAMENTAL!?!

[drunk14]

IS IT BETTER THAN FUNDAMENTAL!?!

Exactly, i would like to know that as well...

And more thing: Do you think Legacy is one of their top 10 worst track ever ?

You also wrote that your review isn't negative, but on the other you can't say it's positive. In my music-scale everything below 7 is disappointed (if we're talking about PSB), or maybe you're such a strict man Show me your grades of Very.

BTW:
For me 7 means good and 6 is already average.

[skyhigh]

Forget the artwork, forget the review. Just get it on p2p asap!

[JSDOUVRES]

Sounds quite an unpredictable album actually which is a good thing. Let's hope they release some good remixes as well and hopefully a 2 cd edition or something like that.

[JP1974]

IS IT BETTER THAN FUNDAMENTAL!?!

Exactly, i would like to know that as well...

As I said on page 1:

* I'm quite fond of Fundie, so at this early stage it's hard for me to say the new album surpasses it, but I think in time it has the potential to do so...

It's too early to say for sure, but I do think Yes probably has the edge because of the slightly higher ratio of stompers.

And more thing: Do you think Legacy is one of their top 10 worst track ever ?....

For me 7 means good and 6 is already average.

I don't mind average really - anything is better than bad, and most people's half-decent albums are usually a couple of really great tracks, a few middling average and a couple of stinkers. Legacy certainly falls in the latter category.

It's almost trying to be This Must Be The Place I Waited Years To Leave for the middle ages, but with all the evocative pathos and beauty replaced by ponderous pretension and a hammy set of lyrics that would give Pinky & Perky a run for their bacon. At the moment, certainly, it's in my top 10 most hated PSB, which is a real shame as I quite like the ominous doomy opening (reminds me of that long into to A Red Letter Day they cut from Bilingual), and in the main it has the type of lower-register Neil vocal that I always prefer for the slower numbers, rich and breathy, kind of wintry - think Birthday Boy is Dreaming Of The Queen.

But, FWIW, this would be my Very marks outta ten:

1. CAN YOU FORGIVE HER - 9
2. I wouldn't normally do this kind of thing 8
3. LIBERATION - 6
4. ADPOV - 7.5
5. DREAMING OF THE QUEEN - 8.5
6. Yesterday, when I was mad - 7.5
7. THE THEATRE - 9
8. 1&1M5 - 7
9. TO SPEAK IS A SIN - 7
10. YOUNG OFFENDER - 8
11. ONE IN A MILLION - 8
12. GO WEST - 7

[Nickname]

LOVE ETC - 7.5
ALL OVER THE WORLD - 4
BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE - 6
DID YOU SEE ME COMING - 7
VULNERABLE - 5
MORE THAN A DREAM - 8
BUILDING A WALL - 3
KING OF ROME - 7
PANDEMONIUM - 8.5
THE WAY IT USED TO BE - 8
LEGACY - 2

Ratio: 6

1. CAN YOU FORGIVE HER - 9
2. I wouldn't normally do this kind of thing 8
3. LIBERATION - 6
4. ADPOV - 7.5
5. DREAMING OF THE QUEEN - 8.5
6. Yesterday, when I was mad - 7.5
7. THE THEATRE - 9
8. 1&1M5 - 7
9. TO SPEAK IS A SIN - 7
10. YOUNG OFFENDER - 8
11. ONE IN A MILLION - 8
12. GO WEST - 7

Ratio: 7.125