You Need More: A Pet Shop Boys Listening Guide

[jasonjohn]

Did a search and don't think it's been mentioned here before

https://korimichele.com/petshop-boys-zine

Very sweet!

[jasonjohn]

It's interesting how Kori singles out tracks often poo-poohed by the forum

[telys]

I can agree with almost all of it. And if not Kori at least has a concistence in her/ his taste. That's something I like even more.

[leesmapman]

Spotted one error: Axis is not from 2003

[Gabby]

Fascinating and interesting well reasoned picks.

A lot of love for Elysium there too which I can get with.

[domino]

Also added a nice touch with the hand-written/-drawn artwork of the zine, lovely list!

[Nicholas]

Love the look of it and the hand drawn artwork and the descriptions of their personal favourites are really interesting. I’m horrified by some of the selections but I also feel kind of envious of people who’ve come to the back catalogue very recently and can judge the drossiest stuff on Elysium alongside the imperial period material without being influenced by the wider cultural context surrounding each album. It’s a completely honest emotional response to the songs, which I love.

Particularly love the high regard for Miracles and You choose.

Reading the entry for TNIFIL reminded me of how heavily the reviews for Release focused on that [rubbish, embarrassing] song because of the subject being so controversial and high-profile at the time, despite Release having more to offer. And it worries me a little that Bullet for Narcissus could end up pulling focus from other tracks on Nonetheless just because it has a famous c*** at the centre of it in a year where that c*** is all over the news again and clawing its way back to power. Hopefully the attention will be more evenly spread… I just remember how one-note so much of the Release commentary was in 2002. Especially the shorter reviews.

[telys]

Love the look of it and the hand drawn artwork and the descriptions of their personal favourites are really interesting. I’m horrified by some of the selections but I also feel kind of envious of people who’ve come to the back catalogue very recently and can judge the drossiest stuff on Elysium alongside the imperial period material without being influenced by the wider cultural context surrounding each album. It’s a completely honest emotional response to the songs, which I love.

Particularly love the high regard for Miracles and You choose.

Reading the entry for TNIFIL reminded me of how heavily the reviews for Release focused on that [rubbish, embarrassing] song because of the subject being so controversial and high-profile at the time, despite Release having more to offer. And it worries me a little that Bullet for Narcissus could end up pulling focus from other tracks on Nonetheless just because it has a famous c*** at the centre of it in a year where that c*** is all over the news again and clawing its way back to power. Hopefully the attention will be more evenly spread… I just remember how one-note so much of the Release commentary was in 2002. Especially the shorter reviews.

TNIFIL is one of those b-side songs, like Wedding in Berlin, that they've had the habit of putting on albums despite being clear in the booklets for Alternative and Format that b-sides are, to them, those kind of songs where they can do whatever they want and nobody will care that much. Despite that they put songs which are, according to their own definition, b-side-ish on their albums.
Casanova in Hell on Fundamental while they had Fugitive
Ego Music and Your Early Stuff on Elysium
there are probably more examples... and I'm not saying these songs are bad but their style and lyrical content make them b-sideish in the PSB universe.

[Nicholas]

Love the look of it and the hand drawn artwork and the descriptions of their personal favourites are really interesting. I’m horrified by some of the selections but I also feel kind of envious of people who’ve come to the back catalogue very recently and can judge the drossiest stuff on Elysium alongside the imperial period material without being influenced by the wider cultural context surrounding each album. It’s a completely honest emotional response to the songs, which I love.

Particularly love the high regard for Miracles and You choose.

Reading the entry for TNIFIL reminded me of how heavily the reviews for Release focused on that [rubbish, embarrassing] song because of the subject being so controversial and high-profile at the time, despite Release having more to offer. And it worries me a little that Bullet for Narcissus could end up pulling focus from other tracks on Nonetheless just because it has a famous c*** at the centre of it in a year where that c*** is all over the news again and clawing its way back to power. Hopefully the attention will be more evenly spread… I just remember how one-note so much of the Release commentary was in 2002. Especially the shorter reviews.

TNIFIL is one of those b-side songs, like Wedding in Berlin, that they've had the habit of putting on albums despite being clear in the booklets for Alternative and Format that b-sides are, to them, those kind of songs where they can do whatever they want and nobody will care that much. Despite that they put songs which are, according to their own definition, b-side-ish on their albums.
Casanova in Hell on Fundamental while they had Fugitive
Ego Music and Your Early Stuff on Elysium
there are probably more examples... and I'm not saying these songs are bad but their style and lyrical content make them b-sideish in the PSB universe.

Yes! This is the rationale by which they cut ‘spiky, peculiar’ Miserablism from Behaviour, iirc. And Miserablism is far less heavy handed and clunky than TNIFIL or WIB.

Generally I hate the whole ‘let’s rearrange the tracklist of this album to make it more palatable or commercial or to include a more interesting remix or to tack on the b-sides to the Hotspot singles’ thing, but: imagine a Release with I didn’t get where I am today in place of TNIFIL. The album would be at least 50% better.*


*mathematical calculations not available; author’s own hypocrisy tacitly acknowledged

[jasonjohn]

Or maybe we are all just old and spoiled by so much choice

Maybe your first entry point into PSB land is amazing no matter what album it is?

Maybe we love the early stuff because that's what we first heard. A bit like old Star Wars fans dismissing Jar Jar as childish while defending their collection of Ewok figures.

Rufus Wainwright loved Casanova in Hell. I can't remember the exact quote, but Neil recalled him saying it was a perfect pop song, or something like that. But maybe Rufus is wrong, what would he know.