For me, I definitely appreciate their albums as a trajectory of songs they've chosen! They've never had an album without theme or intent. They take albums seriously.
I'm not even bothered by B-sides sometimes being better than the A-side. "Tainted Love" was originally a b-side
To me, b-sides are their way of passing stuff under the table to fans, while they mix things up. It's like "hey, we know Release is something different, and maybe not your (limited edition) cup of tea, but we can we interest you in A Powerful Friend?"
They've got so many tracks it's inevitable people will tailor their own idea on what a PSB album is, even though there's only actually one source of truth on that
NOBODY75 wrote: Mon 23 Feb 2026, 1:04 amI'm not so much into album themes as I am into individual songs. If you have 18, include your 10 best songs on the album. I can understand not including "Where The Streets" on *Behaviour*, but other cases like "Hit and Miss," "Shameless," or "An Open Mind" are incomprehensible to me.
I understand An Open Mind not being on Hotspot - it would be incredibly out of place - but Shameless fits right into Very and would have been a Top 10 single IMO.
NOBODY75 wrote: Fri 20 Feb 2026, 8:27 pm
Even today, in 2026, I'm still just as angry and amazed that "Hit and Miss" wasn't on Bilingual because, for me, it's a better song than practically the entire album. One of their best melodies for a verse. A wonderful song stupidly relegated to a B-side. I don't know if anyone knows why, and I could explain, when it had much more potential as a single than the A-side.
Because it sounds like it's straight out of the 60's? Doesn't capture the Latin vibe? Does capture the struggle vibe, but maybe too harsh a pivot from the elation of "It always comes as a surprise"? It is a nice melody and has that sweet PSB melancholia about it but it's not a track I reach for, personally. At the end of the day, it's not on the album because at least one Pet Shop Boy decided it wasn't album-worthy and it's their say-so. But it is a perfect candidate for a b-side.
telys wrote: Fri 20 Feb 2026, 10:24 pm
Hit and Miss is the Release track that Release lacks
This... is an interesting take. Certainly fits in sonically, but would have pushed the misery level to overload.
He didn't capture the Latin vibe in "Electricity," "A Red Letter Day," "Saturday Night Forever," or "Before" either. I don't see any problem with the lyrics. So I don't see a problem with any of those things.
You're right when you say that one of them thought it shouldn't be on the album, and since you don't like the song, you're okay with it. Since I think it was the best song they had, I think it was a mistake. Our positions are easy to understand.
NOBODY75 wrote: Mon 23 Feb 2026, 1:04 amI'm not so much into album themes as I am into individual songs. If you have 18, include your 10 best songs on the album. I can understand not including "Where The Streets" on *Behaviour*, but other cases like "Hit and Miss," "Shameless," or "An Open Mind" are incomprehensible to me.
I understand An Open Mind not being on Hotspot - it would be incredibly out of place - but Shameless fits right into Very and would have been a Top 10 single IMO.
Why do you think An Open Mind would have been incredibly out of place in Hotspot? I don't agree, but I'm not trying to argue with you, just understand your opinion.
telys wrote: Fri 20 Feb 2026, 10:24 pm
Hit and Miss is the Release track that Release lacks
This... is an interesting take. Certainly fits in sonically, but would have pushed the misery level to overload.
Misery level overload wouldn't matter. Anything would've been better than The Night I Fell In Love or Love Is A Catastrophe. Release was a great idea but they filled the album with the wrong production. If they had gone full acoustic, then ok, but the production on Release was too bleak. Hit and Miss has a punch and air that otherwise too many tracks on Release lack.
Track 102: How I Learned to Hate Rock and Roll.
Chronology: Bilingual, Further Listening, Track 5
Así fue como aprendí a odiar el rock and roll.
C’est ainsi que j’ai appris à détester le rock’n’roll.
Neilica Tea ornamentti — You didn’t learn to hate rock’n’roll; the EDM masters of the world did, when they knocked the old rock dinosaur down a notch.
Joking aside, this track — clearly heavily inspired by Army of Lovers — is actually quite good. The only issue is that the message loses a bit of credibility in the way it’s delivered.
The music to "How I Learned to Hate Rock and Roll" would've been a perfect addition to Bilingual, next to Electricity. But the lyrics suck. One of Neil's worse. His Don Quijote-attacks on rock music over the years is probably the area where he's gone most astray, perhaps the only area. He seems to think that he can reduce rock-music (one of the most prolific and powerful ingredients in our culture, perhaps the defining aspect of our modern societies) to some posturing.
So give me "How I Learned to Hate Rock and Roll" with another lyric, please.
NOBODY75 wrote: Mon 23 Feb 2026, 7:43 amWhy do you think An Open Mind would have been incredibly out of place in Hotspot? I don't agree, but I'm not trying to argue with you, just understand your opinion.
I don't think the music or the theme fit the album, and as an extremely specific standalone production it's better suited for a b-side during this era. I think it would have fit perfectly on Super (swap it out with Groovy and it's immediately a stronger album).
markus wrote: Mon 23 Feb 2026, 3:45 pmJoking aside, this track — clearly heavily inspired by Army of Lovers
So not joking aside, then.
How I Learned to Hate Rock 'n' Roll is prime B-side material, musically uninteresting and lyrically thin. There's not much to say about it, really.
telys wrote: Mon 23 Feb 2026, 4:10 pm
The music to "How I Learned to Hate Rock and Roll" would've been a perfect addition to Bilingual, next to Electricity. But the lyrics suck. One of Neil's worse. His Don Quijote-attacks on rock music over the years is probably the area where he's gone most astray, perhaps the only area. He seems to think that he can reduce rock-music (one of the most prolific and powerful ingredients in our culture, perhaps the defining aspect of our modern societies) to some posturing.
So give me "How I Learned to Hate Rock and Roll" with another lyric, please.
The thing is, you kind of know what he means. It's obviously not meant to be all-encapsulating; Neil loves Bowie, after all. He's singing about a type of rock music - and the culture that surrounds it. And he's not wrong, let's face it. A woman could sing a similar song about rap music and "Not all rap!" wouldn't really hold up as a criticism, because it misses the point that a huge tranche of mainstream rap is misogynist. Likewise, there is/was an ugly undercurrent in rock.
