Track-by-Track: From Please to Nonetheless

[NotInvisible]

I love Elysium as it is...

It's their most well-produced album. I think it's gorgeous if you take Ego Music off.

[Kompakt&Bijou]

Track 132 : Silver Age
Chronology: Nightlife, FL-CD2:2

A sad song, which maybe about ageing, from half listening to it just now.

[Patrick Bateman]

Well yes, the fanbase is decidedly more conservative than the Pet Shop Boys themselves when it comes to their music.

The main thing that happened in the mid-90s was the consistency of their songwriting declined. That's totally understandable as they'd used up most of the songs in the vaults and they also needed to release more songs as bonus tracks. Nightlife is their worst album because the songwriting is weaker than it was on Please or Actually and they were stretching themselves even thinner with the musical; again, that's unsurprising after seven studio albums.

Similarly, Release is hardly a million miles away from Behaviour in style but overall the songs aren't as good.

[NOBODY75]

Well yes, the fanbase is decidedly more conservative than the Pet Shop Boys themselves when it comes to their music.

The main thing that happened in the mid-90s was the consistency of their songwriting declined. That's totally understandable as they'd used up most of the songs in the vaults and they also needed to release more songs as bonus tracks. Nightlife is their worst album because the songwriting is weaker than it was on Please or Actually and they were stretching themselves even thinner with the musical; again, that's unsurprising after seven studio albums.

Similarly, Release is hardly a million miles away from Behaviour in style but overall the songs aren't as good.

} I largely agree. It's almost impossible for any artist to maintain that level over the years. For me, their first five albums were stratospheric. "Alternative" would be a perfect summary. It's normal that they dipped. Even so, if you're getting straight A's and then suddenly getting B's and B's, you don't become a bad student. What I think were avoidable mistakes were their song choices for the albums that reached their peak with *Release*. They could have been better albums because they had the songs to be. But even if they had chosen better tracklists, those albums would still have been worse than the first five. But that doesn't mean they're bad, not at all. But as I said at the beginning, it was impossible to maintain that level. What makes them so great—actually, they already were if they had retired after *Release*—is that they didn't drop another level. You could say they've maintained a consistent level of quality With some albums, songs, in short, with some moments when they have reached their Prime again. We came *Fundamental*, *Potemkim*, *Yes*, *The Ballet*... And they've been at it ever since.

[retrofuturist]

Greetings,

Track 132 : Silver Age
Chronology: Nightlife, FL-CD2:2

A sad song, which maybe about ageing, from half listening to it just now.

I can't for the life of me imagine what they thought they were doing with the discordant instrumental parts... padding it out to make it a full length song?

There's a couple of decent chord progressions, but I can see why I haven't listened to it (aside from the first listening of the FL discs) for about 25 years.

Retro.

[NotInvisible]

The main thing that happened in the mid-90s was the consistency of their songwriting declined. That's totally understandable as they'd used up most of the songs in the vaults and they also needed to release more songs as bonus tracks.

I agree with this. I'd also say they largely recovered in the mid 2000s and have been incredibly consistent ever since. At any rate, they have an absolutely astonishing career in terms of churning out great songs. We'll never be teenagers again, and they'll never be a fresh chart-topping act again, so I think a lot of the rank-and-file '80s tracks feel like they're better than the rank-and-file modern tracks without actually being any different in terms of songwriting.

[NotInvisible]

I can't for the life of me imagine what they thought they were doing with the discordant instrumental parts... padding it out to make it a full length song?

They go through a weird discordant period - a number of songs wind up with odd chord changes.

[Patrick Bateman]

I agree with this. I'd also say they largely recovered in the mid 2000s and have been incredibly consistent ever since. At any rate, they have an absolutely astonishing career in terms of churning out great songs. We'll never be teenagers again, and they'll never be a fresh chart-topping act again, so I think a lot of the rank-and-file '80s tracks feel like they're better than the rank-and-file modern tracks without actually being any different in terms of songwriting.

Oh, I'd put plenty of their post-imperial output on a par with their early stuff. When they're good, they're still amazing. Fugitive could be on Disco; Leaving could be on Behaviour.

[retrofuturist]

Greetings,

I think a lot of the rank-and-file '80s tracks feel like they're better than the rank-and-file modern tracks without actually being any different in terms of songwriting.

When every single note and beat had to be meticulously programmed, a lot more effort went into things than when looping a 15 second snare roll.

Retro.

[Drico One]

I agree with this. I'd also say they largely recovered in the mid 2000s and have been incredibly consistent ever since. At any rate, they have an absolutely astonishing career in terms of churning out great songs. We'll never be teenagers again, and they'll never be a fresh chart-topping act again, so I think a lot of the rank-and-file '80s tracks feel like they're better than the rank-and-file modern tracks without actually being any different in terms of songwriting.

Oh, I'd put plenty of their post-imperial output on a par with their early stuff. When they're good, they're still amazing. Fugitive could be on Disco; Leaving could be on Behaviour.

This is why some of us still stick around. I don't care for, probably, 50% of their output or creative pursuits these days, but when they are good they are still epic. I await any new pop record from them with huge anticipation. Collaborations with Javier de Frutos, Jonathan Harvey, and the Ruritanian Simfoniker less so.

Drico.

[retrofuturist]

Greetings,

Yes - Bilingual taught us that we could no longer expect a 100% hit rate, however Nightlife and Release certainly tested fans' perseverance for several years. Speaking of perseverance, let's get through this FL set...

Track 133 : Screaming
Chronology: Nightlife, FL-CD2:3

As heard on the soundtrack to Psycho (albeit, if I recall correctly, with minor variations?) and the b-side of I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Anymore.

The verses are spritely enough, but the chorus falls flat, and the instrumental parts are such a wild detour that sound like they're from another song altogether.

If you're going to attempt an epic, don't make it half-baked.

An interesting little footnote: since FL-CD2:2 we've come to a period in this FL set where every track is a b-side of a single from the Nightlife era. If the chronology of this set is to be trusted, these recordings were all done after Somebody Else's Business. Therefore, they consciously left Somebody Else's Business off the Nightlife and Release albums, and didn't necessarily want to "toss it away" as a b-side filler either. It makes me think that (like Miserablism before it, and I Didn't Get Where I Am Today afterwards) they had some hopes of it becoming something substantial and prominent, but when the opportunity passed, they figured they'd better just put it out at the next available opportunity.

Retro.

[Xakrij]

I think the lyrics support the actions of the protagonist in the film.

[jasonjohn]

Maybe some of you should start writing your own songs? Seem highly skilled on what makes a tasteful song.

[NotInvisible]

Track 133 : Screaming
Chronology: Nightlife, FL-CD2:3

Probably the dullest track they've ever written. This was the moment I "knew" it was all over. Thank god for Release.

[Lleonard Pler]

I became a fan during Nightlife era. Theirs were the first B-sides I ever heard, as singles from other artists and groups I followed usually had remixes only. Thus guided by Screaming and other bsides from Nightlife singles I thought that B-sides were meant to be leftovers, very demo-ish, like ideas that they hadn't fully produced or they had discarded for the better.

Screaming is specially jarring tbh. I don't know what they were going for but it's like they took the wrong turn in melody, instrumentation and effects. I remember playing it anyway, as if there was something to decypher in its weirdness. There wasn't.

I was pleasantly surprised when I bought Alternative.