Pet Shop Boys Community

Lighten up! I look forward buying this album since I haven't even heard all the versions on it e.g. the Killers remix and Rammstein remix (admit it rather shamefully) .......

I reall look forward having these mixes and the cover is bloody cool too!

Stop whining

dVTB wrote:

gareth wrote:

dVTB wrote:I hope Disco 4 won't even land NEAR the Top 40. I hope it will be a massive flop. It's the only way to make EMI clear that PSB fans won't buy everything. We like SOME value for money.

That's the thanks they get for 20+ years of constantly surprising us, doing things differently, releasing innovative product that has never followed the flock, staging fantastic (expensive) stage productions and most importantly writing and recording wonderful music that makes us all happy.

They "owe" us nothing.

With fans like you, who needs enemies.

LOL, especially the final comment is hilarious. If I'm not prepared to pay the full price for a collection of remixes, it doesn't mean I'm suddenly an enemy of PSB. For me, this a clear example of an emotional response, instead of discussing decently.

I'm a PSB fan for 20+ years now. I bought all their albums (including all reissues), all their singles, all compilation albums, nearly all VHS videos, all DVD's, several books, and attended several of their concerts. I don't complain about the quality of PSB music, but as a music consumer I have a right to speak, and also a right to dislike something PSB (or any other artist) does.

My respond to "they owe us nothing" is: "I also don't owe them anything". Am I supposed to buy Disco 4 because I'm so thankful for their music? I have news for you: I already bought 7/8 of Disco 4, since I purchased the cd-singles of David Bowie, Madonna, The Killers, Atomizer, Rammstein, etc.

You're not in any position to condemn my loyalty as a fan.

DVTB - I'm not condemning your loyalty for one minute, nor should we all support everything they do in some mindless fashion. Nor am I in the habit of making emotional responses - I have always been a supporter of decent discussion and always will be.

The fact remains however that while they are not forcing you to go and buy this and you have every right as a consumer not to, wishing it (and therefore the band) to flop on this occasion is senseless.

Would you want your football team to lose if you didn't like one of their signings or thought they had paid too much for them?

After two decades of great work we do owe the band something IMHO - we owe them some semblance of respect. I have said all along on the subject of Disco 4 that if you don't like it then don't buy it, but wishing it to fail as if that is going to prove some kind of point that will make the boys sit up and listen is different altogether.

It demonstrates a complete lack of respect I think - a lack of respect for their right as artistes to release a compilation of work that they are proud of and want to release on one CD. As a musician yourself (I think) you should understand that.

Correct me if I'm wrong but just because you own 7/8 of the tracks and won't buy it you want it to flop to send some kind of message to the band? And before anyone mentions EMI, read the statement above about the evolution of Disco 4 - Neil and Chris wanted to do this.

Like I said, I'm not condemning your loyalty for one minute - it just seems a little misguided on this subject.

Gareth

gareth wrote:After two decades of great work we do owe the band something IMHO - we owe them some semblance of respect.

Respect is a two-way street and the approach to remixes and b sides for the past two years suggests PSB has little for their fans. Disco 4 isn't a random example - it's another notch in an unfortunately growing list. It's reasonable at this stage in their career to be angered by an album containing a single new track (and a track with three other official remixes handed out to eBay hounds but withheld from paying fans).

Fans smiled through the re-releases but it's been apparent since 1999 that PSB is no longer interested in crafting the quality release strategies that made them one of the most collectible groups on the scene with an unflinchingly loyal fan base. There are far too many mixes released only on vinyl in the digital age. Far too many mixes that never even see commercial release while being handed out free to a select core who put them on eBay to pay rent. Far too many recycled b sides and far too many "collectible" covers. If anyone can find me a commercial release of Blue On Blue on CD it'd be marvelous.

Now of course none of us has to buy these things. But respect? They lost a lot of mine years ago, and they can work to get it back.

gareth wrote:

Pet Shop Girl wrote:THe cd is EMI's doing, not PSBs. I will buy it because I am a fan and they do not owe us anything. But why EMI needed this rushed project out now is beyond me.

Did you actually read the original announcement on the OS?

Whereas previous albums in the series have mainly included remixes of PSB tracks by other artists and DJs, Chris and Neil were keen to collect on one album some of their remixes of other artists and their own recent remixes of PSB tracks.

So then it is PSBs fault is what you are saying? Whether we want to bash this project or not, it will still be released.

Edited.

Edited.

Dvtb, going by your logic, you felt the same about Discography and PopArt. Surely the collection of songs on those two releases were owned by all PSB fans. Infact, i'd suggest that most PSB fans owned the singles on at least 2 different formats.

Dave

Undertaker wrote:Dvtb, going by your logic, you felt the same about Discography and PopArt. Surely the collection of songs on those two releases were owned by all PSB fans. Infact, i'd suggest that most PSB fans owned the singles on at least 2 different formats.

Dave

The new songs were released as singles (with b-sides!) though, and you weren't forced to buy a whole album for them.

davenjulieuk wrote:Now that Parlophone has changed the release date of Disco 4 to 8th October 2007 here is what it's up against...

Thanks for the update, Disco 4 sucks big time, this is nice:

Aerosmith - Transmissions (CD & Book Set)

Reading some of the things here - and over the years, I am amazed how some people can call themselves 'fans'. And it's not the first time supposed 'fans' want(ed) PSB to fail in order to "teach them a lesson".

Such pretentiousness (or would that be delusions of grandeur) is nothing short of pathetic and rather disgusting, if truth be told.

No wonder Neil and Chris, justifiably, can be fed up with so-called 'fans'.

patrick wrote:

gareth wrote:After two decades of great work we do owe the band something IMHO - we owe them some semblance of respect.

Respect is a two-way street and the approach to remixes and b sides for the past two years suggests PSB has little for their fans.

I disagree. Let's look at the Fundamental era: I can't remember any band giving us a limited edition treat like Fundamentalism for just a few extra euros/pounds. Two new tracks and six remixes from big-name remixers, most of them good. The I'm With Stupid single has one of their best b-sides ever (The Resurrectionist) and an understated little gem (Girls Don't Cry). Numb had Bright Young Things, another very good b-side. The Minimal mixes were okay too. It's not their fault, that the ridiculous chart restrictions make it impossible to give us a Red Letter Day or a Before-style package with several new b-sides and a whole disc of remixes. All in all, they have kept their standards, as far as I'm concerned.

Disco 4 is a disappointment, but if it really was EMI who pulled the Integral singles, they are to blame really. PSB should also have shot down the building expectations early on. If they had in June said that they are planning to release a compilation of their remixes for other artists, nobody would have been disappointed with the Disco 4 tracklisting. Some might have actually been pleased, the ones who haven't spent a fortune to buy all these remixes.

I agree. 75% of the grief is due to "Marketing".

Sorry us techo IT people love to blame "Marketing dept".

Eldritch wrote:It's not their fault, that the ridiculous chart restrictions make it impossible to give us a Red Letter Day or a Before-style package with several new b-sides and a whole disc of remixes.

Then why commission additional mixes they know won't fit and stick them on outdated vinyl and elusive promo CDs? That's a smack in the face to their fans. They could easily offer this material for sale direct from the official site as downloads or limited edition CDs (let alone follow in the footsteps of Saint Etienne who have used free fan club releases to issue nearly a dozen albums and singles of unreleased material).

patrick wrote:

Eldritch wrote:It's not their fault, that the ridiculous chart restrictions make it impossible to give us a Red Letter Day or a Before-style package with several new b-sides and a whole disc of remixes.

Then why commission additional mixes they know won't fit and stick them on outdated vinyl and elusive promo CDs? That's a smack in the face to their fans. They could easily offer this material for sale direct from the official site as downloads or limited edition CDs (let alone follow in the footsteps of Saint Etienne who have used free fan club releases to issue nearly a dozen albums and singles of unreleased material).

If you're referring to I'm with stupid remixes, they were available for download. As for the extra Integral remixes, my theory is that PSB had planned a single release which EMI pulled.

I'll say it one more time.

Disco 4 WILL NOT chart ANYWHERE in the album chart as it is a COMPILATION.

The only chart it may chart in will be the COMPILATION chart.