Pet Shop Boys Community

Thanks Nickname I’ve never heard that b4, it definitely reminds me of West End Girls!

I've heard and read Bobby O share his thoughts about the separation from PSB in that About documentary on Radio 1 and that unofficial Introspective biography and they have both led me to conclude that PSB dodged a massive bullet by breaking from him. He sounds like a control freak and PSB are way too independent for that.

My curiosity was piqued, I took a quick listen to the album. "Confusion" sounds like New Order's "Confusion". "Pump It Up" sounds like Frankie's "Relax". "Mixed Up World"... I was half expecting "Whisper to a Scream" to be the Icicle Works song but it's nearer Dead or Alive. "Somebody" sounds like Billy Ocean's "Lover Boy". What was he trying to do here? It sounds like he watched everyone else going past him and tried to create an album to remind us all who started it. But the result sounds like a parody. The music holds up but the lyrics are REALLY cheesy.

So, it turns out he released a new album in August this year called "Energizer of Purpose". Take a listen to this track:

https://youtu.be/4yxTlLXLRls?si=cghOvI-ttV1QfKcn

ironically called "Envy is the Poison of the World", and tell me if you think he's over West End Girls. In fact, read the comments...!

Was Bobby ever interviewed on camera? I've always enjoyed the craziness of everything surrounding him

He scored a million dollars to release PSB to EMI, didn't he? So he did quite well, and PSB were clearly seen to be worth something longer term.

There's also this track from 1984 which sounds like a mix of A man could get arrested and demo versions of Two divided by zero and Opportunities:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmP1omHhVV8

petshopgrrl wrote: Sun 09 Nov 2025, 5:19 am My curiosity was piqued, I took a quick listen to the album. "Confusion" sounds like New Order's "Confusion". "Pump It Up" sounds like Frankie's "Relax". "Mixed Up World"... I was half expecting "Whisper to a Scream" to be the Icicle Works song but it's nearer Dead or Alive. "Somebody" sounds like Billy Ocean's "Lover Boy". What was he trying to do here? It sounds like he watched everyone else going past him and tried to create an album to remind us all who started it. But the result sounds like a parody. The music holds up but the lyrics are REALLY cheesy.

I loooove ''From A Whisper to a Scream''. Used to dance to this in the Medway Area Gay Community (MAGIC) bops in the mid 80s.

Am I right in thinking based on the notes in Alternative and Further Listening 1984-1986 that the 12" version of A Man Could Get Arrested is the only piece of Bobby O production work that PSB took with them, albeit in an unfinished state, to Parlophone? He's credited as a producer for the track but I don't understand why they were allowed to keep only this one tape when none of the rest of their work with him was part of the deal to release them. I've read before that he wanted too much money to give them the recordings but I guess for whatever reason this was an exception?

I wonder why they didn't just re-record it from scratch - but it's a great track and I'm very glad it survived as was, not least because there are precious few PSB Bobby O recordings of (as they say) master quality. Aside from the first versions of West End Girls and One More Chance, this track must be the earliest surviving studio quality PSB recording, right?

Ramzy wrote: Sun 09 Nov 2025, 11:35 pm Am I right in thinking based on the notes in Alternative and Further Listening 1984-1986 that the 12" version of A Man Could Get Arrested is the only piece of Bobby O production work that PSB took with them, albeit in an unfinished state, to Parlophone? He's credited as a producer for the track but I don't understand why they were allowed to keep only this one tape when none of the rest of their work with him was part of the deal to release them. I've read before that he wanted too much money to give them the recordings but I guess for whatever reason this was an exception?

I wonder why they didn't just re-record it from scratch - but it's a great track and I'm very glad it survived as was, not least because there are precious few PSB Bobby O recordings of (as they say) master quality. Aside from the first versions of West End Girls and One More Chance, this track must be the earliest surviving studio quality PSB recording, right?

I believe there are some inconsistencies surrounding the credits for that particular mix of A Man Could Get A

Ramzy wrote: Sun 09 Nov 2025, 11:35 pm Am I right in thinking based on the notes in Alternative and Further Listening 1984-1986 that the 12" version of A Man Could Get Arrested is the only piece of Bobby O production work that PSB took with them, albeit in an unfinished state, to Parlophone? He's credited as a producer for the track but I don't understand why they were allowed to keep only this one tape when none of the rest of their work with him was part of the deal to release them. I've read before that he wanted too much money to give them the recordings but I guess for whatever reason this was an exception?

I wonder why they didn't just re-record it from scratch - but it's a great track and I'm very glad it survived as was, not least because there are precious few PSB Bobby O recordings of (as they say) master quality. Aside from the first versions of West End Girls and One More Chance, this track must be the earliest surviving studio quality PSB recording, right?

It's a shame that no agreement has been reached. It would be such a great treat to hear the New York-album they made with Orlando in 1984.

Ramzy wrote:Am I right in thinking based on the notes in Alternative and Further Listening 1984-1986 that the 12" version of A Man Could Get Arrested is the only piece of Bobby O production work that PSB took with them, albeit in an unfinished state, to Parlophone? He's credited as a producer for the track but I don't understand why they were allowed to keep only this one tape when none of the rest of their work with him was part of the deal to release them. I've read before that he wanted too much money to give them the recordings but I guess for whatever reason this was an exception?

I wonder why they didn't just re-record it from scratch - but it's a great track and I'm very glad it survived as was, not least because there are precious few PSB Bobby O recordings of (as they say) master quality. Aside from the first versions of West End Girls and One More Chance, this track must be the earliest surviving studio quality PSB recording, right?

I’m pretty sure they’ve said they do own some of the other Bobby O stuff, like the Opportunities demo. I think the context was that they considered putting it on the Further Listening disc but the quality wasn’t good enough.

Dog wrote: Sun 16 Nov 2025, 7:58 am

Ramzy wrote:Am I right in thinking based on the notes in Alternative and Further Listening 1984-1986 that the 12" version of A Man Could Get Arrested is the only piece of Bobby O production work that PSB took with them, albeit in an unfinished state, to Parlophone? He's credited as a producer for the track but I don't understand why they were allowed to keep only this one tape when none of the rest of their work with him was part of the deal to release them. I've read before that he wanted too much money to give them the recordings but I guess for whatever reason this was an exception?

I wonder why they didn't just re-record it from scratch - but it's a great track and I'm very glad it survived as was, not least because there are precious few PSB Bobby O recordings of (as they say) master quality. Aside from the first versions of West End Girls and One More Chance, this track must be the earliest surviving studio quality PSB recording, right?

I’m pretty sure they’ve said they do own some of the other Bobby O stuff, like the Opportunities demo. I think the context was that they considered putting it on the Further Listening disc but the quality wasn’t good enough.

Please FL came out in 2001, my guess is that studio technology has improved since then and that it is possible to clean up those demoes to "master quality".

Dreadful

Plus reissues in the 2020s are a much bigger part of music retail amd often contain all manner of dodgy demos and recordings now to help pad-out big boxsets.
Not that it seems of much interest to Neil and Chris, hence we're only likely to hear snippets as per the Yentob doc last year.