Pet Shop Boys Community

Posted: **Tue 13 Sep 2005, 11:43 pm**

Release is my 10th favourite PSB album! It's not as bad as some people make out, but TNIFIL is in my opinion the worst song of their career. A questionable idea, awful sickly music, duff production and toe-curlingly embarassing lyrics. I don't understand why that is so hard to understand.

And just because we have invested time and money in stuff, does give us some right to have an opinion. I'm sorry to have to break the news. I respect the Boys to do what the hell the like and not pander to the fans, and by the same token it's not to much to ask to expect the same in return.

On the subject of slanging matches. Yes, there is a culture amongst fans and indeed critics to slag each other off, just for the hell of it, because you don't like them, you don't respect them, whatever, and therefore try and find a platform for your disagreements to do this. Most of us are guilty but come on, it wouldn't be as half as fun, would it?

By the way, Eden was the name of a terrible nightclub where I used to live. Think it clsoed years ago.

Posted: **Tue 13 Sep 2005, 11:45 pm**

btw, if you must vent your vitriolic fury, spray it all over Disco 2 (if that thing can be called an album. )

Posted: **Wed 14 Sep 2005, 7:30 am**

Provider, here is a recipe how to like 'Always'. Go alone to a forest-park, or old park in some ancient estate (in every city or suburbs there must be some deserted mansions with empty parks). And play 'Always' in earphones while walking along the paths, look at tops of old trees and clouds.

It's good in early spring and in autumn too. You may try it

Maybe you will change your opinion about Always

Posted: **Wed 14 Sep 2005, 11:00 am**

For me, the problem with Release is that I am indifferent to it to such point that I have never known I was ever capable of for a PSB release. I mean I hate Nightlife passionately- all that overthetop glamour and wasted chances and quite mediocre efforts like in Denial and New York city boy which hugely dented PSB's credibility- I also hate That's the Way life is shit but Release just leaves me blank except Samurai in Autumn and Love is a Catastrophe (see I am a sucker for miserabilism) which I love passionately and the TNIFL which is to be avoided at best if you are debating with an anti_PSB opponent about the merits of PSB because you could easily lose the argument if TNIFL mentioned.

The rest of the album is just a huge blank sheet and I always remember Release only when someone refers to it in this forum. Even when I am listening to two songs mentioned above which I burnt on a PSB collection of mine, I don't even notice that they are tracks from an album called Release. IMHO this is worse for a band to have fans being indifferent rather than fans loving or hating your work which means the product evokes a feeling and interest

Though I don't blame Boys because after all they are trying to remain relevant, trying to sell and trying to be popular, to remain afloat and as a result of mastermind's error or managerial fault sometimes funny things may happen- let's hope it was a hiccup best not repeated again and move over it thinking that that every band or singer has its funny moments- even Queen, the gods of rock to many, released a sell-out disco/ pop album early '80s (I don't remember its name) and severely rebuked by its fans.

But don't forget that Release was a minor cult in the USA and in Metallica forums it was rated as a very sound album

Posted: **Wed 14 Sep 2005, 11:24 am**

Zeus On The Loose wrote:Home And Dry: Obvious lead single and semi-decent out of a terrible collection of songs. Four bars of music looping, no chord progression though.

That was the whole CONCEPT of the song, Zeus! It's something they hadn't really done before. By the way: a lack of chord progression doesn't necessarily mean that the song is bad. For instance: 'Creep' by Radiohead (arguably a fantastic song) is also based on the same repetative chords.

I Get Along: Poor man's Don't Look Back In Anger with a dreary repetitive chorus

It sounds a bit Oasis, indeed. But the chorus is catchy and the lyrics are very clever.

Birthday Boy: Poor man's REM, Neil's vocals badly produced to sound 'profound' cliched rhymes used in many other PSB tunes

I agree about a few productional errors with Neil's voice, but the song itself is better than most of REM's catalogue.

London: A highlight mainly because the production is good (it pays to have someone proper do it rather than yourself) and because the lyrics are clever

It's indeed the best produced song on the album.

Samurai In Autumn: Has a decent instrumental break, the rest is Nightlife era b'side quality

I like the mood of the song, yet it's out of place on this album.

E-mail: Subject matter is dodgy and embarassing, again no chord progression, middle bit called in to save the song from endless looping, always a sign of desperation

It's not one of their songwriting highlights, but it's a decent, radio-friendly song.

Love Is A Catastrophe: Successful rock songs are successful because the performer can pretend to sound sincere and 'from the heart'. This is clearly about a rent boy not loving Neil back. He'll get over it.

Hmmm... I find this comment a bit harsh. No matter if you like the song or not, it was obvious to see during live performances that this is a song that means a lot to Neil. He sings it with passion.

Here: Closer To Heaven left-over.

In this version, it is, yes. Yet a very good one, just like You've Got To Start Somewhere... - It's the poorest production ever. Even the 1984 version of West End Girls was produced better.

Night I Fell In Love: Novelty wore off quickly and all that was left was four bars of music looping with no chorus and no chord progression.

Yet the music is very beautiful. A mixture between The Survivors and Liberation.

You Choose: Dreary.

That's what I thought too, originally. But then it grew on me. It's a good song, when you're in the right mood for it.

Always: Best tune of the era

Indeed one of the better tunes. Should have been on the album. I think a big majority of fans agrees with that.

Sexy Northerner: Terrible. Would work better as an instrumental and without the forced guitar bit, hence the Superchumbo mix is better than the original

If it were instrumental, it would be too repetative. I like both the original and the remixes.

Between Two Islands: Pretty decent b'side, brass sounds great, very summery and I love the I Want You bits

Oh..... my opinion is 180 degrees different: It's without any doubt one of their weakest b-sides ever. Where you complain about some of the release songs sounding forced, I think this applies to this song. It just goes nowhere, that's my major problem with it. And as for desperate: the I Want You bits are totally awful. I have no other word for it.

Searching For The Face Of Jesus: Passable b'side fodder

I Didn't Get Where I Am Today: Bog standard.

Hmmmm I rate these two as the best songs from the era, together with Birthday Boy. SFTFOJ is the best PSB B-side since Screaming, IDGWIAT even topped it, being the obvious lead single from the album.

You complain about lack of chord progression, then slaughter two songs that DO have it...

Posted: **Wed 14 Sep 2005, 12:49 pm**

Acelera wrote: Roland Orzabal nailed it on the head when he said once that he had heard a Hotel band play 'Shout' and that it sounded godawful without all the glossy production. That's when he decided that a good song is one that can hold itself together with just a guitar or a piano.

In my opinion that's just plain wrong. Shout is a amazing pop song in all its bombast, but why on earth should it work acoustically too? The point of the song is to sound big, and that it something that it does masterfully.

By that logic 98 per cent of dance / house / techno music would be binned, since most of it just doesn't sound very good played on an acoustic guitar. And neither does it has to! It's like saying that a Bob Dylan song is only good if it works when played with a reggae beat.

Besides, Roland Orzabal is the last person I would consider an authority on this subject, since he went totally crap at the very second Tears For Fears stopped being a stadion synth band and became a muso band.

Posted: **Wed 14 Sep 2005, 12:53 pm**

nickname wrote:
Flaffer wrote:
jamie1978 wrote:I'm trying to play it all the way through now.

The results are: mild irritation, and a feeling I my wasting my life.

can't deny it has an emotional quality to it then
One day you are going to create the Anti-Release fan club, if you coninue this way.

I already have, haven't you heard? Sign up if you like.

www.ireallyreallyhaterelease.co.uk

Posted: **Wed 14 Sep 2005, 12:55 pm**

dVTB wrote:
That was the whole CONCEPT of the song, Zeus! It's something they hadn't really done before. By the way: a lack of chord progression doesn't necessarily mean that the song is bad. For instance: 'Creep' by Radiohead (arguably a fantastic song) is also based on the same repetative chords.

Yeah, but Creep has a great and memorable melody, something totally lacking from Home & Dryeyeyeyeeeee

Posted: **Wed 14 Sep 2005, 2:11 pm**

dVTB wrote: Hmmmm I rate these two as the best songs from the era, together with Birthday Boy. SFTFOJ is the best PSB B-side since Screaming, IDGWIAT even topped it, being the obvious lead single from the album.

You complain about lack of chord progression, then slaughter two songs that DO have it...

I would have replied to your full post but seeing as you think Screaming is actually a good song (when it's atrocious), there's really no point in discussing this. You simply have dreadful taste

Posted: **Wed 14 Sep 2005, 3:46 pm**

jamie1978 wrote:Yeah, but Creep has a great and memorable melody, something totally lacking from Home & Dryeyeyeyeeeee

Ohhhh.... you suddenly sound an awful lot like a friend of mine...

Zeus On The Loose wrote:
dVTB wrote: Hmmmm I rate these two as the best songs from the era, together with Birthday Boy. SFTFOJ is the best PSB B-side since Screaming, IDGWIAT even topped it, being the obvious lead single from the album.

You complain about lack of chord progression, then slaughter two songs that DO have it...
I would have replied to your full post but seeing as you think Screaming is actually a good song (when it's atrocious), there's really no point in discussing this. You simply have dreadful taste

Thank you *dVTB takes deep bow and refers to his signature*

Posted: **Wed 14 Sep 2005, 5:26 pm**

When speaking of Birthday Boy, don't compare it to REM. I don't see the REM connection. To me its totally sounding Granddaddy! And I love Granddaddy.

Posted: **Wed 14 Sep 2005, 5:45 pm**

13thJoerg wrote:When speaking of Birthday Boy, don't compare it to REM. I don't see the REM connection. To me its totally sounding Granddaddy! And I love Granddaddy.

I would compare it to any MOR soft rock band who attempt to create a 'pretentious' record to 'wow' their fan base. And fail. Though the REM comparison I agree is incorrect, because REM are effortlessly brilliant most of the time.

Its just a load of meaningless toss over mid-tempo soft rock, with no melody to speak of or redeeming features. How exactly is this appealing to the average Pet Shop Boys fan?

Posted: **Wed 14 Sep 2005, 5:57 pm**

DJAMIX wrote:I like Release.

Posted: **Wed 14 Sep 2005, 7:00 pm**

13thJoerg wrote:And I love Granddaddy.

I love The Crystal Lake and Hewlett's Daughter; fantastic singles.

Posted: **Wed 14 Sep 2005, 7:53 pm**

I like Neils voice on BB, btw.

Pet Shop Boys Community

I've posted this at PSB-online, too. Release and the fans...