Pet Shop Boys Community

Gabby wrote: Fri 13 Sep 2024, 2:16 pm

rashomon wrote: Fri 13 Sep 2024, 1:48 pm Love reading all the thoughts here on the amazing catalogue our boys have given us ...

Anyone else think the thread title will need to be changed before we get to the end of Nonetheless era though?

Me by the time we get to Nonetheless in this thread...

rashomon wrote: Fri 13 Sep 2024, 1:48 pm Love reading all the thoughts here on the amazing catalogue our boys have given us ...

Anyone else think the thread title will need to be changed before we get to the end of Nonetheless era though?

I think I remember someone saying at the start, that at a track a day, we would only be up to My October Symphony when Nonetheless was released. We've had 4 singles and the announcement of the expanded version of the album before we even made it to MOS !

I do miss the the musings of the author of the thread though

To Face the Truth

The anguish of unrequited love captured brilliantly in this 5 minute masterpiece by our musical heroes !

NT"s voice is gorgeous, and never more so than on the final verse, as he brilliantly brings the pained emotions to our subject, as they tell the object of their affection for a fourth, and fifth time, how much they are in love with them.

Too much for them to bear any longer, they finally ask the question they already know the answer too, 'I ask you if you care...' and the none response is definitive 'you stand and stare aloof..' , there is no reciprocal affection there anymore, and maybe there never was.

'It hurts too much to face the truth'

Wonderful (9/10)

For 'To Face The Truth', when I first bought the album on CD, the week of release back in 1990, it became my favourite song on the album. The Major Minor scale was a first for them and it was something completely fresh they'd tried at the time. It sounded 'black' and soulful with those organ chords. For me, the most emotive track on the album.

Track 48 : How Can You Expect To Be Taken Seriously?
Behaviour Further Listening Disc 1 - Track 4

Wry, quasi-symphonious stuff that's not so much a dive bar in a dead end world; more charity galas, red-carpets, and award shows. It could all so easily reek of slippery, holier-than-thou posturing in the wrong hands, but they pull it off.

Note to Neil and Chris: If you feel slighted when accused of being arch, stop brilliantly using pop music to critique culture, and stop laughing at the absurdity of it all.

The single version is most effective, complementing its Las Vegas twin in a double-barrelled swingbeat assault on sanctimonious rock stars.

However, the elephant in the room is that if a pop group hangs around long enough then they become the thing they were once opposed to. It's no surprise they don't play this live or even put it on 'complete' singles collections because it's now about them, as well as Bono. The price of longevity is that you end up assailing everyone with your opinions too. Do you have a message for your fans?

Patrick Bateman wrote: Sat 21 Sep 2024, 6:32 am However, the elephant in the room is that if a pop group hangs around long enough then they become the thing they were once opposed to.

True, the song becomes part of the system it critiques and we quickly disappear down the rabbit hole of art, persona, and truth; however, compared with the causes for clout antics of some, I think PSB's offences are low-level.

Too Many Shadows wrote: Sat 21 Sep 2024, 11:42 am

Patrick Bateman wrote: Sat 21 Sep 2024, 6:32 am However, the elephant in the room is that if a pop group hangs around long enough then they become the thing they were once opposed to.

True, the song becomes part of the system it critiques and we quickly disappear down the rabbit hole of art, persona, and truth; however, compared with the causes for clout antics of some, I think PSB's offences are low-level.

There's that video that surfaced on here recently with Chris critiquing bands for doing a "Berlin album" (U2 iirc) a la Bowie and how PSB would never do that!

Whoops!

Patrick Bateman wrote: Sat 21 Sep 2024, 6:32 am The single version is most effective, complementing its Las Vegas twin in a double-barrelled swingbeat assault on sanctimonious rock stars.

However, the elephant in the room is that if a pop group hangs around long enough then they become the thing they were once opposed to. It's no surprise they don't play this live or even put it on 'complete' singles collections because it's now about them, as well as Bono. The price of longevity is that you end up assailing everyone with your opinions too. Do you have a message for your fans?

Good point. They're minor offenders compared to some but after their Brit awards nomination they definitely can't perform this one.

It's just dawned on me - How can you expect to be taken seriously?? is probably targeting Bono and they're covering the U2 song as the main single. Not sure if that fully occured to me before.

daveid wrote: Sat 21 Sep 2024, 4:43 pm

Patrick Bateman wrote: Sat 21 Sep 2024, 6:32 am The single version is most effective, complementing its Las Vegas twin in a double-barrelled swingbeat assault on sanctimonious rock stars.

However, the elephant in the room is that if a pop group hangs around long enough then they become the thing they were once opposed to. It's no surprise they don't play this live or even put it on 'complete' singles collections because it's now about them, as well as Bono. The price of longevity is that you end up assailing everyone with your opinions too. Do you have a message for your fans?

Good point. They're minor offenders compared to some but after their Brit awards nomination they definitely can't perform this one.

It's just dawned on me - How can you expect to be taken seriously?? is probably targeting Bono and they're covering the U2 song as the main single. Not sure if that fully occured to me before.

Note also how, in the video for Streets, the video for How can you expect to be taken seriously? fast-forwards at the start, reinforcing the connection between the themes / intentions of the two songs.

I walked into a record shop just when Behaviour was released and this song was on. I only heard a small part of it and really liked it, and then I heard Neil singing and then I knew again why I love PSB.

How Can You Expect To Be.......

I forget that this was UK no.4 hit, as the aa side to Where The Streets..., which means that with two top 10's and two top 20's single releases, Behaviour is on a par with Please.

This was one of my favourite tack's off the album when it was released, it is probably now my least favourite, but I still like it.

I prefer the Brothers In Rhythm re-works of the track, which I think they did a brilliant job on, with both the 7" and 12".

I also really like the David Morales 'Mo Mo Remix'.

(7/10) (8/10 for BIR version)

With the Brothers in Rythm version, the 7" is just a straightforward edit of the 12" version, with the exception of the 'you gotta have fun' lyric, which strangely is on the 7", but not the 12". I've often wondered if that was added onto the 7" version afterward, to try and make it a bit more commercial.

As this version has never appeared on any of the compilations, or further listening, there is unfortunately very little commentary on BIR involvement in the remix of the song for the single.

Pinhead44 wrote: Tue 24 Sep 2024, 7:50 am With the Brothers in Rythm version, the 7" is just a straightforward edit of the 12" version, with the exception of the 'you gotta have fun' lyric, which strangely is on the 7", but not the 12". I've often wondered if that was added onto the 7" version afterward, to try and make it a bit more commercial.

As this version has never appeared on any of the compilations, or further listening, there is unfortunately very little commentary on BIR involvement in the remix of the song for the single.

There was a US release of 'How Can You Expect To Be Taken Seriously?':
12" Discogs link: https://www.discogs.com/release/27683-P ... -Seriously
CD Discogs link: https://www.discogs.com/release/40385-P ... -Seriously]

These included the Brothers in Rhythm 12" extended mix (same as on the UK 'Where the streets have no name (I can't take my eyes off you)' single release. However, the '7" Perfect Attitude Mix" was the original, edited version of the Brothers in Rhythm 12" extended version (without the "You gotta have fun" samples and other layers of sounds). The additional samples and sounds, plus "Do you have a message for you fans?" being re-added, were additional overdubs PSB made for the UK single release.

Pinhead44 wrote: Tue 24 Sep 2024, 7:50 am With the Brothers in Rythm version, the 7" is just a straightforward edit of the 12" version, with the exception of the 'you gotta have fun' lyric, which strangely is on the 7", but not the 12". I've often wondered if that was added onto the 7" version afterward, to try and make it a bit more commercial.

As this version has never appeared on any of the compilations, or further listening, there is unfortunately very little commentary on BIR involvement in the remix of the song for the single.

The line is in fact “you gotta have funk”, I believe it’s mentioned in some ancient Literally somewhere.