Pet Shop Boys Community

Love this song. From the first moment I heard it. Single remix is good too. My favourite version might be the Electric tour version.

The best thing about Disco 2 (to my ears) was the inclusion of the substantially reworked version.

Track 65: "Liberation"
Very: Further Listening, CD1, Track 3

Love the album/single track - not so much the remixes.

The remixes are great stand-alone club tracks. They are acceptable for what they are.
Love the album track and the video.

Weren't the videos from Various presented in Hi-Def (for the time) during an art installation? Would like to get my hands on those videos!

Liberation reminded me too much of the Behaviour PSB. Not a fan of the track. I remember buying the CD singles with its beautiful b-side Decadence. And the torture that is the remixes of the track. I think this was the moment I decided not to buy CD singles again (which I regretted after Yesterday When I Was Mad came out because of the great extra tracks that release had).

Liberation is an odd choice for a single. It definitely sounds like it should be on ‘Behaviour’ - though I suppose they couldn’t just release dance stompers from ‘Very’. ‘A different point of view’ would have been my choice as a single.

They probably decided to release Liberation because after two back-to-back over-the-top singles (the second one actually flopped compared with Go West's great chart success), they felt that the buying public was fed up with that kind of singles and now it would be better if things slowed down a bit.

It was a wise decision but Liberation is not a very good track on its own. Maybe The Theatre would be a better choice?

Anyway. I remember Finnish folks loved it dearly as I was having some kind of training there at that time and it was blaring in cafes and people were singing along (and of course fondling and cuddling each other with kisses). Not surprisingly, it was a top ten hit there (8 or 7 smth like that). I do not care about Liberation but it makes me happy when a PSB song strikes a chord in people and I was feeling foolishly proud when young lads happily sang along with Neil loudly.

And the video is now dated pretty bad.

PSBForTheMasses wrote:And the video is now dated pretty bad.

Aren't most 90s cgi videos?

Liberation was playing on a local music channel on Fuerteventura years later (1999). Maybe the video's cool enough, so it wasn't a total disaster. I've often thought if only they were more easily sold and popularized, a song like Liberation would be on everyone's Kareoke machines. Maybe if AI interecepts and churns them out as Coldplay it can still happen.

Track 66: "A Different Point of View"
Very: Further Listening, CD1, Track 4

A pulsating track that could have been a great single. Love the outro.

In my opinion, they should have released this song as the third single.
I think it was the best way to reach more people beyond the fans who will buy the single no matter what song they release.

Liberation probably a single as a precursor to Neil coming out a few months later. Everything they'd ever done before then was decidedly heterosexual.

jasonjohn wrote: Fri 31 Oct 2025, 12:31 am Liberation probably a single as a precursor to Neil coming out a few months later. Everything they'd ever done before then was decidedly heterosexual.

Good observation. Although they've played with suggestion and innuendo even after him coming out. Which is I believe is more a reason why they stopped having big hits. A song like A different point of view for example - what's he on about?

markus wrote: Fri 31 Oct 2025, 1:02 am A song like A different point of view for example - what's he on about?

I wasn't exactly being serious, but I think Point Of View is a very simple song about opposites attracting, two people compromising as they never quite understand each others angle.

jasonjohn wrote: Fri 31 Oct 2025, 1:40 am

markus wrote: Fri 31 Oct 2025, 1:02 am A song like A different point of view for example - what's he on about?

I wasn't exactly being serious, but I think Point Of View is a very simple song about opposites attracting, two people compromising as they never quite understand each others angle.

Yes it's one of the easier ones. Like a sequel to So Hard.