Pet Shop Boys Community

Whilst watching the Live 8 videos a few thoughts struck me... why are the PSB's still around ? Neil isn't the greatest singer (during New York city boy he was absolutely awfully flat.. it was so painful it hurts to listen to it)... Chris isn't the best on the keyboards .... they don't have the looks.. the sex appeal (I know grandmothers younger than Neil !)...

Yet... they're still around... vs those who aren't (really)

Erasure... arguably better singer and undoubtably better keyboardist
Communards.. as above
Hue and Cry... as above
Dubstar... as above
St Etienne... sex appeal... amazing looks... great songs... better musicians

In my humle opinion... its simply that N&C have the amazing ability to reinvent themselves like Madonna & Cliff & Tom Jones... everytime theres a new pop star / craze around they kinda become attached... Blur...Ab Fab...Robbie... Catatonia... and now Little Britain. Perhaps they are just incredible marketeers or instead just brilliant people who others want to be around. Whats for certain... Jonathon King was right... They have made a little go a very long way. Good on them. Rant over. JS...

ps.. anyone else struggle to listen to New York city boy moscow stylee... its terrible !

This is posted solely for a provocative purpose, isn't it?

Listen buddy, I'm sure your intention is to stoke up some debate amongst the fans by being a little provocative, but did you really have to compare Cliff Richard and Tom Jones favorably to PSB? That just cruel.

Hey good point... possibly a little OTT with the Sir Cliff and Sir Tom comparisons... but sometimes you do have to wonder...

Look I've been a fan for 20 years now... I even tried about 13 years ago whilst at Uni to try a bit of cold turkey... I left all my psb stuff at home...

Guess its thos RTG's of mine... but I still feel the point of the post is valid. How the devil have they managed to survive in what is usually (and many would argue optimally) a transient / disposable arena for so long ?

its about the music, and the talent....

everything else is just filler.

PSB have the talent and the ability to write and produce bloody brilliant tracks.Period.

Steve... fair point..... so if they do as you state write such brilliant tracks.. why is it that when their songs are performed by other, probably more talented artists, they aren't half as successful as when they do them. Liza's album was full of their songs but wasn't exactly a barnstorming success.. Closer to Heaven... didn't exacltly set the West End on fire.

I, too, pondered that question many times,but on a more personal note. How come I still love them to death when I almost hate Nightlife and Release? First they were brilliant during 80s: The untouchables. And they occassionally let me have a peek at that brilliance from time to time like in Flamboyant, Hıt and Miss and Radiophonic and I almost feel grateful like a poor drug addict. Yes, silly but true. Second after PSB, no synth band or pop band group satisfies me; whenever I listen to any Kylie or Robbie or Erasure album, I feel myself hanging at the end...and a little bit cheated and turn to PSB again.

But, aside from brilliant music and lyrics, PSB always have a sad aura around everything they touch and this just quizzically makes them infinitely charming...more corporal, more earthly...I have yet to meet any band or singer to whom I can tap my feet, dance, laugh and feel like crying at the same time (at least Always on my mind and I'm not scared do the trick). It must be orchestral arrangements, autumn-like sound and Neil's voice, I guess.

A plus point on the Boys' side is that their album songs are very strong, sometimes better but always close to singles. Unlike many others who pick up one or two killer songs as singles where you can flush the rest into your sewage with due respect.

Hey great post dreamcatcher... do you reckon we'll all need addiction therapy once they do finally hang up their boots... or just the Samaratans number at hand ? Funny how each one of their albums has a resonance with a particular event for me...
please - GCSE's... Introspective... a levels.... Behaviour ... uni... etc... even the imminent release of Fundamental will probably become a marker for some other event.... best hope that they never retire otherwise I'll be a bit stuck ! JS

Rather than an addiction therapy, I would go for more and more eclectic listening behaviours to make up the vacuum inside me

They like what they do and they get along very well....

For me it's not only the music. They have an individual charisma, when combined makes a very good potion. The banter between them that I often read in Literally is like almost a comedy double act!
I love the kitchen-sink style music too!!

They write good songs and can I just say, Cliff Richard does not reinvent himself! He usually releases an album a year of crap covers around Christmas for the greys (same for Daniel O'Donnell )

Nice weather for the time of year isn't it?

joe stalin wrote:Steve... fair point..... so if they do as you state write such brilliant tracks.. why is it that when their songs are performed by other, probably more talented artists, they aren't half as successful as when they do them. Liza's album was full of their songs but wasn't exactly a barnstorming success.. Closer to Heaven... didn't exacltly set the West End on fire.

First point: There seems to be no relationship between great musicianship and the ability to write great songs. Infact, most of the truly great songwriters I can think of have been mediocre musicians at best, while most of the prodigical musicians haven't been able to write a tune to save their lives.

Second point: PSB are infact great songwriters. In my opinion they're the best there's ever been, but I will concede that that is totally a matter of personal taste.

Third point: The fact that other artists haven't had great success with PSB songs proves just as little as the fact that PSB haven't been very succesful chartwise for a number of years. Commercial succes and artistic succes are two very different things. To achieve commercial succes you have to be able to deliver something that's in tune with the times on several levels. PSB did that in the 80's, they don't these days.