Pet Shop Boys Community

What would be the tracklisting for a 'second Alternative' album?

Well it gets tricky by the end. I'm going to consider any actual studio song to be a B side (as Alternative did with Violence (Hacienda version). I'm discounting remixes and live tracks - although the Japanese Alternative put Girls & Boys (live in Rio) on the second disc. Which works for me because it's a new song. The proper sequencing IMO is CD1/CD2/DVD for determining track order. I'm discounting all releases aside from official singles and including London. By my reckoning there are 63 B sides.

The truck driver and his mate
Hit and miss
In the night 1995*
Betrayed
How I learned to hate rock and roll
The calm before the storm
Confidential
The boy who couldn't keep his clothes on
Delusions of grandeur
The view from your balcony
Silver age
Screaming
Je t'aime ... moi non plus
The ghost of myself
Casting a shadow
Lies
Sail away
Sexy northerner
Always
Break 4 love (UK radio edit) **
Searching for the face of Jesus
Between two islands
Friendly fire
Positive role model
We're the Pet Shop Boys
Transparent
I didn't get where I am today
The resurrectionist
Girls don't cry

* Violence (Hacienda version) rule comes into effect here.
** Possibly controversial. Picked the UK radio edit instead of the others.

patrick wrote:Well it gets tricky by the end. I'm going to consider any actual studio song to be a B side (as Alternative did with Violence (Hacienda version). I'm discounting remixes and live tracks - although the Japanese Alternative put Girls & Boys (live in Rio) on the second disc. Which works for me because it's a new song. The proper sequencing IMO is CD1/CD2/DVD for determining track order. I'm discounting all releases aside from official singles and including London. By my reckoning there are 63 B sides.

The truck driver and his mate
Hit and miss
In the night 1995*
Betrayed
How I learned to hate rock and roll
The calm before the storm
Confidential
The boy who couldn't keep his clothes on
Delusions of grandeur
The view from your balcony
Silver age
Screaming
Je t'aime ... moi non plus
The ghost of myself
Casting a shadow
Lies
Sail away
Sexy northerner
Always
Break 4 love (UK radio edit) **
Searching for the face of Jesus
Between two islands
Friendly fire
Positive role model
We're the Pet Shop Boys
Transparent
I didn't get where I am today
The resurrectionist
Girls don't cry

* Violence (Hacienda version) rule comes into effect here.
** Possibly controversial. Picked the UK radio edit instead of the others.

I made an absolute version.
It is in MP3 format cos I got fed up of keep revising it.
I also have a version of PopArt called Definitive PopArt

I might make this up as PopArt Alternative (geddit?)
My tiny MP3 player (128MB) has more b-sides on it than a-sides. I like more of the b-sides than the singles.

Can someone put this list into Pop and Art categories? I am too fussy and want a general opinion! LOL. Thanks

This is how I would do it:

Pop
The truck driver and his mate
Hit and miss
In the night 1995
Confidential
The boy who couldn't keep his clothes on
The view from your balcony
Disco potential*
Screaming
The ghost of myself
Casting a shadow
Always
Break 4 love (UK radio edit)
Between two islands
Positive role model
I didn't get where I am today

Art
Betrayed
How I learned to hate rock and roll
The calm before the storm
Delusions of grandeur
Silver age
Je t'aime ... moi non plus
Lies
Sail away
Sexy northerner
Searching for the face of Jesus
Friendly fire
We're the Pet Shop Boys
Transparent
The resurrectionist
Girls don't cry

I'm not sure about these choices though. I think Pop should be the more upbeat songs as well as the obvious love songs. Art should generally have all the political commentary, the less commercial hooks and the stories. I'd also completely resequence them...

It's like fantasy football!

* Realized I left this off the original list!

My ipod playlist of Alternative 2 also includes:

It Doesn't Always Snow...
Closer To heaven (slow version)
Paris City Boy
Tranquilizer

just cos I can.

patrick wrote:Well it gets tricky by the end. I'm going to consider any actual studio song to be a B side (as Alternative did with Violence (Hacienda version). I'm discounting remixes and live tracks - although the Japanese Alternative put Girls & Boys (live in Rio) on the second disc. Which works for me because it's a new song. The proper sequencing IMO is CD1/CD2/DVD for determining track order. I'm discounting all releases aside from official singles and including London. By my reckoning there are 63 B sides.

The truck driver and his mate
Hit and miss
In the night 1995*
Betrayed
How I learned to hate rock and roll
The calm before the storm
Confidential
The boy who couldn't keep his clothes on
Delusions of grandeur
The view from your balcony
Silver age
Screaming
Je t'aime ... moi non plus
The ghost of myself
Casting a shadow
Lies
Sail away
Sexy northerner
Always
Break 4 love (UK radio edit) **
Searching for the face of Jesus
Between two islands
Friendly fire
Positive role model
We're the Pet Shop Boys
Transparent
I didn't get where I am today
The resurrectionist
Girls don't cry

* Violence (Hacienda version) rule comes into effect here.
** Possibly controversial. Picked the UK radio edit instead of the others.

You've missed one of their worst songs, "Nightlife".

joncool5 wrote:You've missed one of their worst songs, "Nightlife".

You're right - it should go after Always. Why are the Nightlife era recordings so bad? Surely their nadir. Good to see they're back on top form now!

I would nix In the night 1995 if for any other reason than the fact that I'm tired of it cropping up so much. I'll even throw in the examples of I want to wake up 1993 mix or whatever it was called and West End girls (sasha mix) to try to trump your Violence rule, which, IMHO, should not have made Alternative.

I would also axe Je T'aime, as, technically, wasn't this a Sam Taylor-Wood song that they collaborated with her on? I'll call this The Absolutely Dubulous rule.

You could lump Break 4 Love into that rule, but I guess I could see it, myself.....

Kirk Mack wrote:I would nix In the night 1995 if for any other reason than the fact that I'm tired of it cropping up so much. I'll even throw in the examples of I want to wake up 1993 mix or whatever it was called and West End girls (sasha mix) to try to trump your Violence rule, which, IMHO, should not have made Alternative.

But isn't Violence a completely new recording whereas the other two are remixes?

I would also axe Je T'aime, as, technically, wasn't this a Sam Taylor-Wood song that they collaborated with her on?

One of the most infuriating things about the Nightlife B sides is that in addition to generally not being any good we get three tracks we'd already had from other releases! And then they top it off with pointless live recordings. Madness!

You could lump Break 4 Love into that rule, but I guess I could see it, myself.....

No idea why this ended up on a PSB single myself...

patrick wrote:

You could lump Break 4 Love into that rule, but I guess I could see it, myself.....

No idea why this ended up on a PSB single myself...

It has not been released in Europe. At least, not in a big scale.

Where did "I didn't get where I am today" appear as a b-side?
Did I miss that?

Debussy wrote:Where did "I didn't get where I am today" appear as a b-side?
Did I miss that?

Flamboyant.

Duh!
The only single release I havent bought cos I dont like it.

note to self.... get s.h.o.p.p.i.n.g now

patrick wrote:This is how I would do it:

Pop
The truck driver and his mate
Hit and miss
In the night 1995
Confidential
The boy who couldn't keep his clothes on
The view from your balcony
Disco potential*
Screaming
The ghost of myself
Casting a shadow
Always
Break 4 love (UK radio edit)
Between two islands
Positive role model
I didn't get where I am today

Art
Betrayed
How I learned to hate rock and roll
The calm before the storm
Delusions of grandeur
Silver age
Je t'aime ... moi non plus
Lies
Sail away
Sexy northerner
Searching for the face of Jesus
Friendly fire
We're the Pet Shop Boys
Transparent
The resurrectionist
Girls don't cry

I'm not sure about these choices though. I think Pop should be the more upbeat songs as well as the obvious love songs. Art should generally have all the political commentary, the less commercial hooks and the stories. I'd also completely resequence them...

It's like fantasy football!

* Realized I left this off the original list!

Thanks, by resequence what do you mean...enhance the recording?
I'll commission you LOL.

Which one for 'Nightlife' then?

patrick wrote:

joncool5 wrote:You've missed one of their worst songs, "Nightlife".

You're right - it should go after Always. Why are the Nightlife era recordings so bad? Surely their nadir. Good to see they're back on top form now!

I don't think it's bad. I really love Silver age, Je T'aime, The ghost of myself...