Pet Shop Boys Community

I say genuine because when I ask it will seem like a fanboy bias is leading me to wave my love for the PSB disregarding all rational thought... or something. Nevertheless, I sincerely believe that the PSB are the most underrated band in the world right now. I say right now because yes, they were one of the most popular bands in the 80's, and they only had half that decade to work it. But now, with Fundamental selling a million worldwide(respectable, yes, and I do understand relative figures and comparing them to say, U2 or Madonna makes any number sound like small potatoes) and Release and Nightlife and Bilingual doing similar, they definitely don't seem to be getting the recognition they deserve. That's not what I want to discuss though, I mean, of course we all know how great they are and why they deserve success, I think most of us get it. But is there a band that has been banished from the radio nowadays(at least in North America) that was as big as the Pet Shop Boys were? I hear songs from the 80's all the time that were never as big as West End girls, let alone all their ensuing hits. It's not even as much a question as being underrated as it is they are being ignored. Yes, their recent albums have sold around a million to 2 million back to Behaviour(minus the Go West anomaly; Very would have done similar), but that is largely attributed to their fanbase, as everything they release makes a dent in its first week, then falls out of mass consciousness. No matter how good a product they produce(Minimal anyone?) it's ignored because the PSB are a damaged brand, for whatever reason. But I did use question in my title, and I hope I didn't ramble too much, so I'm asking is there a band out there you consider is getting less just desserts than the PSB?

erm Erasure ?

i think Erasure has got all the exposure they deserve.. sometimes i feel sad when i realize how much my friends are missing out on the world of the Pet Shop Boys..

Other than PSB, i think i'd vote for Lime and Bobby O related artists(though most of his bands were shortlived).

I think Psb are very respected among music critics and muscisians. There just aren't enough people like us on this planet. I think Robbie Williams "She's Madonna" proved that generally people don't appreciate the beautiful melancholy that is the main essence (at least for me) in Psb music. And there are others bands...Saint Etienne for example never sold millions either.

do you have a source for the Fundamental sales ?

In answer to your question I do think PSBs are fantastically underated, but so are many artists, many of whom have had less success. It just seems bizarre that a lot of the popular acts such as U2 are so mediocre

But is there a band that has been banished from the radio nowadays(at least in North America) that was as big as the Pet Shop Boys were?

Off the top of my head, and I admit I am horribly biased: The Human League. Their 2001 album got glowing reviews from just about everywhere, yet the lead single just scraped into the top 50 and the album did nothing.

Also many people are afraid of what others think. Psb are laughed at for being camp and gay, so you need guts to have "Fundamental" in your cd collection. U2 is ok to like, nobody will think you're weird for liking them.

... and Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado and so on. U2 are actually my second favourite, but I'll let it slide. It makes perfect sense actually, Mcdonalds is the biggest food chain because it sells easily satisfying foods most everyone can agree on. Pet Shop Boys are more a roast duck with orange sauce, widely considered superior to a cheap hamburger, but not as widely consumed for sure. The smartening up of the general public is taking its time, obviously, and perhaps going backwards. As for sale sources, I've just seen them pop up in threads on this site here and there. I'm not citing for a paper here, just putting out generally accepted figures to fatten my ramble.

Erasure?

I wish people would use paragraphs

And I wish people with nothing to say would say nothing.

Yes, the Human League! I don't have any albums but I've heard some hits here and there, and if a PSB fan ranks their quality alongside the PSB, I'll have to check them out. Thanks.

For the people mentioning Erasure: that band has never been anywhere near as big as PSB, especially in the USA, and the original question specified a band "that was as big as the Pet Shop Boys were".

The original question also stated that the band in question should be one that was getting "less just desserts than the PSB", and I think a lot of us would say that Erasure have got way more success than their talent merited

[EDIT: since I mentioned The Human League, anyone who likes their music ought to check this site which contains lots of really good fan remixes of their songs. And yes, it is sanctioned by the band, so it's all legit ]

whateverman42 wrote:And I wish people with nothing to say would say nothing.

Yes, the Human League! I don't have any albums but I've heard some hits here and there, and if a PSB fan ranks their quality alongside the PSB, I'll have to check them out. Thanks.

If I could actually read your intital post without either using a ruler or getting sore eyes, then maybe, and just maybe, I would have something to say, but I my lord, may I say nothing.

but I my lord, may I say nothing.

... which takes 2 posts to say... I swear, I'll never understand those who waste their time nitipicking over punctuation, sentence structure, etc. on a forum. If you don't like it, ignore it. Just suck it up buddy, it's not that hard, I almost didn't mention your severe lackage of period in your first post. How will I ever know if your sentence ends? I'm in a perpetual state of limbo thanks to your unfinished thought! It's madness!

Welll, I think your original statement is quite right....but we should realize too that the pop business is very different from what it used to be in the 80s. I think , yes the gay thing hurt their career, but more so maybe in the States than in Europe...Remember the George Michael arrest ..., he was so popular in europe after the toilets accidents...but in the US , he got banned from airplay and his career in the US was dead on the spot.

But as a whole, I think the music tastes are very different in Europe than in the US...look at the latest Madonna CD, if she cannot sell as much as she used to in the US with the POP bomb of Confessions on the Dancefloor, Pet Shop Boys will never do either...But once again in Europe this CD was a best seller. Pop is still very big in Europe ( Mika is number one everywhere !!!) ...but in the US , only R& B and rap can make it big .

Now, you will tell me why PSB are not selling as much as MAdge in Europe...I would say the record company has a big responsibility in this and certainly do not invest as much in PSB as thet do with Madonna.
But i think as Neil said recently, the major issue is that they are 2 middle age men , not very sexy ...and POP needs sex appeal...I would compare them more like to NEW ORDER rather than HUMAN LEAGUE .
New Order like PSB sell both to their fan base and the critics love them too...but the mass commercial success they used to enjoy in the 80s is by far gone and probably for the same reasons. Both bands are widely considered as influencial to the young generation of artists ( killers, Scissor sisters, Robbie..) without selling loads....But I think they are all very happy about that. They had more hits and a back catalogue than most of the artists would die for, they have respect from their peers and the music industry, fans who love them , other artist who want to work for them...
At this stage in a career ( 25 years !) , and with the current state of the business ( illegal downloads, Novelty one hit wonder - Star Academy -POP STARS..), I think they could be happy with what they acheived. Even Prince , Michael or Janet Jackson , found it very tough to have a hit nowadays ( Madge is a class on her own , it seems ..however she is still selling SEX ! ).
Sometimes you can measure success by some other factors than only commercial - mass appeal success and PSB are the clear proof of this !

PET SHOP BOYS ....RESPECT !!!!

PS Oh yeah and I am very happy when I hear they work or collaborate with other artists !,,,usually I love these artists too...so it comforts me with my musical tastes. I simply love intelligent mature POP music...Even if I am gay, I do not fancy PSB ..too old for me ...LOL

Yeah Erasure, Depeche Mode, New Order, the list can go on here.