Pet Shop Boys Community

That time in 2012 when I thought these fake Elysium leaks were real, and they ended up sounding better than 90% of real Elysium songs haha!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hg25d0Db35A

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rzPr0z6mZnk

That crude imperial march bit on the trumpet is hilarious.
I think it's real, guys!

Elysium is easily their most underrated album. Remove Winner and Ego Music and it's absolutely gorgeous.

Their best-produced album too, by some measure.

Remember when Neil got punk’d with this?

https://youtube.com/watch?v=SvBc8q_5k_c&ra=m

I would like to find the song that was played before the release of fundamental. That was a joke but rather ok in my opinion,at the time.

Greetings,

jules wrote: Wed 29 Apr 2026, 7:17 pm I would like to find the song that was played before the release of fundamental. That was a joke but rather ok in my opinion,at the time.

There were a bunch of (4?) fake "Minimal" mixes... are they the ones you're thinking of?

Retro.

NotInvisible wrote: Wed 29 Apr 2026, 3:58 pm Elysium is easily their most underrated album. Remove Winner and Ego Music and it's absolutely gorgeous.

Their best-produced album too, by some measure.

Agree 100% and said at time of release that one day this would be reevaluated as one of their finer albums.

I don't even mind Winner and Ego Music!

Speaking of being punk'd by an album release I remember downloading New Order's "Waiting for the Sirens Call" (I did buy it legit eventually) and it was all there except for Dracula's Castle which was an entirely different song from what was actually on the album. However, whatever it was apparently was convincing enough, as I listened to it for some considerable time before eventually hearing the proper track completely unaware it was not New Order. I do recall thinking it was a somewhat unusual track and it didn't sound like Bernard Sumner, but thought perhaps somebody else had taken on vocal duties, which wasn't an unreasonable assumption given they also had other legit guest vocalists before.

Elysium is wonderful, and I agree Winner and Ego Music can stay (for my listening sessions, at least :=)

It's probably the last album to capture Neil's voice up close and with warmth. Everything since has been either cold, distant or scratchy.

verbow79 wrote: Wed 29 Apr 2026, 2:24 am That time in 2012 when I thought these fake Elysium leaks were real, and they ended up sounding better than 90% of real Elysium songs haha!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hg25d0Db35A

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rzPr0z6mZnk

Is the first one Russell Mael? I love Sparks (sorry, Neil) but I don’t recognise the song.

retrofuturist wrote: Thu 30 Apr 2026, 1:53 am Greetings,

jules wrote: Wed 29 Apr 2026, 7:17 pm I would like to find the song that was played before the release of fundamental. That was a joke but rather ok in my opinion,at the time.

There were a bunch of (4?) fake "Minimal" mixes... are they the ones you're thinking of?

Retro.

No it was before any song was released. Maybe it was a fake from
erasure but i don't know if it was a joke or not.

NotInvisible wrote: Wed 29 Apr 2026, 3:58 pm Elysium is easily their most underrated album. Remove Winner and Ego Music and it's absolutely gorgeous.

Their best-produced album too, by some measure.

I've been saying for years it's a very underrated one and will be reassessed much more favourably later. I rather like Ego music, although it may not fit on the album. Personally I would remove Winner and Everything means something. The latter sounds like something Depeche Mode farted out on a bad day.

daveid wrote: Fri 01 May 2026, 8:19 pm

NotInvisible wrote: Wed 29 Apr 2026, 3:58 pm Elysium is easily their most underrated album. Remove Winner and Ego Music and it's absolutely gorgeous.

Their best-produced album too, by some measure.

I've been saying for years it's a very underrated one and will be reassessed much more favourably later. I rather like Ego music, although it may not fit on the album. Personally I would remove Winner and Everything means something. The latter sounds like something Depeche Mode farted out on a bad day.

Everything Means Something is an odd one - I was listening to it the other day, and it's a bit Marmite for me. I don't particularly like the dirgy verses, but the choruses have some significant emotional impact. It's as if there's a really amazing track in there waiting to get out, but as you say, in fart terms it's just a disappointing parp, when it could have been a silent but deadly.

Gabby wrote: Fri 01 May 2026, 10:36 pm

daveid wrote: Fri 01 May 2026, 8:19 pm

NotInvisible wrote: Wed 29 Apr 2026, 3:58 pm Elysium is easily their most underrated album. Remove Winner and Ego Music and it's absolutely gorgeous.

Their best-produced album too, by some measure.

I've been saying for years it's a very underrated one and will be reassessed much more favourably later. I rather like Ego music, although it may not fit on the album. Personally I would remove Winner and Everything means something. The latter sounds like something Depeche Mode farted out on a bad day.

Everything Means Something is an odd one - I was listening to it the other day, and it's a bit Marmite for me. I don't particularly like the dirgy verses, but the choruses have some significant emotional impact. It's as if there's a really amazing track in there waiting to get out, but as you say, in fart terms it's just a disappointing parp, when it could have been a silent but deadly.

Imo, Everything means something is a masterpiece while i don't like dm very much.
Memory of the futur is a much more popular song but it sounds to me less impressive.

An Andrew Dawson produced version Monkey Business would have been the good version

Before anything else, I want to say that what I'm about to write is just my humble opinion. I'm not trying to be the authority. I think Pets had a good album with *Release*... Before they chose the tracklist, I don't know if they were high on drugs. With *Fundamental*, they got closer to what Pets were, and with *Yes*, they arrived. The best album since Very. And people supported it. I remember someone made a mistake and released the album on a Saturday when the charts still ran from Monday to Sunday. With those 2,500 copies they sold, they would have sold more than 30,000. Much more than with their last three albums, and they would have been number two. A much better chart result than with their last three albums. After this, I think they were in very good form, to the point of having enough songs for two albums. If they had released one in 2013, it would have been a glorious album. However, they released two, and for me, neither of them is among their greatest albums. And I think that's logical. Being able to release two quality albums is already an achievementBut for me, ELYSIUM is his worst album, and Electric is considerably better, but it's still not close to his best. I don't think ELYSIUM will redeem itself if it hasn't already, 14 years later. I think the same about it now as I did in 2012. It's not the same as Behaviour, which came out when I was 15. And I appreciate it much more with time. The age at which most of us discovered ELYSIUM is sufficient to appreciate it, and I think if a poll were done among fans, it would come in last. And I respect that there are people who value it highly. Of course. That gives the album more value. It resonates with people in ways it doesn't with me. But if I think it would come in last in a poll about his albums, there's a reason for it.