Tom, You Are So Right about Pet Shop Boys

[cavorting with nudists]

Pet Shop Boys: I love 'em, and am overjoyed to see you giving them their due on Twitter and TBS.

Their DISCOGRAPHY collection is certainly among the greatest best-ofs ever and could have been improved only by trailing late enough to include VERY's "Dreaming of the Queen" and "Go West."

Major props to you, Sir, for hailing their brilliance.

[Paydirt!]

The vastly expanded reissues of their first six albums are all on iTunes for way cheap, which is how I got so severely hooked in the first place. For such a notorious "singles" act, they have a phenomenal strike rate* with their album tracks and even B-sides (which are not all club remixes! They just write too many great songs every year!)

I would recommend the Behaviour LP as a starting point for anyone with hesitations about the world of flashy pop music, as it's largely just some really, really nice songs. Plus the reissue also gives you "Miserablism", probably the best of their "intelligent music criticism distilled into catchy pop hit" songs. But yeah, everything on Discography is a rolled gold winner.

* "batting average"?

[Christina]

Tom is also correct about LCD Soundsystem.

[Pidgeon]

I've recently discovered them, thanks to this thread. I'm loving these songs so, so much. Some of it reminds me of Prefab Sprout but better, and Prefab Sprout is one of my favorite bands.

[JBillington]

One of my favourite bands ever, and one of the first that I really liked. I think the first album that I ever went out and bought with my own money was Disco, not because 11 year old me wanted the extended club versions, but because it was really cheap. I think my generally open and non-snobbish approach to pop music can be partly accredited to my first favourite band being two gay men in suits operating a bank of computer stuff, so when I was 12-13 and heavy metal kids were banging on about 'proper' music involving 'playing your own instruments', I didn't really give a shit. They were the 80s Beatles for me, everyone of those songs till the Very era seemed to be a huge chart dominating hit.

I kind of lost touch around bilingual, but last year's Yes turned out to be pretty great. I saw them live last year on the Pandemonium tour, and those songs and that show were as great as anything I've ever seen.

Chris Lowe is from Blackpool, where I live, so they are kind of local heroes too, though I think when I saw them live he hadn't actually set foot in the town for decades.

EDIT: Clip of the live show from Glastonbury last year
Pet Shop Boys - Heart + Go West @ Glastonbury 2010

[masterofsparks]

Tom is also correct about LCD Soundsystem.

I haven't heard him talk about them and I don't know that I've heard any of their stuff beyond a song or two. What's a good starting point?

I knew someone during college who was a huge Pet Shop Boys fan until he found out they're gay and, in disgust, quit listening to them. Two big, obvious points:

1. Who cares if they're gay?
2. How does this discovery catch ANYONE off-guard?

[Alex_from_the_woods]

Nope. No Pet Shop Boys for me. Thumbs down.

[yesno]

Start with Discography, Singles Collection.

[buffcoat]

Tom is also correct about LCD Soundsystem.

I haven't heard him talk about them and I don't know that I've heard any of their stuff beyond a song or two. What's a good starting point?

I knew someone during college who was a huge Pet Shop Boys fan until he found out they're gay and, in disgust, quit listening to them. Two big, obvious points:

1. Who cares if they're gay?
2. How does this discovery catch ANYONE off-guard?

West End Girls.  Wait, what?

[dave from knoxville]

I've recently discovered them, thanks to this thread. I'm loving these songs so, so much. Some of it reminds me of Prefab Sprout but better, and Prefab Sprout is one of my favorite bands.

Let's have a lovefest! Nightingales is one of my very favorite songs of all time.

[Pidgeon]

I think it was you who introduced me to them in the music thread. I listen to Steve McQueen all the time, and some of the other albums are good, but I'm still ambivalent about listening to that wild west concept album they did.

[Paydirt!]

West End Girls.  Wait, what?

First rap single to go to #1 in the US, or so they claim.

One of my favourite bands ever, and one of the first that I really liked. I think the first album that I ever went out and bought with my own money was Disco, not because 11 year old me wanted the extended club versions, but because it was really cheap. I think my generally open and non-snobbish approach to pop music can be partly accredited to my first favourite band being two gay men in suits operating a bank of computer stuff, so when I was 12-13 and heavy metal kids were banging on about 'proper' music involving 'playing your own instruments', I didn't really give a shit. They were the 80s Beatles for me, everyone of those songs till the Very era seemed to be a huge chart dominating hit.

That is an excellent story. I try not to be a music snob in general but I'm pretty sure I felt some lingering reservations getting chipped away once I started listening to the Pet Shop Boys.

I love that they're so open and straightforward and go into so much detail about their creative process. You forget that it's not just a guy being all arch and clever over the top of a catchy song that their computer coughed up -- synth pop is hard work!

[Christina]

I haven't heard him talk about them and I don't know that I've heard any of their stuff beyond a song or two. What's a good starting point?

He played an LCD song last week too! First album's a good place to start - it's self titled. That's the one w/Daft Punk is Playing at my House, which I feel like is the one song people have probably heard. I haven't heard his new one, or any of the 8 billion singles and remixes he's done.

[yesno]

Sound of Silver is one of the best albums in many years.  This Is Happening is also very good. Not as good, but still very good.  It is annoying how good they are at doing what they do.  Like a lot of WFMU people, James Murphy is a cool guy/record store nerd that actually has talent.

I saw LCD Soundsystem at Red Rocks.  They were excellent, but everyone was there for Arcade Fire.

[masterofsparks]

I just listened to "All My Friends." I will be purchasing several of their albums.