Go West [1992 Twelve-Inch Mix][#] - Pet Shop Boys, Belolo, Henri
Forever in Love [#]
Confidential [Demo for Tina]
Hey, Headmaster
Shamless
Too Many People
I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing [Seven-inch Version]
Violence [Haçienda Version]
Falling [Demo for Kylie][#]
Decadence
If Love Were All - Pet Shop Boys, Coward, Noel
Absolutely Fabulous [Single Version]
Euroboy
Some Speculation
Yesterday, When I Was Mad [Single Version]
Girls and Boys [Live in Rio] - Pet Shop Boys, Albarn, Damon
Ask people what their favorite Pet Shop Boys album is, and their answers will vary--but ask people what the most important Pet Shop Boys album is, and 9 out of 10 West End girls will say Very. The snide ambiguities that ch... more »urned behind prior PSB posturings were ripped away on this release, with Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe finally pulling more than punches. Self-awareness is one of the major themes on Very, with "Yesterday When I Was Mad," showing the band could send up themselves as well as their friends and lovers; meanwhile, "I Wouldn't Normally Do This Type of Thing" both carries one of the Boys' best melody lines and serves as one of their most literal confessions. There's also a more threatening, foreboding tone to the record as set by the opening "Can You Forgive Her" and the closing Village People cover, "Go West." Originally an anthem leading gay men to San Francisco's promised land, the Pet Shop Boys' version is delivered from the beleaguered trenches in the war against AIDS. The results are as ominous as they are brilliant. --Steve Gdula« less
Ask people what their favorite Pet Shop Boys album is, and their answers will vary--but ask people what the most important Pet Shop Boys album is, and 9 out of 10 West End girls will say Very. The snide ambiguities that churned behind prior PSB posturings were ripped away on this release, with Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe finally pulling more than punches. Self-awareness is one of the major themes on Very, with "Yesterday When I Was Mad," showing the band could send up themselves as well as their friends and lovers; meanwhile, "I Wouldn't Normally Do This Type of Thing" both carries one of the Boys' best melody lines and serves as one of their most literal confessions. There's also a more threatening, foreboding tone to the record as set by the opening "Can You Forgive Her" and the closing Village People cover, "Go West." Originally an anthem leading gay men to San Francisco's promised land, the Pet Shop Boys' version is delivered from the beleaguered trenches in the war against AIDS. The results are as ominous as they are brilliant. --Steve Gdula
CD Reviews
This Is The Best
Chris D. | Ocean Grove, NJ | 02/28/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
""Very" is, without a doubt, my favorite PSB album. There is just not one weak track on the whole thing. From "Can You Forgive Her?" to "Go West" (which is the finale on the current tour), it has a consistency of excellence lacking on most albums. My favorite tracks are probably "One In A Million," "I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind Of Thing" (why do the Boys have this habit of using such long, unwieldy song titles?) and "Go West," which is just plain fun to listen to. None of the other tracks are far behind. If you must own one PSB album, this is the one to get. It's scary how nearly flawless this album is (it's just too bad that "Shameless" was not included on it). Irresistably upbeat and full of hooks, great melodies, sharp lyrics and dance beats that only the Pet Shop Boys can do this well, it remains one of my all-time favorites. I even buy used copies (when I can find them) for my friends; it is really that good. Stop reading reviews and buy it already."
Nothing could get better than this. . .
Drew | 02/09/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If ever there was an album which rendered every one of its songs a potential hit single, 'Very' takes the cake. Blending both smart-alec and sentimental lyrics with the catchiest pop hooks, the Pet Shop Boys have truly packed a veritable punch against the pop establishment. Almost immediately, anybody who hears this album for the first time, is taken aback by the intensely mood-driven and extraordinary lyrics and subject matter set to simple, albeit boy-bandish hooks and rhythms. Before this album, the Boys had consistently obscured themselves behind a veil of listless apathy and cold, icy indifference. But with 'Very,' Neil and Chris (wisely) decided to expose their vulnerability and inner-most emotions. In fact, 'Very would prove to be a watershed moment for them, leading to more intimate and mature records. The major highlights of this album include the subtle, yet in-your-face mischief of "Can You Forgive Her", a sneaky and taunting tale of a faux-straight closet queen; "Liberation," an idealistic love song set to one of the Boys' sweetest and most melodic soundtracks; the foreboding "Dreaming of the Queen," which is a haunting and eerie testament to AIDS; "To Speak is a Sin," a rather dark and cryptic "back-alley" portrayal of the gay underworld; the brazen and audacious "screw showbusiness" approach to "Yesterday, When I was Mad; and the beat-driven anecdote of juvinility in "Young Offender." Yet the ultimate showstopper to this record is the song for which this album is most remembered: "Go West." Upon first listen, one would think this to be a simple, perhaps perfunctory call for Utopia, first appealed for by the Village People. But upon realization, one discovers that the Pet Shop Boys have turned it on its head into a haunting and bizarrely moving requiem to those who have been taken by AIDS. What makes this song so eerie and yet poignant, is Tennant's weak, thin voice set up against pop grandeur. In fact, Tennant's voice conjures up that of a weak and wounded "soldier," trying to bring hope to compatriots lying dead all around him in a field, yet knowing all along that he and his countrymen have lost the War against AIDS.
All in all, this album showcases the best of what the Boys have accomplished in their career. Even though the Boys have been vastly underappreciated here in the States, they have proven themselves over and over again to the world as both innovators to be wreckoned with, and incredibly talented songwriters.
"
Such an appropriate title.
Jesse Schutz | Minneapolis, MN | 09/30/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Although I believe 1990's "Behaviour" to be Pet Shop Boys greatest offering to date, "Very" remains my personal favorite to this day.
I was 17 when I bought my first PSB album. I bought two at once. I bought them at Kmart. "Discography" and "Very".
I was taking a gamble. At that time I only knew the songs "West End Girls" and "Suburbia".
But I am so happy I bought them. Particularly with "Very". Aside from Discography or PopArt, this is a great album for people who are curious about the Pet Shop Boys. It's just a great pop album, I love every single track - every one.
I highly recommend to those who are only vaguely familiar with their music, and are considering owning something of theirs. This is the album to test the waters. And you'll love it!"
The Original, Plus the Re-Issue
Matthew Gladney | Champaign-Urbana, IL USA | 08/06/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
""Very" has got to rank as nearly the best Pet Shop Boys album ever made. Perhaps "Behavior", their 1990 masterpiece, has slightly more poignant lyrics, but it is "Very" which manages to meld together vocal, lyrical, and musical excellence. The re-issue, though probably a waste of money for the long-time collector, features some hard-to-find gems that are worth the extra few dollars, if you do not already own them. "Very" is a full-on, throbbing, delicate, fever-pitched album which flows together seamlessly. From the opening number of "Can You Forgive Her?", to the shameless "I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing", to the somber "To Speak Is a Sin", and the grand finale of "Go West", the Pet Shop Boys have crafted a collection of nearly every emotion represented, every sound utilized. It is marvelous. The style of music is somewhat dated as early-nineties "techno" (sort of), but it is the quality of its production, lyrics, and sequencing which propels it into the stratosphere of sublime pop recording. Hmmm, wonder if I like it? The album has been re-issued in July of 2001, fully-remasted (though it didn't really need to be), and accompanied by a bonus disc entitled "Further listening". The bonus disc comprises demos, various remixes, and alternate versions of songs from the "Very" period, some material making its release debut on the CD. This is part of the mass re-issue of the Pet Shop Boys' first six albums, "Very" being the sixth. The main problem is this: If you have been a Pet Shop Boys fan for awhile, as I have, the bonus disc for "Very" isn't anything new. It has, out of the five other re-issued albums, the least amount of 'unreleased material', and consists mostly of b-sides. The b-sides from this period were already released in 1995, and help to make-up their "Alternative" collection. There is nothing wrong with them, persay, it is just that they are some of the more recent and readily accessible works of the Boys. And "Very", the most recent re-issue, really wasn't in need of re-mastering. If, however, you are a relatively new Pet Shop Boys fan, and do *not* have any of the material on the bonus disc, then by all means purchase it. It contains music of outstanding depth and quality, and if you haven't even experienced "Very" itself yet, then now is most certainly the time."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1