The Way It Used To Be [Left Of Love Dub] [Version] - Pet Shop Boys, Coler
All Over The World [This Is A Dub] [Version]
Vulnerable [Public Eye Dub] [Version]
Love Etc. [Beautiful Dub] [Version]
Limited Japanese two CD pressing of the 2009 album from the British Electronic duo includes one bonus track (the PSB Sex Mix of 'Love, Etc.') plus a bonus disc containing one non-album track and six remixes of tracks from... more » Yes. In what is surely the Pop collaboration of 2009, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe have teamed up with the hit production team Xenomania (Girls Aloud, Sugababes, Gabriella Cilmi, etc.) for this release. As usual, Neil and Chris have handled the majority of the songwriting though there are three co-writes on the album plus a little assistance from Tchaikovsky on 'All Over The world'. Why not let the boys describe it themselves? 'This album is amazing and it was great working with Xenomania!' (Chris). 'It's a fantastic, wide-ranging, Pop record.' (Neil). Includes contributions from Johnny Marr (Smiths, Modest Mouse) and string arranger Owen Pallett (Arcade Fire, Last Shadow Puppets). Features the first single 'Love Etc'. EMI.« less
Limited Japanese two CD pressing of the 2009 album from the British Electronic duo includes one bonus track (the PSB Sex Mix of 'Love, Etc.') plus a bonus disc containing one non-album track and six remixes of tracks from Yes. In what is surely the Pop collaboration of 2009, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe have teamed up with the hit production team Xenomania (Girls Aloud, Sugababes, Gabriella Cilmi, etc.) for this release. As usual, Neil and Chris have handled the majority of the songwriting though there are three co-writes on the album plus a little assistance from Tchaikovsky on 'All Over The world'. Why not let the boys describe it themselves? 'This album is amazing and it was great working with Xenomania!' (Chris). 'It's a fantastic, wide-ranging, Pop record.' (Neil). Includes contributions from Johnny Marr (Smiths, Modest Mouse) and string arranger Owen Pallett (Arcade Fire, Last Shadow Puppets). Features the first single 'Love Etc'. EMI.
CD Reviews
Yes please, actually
Westley | Stuck in my head | 04/09/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've seen a number of magazine reviews of Pet Shop Boy's new CD, "Yes," claiming that it's their best since "Nightlife" (1999) or even "Very" (1993). I was skeptical at first; however, after repeated listens, I have to agree. Now, I love pretty much everything PSB do, but "Yes" is pretty spectacular, with a heavy emphasis on lush vocals and strings layered over dance beats, which is the sound that made me such a fan of PSBs back in the 1980s.
The first single is the upbeat "Love Etc." The song is about the hollowness of living the material life without love; certainly a well-worn topic, but the boys manage to craft a solid single. The song has a catchy if repetitive chorus - You need more/ you need more/ you need more/ you need loooooove. I prefer the verses, with background singers chanting phrases like "don't have to have" leading into Neil enumerating various trappings of money, such as "a house in Beverly Hills." I have to admit that I don't find "Love Etc." to be the most original PSB single, but I do like it. In the U.K., the boys continue to have solid success. "Love Etc." debuted at #14 on the singles charts, continuing their trend of top 20 hits (only two of their singles have ever peaked lower - "Was It Worth It" in 1991 and "Numb" in 2006).
My favorite song on "Yes" is the lush, mid-tempo "King of Rome," which reminds me of some of their slower moments from the "Behaviour" era, such as "Only the Wind" or "To Face the Truth." The melody is beautiful and Neil's vocals positively throb with melancholia. I also love the danceable "All Over the World," which is probably the most stereotypically PSB song on the CD. Sampling Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker," the song is upbeat, joyous, and a bit over the top in the tradition of other great PSB anthems. It's another one of their (very successful) attempts to put "Debussy to a disco beat" - well in this case it's Tchaikovsky. The third song I'd like to highlight is "Beautiful People." Not many fans seem to be talking about this song, but I think it's an amazing track. Neil's vocals have rarely sounded better, and the song is fresh while also blending perfectly into the other material on "Yes." By the way, the second single is rumored to be the extremely chipper "Did You See Me Coming?" which features a very catchy chorus, although it's not one of my favorite songs.
Much has been made of the fact that "Yes" was co-produced by British hit-meisters Xenophobia (Sugababes, Girls Aloud). I honestly don't know enough about their work to know how much "Yes" sounds like their typical output. However, "Yes" sounds like a great PSB CD, so fans needn't worry that "Yes" tries too hard to sound ultra-current. In fact, "Yes" most reminds me of 1990s "Behaviour," which also happens to be one of my favorite PSB CDs. Neil and Chris have never, imo, put out a bad CD, so I knew I'd like "Yes." However, I'm finding that I'm listening to and enjoying it far more than I did "Fundamental" and "Release."
The second disk ("Etc.") contains remixes of several songs from "Yes" (More Than a Dream, Pandemonium, The Way It Used to Be, All Over the World, Vulnerable, Love Etc.) and one new song. The remixes are uniformly good and quite varied. The new song is "This Used to be the Future," which according to some sources was originally scheduled to be included on "Yes." It would have sounded right at home, although it's a bit more electro than some of the other music. The song features vocals by Neil and Chris as well as Phil Oakey of Human League! They sound great on the song, giving it a weird futuristic feeling. The higher purchase price for the two-disk "Yes Etc." is well worth it.
"
Yes The Boys are back with their best effort since Behaviour
Lost In 80's | Melbourne, AU | 04/11/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Yes the Pet Shop Boys are one of the very few bands that have delivered consistently good pop records for 25 years. And yes, Yes is one their best albums they have made in that time, dare I say it at least as good as Behaviour. There's great depth here, fantastic dance tracks, majestic melancholy and just brilliant pop music that fit almost as well into today's scene as it would have done 2 decades ago.
There's much for 80's music fans to love; the infectious Did You See Me Coming would not be out of place on a New Order record; Vulnerable could have been lifted straight off Behaviour, but equally Love etc and Pandemonium amongst others could have come at any point since. Amazingly, but perhaps not surprisingly, all the songs on Yes are excellent. My favourite track is King Of Rome, it has that Jealousy feel to it; melancholy in spades; Neil's haunting voice losing nothing in all this time.
20 years ago Yes would have hit the number 1 spot with ease, many of tracks would have got to number 1 in the singles chart too had they been released. Would that be the case now, I wish - where is quality today, so lacking in an "Idle" world?
This record deserves a wide audience. If you have not discovered the Pet Shop Boys start here and then buy Behaviour, then Please, Actually and Fundamental. You will be rewarded.
If you can grab the extraordinary 2CD limited edition Yes, etc. as it seems to be disappearing fast. The bonus disc contains a brilliant duet of Neil and Philip Oakey on This Used To Be The Future - it's PSB meets Human League to brilliant effect. The remaining dub versions of More Than A Dream (Magical dub), Pandemonium (Stars & Sun dub), The Way It Used To Be (Left of Love dub), All Over The World (This is a dub), Vulnerable (Public Eye dub) and Love etc. (Beautiful dub) are all outstanding.
For me the purchase of West End Girls at a record shop off Oxford Street back in the late 80's led to a journey around the world which lasted 20 years and continues today. Yes takes me back over that time, it is on my iPod now and I know I will play it repeatedly over the coming weeks and months."
Return to Greatness
B. Gause | San Diego, CA United States | 03/25/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Though they never strayed far from greatness, this is certainly a return. What an album. Get the 2CD for the remixes, too. I've been a fan since the late 80s and this is their best since Very."
The 2-Disc Edition...
D. A. Yurkovich | Los Angeles, California | 05/30/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Initially wrote a review for this and did not like disc one very much. But like most PSB material, this one has really grwon me. Revised comments appear within the original review below in UPPERCASE.
A solid follow up, but a bit lacking as compared with 2006's FUNDAMENTAL. Solid material, with a half-dozen or so instant gems (Love Etc., All Over the World, Did You See Me Coming, The Way It Used to Be, More Than a Dream) and several tracks that sound as if they were recorded just to fill the track list (Pandemonium, Beautiful People, Legacy, Vulnerable, Building a Wall). [SEE, NOW MOST OF THESE ARE TERRIFIC SONGS; JUST TOOK A FEW LISTENS TO REALLY BECOME INTOXICATED WITH THEM. PANEDMONIUM IN PARTICULAR IS AMAZING PSB.] A few of these are as bad as Young Offender (from many years back) and sound as if they were slapped together quite quickly. [THIS REALLY APPLIES TO 'BUILDING A WALL' WHICH, IN RETROSPECT, IS THE ONLY TRACK NOT UP TO PAR WITH THE OTHERS.] But the good material more than compensates for a few weaker tracks.
The two-disc edition (extremely overpriced, unfortunately) includes a half-dozen remixes, and these are simply amazing. The Pandemonium dub mix is fantastic. It should have been on disc 1 as it far exceeds that version. A bonus track on this disc, This Used to Be the Future, is also very, very good. Again, this would have been perfect for disc 1. It harkens back to The Buggles, which will make more sense if you hear it. Chris contributes quite heavily to the vocals on this track, and it's a lot of fun. The remix of More Than a Dream is textbook PSB; simly wonderful. It's so good I could just put it on a loop and listen all day...and probably will.
I'm always amazed by how prolific PSB are. They continually publish new material that always shines. You may love them or hate them, but you must admit they work diligently at their craft, and very rarely disappoint."
An excellent album
PJSpeck | Boston, MA | 04/17/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have been a fan of the PSB for 20 or so years and this is one of the most listenable albums they've done recently. I know they wrote many of the songs for Kylie Minogue but they do an awesome job with them. More pop than electronic this time around but it definitely works."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1