Yes. It may come as some surprise to some people who know me, but I am a fan of the Pet Shop Boys. And with the Catalogue re–releases of their latter career Parlophone albums, it seems an appropriate time to explain just why I think they are among the all-time greats.
Now, we all know the big PSB classics of the late 1980s and early 1990s: ‘West End Girls’, ‘It’s a Sin’, ‘Go West’ etc. Not to mention the interesting costumes. But it’s their comparatively more recent music that I want to focus on because this, I feel, is really where they have come into their own in creative terms.
Nightlife, one of the albums recently re-released as part of the Catalogue collection, was originally released in 1999. Its first couple of singles passed me by, but the third single, ‘You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You’re Drunk’, got my attention. It was played on heavy rotation on the radio at the time and became a sizeable hit for PSB. What was special about this track was that it had a distinct country influence, and yet it was merged with the electro-pop sounds more commonly associated with the duo. And this is one of the things that makes Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe unique – whilst a lot of electronic music is laden with sampling, looping and generally shapeless compositions, they write good, traditional pop songs that have a recognisable structure, but then record them using a largely electronic medium.
Ever since the release of that single back in 2000, I have followed PSB with much interest. They consistently come up with such interesting material which will often challenge the listener. One of the many facets of their output that makes their music so captivating is their ability to write songs that are not only musically challenging, but also lyrically ingenious. There are countless examples. ‘Sad Robot World’, from 2016’s Super, is set in some futuristic world in which robots have evolved a sense of self-awareness. Within songs such as ‘I Get Along’ and ‘I’m With Stupid’ you’ll find veiled political satire. And there is even more fascinating material amongst their many and varied B-sides. ‘The Resurrectionist’, from the I’m With Stupid single, was inspired by a book about Victorian grave robbers working for medical scientists. And then there’s ‘Hell’, from 2012’s Leaving single, which features some of the cleverest lyrics I know of. I think Neil must have been challenging himself to see how many evil dictators and mass murderers he could possibly squeeze into one song. It’s well worth a listen.
Quite apart from the clever clogs lyrics, there are many songs of the more introspective and emotional nature. PSB have a knack for writing and recording ballads that have such a depth of texture. Another B-side, ‘Always’, is one of the very best examples of this. ‘King of Rome’ from 2009’s Yes album is another, as is the gorgeous ‘Luna Park’ from 2006’s Fundamental. Neil Tennant’s almost angelic vocal style compliments these songs perfectly. Almost every album seems to produce at least one of these songs and it’s one of the things I most look forward to when PSB have new music coming out.
As Neil Tennant mentioned in an interview promoting the Catalogue collection recently, many people seem to assume that older artists who are still making music are merely ‘going through the motions’ – perhaps just looking for that extra bit of publicity that they are perceived to crave. And that may well be true in certain cases. But this is certainly not the case where Pet Shop Boys are concerned. There are few artists as prolific or indeed as innovative as Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe. Just look at the sheer volume of material they have come up with – particularly in the last twenty years or so. The quality and variety of that material is quite incredible. They are a unique musical duo who clearly have a great love for what they do. And I hope they will continue to entertain us for many years to come.
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Mike's Musical Musings 