Very / Further Listening 1992-1994 (Pet Shop Boys)

Pet Shop Boys' Very was released in 1993 and contains such hits as "Can You Forgive Her," "Liberation," "I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing," and "Yesterday, When I Was Mad." These are four great songs, and thankfully, they are representative of the quality of the album as a whole. Such other songs as "Dreaming of the Queen," "The Theatre," and a remake of Village People's "Go West" are all great, for different reasons.

In 2001, this album was released with an informative liner notes booklet, which itself is worth the purchase of this particular edition, as well as a bonus disc, Further Listening 1992-1994. This disc contains some great b-sides, single edits, demos, and other tracks from the period. Highlights include "Absolutely Fabulous," "Shameless," and the New Order-esque "Too Many People." Also included are a reading of Noel Coward's "If Love Were All" and a live performance of Blur's "Girls and Boys."

Overall, these are two great discs packed with quality music. Highly recommended.

Tracks:
Very
1. Can You Forgive Her?
2. I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing
3. Liberation
4. A Different Point of View
5. Dreaming of the Queen
6. Yesterday, When I Was Mad
7. The Theatre
8. One and One Make Five
9. To Speak Is a Sin
10. Young Offender
11. One in a Million
12. Go West

Further Listening 1992-1994
1. Go West (1992 twelve-inch mix)
2. Forever in Love
3. Confidential (demo for Tina)
4. Hey, Headmaster
5. Shameless
6. Too Many People
7. I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing (seven-inch version)
8. Violence (Haçienda version)
9. Falling (demo for Kylie)
10. Decadence
11. If Love Were All
12. Absolutely Fabulous (single version)
13. Euroboy
14. Some Speculation
15. Yesterday, When I Was Mad (single version)
16. Girls and Boys (live in Rio)

"Somewhere" single (Pet Shop Boys)

Pet Shop Boys released their version of the West Side Story class "Somewhere" as a single in 1997. It's very dancey, very PSB, and quite awesome. Instant love. Also included on the single release: a remix of the a-side (Trouser Enthusiasts mix) which clocks in over ten minutes. It's not bad, but eliminates most of the vocals. Next is the single version of "A Red Letter Day" from the Bilingual album. That's an excellent song! Another over ten minute remix follows, this the Trouser Autoerotic Decapitation mix of "A Red Letter Day," and again, it's not bad, but it eliminates most of the vocals. Finally, a couple of b-sides are included: "The View From Your Balcony," which is a decent track, and "Delusions of Grandeur," an awesome song which originally showed up on a UK single for "A Red Letter Day." Overall, a great single.

Tracks:
1. Somewhere
2. Somewhere (Trouser Enthusiasts mix)
3. A Red Letter Day
4. A Red Letter Day (Trouser Autoerotic Decapitation mix)
5. The View From Your Balcony
6. Delusions of Grandeur

Fundamental (and Fundamentalism) (Pet Shop Boys)

Pet Shop Boys released Fundamental in 2006. The album contains such hits as "Minimal" and "I'm With Stupid," and is overall a very solid, mature PSB offering. Other great tracks include "The Sodom and Gomorrah Show," "Indefinite Leave to Remain," and "Integral." I don't know that the album did much to grow their fan base, but I'm certain it pleased the large one they already have. The edition I bought on a whim is the one which comes with a bonus disc of remixes entitled Fundamentalism, which is very much worth it, with the highlight for me being the remix of "In Private," which contains vocal contributions from Elton John. There are also two cool remixes of "The Sodom and Gommorah Show," as well as versions of "Psychological," "I'm With Stupid," "Fugitive," "Minimal," and "Flamboyant."

Tracks:
Fundamental
1. Psychological
2. The Sodom and Gomorrah Show
3. I Made My Excuses and Left
4. Minimal
5. Numb
6. God Walking
7. Luna Park
8. I'm With Stupid
9. Casanova in Hell
10. Twentieth Century
11. Indefinite Leave to Remain
12. Integral

Fundamentalism
1. Fugitive (Richard X extended mix)
2. Sodom (Trentemøller remix)
3. Psychological (Alter Ego remix)
4. Flamboyant (Michael Mayer kompakt mix)
5. I'm With Stupid (Melnyk Heavy Petting mix)
6. In Private (Stuart Crichton club mix)
7. Minimal (Lobe remix)
8. Gomorrah (Dettinger remix)

Discography: The Complete Singles Collection (Pet Shop Boys)

I bought a used copy of Pet Shop Boys' Discography: The Complete Singles Collection a while ago, and have been so excited that I've been waiting for a time I could really listen to it. I've liked a lot of Pet Shop Boys music for a while, but other than the "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)" single, I hadn't invested in any. While Discography, released in 1991, obviously represents only a small part of their career, it's an excellent overview of their early output. My favourite discovery here was "So Hard," which is one of those perfect songs I have to wonder why I'd never heard before. Someone, somewhere, should be giving this some replay. "Jealousy," "Suburbia," and "Being Boring" were also cool ones I hadn't heard before. Familiar faves on here include "It's a Sin," "Left to My Own Devices," the Dusty Springfield duet "What Have I Done to Deserve This," "Opportunities," an awesome version of "Always on My Mind," the aforementioned "Streets," and "Rent," which I'd first heard as performed by Liza Minelli on the PSB-produced Results album, but which is even better in its original form.

Tracks:
1. West End Girls
2. Love Comes Quickly
3. Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)
4. Suburbia
5. It's a Sin
6. What Have I Done to Deserve This? (with Dusty Springfield)
7. Rent
8. Always on My Mind
9. Heart
10. Domino Dancing
11. Left to My Own Devices
12. It's Alright
13. So Hard
14. Being Boring
15. Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)
16. Jealousy
17. DJ Culture
18. Was It Worth It?