Canonical

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Ladies and gentlemen, the Pet Shop Boys canon.



Thirteen picks please.


[Poll #798661]


Give those men a knighthood.

Comments

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Hahaha Poll overload! Brilliant.

[boyofbadgers.livejournal.com]

Very hard to not pick all of the first third, and very hard to pick more than one of the last third. I kind of wish they'd stop.

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

you chose the right one from the last batch. but i couldn't bring myself to tick it and untick anything else :-(

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

What I realised typing these out:

i. The 'kater stuff' is lots better than I thought it was.
ii. ....but still not nearly as good as the early stuff.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Had real struggle for the last spot - apologies to 'Jealousy'.

The 13 I ticked, plus a few more, are the reason why PSB as they are now make me so sad.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I had a real struggle too, I unticked "Heart" with a heavy one, because that song is often overlooked.

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

suprised to see other ppl going for WHIDTDT as their fave. i thort it was just me. always seemed like the overlooked gem between more publicly loved rent/sin

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I didn't have to think more than twice. Absolutely amazing performance(s).

[mippy.livejournal.com]

The later stuff is all depressingly OK, except for Minimal which might end up being one of my singles of the year, somehow.

Left to My Own Devices I think I like 50% because of the production, 40% because it reminds me of my brother, and 10% because I knew who Debussy was when I was a kid but not Che Guevara, so used to sing 'Jaco Vara and Debussy to a disco beat...' I thought Jaco Vara was a Spanish composer.

Damn, It's A Sin should maybe have been my favourite. Catholic school guilt and that.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

'It's A Sin' + 'Like A Prayer' = Holy Trinity of Catholic guilt. Even though there are only two of them.

[damnspynovels.livejournal.com]

Left To My Own Devices is my fave. It's definitely a musical highpoint from late 88, which in poptimist terms is no meant feat, considering the competition from the last few months of that particular year.

[mippy.livejournal.com]

I missed Se A Vida E!

You idiot.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

I really wanted to give 'Before' and 'Minimal' sympathy ticks.

I didn't tick 'West End Girls' and 'Always On My Mind' cos didn't want them to run away with it - turns out they may not have anyway!

Wish we could include 'Disappointed', 'Losing My Mind' and 'I'm Not Scared', all better than half the stuff here. The Pet Shop Boys mix of Blur's 'Girls And Boys' also ace of course.

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

oo disappointed, not heard that for a while. think i have the single

Like a football match, ten nil the score

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Ever since I first heard "DJ Culture" I've had a weird obsession with this song, it was one of the immediate ticks for me.

It's their most cryptic record by a long way, surely?

Re: Like a football match, ten nil the score

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

It's sung from the perspective of THATCHER.

Re: Like a football match, ten nil the score

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

it was the first "eh?" song. sounded like he was jotting down stream of consciousness stuff because he couldn't get to sleep. it sort of caps off their early period. possibly because it was the last track on discography.

Tennant as lyricist

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

He's good on:

- love
- politics (OK he's hit and miss on politics but that's still better than most)
- getting old

Has he ever written a good song about sex?

Re: Tennant as lyricist

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Has he ever written any song about sex? Bar the odd oblique reference eg 'Rent'.

He's very good on love-gone-wrong AND love-gone-right which is something of a rarity.

I think he's v bad at explicit politics (ugh the new album UGH - appalling lyrics) but v good at creating a political backdrop for more specific situations eg 'Opportunities'.

what the hell, fave psb lines that have just lodged in my head

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

songs like tainted love and love is strange
the man at the back of the queue was sent to feel teh smaX of firm governmint
chasing time from hour to hour i pour the drinks and crush the flowers
just when you least expect it, just what you least expect
cos you dance to disco and you don't like rock

Re: what the hell, fave psb lines that have just lodged in my head

[wizzy-w.livejournal.com]

I feel like taking all my clothes off, dancing to the Rite of Spring.

[awesomewells.livejournal.com]

I'm amazed that Left To My Own Devices is winning this! My least favourite of all the songs I ticked.

Heart is magnificent. It also segues amazingly into Bizarre Love Triangle, as people who were at the last Sugar will be aware.

I know, I know, I know,

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

that this is one of the hardest canons ever, but seriously, motherfuckers have got to start re-ticking 'Rent'.

[nicolars.livejournal.com]

Disgusted at the lack of love for Can You Forgive Her?

[anatol-merklich.livejournal.com]

Aye should be the Poptimists Anthem, shunnit?

"[*] made you
Some kind of laughing stock
Because you Dance to Disco
and you Don't Like Rock"

[kill-yr-idols.livejournal.com]

This has been the hardest one yet, I think! Yikes. Had no idea that "It's A Sin" was 400% more popular that "Love Comes Quickly", & that "Heart" isn't more of an out-and-out winner - it's probably the most well known/loved of their non-"West End Girls" tracks around my way . . .

Any votes for favourite remixes? The Latin Rascals' "Opportunies" is devastating, the Motiv8 "A Red Letter Day" . . .

also alexmacpherson, the Justify My Lovelife ppl shld do a PSB-themed one (Lovelife Comes Quickly? You Only Tell Me You Lovelife Me When Yr Drunk?)!