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.

[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.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Not round Lex Towers it's not! The context of the band is so important to my appreciation of it, the who as well as the what - these people who've made their genius through detailing complexities and irresolution and qualifications in this often quite cynical, detached way, suddenly cut to the chase with this massive upfront I LOVE YOU and it's all the more effective for it.

They wrote it for Madge originally, I've often wondered how she'd have done it.

[catsgomiaow.livejournal.com]

!!! I nearly put Heart in for WHICH IS THE BEST?! WHERE IS THE HEART LOVE!

[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]

This is why I ticked the song that beat "Heart", "Se A Vide E", which I like more the older I get, the corny old sods.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

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

[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 :-(

[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.

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

and their most straight forward romancified lyrics. very indie sentiments. it was my song of the summer

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

Se A Vida E, Before & Single-Bilingual I LOATHE. It's like that album was by a different band, I can't even think of those singles withoit shuddering.

[mippy.livejournal.com]

I missed Se A Vida E!

You idiot.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Dusty's flounce into "since you went AWAY! I been hanging around" is incredible.

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

oh what am i talking about, re lyrical content. you could say that of rent and so on. which thinking about it now is making me feel very odd. that lonely trumpet sound tailing off. wah, how indie am i

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

right here

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I agree about the other two! Actually the album version of S-B is OK.

The Motiv8 remix of A Red Letter Day is up there with their best stuff, but sadly it was a B Side not the actual single release.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

It was written by someone else and inserted in the song, which is why it breaks the mood so effectively - a bit of sudden passion breaking through Tennant's typical reserve. Gorgeous.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

It's also how I feel about 'Miracles' (the only song in the last bit I ticked and a real overlooked gem), except whereas 'Heart' is a prime-of-life roar of first love, 'Miracles' is...the same relationship 40 years on? Straightforward and romantic in a completely different way.

[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.

Hai una discoteca por acqui?

[wizzy-w.livejournal.com]

I've been listening to Single-Bilingual a lot lately, for some inexplicable reason. Although I barely listen to it, (two times since I bought it a few months ago, and counting), I can't bring myself to say that Bilingual is as dodgy as everyone says...although 'Saturday night forever" is their most underwhelming closing track. They'd have done better to replace the 'rap' tracks with some of the b-sides, and they'd have had yet another classic on their hands...

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

Basement Jaxx's worst remix = Red Letter Day. I still kinda like it tho, but not the original at all.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

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