That's Entertainment : Pet Shop Boys
I can barely recall a time when the Pet Shop Boys weren't in my life.
From the first time as an eleven year old, I listened to a cassette copy of Disco, fortuitously forgotten by a houseguest that never returned to claim it, up to 2013's latest release, the backward looking Electric, I have been nothing short of a devoted Pet Shop Boys fan.
And throughout their career they have defied description, an endless line of criticisms and become living, breathing pop star contradictions.
Arty; disposable.
Retro; contemporary.
Tender; callous.
Popular; independent
Uplifting; morose.
Playful; political.
Gay; straight.
Yet the Pet Shop Boys transcend these labels, delivering hit after hit hit. Meshing synth pop, flashes of rock and glam, disco, techno and dance with witty observations and critiques of life, they are pop music's ultimate pioneers and survivors.
Recording continuously for thirty years, the Pet Shop Boys have never wavered, never hit a sour note nor ever been ignored. A sum of their disparate parts, their commonality lies in a chance meeting in an electronics shop and love of synthesisers and dance/pop music. One of the industry's greatest and most enduring duos, Neil Tennant (vocals) and Chris Lowe (music) have provided me with so many memorable songs that interweave with my life as I know it. From the break-out peak of 1987/88 with Actually and #1 hits, to the sombre 1990 Behaviour period and resultant absolutely fabulous HINRG explosion of Very and Go West in 1993/94. There was the Latin infused period (before Ricky Martin) and the return to dance and a period of plugging in the guitars. There was camp pop and political fall out before the full circle return with an album that was fresh and contemporary as it was retro and respectful of their legacy. There have been the stage play musicals and soundtrack performance work. There's been full blown tours, countless iconic video clips, the ups and downs of a life in pop.
And all the while, there's been the songs.
Quintessentially British, with their avant-garde leanings, minimalist stylings, sly album titles and penchant for defying expectations, they are known for being wilfully contrary. Much of their material can be interpreted by the listener and whilst the pair are both gay, they have been at pains to note their audience is diverse and their music taken to heart by anyone with in the gender rainbow. As a straight man, I have taken to all their songs without ever really thinking 'oh this isn't a 'straight' point of view/experience'. Infused with wit and warmth, the Pet Shop Boys endear themselves to their fans and incense their detractors.
It's hard to pinpoint the Pet Shop Boys as I have always been a fan. I suppose they are the great chameleons, ever changing, ever growing. Looking back upon their works, you can see a history of music. There are the timeless classics and the songs that have dated due to the changes in dance floor tastes (a bit like Madonna).
But if I put on Please I'm rap-dancing at school to West End Girls, with Actually, I'm that 12 year old boy sitting in a Polski Fiat in the depths of a Eastern European winter; Introspective is me aching to buy an album, begging my mum to drive me to the tape shop; Behaviour is teenage me wondering why they got so serious, yet now I love it almost the most; throw on Where The Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Off You), I'm back in the wet, cold winter of 1991, shivering as I watch late night Rage in the common room. Spin Very, and it's that nineties techno age and freedom; Se a Vida é reminds of cooking hot chips; giving Nightlife a whirl and it's the dawn of a new millennium; play Home & Dry and I'm with Lee in London. Watch I'm With Stupid, it's me working in Burwood for CBA at the peak of Little Britain; allowing Elysium and Electric a chance, and I'm home with two boys playing dad.
And in June, I see them live. In a room with maybe 100 or so others. I might get to stand right in front of them and stare, mouth agape wondering where all those years went. I'd try to play cool, but the pop nerd in me will probably not allow it. I'll be clutching my Actually LP and praying to get an autograph. I'll probably be disappointed and elated all at the same time. Even now, the contradictions persist.
In The Night https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVOwhNg25GQ
West End Girls https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_MciWnfaZQ / Tonight Is Forever https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDkylA__lYg
What Have I Done To Deserve This? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiskK0g82XA / I Want To Wake Up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKgwf25loYE
Domino Dancing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cubvPhiK3Rc / Always On My Mind https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oKz5YB4028
How Can You Expect To Be Taken Seriously? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N58Jum9ztAU / Nervously https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw0lvOPr8rU
Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1su6FEqQs6c
Yesterday, When I Was Mad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZu3G_KPdZ0 / A Different Point of View https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Bgz5TPIkdI
Absolutely Fabulous https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YjDMmjgKec
Se a Vida é (That's The Way Life Is) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLV52d7J8rA / A Red Letter Day https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-I2SThRSTo
I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Anymore https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIuhIRVBlYM / For Your Own Good https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwdKiERnrs0
Home & Dry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9o8Z_lBXPM / I Get Along https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6s7WnXCR7c
I'm With Stupid https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dfdlG_5wuc / The Sodom and Gomorrah Show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BT2eJ0ddNYg
Love etc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InBiaRBUjUs / Vulnerable https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rTtavq5hNc
Friendly Fire https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn2ghFbks_E
Winner https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7dBVXiydR8 / Ego Music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqmDl5c6xQs
Axis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDCU17wXktY / Thursday https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Tg_zvDg3Xo
No comments:
Post a Comment