Pet Shop Boys Rate. Part 1: 1985-1991. Winner.
- Thread starter Ray
- Start date
Soundwise there is indeed a link made between the two songs by Neil himself in the Further Listening booklets:
On Losing My Mind (as Ray already posted above): "This was done in our ZZ Top period, putting electric guitar samples on everything."
On Where The Streets...: "The extended mix really sounds like ZZ Top, I think. When I went to America to work for the American version of Smash Hits I heard ZZ Top for the first time, and there were two of their songs I particularly liked, 'Sharp Dressed Man' and 'Legs'. I loved the combination of electric guitars and drum machines. Billy Idol had it as well."
I can hear what he means.
Well, I predicted it would. As posted above, I think this song is PSB perfection: intelligent and unusual lyrics, wonderful very subtle (which I think is the reason most fans underrate it) melodies, excellent production and topped off with a great cover and very entertaining and original video. Of course, its subtlety prevented it from being a mega-hit, but the European chart placings Ray quoted are still impressive for such an ambitious and experimental song. Neil and Chris should resurrect it for a future tour. One of my all-time favourite singles and PSB tracks in general!
Fully agree with this!
Phew. So where were we? Oh yes, the first out of 18 singles present on Discography has been booted.
45.
sorry but this is hideous
sublime track
45. A Man Could Get Arrested
7.0291666667
B-side to the famous R6615 – "West End Girls" – this 7" is SO famous I actually know its number by heart and own it. And sleep with it. OK, only sometimes.
Highest score: 10 (@idratherjack, @Jóga)
Lowest score: 1 (@Sally_Harper)
"A Man Could Get Arrested" is one of the twelve songs originally recorded with Bobby 'O' Orlando.
Neil: I was working in New York at Star Hits [this is brand new information – Ray] and Bobby 'O' flew Chris over – he only got his ticket in the morning of the flight – and then Bobby 'O' left town for three days and we only recorded in his office, which really pissed us off because we liked going into a proper recording studio. Anyway, we started writing a song, and Chris had thought of this drum pattern and Bobby 'O' loved it. But it was never finished at the time. The twelve-inch version [Alternative – Ray] is the Bobby 'O' version, but because he never completed it, we finished it. [...] The seven-inch version, which is actually the longer of the two, is a really Eighties pop production by Steve Spiro, who Tom Watkins was managing. We spent a week doing it with him. We changed the structure, and the order of the verses.
Chris: It's all real drums, real bass, real brass section.
Neil: The bass player of Status Quo is playing on this. He was a nice guy, actually.
Chris: This version has a great middle section. The brass section is like Sharon Redd, and we also get a fantastic Sharon Redd bit with the handclaps and a complete breakdown.
[...]
Neil: The song was inspired by an incident with a friend of ours where we ended up being chased by these lads through Russell Square and onto Kingsway. Bottles were thrown; there were bottles smashing in the street.
Chris: And Neil nearly did get arrested. It's always Neil that has scrapes with the law – I don't know if anyone's noticed that. He's always high and mighty about it, but it's always Neil.
Ray: I was unaware of the 7" mix for a VERY long time, until I bought the "West End Girls" 7" – I never saw the point of singles that had literally one song per side, because I am lazy – and it blew me away. It reminds me of "First We Take Manhattan" for some reason, and also "Material Girl", possibly because it sounds like it's electronic, but it really isn't. The bit at 4:00 of 7" mix – bliss. It also fascinates me how kindly Pet Shop Boys always speak of Bobby 'O', who made a million dollars off them AND pumped out countless crappy versions of 'West End Girls', 'One More Chance' etc. and at the end all he actually seems to have done was let them in the studio, then in his office, then plopped out that original 'West End Girls' single and that was it. I do agree that this is possibly their most aggressive track – it's probably New York rubbing on Neil, and all those broken pale ale bottles. The sweet and tender hooligan, our Neil.
@ohnoitisnathan: Cool song title. Sounds like arcade music. [I think this is shade.]
@Sally_Harper: I’m sorry but this is hideous. [That's pretty clear.]
@TrendyMüller: Neil doesn´t quite sell this for me. He somehow is neither snarky nor aggressive enough. DIVINE should have „sung“ this! That would make it a 10. Also: The original 7“ version is much better than the break-dance version on Alternative. [Hipster.]
@Peer_Gynt10: poor cousin to ‘Opportunities’ [No.]
@One Stop Candy Shop: I love Opportunities and this is its clone. The vocals are very un-PSB. [The 7" vocals sound very, eh, Neil to me. Also I dislike 'Opportunities' in every incarnation.]
@Farnaby: The end of the song prevents this sublime track from having a 10.
@Jóga: Love, love, love the chorus - do it now! [I like how through first half of the song you have sung verses and spoken chorus. Or chorus-like bit. Whatever you call it.]
@DominoDancing: I love both the 12" and the 7" inch version of this to bits. I love the ridiculous vocal effects and how aggressive some of the lyrics and Neil's performance are. The tone with which he spits out some of those "do it!" and "prove it" parts is something he wouldn't revisit at all anymore after the Please era.
@Future Lover: The "Alternative" version of this track is the best by far. Very, very good stuff.
@Mikey1701: Your other faves could never have B-sides this strong. This is unusually aggressive for the lads- probably owing that this is one of the earliest songs- and it fascinates me. I can’t recall another instance where Dame Neil injected his vocals with such ferocity.
7"
12"
45.
sorry but this is hideous
sublime track
45. A Man Could Get Arrested
7.0291666667
B-side to the famous R6615 – "West End Girls" – this 7" is SO famous I actually know its number by heart and own it. And sleep with it. OK, only sometimes.
Highest score: 10 (@idratherjack, @Jóga)
Lowest score: 1 (@Sally_Harper)
"A Man Could Get Arrested" is one of the twelve songs originally recorded with Bobby 'O' Orlando.
Neil: I was working in New York at Star Hits [this is brand new information – Ray] and Bobby 'O' flew Chris over – he only got his ticket in the morning of the flight – and then Bobby 'O' left town for three days and we only recorded in his office, which really pissed us off because we liked going into a proper recording studio. Anyway, we started writing a song, and Chris had thought of this drum pattern and Bobby 'O' loved it. But it was never finished at the time. The twelve-inch version [Alternative – Ray] is the Bobby 'O' version, but because he never completed it, we finished it. [...] The seven-inch version, which is actually the longer of the two, is a really Eighties pop production by Steve Spiro, who Tom Watkins was managing. We spent a week doing it with him. We changed the structure, and the order of the verses.
Chris: It's all real drums, real bass, real brass section.
Neil: The bass player of Status Quo is playing on this. He was a nice guy, actually.
Chris: This version has a great middle section. The brass section is like Sharon Redd, and we also get a fantastic Sharon Redd bit with the handclaps and a complete breakdown.
[...]
Neil: The song was inspired by an incident with a friend of ours where we ended up being chased by these lads through Russell Square and onto Kingsway. Bottles were thrown; there were bottles smashing in the street.
Chris: And Neil nearly did get arrested. It's always Neil that has scrapes with the law – I don't know if anyone's noticed that. He's always high and mighty about it, but it's always Neil.
Ray: I was unaware of the 7" mix for a VERY long time, until I bought the "West End Girls" 7" – I never saw the point of singles that had literally one song per side, because I am lazy – and it blew me away. It reminds me of "First We Take Manhattan" for some reason, and also "Material Girl", possibly because it sounds like it's electronic, but it really isn't. The bit at 4:00 of 7" mix – bliss. It also fascinates me how kindly Pet Shop Boys always speak of Bobby 'O', who made a million dollars off them AND pumped out countless crappy versions of 'West End Girls', 'One More Chance' etc. and at the end all he actually seems to have done was let them in the studio, then in his office, then plopped out that original 'West End Girls' single and that was it. I do agree that this is possibly their most aggressive track – it's probably New York rubbing on Neil, and all those broken pale ale bottles. The sweet and tender hooligan, our Neil.
@ohnoitisnathan: Cool song title. Sounds like arcade music. [I think this is shade.]
@Sally_Harper: I’m sorry but this is hideous. [That's pretty clear.]
@TrendyMüller: Neil doesn´t quite sell this for me. He somehow is neither snarky nor aggressive enough. DIVINE should have „sung“ this! That would make it a 10. Also: The original 7“ version is much better than the break-dance version on Alternative. [Hipster.]
@Peer_Gynt10: poor cousin to ‘Opportunities’ [No.]
@One Stop Candy Shop: I love Opportunities and this is its clone. The vocals are very un-PSB. [The 7" vocals sound very, eh, Neil to me. Also I dislike 'Opportunities' in every incarnation.]
@Farnaby: The end of the song prevents this sublime track from having a 10.
@Jóga: Love, love, love the chorus - do it now! [I like how through first half of the song you have sung verses and spoken chorus. Or chorus-like bit. Whatever you call it.]
@DominoDancing: I love both the 12" and the 7" inch version of this to bits. I love the ridiculous vocal effects and how aggressive some of the lyrics and Neil's performance are. The tone with which he spits out some of those "do it!" and "prove it" parts is something he wouldn't revisit at all anymore after the Please era.
@Future Lover: The "Alternative" version of this track is the best by far. Very, very good stuff.
@Mikey1701: Your other faves could never have B-sides this strong. This is unusually aggressive for the lads- probably owing that this is one of the earliest songs- and it fascinates me. I can’t recall another instance where Dame Neil injected his vocals with such ferocity.
7"
12"
D
Deleted member 6896
I hope I gave this a decent score?!
Last edited by a moderator:
Awww sad to see this one go. By the way, the Alternative version is actually from the 10", and the 12" mix differs slightly. Of course, I don't own the vinyl, so if someone could confirm, that would be swell.
8.
That's actually correct, as I discovered immediately after posting by playing the ACTUAL 12" from Further Listening. But Neil and Chris have it wrong as well. (This is not the first time. Neil still insists the Japanese extended mix of "This Must Be The Place" doesn't exist and thinks Helena Springs' album never came out.) Anyway, they're almost completely identical.
Mind blown reading (and realising) that the 7" is "real instruments". It sounds so fantastic electro-funky electronic.
44.
44. To Face The Truth
7.0611111111
Behaviour album track
Highest score: 10 (@RaggedTiger, @Jóga, @Vive Indifference, @TrendyMüller, @Heaven on Earth)
Lowest score: 4 (@GhettoPrincess, @idratherjack, @Sally_Harper)
Neil: This song started off as a track written one Sunday morning on the guitar in the early Eighties. I thought it sounded a bit like Everything But The Girl, and I took this half-written song into the studio at Camden Town and Chris changed the timing of it, playing on Ray Roberts' Rhodes piano, and it immediately sounded soulful rather than acoustic folky. The high vocals and the piano were all on the original demo.
Chris: The middle bit was added later. It used to sound like 'Juicy Fruit' by Mtume.
Neil: On the album it has a backwards start – we were experimenting with these things. Also, in this song, for the first time ever – something I'd learned from Dusty – I don't sing the third verse in exactly the same melody. It's a heterosexual story. Some guy's girlfriend is going out, screwing around. and he suspects she's having it off with someone. It's about lying in bed and your lover's somewhere else. The truth to be faced is that the person you're in love with is not in love with you. But you can't face up to it. It's just a story. Or at least it was at that time. [So later you had a heterosexual affair and the girl was screwing around? This is brand new information – Ray]
Ray: This song, to me, is a curious thing. Because the production is perfect, the melody is perfect, the lyrics are perfect, yet I gave it an 8. I think I was trying to be all tough and a bit of a bastard not rating everything 10. But when I play it, the only part I really don't love is the falsetto "ooh oh oh oh oh oooh". Let me think about it while y'all are commenting...
@One Stop Candy Shop: Errrh, it's okay I guess. But I don't really need 'Sunday morning stay in bed'-jazz from PSB. [I don't really hear ANY jazzy instruments in it, except maybe vocals, but OK]
@Bleu Noir: sounds a little whiny these days. [Only the ooh oohing!]
@DominoDancing: There are a couple of tracks like this on Behaviour - on their own, they don't stand out, even though all of them have well-written lyrics and a good arrangement. So while I don't have much to say about To Face The Truth in particular, it works very well in context of an album that is much more than the sum of its parts. [I guess it's how I feel too, really.]
@ohnoitisnathan: OK, but a bit boring.
@Sally_Harper: This is the sort of thing I usually love but I can’t get into it for some reason.
All the lovers:
@TrendyMüller: Gorgeous! Fragile and maybe one of Neils best vocal performance!?! The sonic depths and the detailed production is just so many miles (and years) away from their first three albums.
@Mikey1701: The heartbreak! The restrained emotion! I love the chorus, even if it doesn’t set the world alight with it’s lyrical content. Even though Neil sounds rather over it upon first listen, there are moments scattered throughout the song that are emotional affecting. The backing vocals’ (are the ‘ooh ooh’ bits synthesised?) are a highlight from the parent album. My only real issue is- much like with the opening two songs- is that it’s too long for its own good. [He gave it 6.5.]
[In a way that 8 I gave it might come from the fact I can't really be bothered to say much about it. It's a great song that doesn't change my life, which is confusing. I am not heartbroken by it leaving. There are also only seven comments on it, unless I missed someone's.]
sounds a little whiny these days
Gorgeous!
Gorgeous!
44. To Face The Truth
7.0611111111
Behaviour album track
Highest score: 10 (@RaggedTiger, @Jóga, @Vive Indifference, @TrendyMüller, @Heaven on Earth)
Lowest score: 4 (@GhettoPrincess, @idratherjack, @Sally_Harper)
Neil: This song started off as a track written one Sunday morning on the guitar in the early Eighties. I thought it sounded a bit like Everything But The Girl, and I took this half-written song into the studio at Camden Town and Chris changed the timing of it, playing on Ray Roberts' Rhodes piano, and it immediately sounded soulful rather than acoustic folky. The high vocals and the piano were all on the original demo.
Chris: The middle bit was added later. It used to sound like 'Juicy Fruit' by Mtume.
Neil: On the album it has a backwards start – we were experimenting with these things. Also, in this song, for the first time ever – something I'd learned from Dusty – I don't sing the third verse in exactly the same melody. It's a heterosexual story. Some guy's girlfriend is going out, screwing around. and he suspects she's having it off with someone. It's about lying in bed and your lover's somewhere else. The truth to be faced is that the person you're in love with is not in love with you. But you can't face up to it. It's just a story. Or at least it was at that time. [So later you had a heterosexual affair and the girl was screwing around? This is brand new information – Ray]
Ray: This song, to me, is a curious thing. Because the production is perfect, the melody is perfect, the lyrics are perfect, yet I gave it an 8. I think I was trying to be all tough and a bit of a bastard not rating everything 10. But when I play it, the only part I really don't love is the falsetto "ooh oh oh oh oh oooh". Let me think about it while y'all are commenting...
@One Stop Candy Shop: Errrh, it's okay I guess. But I don't really need 'Sunday morning stay in bed'-jazz from PSB. [I don't really hear ANY jazzy instruments in it, except maybe vocals, but OK]
@Bleu Noir: sounds a little whiny these days. [Only the ooh oohing!]
@DominoDancing: There are a couple of tracks like this on Behaviour - on their own, they don't stand out, even though all of them have well-written lyrics and a good arrangement. So while I don't have much to say about To Face The Truth in particular, it works very well in context of an album that is much more than the sum of its parts. [I guess it's how I feel too, really.]
@ohnoitisnathan: OK, but a bit boring.
@Sally_Harper: This is the sort of thing I usually love but I can’t get into it for some reason.
All the lovers:
@TrendyMüller: Gorgeous! Fragile and maybe one of Neils best vocal performance!?! The sonic depths and the detailed production is just so many miles (and years) away from their first three albums.
@Mikey1701: The heartbreak! The restrained emotion! I love the chorus, even if it doesn’t set the world alight with it’s lyrical content. Even though Neil sounds rather over it upon first listen, there are moments scattered throughout the song that are emotional affecting. The backing vocals’ (are the ‘ooh ooh’ bits synthesised?) are a highlight from the parent album. My only real issue is- much like with the opening two songs- is that it’s too long for its own good. [He gave it 6.5.]
[In a way that 8 I gave it might come from the fact I can't really be bothered to say much about it. It's a great song that doesn't change my life, which is confusing. I am not heartbroken by it leaving. There are also only seven comments on it, unless I missed someone's.]
This rate is not going well. Recount!
There's something horribly mid-70s about the backing track and chord sequence.
So the exact opposite of 7" of "A Man Could Get Arrested" then!