| We hope you enjoy your visit. You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. Join our community! If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: |
| The official Pet Shop Boys thread; New album "Super" | |
|---|---|
| Topic Started: Oct 30 2008, 11:59 AM (18,092 Views) | |
| Riverwide | Mar 29 2009, 10:19 PM Post #461 |
|
Administrator
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
James "Cunt" Masterton is up to his usual PSB bitching: Pet Shop Boys Watch: single 'Love Etc.' down to Number 27. Album 'Yes'... well actually this is quite interesting. Although the album failed to live up to its early week potential and ultimately debuts at Number 4, there was a brief moment when it looked as if the Pet Shop Boys were on the verge of something unusual - a Number One album. Despite their long and storied career, they have only once had the honour of one of their albums topping the charts - 1993 release 'Very' which stormed to the top upon its release in September that year. Sadly despite an early sales lead and speculation that it may be on course to top the charts, 'Yes' slumped back midweek. If it drops out of the Top 50 next week, don't say I didn't warn you.
|
![]() |
|
| Fembot 1 | Mar 29 2009, 10:21 PM Post #462 |
|
SCIENCE OFFICER
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Bless James! He proves the adage that there's an inverse ratio between the size of the mouth and the size of the brain.
|
![]() |
|
| Riverwide | Mar 29 2009, 10:42 PM Post #463 |
|
Administrator
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
The little shit has a pop at all the PSB fans in his blog. He really seems to *detest* the band now. It seems that because they aren't "mass market" anymore, then that means their music is shit. ![]() http://blog.masterton.co.uk/ Beware the overstimulated fans. They are an occupational hazard of any critic or reviewer, those fans of a particular act or artist who are so passionately dedicated to the hero worship of their favourites that they struggle to comprehend the point of view of someone who doesn't quite share the same unquestioning devotion. Personally there is nothing I love more than provoking them into apoplexy, particularly when the criticism that has raised their ire is completely justified and defensible. Such is the situation that has arisen this week, all thanks to a passage I wrote in this weeks Chart Watch UK on Yahoo! Music dealing with the arrival on the chart of the new Pet Shop Boys single 'Love Etc.' It has resulted in a surge of hits from various Pet Shop Boys forums around the globe, all checking out the bastard who has dared to besmirch the reputation of the dynamic duo. For the full argument, read the original piece and the fuming comments that followed. In a nutshell, I point out that the Pet Shop Boys are the very definition of Depeche Mode Syndrome, releasing records that sell to nobody but their existing fanbase and which otherwise have minimal cultural impact. I point to the sales performance of their last few albums. In the last decade the only one of their releases to have a shelf life longer than two or three weeks has been a Greatest Hits collection featuring music from their proper heyday. I make the bold prediction that the single won't be on the chart within a fortnight and that sales of their new album won't persist beyond easter. What makes the acolytes all the more frustrated is that I actually used to be a fan. Growing up as a teenager they were far and away my favourite pop group. I collected all their albums, obtained items of merchandise and avidly lapped up copies of books such as 'Pet Shop Boys, Annually' and 'Pet Shop Boys, Literally' which were published during their imperial period. When they re-released their early albums in double CD special editions in 2002, I bought every one of them, even picking up a copy of 'Disco' for completeness, even though all its tracks were featured across the 'Further Listening' bonus CDs of the studio albums. I can listen to any of them and still get something from it, still appreciate the wit and artistry that infuses every lyric and marvel at the creative genius behind some perfect 1980s synth pop. The soundtrack of my teenage years still holds a fascination for me today, as it should do. Yet every act, no matter how good or popular they are has a shelf life. There comes a point when you simply run out of things to say, discover there are no musical avenues left to explore and find yourself going through the motions in an attempt to recapture the magic that used to come so easily. Such is the path the Pet Shop Boys have trodden arguably since 1999. As I pointed out on Yahoo!, this isn't just my opinion. This is the view of the mass market which has ensured that no matter how much coverage it receives, how much of a "return to form" it is graded, their music sells for a week or so to the same group of people and then is pretty much forgotten. As I asked in the piece, "why do they continue to bother?" If all you are going to do is play to the crowd and please their uncritical ears, then you might as well just email them an mp3 copy of your latest studio noodlings and not trouble the rest of us. There are countless of acts who, if they released an album which sold for a week and then wound up in the bargain bins, would be dropped from their label without a moments hesitation. It makes the widespread coverage of the new Pet Shop Boys release rather offensive in a way. It doesn't matter how many interviews they do, how much work they do to promote the record, it just isn't going to sell. There are any number of up and coming or struggling acts who would kill for the acres of press coverage the duo have received of late, it seems almost offensive for journalists to be wasting time promoting the work of an act who have nothing left to offer. My final "why do they bother" question appears to be the one thing that has most people hot under the collar. I've read a variety of ripostes to this point, many pointing out their still strong international sales and their continuing live marketability, which in truth are perfectly good reasons for continuing to bother. I wouldn't for a minute suggest that they should go away and never trouble us again, far from it. All they have to do is join the ranks of superannuated stars who tour their catalogue and play to the crowd time and time again. Take the last act I saw live, Bryan Adams. His last album '11' came out last year, although you will struggle to find many people who noticed. It landed at Number 6 on these shores and spent just six weeks on the chart before vanishing. No singles from the album charted. At the concert I saw he didn't perform a single track from this, or its 2004 predecessor as he knew that few in the crowd were interested in hearing them. Instead he stuck to the hits, performed songs he must have performed a thousand times with the same joy and energy he always has and sent the capacity crowd in the O2 home happy. To take another example, one colleague of mine whether ironically or not is a Status Quo fan. He hasn't bought one of their records for years and quite honestly wouldn't care if they never recorded a note again. He knows that if he goes to see them play live, they will play the hits, entertain the crowd and give them all their moneys worth. Nothing they could do now could ever live up to the work they have done in the past - so they just don't trouble themselves trying to do so. Into this same category you could place the Pet Shop Boys. At the Brits they rattled through their Greatest Hits to a rapturous reception and were handed an award based on their past achievements. If they staged a tour and announced it would feature every Top 10 single they ever recorded, the shows would be a triumph. Heck, Michael Jackson has block booked the O2 for the best part of six months for a series of sell out concerts. Reckon he will perform any new material there? Will he heck, the crowd are there for the classics and there to celebrate the work he did when he was creative. More than that is an indulgence. So if you are an overstimulated Pet Shop Boys fan, please take some time out to gain some perspective. It doesn't matter how good you think their new album is or whether you think they are still geniuses. To the rest of the world at large the circus surrounding its release is a huge waste of time. They won't buy it, won't nominate it for any awards and won’t even notice that it isn't on the shelves the other side of Easter. I'm a fan, or at least I used to be - and I'm not afraid to ask the question. Just why do they still bother? |
![]() |
|
| FuckBuddy | Mar 30 2009, 12:02 AM Post #464 |
![]()
Pensioner
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
i can't believe he's paid a salary for coming up with such clueless observations. it just doesn't matter whether he was a fan at some point or not, the fact he implies that an act that's been constantly creative should be paralleled to a living joke of a pop legend is simply outrageous. |
![]() |
|
| Riverwide | Mar 30 2009, 12:09 AM Post #465 |
|
Administrator
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
I sent this to his email: Do you think that McDonald's makes the best food in the world? They sell the most, so using your very own logic, they must therefore be the best. I actually feel sorry for you. You have absolutely no love for music whatsoever, only chart positions and sales. Poor guy. |
![]() |
|
| Deleted User | Mar 30 2009, 01:16 AM Post #466 |
|
Deleted User
|
^ kick-ass response Riv I love that PSB still play new music when they tour. If all I wanted to listen to was West End Girls and What Have I Done To Deserve This, I'd listen to a GH album. They still make great music and know the fans love the new stuff and don't just want the 20 year old songs. |
|
|
| Deleted User | Mar 30 2009, 01:21 AM Post #467 |
|
Deleted User
|
I wrote "I don't like the Bryan Adams analogy... so he tours and does the oldies and avoids everything from the past 15 years because lack of success means it's shit, so what? I am a PSB fan to this day, so what if their new albums don't sell as well... does that mean it's not as good? If all I wanted to hear was West End Girls and It's A Sin, I'd go and put on a Greatest Hits cd. Just because PSB aren't big anymore doesn't mean the music stopped being good. Stick to Dead Or Alive, who keep rereleasing their one big hit year after year if you want to listen to a 1980's act who lost the plot and simply gave up because they don't sell millions anymore. Do you like Nickelback? I bet you do with your "sales and chart stats make the artist" mentality." to him |
|
|
| Riverwide | Mar 30 2009, 08:42 AM Post #468 |
|
Administrator
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Well said! |
![]() |
|
| Riverwide | Mar 30 2009, 08:43 AM Post #469 |
|
Administrator
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Here are the Top 40 best selling PSB singles as complied by the Official UK Chart Company: 40. Minimal 39. I Get Along 38. Flamboyant 37. Miracles 36. I'm With Stupid 35. Home And Dry 34. Yesterday, When I Was Mad 33. You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk 32. Liberation 31. New York City Boy 30. I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Any More 29. A Red Letter Day 28. Was It Worth It? 27. Paninaro '95 26. Single-Bilingual 25. Jealousy 24. Somewhere 23. Being Boring 22. Hallo Spaceboy 21. Before 20. I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind Of Thing 19. DJ Culture 18. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) 17. Can You Forgive Her? 16. Love Comes Quickly 15. Rent 14. Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money) 13. Losing My Mind 12. Where The Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You) 11. Domino Dancing 10. So Hard 9. Left To My Own Devices 8. It's Alright 7. Suburbia 6. Go West 5. What Have I Done To Deserve This? 4. Heart 3. West End Girls 2. It's A Sin 1. Always On My Mind |
![]() |
|
| Fembot 1 | Mar 30 2009, 09:47 AM Post #470 |
|
SCIENCE OFFICER
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
|
![]() |
|
| Fembot 1 | Mar 30 2009, 09:48 AM Post #471 |
|
SCIENCE OFFICER
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Just got an e-mail from the online retailer I ordered the Yes Limited Edition from... They'll be receiving stock week commencing April 6th... Nice one Parlophone |
![]() |
|
| Riverwide | Mar 30 2009, 10:28 AM Post #472 |
|
Administrator
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Ugh. How lame is that? They have months to plan a release, but still manage to f*ck it up when it happens. |
![]() |
|
| Riverwide | Mar 30 2009, 12:10 PM Post #473 |
|
Administrator
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Music Week writes: Strong sales of his Ronan Keating's Songs For My Mother album rendered a slip-up over the release of the Pet Shop Boys’ new album Yes largely irrelevant to the duo’s chart fortunes. The Pet Shop Boys’ album, Yes, sold 27,639 copies last week to secure it a number four chart position, some 9,208 copies behind Keating’s Polydor-released Songs For My Mother. That sold 36,847 to secure a second week at number one. Yes’s number four position beats the number five chart peak of the band’s last studio album, Fundamental, released in 2006. However, at points last week it looked as if Yes stood a good chance of topping the chart, giving the band their first number one album since 1993’s Very and the second of their 25-year chart career. This came despite the album being mistakenly released on iTunes.co.uk on Friday, March 20 – three days before its official release date. In those three days it sold 2,557 copies via iTunes, enough to elevate the album to number two this week, and would have charted at number 86 last week had it been eligible. However, these sales did not qualify for the chart as Official Chart Company rules state that “sales of digital variants will only be eligible for the combined chart in the week of the official release date of corresponding physical variant”. A spokesman for the group says that the band are “extremely disappointed” at the mishap and also flagged up problems with the physical release of Yes. These include a printing error with the booklet of the two-CD edition, meaning certain pages were printed in the wrong order. The band have already apologised for the mistake on their website, petshopboys.co.uk, advising fans to fill in a form in order to receive a new booklet. An EMI spokeswoman says the album going up on iTunes was “an isolated incident, the result of a human error in data inputting”. |
![]() |
|
| Riverwide | Mar 30 2009, 12:11 PM Post #474 |
|
Administrator
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
So the proper first week sales of "Yes" could have been 27,639 + 2,557 = 30,196 |
![]() |
|
| Riverwide | Mar 30 2009, 12:55 PM Post #475 |
|
Administrator
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
A reminder of some other first week UK sales: 1995 - Alternative: 16,710 1996 - Bilingual: 23,732 1999 - Nightlife: 17,038 2002 - Release: 18,008 2006 - Fundamental: 26,492 2009 - Yes: 27,639 (or 30,196 if leaked iTunes sales added) |
![]() |
|
| Deleted User | Mar 30 2009, 03:33 PM Post #476 |
|
Deleted User
|
Wow, you guys really care about that guy. The album is very slowly growing on me... It's a 6/10 for me right now. |
|
|
| GimmeSomeRiver | Mar 30 2009, 04:05 PM Post #477 |
|
When I lay in bed I touch myself and I think of you
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
You're just itching for another Riv beatdown, aren't you? |
![]() |
|
| Deleted User | Mar 30 2009, 04:07 PM Post #478 |
|
Deleted User
|
Um no. I just think he should be ignored, as he's obviously just trolling. |
|
|
| Deleted User | Mar 30 2009, 06:55 PM Post #479 |
|
Deleted User
|
I think people react so negatively to this guy because of fear Neil and Chris would read it and go "you know, he's right". Luckily, Neil was a reviewer once upon a time so I think criticism goes in one ear and out the other. Ever since Karen Carpenter (who apparently became anorexic after an article about her weight, and eventually died), I think fans of artists rush to the artists' defense when someone bashes their artist because they know that some people can't handle criticism. Bette Midler also springs to mind, she quit recording for a period in the 70's and went away for about two years after a horribly negative review in Rolling Stone. |
|
|
| Deleted User | Mar 31 2009, 07:00 AM Post #480 |
|
Deleted User
|
Writing emails to those people is like fueling an engine. They use to love that mail because they think they are doing the right thing. My advice: never write a critic, they are like living corpses that live with atention. |
|
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
| Go to Next Page | |
| « Previous Topic · Music Discussion · Next Topic » |
| Theme: Rebel Heart 2 | Track Topic · E-mail Topic |
4:51 PM Jul 13
|




![]](http://z4.ifrm.com/static/1/pip_r.png)





4:51 PM Jul 13