PSB fans: Is it POP? Or is it ART?

[MARV]

I always found the recent Pet Shop Boys compilation "POP ART" to be a cleverly disguised invitation for debate. More specifically, the choice of what songs went on the "POP" disc and which songs went on the "ART" disc.

POP
1. Go West
2. Suburbia
3. Se A Vida E (That's The Way Life Is)
4. What Have I Done To Deserve This?
5. Always On My Mind
6. I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind Of Thing
7. Home And Dry
8. Heart
9. Miracles
10. Love Comes Quickly
11. It's A Sin
12. Domino Dancing
13. Before
14. New York City Boy
15. It's Alright
16. Where The Streets Have No Name
17. A Red Letter Day

ART
1. Left To My Own Devices
2. I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Anymore
3. Flamboyant
4. Being Boring
5. Can You Forgive Her?
6. West End Girls
7. I Get Along
8. So Hard
9. Rent
10. Jealousy
11. DJ Culture
12. You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk
13. Liberation
14. Paninaro '95
15. Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money)
16. Yesterday, When I Was Mad
17. Single-Bilingual
18. Somewhere

I dunno, I think they should have swapped Miracles with So Hard.

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[My Aural Stimulator]

Thanks for posting this, Marv.

I always thought that West End Girls and the Drunk song should have been Pop. I love Miracles, Love Comes Quickly, and It's A Sin, and I think those should have been Art.

I've also thought that much of the Actually and Behavio(u)r albums were more art than pop, too: the guys are very clear that they dont do anything half-assed, so I'm wondering if they had to put more on the Pop CD becuase it needed more balance in quantity.

[LovePlusOne]

Left to My Own Devices...definitely "artier" than pop. One of my favorite PSB tunes. Elegant, sophisticated...

No, I am NOT gay! [:D]

[MARV]

[quote][i]Originally posted by My Aural Stimulator[/i]
<br>Thanks for posting this, Marv.[/quote]

Hey, no problem MAS [8D]

[quote]I always thought that West End Girls and the Drunk song should have been Pop. I love Miracles, Love Comes Quickly, and It's A Sin, and I think those should have been Art.[/quote]

No question. Miracles is a sparkling treasure of aural beauty worthy to be categorized under anything labeled "Art". PSB at their finest, creating hummable ditties of poetic magnitude and sonic perfection that stay with you long, long after the three odd minute slice of heaven is over. Love Comes Quickly...mmm, ALWAYS was a favorite of mine! Glad that it was included in the Release tour set list. Did you catch them on their last tour? The new instrumentation and arrangement gave the song a completely new spin which belied a true artistic bend which yearned an emotional response. And did you ever get to see "It Could'nt Happen Here", the Boys' cinematic triumph? Art indeed, my friend. Anyway, Neil recites verse from "It's A Sin" in prosaic manner worthy of any drama class that I know of, again, underscoring it's artistic intent. Pop? Perhaps, but that was a convenient revenue generating side factor.

[quote]I've also thought that much of the Actually and Behavio(u)r albums were more art than pop, too: the guys are very clear that they dont do anything half-assed, so I'm wondering if they had to put more on the Pop CD becuase it needed more balance in quantity.[/quote]

Agreed on both points! Behavior specifically. To me PSB entered the nineties with a very, very fresh new sound and serious intent with an approach that has never petered out. With Harold Faltermeyer lending his hand in production, the sound became mature, sexy, sophisticated and sleek all at once. And with such notable numbers as Being Boring, This Must Be the Place I've Waited Years to Leave, My October Symphony and Jealousy, the Boys' established that they were a force to be reckoned with as Neil upped the ante on poetic lyrics of depth and meaning.

[quote][i]Originally posted by LovePlusOne[/i]
<br>Left to My Own Devices...definitely "artier" than pop. One of my favorite PSB tunes. Elegant, sophisticated...[/quote]

Yes! Yes! The smooth and sexy strings: sophisticated and elegant - totally. The Introspective album was the direction that took the Boys' to Behavior. It's true, there's much more PSB "Art" than "Pop". Go West, New York City Boy, Home & Dry....Pop for sure, and they're good at it but there's more Art to PSB IMHO.

[quote]No, I am NOT gay! [:D][/quote]

Ha, ha! One need not be gay to be a musical connoisseur my friend!

Now let's talk about Before. Whoa - they put this on "POP"?!? Sheesh. At least they put "I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Anymore" on "Art". Talk about two songs with elegant and sophisticated strings. But this is where PSB gloriously shine, when they draw upon their strong disco influence.

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[Frau_Blucher]

Question guys...no, not if there should be an 'outting' thread for straight PSB fans. [:D]

But do PSB provide any written rationale on the album for what's Pop vs. Art? Is it just the music or the subject matter too? If the latter, their very mainstream pop sounding stuff like West End Girls or Opportunities might make sense with their cultural commentaries. I'm not familiar enough with their songs to comment on most of the songs.

[MARV]

Well Blir, neither the CD box set nor the DVD include any verbiage whatsoever. I have come to the conclusion that, knowing the Pet Shop Boys and their penchance for "in" jokes that include those of an intellectual nature, they are trusting that their fan base will pick up on the double entendre of dividing songs up between a "Pop" disc and an "Art" disc which cleverly comprise a compilation entitled "Pop Art". I think they purposefully left it open for interpretation and debate as they did'nt want to undermine anyone's opinion and knew it would be a subject of debate among the more analytical of their fans. And there certainly is no shortage of those among us. If there are any articles or interviews out there which support or refute this theory of mine, I'm totally open to it but there is no PSB merchandise or press release that officially explains it.

<a href="http://www.worldwildlife.org/cetaceans/index.cfm">I dig whales.</a>