Pop Music Notes

So I woke up this morning to find an email from the Pet Shop Boys (we’ve got it like that…have you got it like that?), and out of the kindness and generosity of their hearts, they are offering a VERY limited edition of Yes, and at a cost of only £300.00. But what do you get? Well, along with Neil and Chris’s gratitude (and autographs), you’ll also receive:

A highly collectible piece of pop art by a duo renowned for embracing artistic experimentation, this bespoke music and art edition comprises a hand-made oversized box with gold mounted metal tick containing the album’s 11 tracks pressed on 11 super-heavyweight 200-gram vinyl records, with exclusive b-side instrumentals, housed in 11 specially coloured sleeves.

Kinda hot, but not really in my current budget. At least I have the CD to keep me happy. I’ve resisted a bit on doing the review, partially because I’ve been sick and/or busy, and partially because it’s already been done so well (please see D’luv’s first and foremost review). However, it’s a brilliant body of work, and truly stands among their best CDs (Very and Please, IMHO). While Fundamental may have been the adult Pet Shop Boys CD that we didn’t know we wanted, Yes is the adult Pet Shop Boys CD we were hoping for. There’s a bit of wisdom and gravity to it, but it’s a consistent, upbeat and groovy record. “All Over the World” is as close to an anthem as they’ve gotten since “Go West”, and “Love Etc” is consummate PSB, even though it really doesn’t sound like anything they’ve done previously. While I already know the answer to this, if “Did You See Me Coming?” isn’t a hit in the U.S., the Boys will never have another hit here. This one’s going to be on heavy rotation for quite a while.