Album Of The Week: Yes - Pet Shop Boys

I was only 18 when I met with this album. It was July or August. I was looking for new songs to discover because I was going to start university. I needed change and some new music. I remember seeking that in Depeche Mode, The Bird And The Bee, Empire Of The Sun & Placebo (Again what was I thinking?!) It's been only a few months since Yes was released and it was one of the albums I've downloaded. Any of these groups above satisfied me because their style didn't meet my taste in music. They were too indie and ''rock'' for me. Depeche Mode's Sound Of The Universe album was too dark for me. Placebo had nothing to do with me. I think it was Love Etc. that I've listened to first. I got caught in it's retro but fresh sound immediately. It was just right for me. Sounds like it came from the 80s yet still fresh.

After falling in love with Love Etc. I gave the rest of the album  a try. Listened to some of the songs from the album briefly and I've said ''Right! This album is going in my iPod!'' Till then the only Pet Shop Boys song I knew was In Denial all because of it was a duet with the one and only Kylie Minogue.

After 4 years, I've added the LP to my vinyl collection. The design was so simple but it had many references inside. All those squares outside and inside the sleeve were reflecting the feel of the album in the most clear way. The cover was desinged by the group's long time designer Mark Farrow along with the boys. Inspired by the work of Gerhard Richter for the Cologne Cathedral's stained glasses the cover is very reminiscent of the church. To me it's one of the most iconic album artworks of Pet Shop Boys.

Produced by Brian Higgins and his production Team Xenomania (who produced Kylie's iconic songs Giving You Up & Made Of Glass), the album has the feel of the 80s almost like their first two albums Please and Actually. Lyrics are written by the boys as usual. Most of them have hidden messages and references from the British history which proves Tennant & Lowe still can write.

The album begins with the first single off the album; Love Etc. Talking about falling in love and comparing it to buy and consume system in a metaphorically with the lines ''Don't have to buy a house in Beverly Hills, don't have to have your daddy paying your bills'' and ''Don't have to be beautiful but it helps'' the song makes us think about today's degenerated relationships.

The second track All Over The World can be classified as a traditional Pet Shop Boys song with it's music and lyrics.

Beautiful People is the only Pet Shop Boys song that includes harmonica in it. ''City life just leaves me weak. All this maddness on the street. Need to get away today, live my life a different way'' Isn't it something that we all think about? Feeling like being stuck in our random lives and needing a change to get away.. ''Is it only a fantasy to dream about a perfect me?'' No it is not Mr. Tennant.

Did You See Me Coming is my most favourite song off the album along with Building A Wall. Another classic PSB song that makes you want to dance. The guitar solo in the beginning catches you instanly and you can't stop until the next song kicks in. The song also includes my favourite lines which reflects my thoughts. ''I'm not superstitious or really religious. Just 'to thyself be true'. But now I think I'm starting to believe in fate because it delivered you.''

Vulnerable is like a song that you came across at the disco in the eighties. A little melancholical but catchy. As always the lyrics are personal, reflecting the one's vulnerability. If the boys made the song back in the 80s the intro wouldn't be any different.

More Than A Dream is lyrically different to traditional PSB songs. It's optimistic and it makes you feel hopeful. ''I believe we can change. We can make it more than a dream'' Sounds nothing like ''Everything I've ever done, everything that I ever do, every place that I ever been, everywhere I'm going to; it's a sin!''

Building A Wall is the first song of Side B and the second half of the album. Pete Gleadall (the third Pet Shop Boy) is the genius behind the song just as always. The lyrics have so many references from the history. Just proves how clever Neil Tennant is. ''Jesus and the man from U.N.C.L.E. Ceasar conquered Gaul. Scouting for centurians on a Roman wall'' It only took one smart man to put all these together in a song.

King Of Rome is the only song that I usually skip because of it's dark lyrics and production. It's not as personal and dark as It's A Sin but I feel like they're related.

Pandemonium has an interesting story since it was made in late 2006 or early 2007 for Kylie Minogue's then comeback album X. The boys composed the song as a demo and sent to Parlophone, to Kylie's production team. We don't know why Kylie never got back to them but I think it was a BIG mistake because it could be another classic Kylie anthem. After hearing nothing back from Kylie they recorded the song for the album and said ''I think every songwriter in London wrote songs for Kylie's last album. When we were on tour, we had two male backing singers and both had submitted songs for Kylie's album as well. They never heard anything either. We won't be doing it again.'' That should be very unfortunate for the both sides cause they could make a brilliant pop album together and many demos which belongs to the X era were dull.. I can't deny that the Boys have done a stunning job with the song. 

The Way It Used To Be is another traditional Pet Shop Boys that includes 'New York' in its lyrics. After Pandemonium, the song takes things down before closing the album with Legacy. 

Legacy is another underrated masterpiece. Once again the song has many references to past with its retrospective lyrics. Like the album Actually, Yes comes to conclusion with a dark song that leaves the listener in many thoughts. 

Having only two ballad-like songs Yes is another classic Synth-Pop masterpiece with Electro influences. I'd say the it's the last masterpiece that the Boys have done all thanks to Pete Gleadall and Xenomania because after the follow up album Elysium the duo started working with Stuart Price and every single song sounds like unbearable electronic noise. Despite the fact that it was released in 2009 we can say that the album belongs to the eighties. Mainly happy but sometimes dark and foggy.

Released on 18 March 2009, Yes sold 27.639 copies on its first week. Almost made it to #1 on the charts, the album suffered with distrubition problems which resulted the album to peak on #4 in the UK Albums Chart.

Australian Albums (ARIA): 32 

Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria):  5
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders): 69
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia): 49
Croatian Combined Albums (HDU): 16
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI): 6
Danish Albums (Hitlisten): 9
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts): 34
European Albums (Billboard): 3
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista): 28
French Albums (SNEP): 64
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100): 3
Greek Foreign Albums (IFPI): 3
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ): 24
Irish Albums (IRMA): 34
Italian Albums (FIMI): 40
Japanese Albums (Oricon): 32
Mexican Albums (Top 100 Mexico): 40
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista): 16
Scottish Albums (OCC): 8
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE): 10
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan): 12
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade): 7
UK Albums (OCC): 4
US Billboard 200: 32
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard): 3

EU LP

EU LP Back

EU LP Inner Sleeve Front

EU LP Inner Sleeve Back

EU LP Side A 

EU LP Side B

Today's Song: Absolute - Scritti Politti

It's been ages since the last time I took the time to write here. Been busy with many things but one of my friends told me that I should keep on blogging. This post is dedicated to him. Thanks for the enthusiasm mate! :)


I've been taking a look at my record collection the other week and I've realised that I have handful of records that I've bought but  never listened to them ever. Some Level 42 albums (Ewww!), Milli Vanilli (What was I thinking?!), Erasure (Can't stand them! They're a cheap copy of Pet Shop Boys), Marc Almond (I hate him cause he's slagged Kim Wilde off) & Scritti Politti's Cupid & Psyche 85. I've forced myself to listen to them and I couldn't stand any of these albums but Cupid & Psyche 85. I knew Green Gartside has a small part in Kylie's song Someday. So I wanted to give the album an extra try. Most of the songs are far from being synth-pop. They're more Blue-eyed soul. But there are two tracks that made me spin the album for two weeks. Small Talk and my all time favourite: Absolute.

I could easily say it's a classic 80s synth-pop track. Green's vocals go with the lyrics in a perfect harmony. You get that it's a feel-good song which has a tad serious side. I wish they made similar songs in the album rather than soul oriented sophisti-pop tracks. I'm usually concentrated on the music instead of the lyrics when it comes judging a song but Absolute has caught me on many ways. Green's stunning vocals, drums, synths and of course lyrics. I'm pretty sure they wrote the song in the mood for love. ''Holy girl you kiss away the meaning of the working day for love.'' They're one of the most clever lyrics I've ever heard in a pop song.

Released on 29 May 1984 before the release of Cupid & Psyche 85 Absolute peaked on #17 on the UK Singles Chart which is highly unfair for the song. I can't imagine another song being in the top 5 at that time but then Scritti wasn't so successful when it comes to singles charts.

Ps. All my Level 42, Marc Almond & Erasure records have been traded for much better records such as Emotional by Falco, Red by the Communards & Into The Gap by Thompson Twins :)