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 Pick: Select - Kim Wilde

Now I'll really struggle to describe my feelings for this masterpiece. Select is the album that made me love new-wave and shaped my taste in music. Analog synths, raw and natural vocals, lyrics with stroies to tell, Kim with her perfect hair style, a simple artwork that goes perfect with it's title... Words fail me to praise this perfection! I put this on my turntable every time I hear today's shitty music on the radio just to keep me going.


After making a debut with her self titled album and taking the UK, Europe and US by storm in 1981; Kim didn't lose any time to record her second album. His father Marty Wilde and brother Ricky Wilde wrote all the lyrics. Using more synthesizers and less guitars than the first album; Select is more agressive than her debut album. From air disasters to police brutality, apparent suicide, the nervous situation UK was in then and war circumstances Select lyrically has a darker side which reflects Marty and Rick's dark side. With all those coming together, Select is more of a new-wave and synth-pop album than her previous pop-rock album by including more snyths and electronic elements.


On the cover we see Kim Wilde with her breath taking beauty. Her signature hairdo with almost no make up makes the album's artwork very iconic. Every single detail from her pose to hair, from the graphics to the font reflects the 80s perfectly. It's one of the most famous album covers of the 80s and also one of my most favourites hence it's on the header of my blog with Miss Minogue. On the front of the cover, Kim stands before a white background and on the back, we see her before the black background. I think they tried to describe the feel of the album. Mostly dark and sometimes bright, like her vocals, Sometimes agressive and confident but sometimes fragile and blue; hence the title is Select.


Unlike the three minute songs produced to be played on the radio, the songs on the Select have good bridges, instrumental breaks and long endings. The songs give us all a sense of resolution. They just don't start and finish in 2 minutes and 45 seconds.


TRACKLIST:  

1. Ego
2. Words Fell Down
3. Action City
4. View From A Bridge
5. Just A Feeling
6. Chaos At The Airport
7. Take Me Tonight
8. Can You Come Over
9. Wendy Sadd
10. Cambodia - Reprise


The album makes an energetic start with Ego. Containing electronic synths and a fast rhythm, Ego is about someone that Marty Wilde knows. It's a perfect example of 80s new wave - electronic music. On the second track, Words Fell Down; we see Kim Wilde with her confident vocals. It's a classic pop song in it's stand-out ways.
Action City was written during UK going through social unrest and it reflects the unsafe position Marty Wilde feels. The sythns and electric guitars literally supports the title and lyrics of the song. It's one of the strongest and definitive tracks of the album with it's sound.
The fourth track, one of the fan favourites, View From A Bridge is one of the darkest songs of the album with it's lyrics about a girl commiting a suicide and jumping off a bridge. The almost sad intro of the song leaves itself to a moving and swinging kick accompanied by Kim's sometimes insane and affective vocals. I can feel the insanity when Kim shouts ''But then a voice said jump! And I just let go.'' Such a perfect track before ending the first half of the album with a stunning love song.
The last song on the Side A; Just A Feeling is my all time favourite Kim Wilde song. The chanting beginning of the song joined by analogue synths and drums makes a perfect start for this masterpiece. When I read what Marty Wilde said about the song I was highly disappointed. ''This is just a simple love song and the only line that I really love in the song is that line that says "I always looked on the touch of your love as a warm stream running over me". Even the critics called the song ''Stunning'' while the album was suffering from bad and unjust reviews. The lead synth pads, basses and Kim Wilde's fragile vocals just gets me every time I listen to the song. The electric guitar solo and the fascinating outro that lasts more than a minute are my favourite parts. I turn up the volume every time the outro comes and it just hypnotizes me. There's just no other perfect way to end a song. I get the chills every time the captivating synths kick in suddenly while Kim silently chants. It just reflects the feeling the song wants to give in a perfect way.  Sadly, we don't get such a song today.
The second half of the album begins with Chaos At The Airport. It has it's definive electric guitar throughout the song which fits with the feel of the song. It gets you allerted and nervous in a good way. The lyrics are about the air disasters and the fear of flying which makes the song very unique and personal. Like most of Kim Wilde songs, Chaos At The Airport is very underrated and unappreciated.
Take Me Tonight is the second track on the Side B. Having an intro with synths. The song has a funny story. After finishing his gig, Marty Wilde goes to a bar in the disco and silently watched everybody and thinks about what plans are they having for that night. Then he writes this song imagining what Kim Wilde would think and say if she was one of the people in that crowd.
Can You Come over is the most rock oriented song in the album and my least favourite song on the album. This song has a funny story too. The vocals were recorded in Kim's bedroom, in her house. Because they were behind the recordings of the album. So they needed a RAK MOBILE which was a long lorry, converted to a recording studio. They extended the cables to Kim's room and recorded the song there. Maybe this was the reason why Can You Come Over sounds slightly different than the rest of the songs that are on the album.
The second last song on the album, Wendy Sadd is one of the best songs Kim has ever done in her career. It's about police brutality that takes place in the US (how surprising!!). It was written by Marty and Ricky Wilde like the rest of the songs. The song has one of my most favourite lines: ''Lost in the night, somebody said go easy on the girl. You'll never get a confession if you treat her that way''. Wendy Sadd is a real person that Marty met at Top Of The Pops but she's not related to the story of the song. Her name was used because Marty loved the name and wanted to write a song about it. Wendy Sadd is another dark song that leaves the listener nervous. And the nervousness reaches it's climax at the end of the song when Kim shouts ''Wendy Sadd'' and leaves the listeners with one of the most tense ending a song could ever have which makes me fall in love with the song. It gets you so nervous it's almost like you're stressed and filled with anxiety. It's just pure perfection.
We close the album with Cambodia which is the perfect example for a new wave song. It was released months before the release of Select as a lead single. The lyrics are about an airforce wife who was Thailand based and how the ugly face of the war changed her husband. The storyteller lyrics were supported by a sad music filled with synths and sound effects. Marty says he's wrote the song while thinking about an American pilot flying in a F-4 Phantom II and getting shot down by an air missile. The song includes helicopter noises as well. It's another masterpiece that satisfies the listeners both with it's music and lyrics. The song ends with Kim Wilde chants ''She won't see his face again'' magically while the album comes to an end with the Reprise of Cambodia kicks in a little after Kim Wilde finishes her lines and leaves the listeners. Beginning with on and off sytnhs repeating itself, the drums kick in fastly and it goes on with Kim sadly chanting to reflect the whole air of the album. The whole Reprise built on fast drums with synths which makes it electronic yet so symphonic. It's just the best way to finish an album and to make it a masterpiece.


CHARTS: 

Sadly Select couldn't make the impact that Kim's debut album did. But that couldn't prevent it to be a fan favourite album. Critics only favoured Cambodia, Just A Feeling and View From A Bridge and called the rest of the album ''dull''. Just unbelievable!

Australia: 7
Austria: 4
Belgium: 4
Denmark: 1
France: 1
Germany: 2 (26 weeks)
Ireland: 15 (8 weeks)
Netherlands: 2 (12 weeks)
Norway: 3
South Africa: 2
Sweden: 1 (22 weeks)
Switzerland: 1 (11 weeks)
United Kingdom: 12 (12 weeks)

Select Germany LP (1C 064-64 787) 

Back Cover

Inner Sleeve Front

Inner Sleeve Back

Side A 

Side B

Thanks so much to Wilde Life for the information and facts. Visit www.wilde-life.com for further information about the album and Kim Wilde. 

This Week's B-Side: Virtual World - Kim Wilde

Written by Ricky and Kim Wilde in 1989 or 1990, Virtual World was released as a B-side to the lead single It's Here which was taken from the 1990 album Love Moves. Then it was given as a B-Side again when she released Can't Get Enough (Of Your Love) as a single. The song is talks about the future and what the world will become. In a way all the things she's mentioned in the song are made possible nowadays. Virtual World also has an extended version which was released on the 12'' single and cd single.

Unlike her formerly known works, Virtual World has a dance-pop and synthpop sound. And the music goes very well with the lyrics. The keyboards are reminding me In Hollywood. I think they were recorded around the same time. And of course, like all her songs, Virtual World left very underrated and unpopular. I hope she performs it live one day.

It's Here German 7'' (2292-57275-7 LA)

It's Here German 7'' Back

It's Here German 7'' Side A 

It's Here German 7'' Side B