Pet Shop Boys - It Couldn't Happen Here

[Panbaams]

The soundtrack was never officially released, I think because all the songs (barring "Always on my mind") were already on Please and Actually – the cassettes pressed up for that competition prize would be promos.

[danielreal2k]

New PSB song will feature Matt Lucas & David Walliams in the video, supposedly about the special relationship between Blair & Bush.

http://www2.sendspace.com/file/r2nw7n
I'm with stupid

[Ray Le Otter]

New PSB song will feature Matt Lucas & David Walliams in the video, supposedly about the special relationship between Blair & Bush.

http://www2.sendspace.com/file/r2nw7n
I'm with stupid

Nowt there.

[Cack Hen]

I saw that I'm With Stupid title a while ago and I was too afraid to find out if it was a Bush/Blair thing.

Why do musicians especially think they can just unload the same generic political-lite nonsense one after the other?

[Steve Thompson Dance Mix]

One of the tragic things is that the Boys have more or less flirted with everything they despised in the 80s, guitars, become friends with U2, political pop, they both support liberial, and went to the infamous Cool Britannia party in 1997. Unless they're being ironic. Next album, Hypocrisy?

They're pretty Hoxtonite nowadays. They're often hanging about with Elton and David, Sam-Taylor-Wood and Janet Street Porter. I find this uncomfortable for some reason.

Their first single from the new album was going to be The Sodom and Gomorrah Show, but EMI wouldn't have it.

I'm afriad that the I'm With Stupid is a Bush/Blair thing, not too dissimilar to I Get Along, but with 1988 Trevor Horn pop aesthetics. I was hoping that this wouldn't be too representative of the album but there is a song about ID cards as well.

Still, I'm excited and curious to hear how the album sound.

[ninestonecreature]

Still, I'm excited and curious to hear how the album sound

Well if it's at least on a par with Release I'll be more than happy.

[Cack Hen]

I'm afriad that the I'm With Stupid is a Bush/Blair thing, not too dissimilar to I Get Along, but with 1988 Trevor Horn pop aesthetics. I was hoping that this wouldn't be too representative of the album but there is a song about ID cards as well.
.

If that's as funny as it sounds, I won't mind.

[John Self]

I saw that I'm With Stupid title a while ago and I was too afraid to find out if it was a Bush/Blair thing.

Why do musicians especially think they can just unload the same generic political-lite nonsense one after the other?

Though I haven't heard this one (and I fucking want to! any chance of sorting out that link, dan2k?), I wouldn't worry too much about the political content, Neil Tennant's always been doing stuff like that, often to little overall effect on the average listener. I think he sometimes really sees himself as one of pop's Biggest Chroniclers Of Modern Times, like some kind of mincing synthy Dylan, cramming in relatively obscure ideas and references into such songs as 'DJ Culture' (Gulf war), 'My October Symphony' (Russian revolution), 'Don Juan' (not too sure: I'm hoping the clue is in the title) and stuff like that. But the 'message', him showing off his history qualifications, very rarely gets shoved down one's throat, I find, usually because they're such great, well-made, poppy songs that no one really gives too much of a fuck about the lyrics. I know I don't, certainly not to 'DJ Culture' and 'Don Juan', which are just fantastic songs to dance to.

I myself hope their next album is at least a lot better than Release, which to me was their worst album ever.

[Jemble Fred]

I myself hope their next album is at least a lot better than Release, which to me was their worst album ever, and nearly up there with Nathan Barley, as regards artistic disappointments.

Sacrilege! Their second best, after Behaviour. Both are the best because Chris and Neil's songwriting talents are allowed to be laid bare, thanks to proper instrumentation and less electronic burbling.

Ah well, each to their own. I know PSB are generally seen as an electronic pop duo, it's just that their songs always sound better acoustically.

[John Self]

haha! You caught me pre-edit!

Though I do agree with you that PSB don't need electronic burbling to back up their songs, and also hold Behaviour in very high regard myself, I thought that Release was just too MOR, too bland and comfort-foodish, and really not significantly far removed, in terms of production, from such stuff as Simply Red for my liking.

But yeah: you have your horses, and I'll have my courses, it's all part of the rich tapestry and stuff and stuff.

[Jemble Fred]

Apart from anything else, it came after Nightlife, which was almost nothing but filler crap, off-cuts from their musical and, worst of all, New York bloody City Boy (Which surely has to be their absolute nadir?). I love Release anyway (I Get Along being in any musical top ten for me) but after Nightlife, anything would have been an improvement.

[Ray Le Otter]

Apart from anything else, it came after Nightlife, which was almost nothing but filler crap, off-cuts from their musical and, worst of all, New York bloody City Boy (Which surely has to be their absolute nadir?). I love Release anyway (I Get Along being in any musical top ten for me) but after Nightlife, anything would have been an improvement.

Come on, Nightlife isn't that bad. It's at least on par with "Bilingual"; "For Your Own Good" is a belter of a track in the Rollo/Faithless style, "Drunk" is a fabulous song, "Closer To Heaven" should have been a single, it's got Kylie on the lovely "In Denial". Unfortunately, the one thing going against it is that  "New York City Boy" lies there at the end of the album like fresh catshit under a warm duvet.
Then again, I love "Disco 3" so feel free to ignore me.

[John Self]

Yup, I'm with Ray there, I'd say just about every single song on Nightlife is fantastic (and anyone who dismisses 'In Denial' as 'filler-crap' or an 'off-cut' has a big black hole where their heart should be), with the one glaringly obvious exception- 'New York City Boy'. So it's nice that we're agreed on something. Though Jem- if you like PSB all acoustic and stripped-back, then surely 'Boy Strange' must have a place in your heart?

And Ray, I too love Disco 3- so feel free to shake me by the hand. A great and often-overlooked album, that is.

[Ray Le Otter]

And Ray, I too love Disco 3- so feel free to shake me by the hand. A great and often-overlooked album, that is.

Indeed, my other half was less than impressed with "Release" & thought that "Disco 3" was a return to form. I'd have to agree, with "Time On My Hands", "Positive Role Model" (would have been a great single), "Try It..", and "Somebody Else's Business" standing up there with the best they've ever done. Even the wonderful "Here" from "Release" gets a beefy remix and rehabilitated amongst more similar material. Pity the whole album was lost in a wave of apathy from the general public and non-publicity from Parlophone.

Needed a Mark Farrow sleeve though. Whenever he's not involved, there's something missing.

[Jemble Fred]

Damn, I forgot 'Drunk' – that is indeed fantastic. Er, especially Neil's live acoustic version.

[danielreal2k]

Short clip here, sorry early link didnt work.
http://media.putfile.com/Im-with-stupid-short-clip

Lyrics here
http://www.petshopboys.co.uk/lyrics/lyricsBody.asp?RecordID=178

[Ciarán2]

And Ray, I too love Disco 3- so feel free to shake me by the hand. A great and often-overlooked album, that is.

Indeed, my other half was less than impressed with "Release" & thought that "Disco 3" was a return to form. I'd have to agree, with "Time On My Hands", "Positive Role Model" (would have been a great single), "Try It..", and "Somebody Else's Business" standing up there with the best they've ever done. Even the wonderful "Here" from "Release" gets a beefy remix and rehabilitated amongst more similar material. Pity the whole album was lost in a wave of apathy from the general public and non-publicity from Parlophone.

Needed a Mark Farrow sleeve though. Whenever he's not involved, there's something missing.

Cheers, I'm going to go and buy that album later on now. I never bothered to buy it at the time. I don't own "Disco 2" either.

[Ray Le Otter]

Cheers, I'm going to go and buy that album later on now. I never bothered to buy it at the time. I don't own "Disco 2" either.

Good choice - but don't bother with "Disco 2" - it's cack.

[Steve Thompson Dance Mix]

I saw that I'm With Stupid title a while ago and I was too afraid to find out if it was a Bush/Blair thing.

Why do musicians especially think they can just unload the same generic political-lite nonsense one after the other?

Though I haven't heard this one (and I fucking want to! any chance of sorting out that link, dan2k?), I wouldn't worry too much about the political content, Neil Tennant's always been doing stuff like that, often to little overall effect on the average listener. I think he sometimes really sees himself as one of pop's Biggest Chroniclers Of Modern Times, like some kind of mincing synthy Dylan, cramming in relatively obscure ideas and references into such songs as 'DJ Culture' (Gulf war), 'My October Symphony' (Russian revolution), 'Don Juan' (not too sure: I'm hoping the clue is in the title) and stuff like that. But the 'message', him showing off his history qualifications, very rarely gets shoved down one's throat, I find, usually because they're such great, well-made, poppy songs that no one really gives too much of a fuck about the lyrics. I know I don't, certainly not to 'DJ Culture' and 'Don Juan', which are just fantastic songs to dance to.

I myself hope their next album is at least a lot better than Release, which to me was their worst album ever.

True.

I believe the song, Integral about ID cards will be as funny as it sounds. They did have the lyrics on thier offical site. Also pop justice has the cover to I'm With Stupid. As you can expect quite stylish cover. They've gone all dark and neon-like, but not in a Soft Cell sleazy soho way.

[Ray Le Otter]

Just in case anybody's interested, presale link for PSB at Liverpool Summer Pops:

http://onsale.ticketmaster.co.uk/offer/facelift/?title=Pet_Shop_Boys&type=presale

[John Self]

And here's the new single. I like it, and think it augers well: it's bombastic and (seemingly) meaningless fun, sounds a bit like 'Can You Forgive Her?'. I've got my fingers crossed that they'll ignore Jemble, sack their band, and give us something like another Very.

I think that'd be a nice way to see in Spring.

[danielreal2k]

Yeh I thought that, it's a mellow Can you forgive her isnt it.

Nice to hear the lush strings and electronic blips back, although that's probably down to Trevor Horn.

[Jemble Fred]

Well that really did very little for me, I'm afraid. Sounds like a low-par B-side from the Very era. Nice to hear that Neil can still reach the high notes though.

Ta for giving me the opportunity to go 'meh' though!

[John Self]

Hehe, not a problem Jem, anything to help you reaffirm your 'wacky' and 'out there' prediliction for the acoustic side of PSB...

[danielreal2k]

I said 'Meh' when I first heard it, but it is growing on me.

This is the CD cover

[Joy Nktonga]

*Jumps in*

If that was a cover from the Actually/Introspection era PSB, then I'd have bought the 7" and both 12" singles with the alternative "Chris Cover". Unless I've missed much (apart from the actual music - I went off them around the time of Behaviour which seems like an odd time for me to go off them considering what came after) that's a classic PSB style of cover.

*Jumps back out*

[The Mumbler]

Radio 2's Mark Goodier just gave I'm With Stupid its very first radio play about half-an-hour ago, so it was my first hearing.  He got quite animated about it, said it was their best record for "absolutely ages", and sounded "like a number one".

It's not bad, has a dumb memorable chorus which, for me, recalls Opportunities, but there's something workaday about the whole song, which is unusual for them.  What it really lacks is an "I have to hear that bit again now" bit that all their best singles (most of them) have, a la Dusty's "since you went away" on What Have I Done, or the "I would...oh I would" mad orchestral bit after Left to My Own Devices' second chorus, or (as in Go West) a key change for the final chorus that actually doesn't sound desperate, or just 'that progression' that announces the chorus of Being Boring (which gets me every time).  What saves it, for now at least, is Horn's spiky production which, bar that Tatu record, is the first exciting thing he's done for many a year.

If radio people are describing it as a number one, though, expect the level of airplay that no PSB record's received since God knows when.  Probably 1993's Go West.

[danielreal2k]

The number one , if it ever happens will be more likely the result of the "Walliams & Lucas" Video.

You can imagine the Sebastian character as the PM and Matt as a Fat powerful American President type.

[The Mumbler]

I just really hope that Horn and the PSBs will contribute an old-school  'Extended Remix' (five or six minutes before the vocals come in) to one of the CDs.

[Steve Thompson Dance Mix]

Well they've produced an extended 'maxi-mix' of I'm With Stupid. And their album cover is up too on the official site.