hat I really hate are cas­ And then of course you get weird lapsed Catholic and was probably des­ settes," says Neil Ten­ things like those Beatles albums [the tined to be so, if only for artistic reasons. nant of the Pet Shop Red and Blue compilations] coming He laments the passing of the Latin Boys, "it's really the shit­ out on two CDs. It's not even Mass, which changed the weekly tiest format that's ever dear old EMI's fault, actually, ceremony from a highly dramatic been.W They all play at the wrong speed it's the Beatles. That really is and mysterious affair into some­ and they tangle up and the packaging's just crazy." thing rather mundane and ordi­ horrible. I can't think of anything good Though not, perhaps, as nary. And the music! to be said for prerecorded cassettes." crazy as the obstacles Tennant "The Catholics in Britain and Of course, CDs create their own and Lowe faced in 1981, when they America have the worst music," moans problems. When Tennant and his part­ met at a stereo equipment store and Tennant. "If you're a Church of England ner Chris Lowe prepared their latest began writing together. Five years later, member or a Protestant, then you have album for release, they faced down the success arrived-dramatically-with very lovely hymns. But the Catholics have temptation of excess. "West End Girls," a smash hit in the these terrible hymns. And they never sing "We had extra songs," Tennant U.S. and Great Britain. Lead singer anyway. Or even worse they have these says. "We could have made Very 70 min- Tennant, formerly a journalist, dived folk masses with people playing guitars and flutes and that l"eally ... I find that unbearable. And consequently on that With Their Hot New Album Out, rare occasion when I've been to mass in utes if we'd wanted. But that's too long. I The Chaps From England Take Off think 40 to 50 minutes is a good length for any piece of music. Many sym­ into the role of the quotable, knowing recent years, I'm in a bad mood thinking phonies, for instance, aren't longer than pop star while Lowe played the club­ about how terrible the music is." 45 or 50 minutes. Obviously, there are hopping dance fiend. When a follow-up By drawing on such personal themes exceptions, but a lot of self-indulgence single was titled "Opportunities (Let's and expanding their musical palette goes on. For instance, Erotica by Madon­ Make Lots of Money)," it seemed clear: beyond the dance floor, the Pet Shop na; I think maybe that's an album that's The Pet Shop Boys were a one-hit Boys' albums kept getting better and bet­ too long. And has anyone really gotten to wonder and they knew it. File the ter until suddenly there was BehavioT-a know both the Guns n' Roses CDs? Even album somewhere near Kajagoogoo or combination of subtle lyrics and sweeping when you get something [worthwhile] Naked Eyes and ignore them. And why arrangements that garnered a pile of like Prince's Sign 0' the Times, which is not? They ignored us in their videos. In glowing reviews. They'd done it. Along two CDs, you never quite come to grips everyone, the lanky fellow stared with John Mellencamp and perhaps one with it as well as you do Purple Rain." glumly into the camera while the other or two others, the Pet Shop Boys had Not all lengthy CDs are bad, Ten­ chap looked pointedly away, as if he managed the difficult trick of becoming nant hastens to add, the Pet Shop Boys' were thinking, this can't possibly last. serious, important artists aftel" achieving very own Discography naturally being the But it did. They continued to turn massive commercial success. ;;; first example that springs to mind. out hits like "Domino Dancing," "Left "Sometimes nowadays I'll write ~ "Our greatest hits album was one to My Own Devices," and "It's a Sin," more sophisticated lyrics," acknowledges 0: :z: CD with 18 tracks and I think it's great songs of increasing complexity and emo­ Tennant. "I'm never quite sure whether ~ you can get them all on," he says. "But tional power. The last of these-a melo­ that's necessarily a good thing. I do like ~ that's different because you kind of dramatic example of Catholic guiJt-was the song "Dreaming of the Queen" on b know the songs to start with. especially memorable. Tennant is a Ve1Y, which is something I might not ~ CD REVIEW FEBRUARY 1994 r-----------------~~---------------------------------------------------------------- have thought of several years ago. I'm really pleased with the lyric. But then I also feel pleased with "One and One Make Five," which is what we call a Kylie Minogue song-it's a very simple pop song, kind of verging on banal. "If there's been a change, it's been an evolution toward maybe a greater sophistication. But it's a musical and in many ways a pl'oduction sophistication. And we Imow we're getting better." Along the way, they've also managed to coax Dusty Springfield out of semi­ retirement with "What Have I Done to Deserve This?," produce an album for Liza Minnelli, and give Boy George's career a boost with "The Crying Game." Even their more selfless acts paid off handsomely. "We were doing an AIDS benefit concert in Manchester," Tennant says, "and we decided to end the show with a cover. Sometimes you get sick of just doing your own songs. ~ We were going to do "Fool on the Hill," :I:'" but it didn't sound good. And then Chris U >­ came in the next day and played me "Go o'" West" by the Village People. I thought S :I: it was horrible actually; to be honest, "- their version of it sounds pretty cheesy. But Chris obviously saw the potential. East End boys perhaps a "I think there has And then it went down so well-it bit more than West End PET SHOP BOYS been a greater realiza­ sounded very us; it really sounded very girls. Certainly, the best (All discs on the EMf label.) tion [of that aspect] by Pet Shop Boys." tracks on Very deal with Please others and therefore Very Pet Shop Boys, indeed. ot this: "Can You Forgive (CDP 46271) people assume this is only is "Go West" the duo's biggest Her?" is about a young ** 1*** somehow reflected in European hit in years, it serves as the man who's gay but can't the lyrics; that somehow Disco striking finale to their latest CD, a worthy admit it, "To Speak Is a (CDP 46450) I've changed as a person successor to the much lauded Behaviol'. Sin" paints a vivid por­ or something like that. Unfortunately, there won't be a successor trait of the bar scene, * 1 * * * And it's actually not the Actually case. We wrote 'To to the "Performance" concert tour (now and "Young Offender" (CDP46972) out on video). That highly theatrical details the relationship *** 1*** Speak Is a Sin' in 1983, show was a bacchanalian extravaganza between an older and before we even had a that took even Tennant by surprise, when younger man. Yet Ten­ Introspective record deal. We've he saw the video. nant doesn't see any (CDP 90868) always written about "I was quite shocked," Tennant says great leap forward in *** 1* ** these things. drolly. "Well, I wasn't shocked really, but I terms of openness and Behavior "But there's always a was thinking, 'God, all that was going on his objections hardly (CDP 95310) tendency of people to behind us, I had no idea.' The dancers show a concern for ***** 1**** assume there is an evolu­ tended to get more carried away as the image-just bemuse­ tion. It's funny, I was Discography tour went on, until it became completely ment over all the fuss. (CDP 97097) reading a review of all obscene by the end, I think." "It's really become **** 1**** the Smiths albums, Many reviewers commented on how the focus of reviews in which have just been re­ flamboyant and frankly gay the concert America, which is very Very released in Britain and was, but Tennant doesn't see it that way. interesting," says Ten­ (CDP 89721) this guy was saying "The stage show certainly had a sex­ nant. "But I don't think ***** 1***** there's no real evolution ual presence, but I wouldn't really classify this album is any more or with the Smiths. It's all it as gay. There was quite a lot of hetero­ less gay than any other thing we've done. there at the start and it's all there at the sexual stuff going on there, even some I really don't want to speak to just one end. And I was quite interested to read lesbianism for that matter. I think we audience and I've never wanted us to be that because that's what I think of the Pet kind of covered all the bases," he says, classified as a gay group. I just don't like Shop Boys.". dissolving into laughter. the narrowness or the ghettoizing that Still, at some point in their career it assumes you're from one audience or Michael Giltz is an assistant editor at Pre­ became clear the Pet Shop Boys fancied talking to one audience.