PSB vs Underworld

[Hillbilly]

Wow.. the opening ceremony rocked but the highlight for me was the underworld soundtrack... but close your eyes, could this have been the boys. Musically its so similar to what the boys at their pomp would have put out.. yet now it feels like its on a completely different planet / division to the dirge the PSB have produced recently (invisible / winner).

Is this a sign of how far the boys have fallen ? Or could the boys have actually produced these ?

For those who didn't catch it... the 2 underworld tracks are

And I will Kiss
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM0fiegRbTg

Calibans Dream
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mec8GZkEpD4

I could obviously link to Invisible and the dire Winner.. but I can't bring myself to do it. I'd rather Winner was relegated as a bad dream.

Have you even listened to The Most Incredible Thing more than once or do you think that music is "dirge" too? These Underworld tracks are not in the same league! The ballet score is a masterpiece and features the greatest instrumental music that Tennant/Lowe has ever composed.

Our commentators didn't even mention the music was by composed Underworld (or I didn't listen carefully) and I don't know who they are anyway... The mentioned Mike Oldfield and "Tubular Bells", but him I would have recognised nonetheless! I'm a fan of his music.

Yes, Pet Shop Boys could have come up with something much better - that's my answer to you!

[joe stalin]

Wow..

Have you even listened to The Most Incredible Thing more than once or do you think that music is "dirge" too? These Underworld tracks are not in the same league! The ballet score is a masterpiece and features the greatest instrumental music that Tennant/Lowe has ever composed.

Our commentators didn't even mention the music was by composed Underworld (or I didn't listen carefully) and I don't know who they are anyway... The mentioned Mike Oldfield and "Tubular Bells", but him I would have recognised nonetheless! I'm a fan of his music.

Yes, Pet Shop Boys could have come up with something much better - that's my answer to you!

I have listened to TMIT and I think its great. It just shows how far the boys have gone down the particular path that now results in them putting out material such as Winner. The alternative path, which they have chosen not to take, the more electronic path, looks to be becoming increasingly out of reach and distant. I think thats a shame

For example, a new magazine for fans of electronic music has been launched. http://www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/m ... c-special/

Would the boys be happier in this or being interviewed in the Classic FM monthly magazine. I fancy the latter. Which I reflect, is something of a shame IMHO

[Radiophonic]

Warning with that mag preview - scary pic of Gary Numan inside. Genuinely made me jump.

[tucky101]

I've just listened to "And I will kiss" on You Tube and it reminds me of Battleship Potemkin.

[joe stalin]

I've just listened to "And I will kiss" on You Tube and it reminds me of Battleship Potemkin.

Completely agree.. from around 10 minutes to the end... it could easily have been part of BP. BP with less orchestra and more percussion and basically more electronic. It wouldn't surprise me if BP could have influenced this in some way.

I've stumbled across an interesting review of the Underworld set. I've copied an extract below (http://www.sfbg.com/noise/2012/07/31/un ... soundtrack)

'Underworld put its back catalogue to great use during the opening ceremony, most notably during the long-established Parade of Nations. The Olympic teams marched energetically to uptempo tracks, such as "Dark Train," "Dirty Epic," and "Rez," all of which lent a thumping force to the proceedings; Underworld's generously layered synths highlighted the electricity in the air.

It makes perfect sense that ambient-music guru Brian Eno collaborated frequently with Hyde over the past few years, given Underworld’s emphasis on muted atmosphere, a rarity among dance-music practitioners. The Parade of Nations benefited greatly from this tone, which a more standard outfit like Chemical Brothers or the Crystal Method simply couldn’t have imparted. Underworld’s music packs a subtle emotional punch that most of its competition cannot equal.

The biggest draw for Underworld fans was the introduction of two new, extended tracks, produced especially for the ceremony’s creative segment. At 17 minutes, “And I Will Kiss” provided the backdrop for a shrewdly choreographed performance-art piece, chronicling Britain’s historic transition from pastoral wonderland to industrial superpower.

Recalling Peter Gabriel’s similarly high-concept OVO: The Millennium Show, held in London 12 years ago, the spectacle combined elaborate set-design and an extensive cast with a loud and pulsating, yet moody and subdued soundtrack. Industrialization represented a sense of forward progress, as well as a loss of innocence, for the British people, and Underworld’s musical contribution aptly reflected this emotional complexity.'

I guess for me I've always found the PSB most engaging when they go for more subtle over bombastic. I still feel their best producer has been Julian Mendelsohn who had a knack of giving their tracks room to breathe (rent). Perhaps that why during the opening ceremony I was struck with how awesome the music in the background was, certainly triggered by my appreciation of the psb, but with a dawning of the psb have moved away from this sort of music, which i reflect is sad.

[retrofuturist]

Greetings,

Underworld are cool. They're one of my favourite bands, and they're definitely my favourite "dance act" (for me, PSB will always be "pop", or "art").

But even Underworld need outside production in order to keep them sounding fresh nowadays, as the demos of their Barking album attest to. The demos themselves weren't great, but the final album, with collaboration/production from current talent was awesome.

Retro.

[joeythecat]

Underworld is one of my favorites. And I agree that they are good collaborators, just look at how they transformed from 80's dance-pop, opening up for Eurythmics at one time, to having DJ Darren Emerson join the band and crate some of their most well loved tunes.
Anyway, beyond that, Have you heard "the Way Through The Woods," to me it sounds like it could have easily fit into the Shire sequence of the Olympics opening ceremony. So much changed in the development of that program, perhaps there was some sound-tracking originally intended, who knows, I mean Elton John was originally the musical ringleader of the Olympics ceremony.