Nightlife - time for reappraisal?

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Gabby
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Re: Nightlife - time for reappraisal?

#106 Post by Gabby »

MartinWright66 wrote: Tue 14 May 2024, 6:36 pm I wouldn't say it's a poor album... more... disjointed? It definitely had "Closer to Heaven" and it's musical type songs knocking on the door - which kind of butted up against the more dance-orientated tracks. It's the reverse of Nonetheless for me. Nonetheless really comes into it's own when listened to as a whole - whilst Nightlife is more an album where you pick 4/5 tracks and add them to a "Best of PSB" playlist.
Just looking back on this thread - I hadn't read this comment - and basically said the exact same thing afterwards! Great minds!

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leesmapman
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Re: Nightlife - time for reappraisal?

#107 Post by leesmapman »

Dreamland wrote: Tue 08 Oct 2024, 1:59 pm 25th anniversary approaching: https://www.thisisdig.com/feature/night ... -by-track/
Strange article. In the 2nd paragraph they state the following
Nightlife had been embraced as one of the best Pet Shop Boys albums,
and link to an article with all the PSB albums ranked:
https://www.thisisdig.com/feature/best- ... -reviewed/
Nightlife ended up at number 13 of the 15 albums.

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petshopgrrl
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Re: Nightlife - time for reappraisal?

#108 Post by petshopgrrl »

leesmapman wrote: Tue 08 Oct 2024, 5:52 pm Nightlife ended up at number 13 of the 15 albums.
Number 13 of the 15 best albums. :D

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Spittingcat
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Re: Nightlife - time for reappraisal?

#109 Post by Spittingcat »

Nightlife is more an album where you pick 4/5 tracks and add them to a "Best of PSB" playlist
Or pick 4... to add to one playlist... and another 4 to add to another. And still leaving you with some song you like that don't fit anywhere.

So much to like on Nightlife. Many of my favourite songs are on there. It pulls itself apart though.

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daveid
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Re: Nightlife - time for reappraisal?

#110 Post by daveid »

At least Nightlife has a cohesive sound. I think it would be better as a ten track album, losing The only one and either Boy strange or In denial.

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MikeyC
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Re: Nightlife - time for reappraisal?

#111 Post by MikeyC »

It is SOOOOOO evocative of Fall, 1999. 😎

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jasonjohn
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Re: Nightlife - time for reappraisal?

#112 Post by jasonjohn »

Not one of the crowd here, because I *love* the disjointed nature of the album. They are deliberately contrasting the excitement of a night out (nightlife) with the protagonist agonizing over love and trying to find a home life. If you can appreciate that angle the album is super. So many tracks fit that contrast.

Footsteps is a perfect wrap, because the protagonist is home in bed waiting to hear if his love interest is going to come home. The same bed mentioned in Radiophonic. The same love interest he calls out to in the opening track to come to him.

Electric is the pure party album, perhaps. But in Nightlife the protagonists is almost always at *odds* with the partying. They're too soft hearted, they are falling in love too easily with creatures of the night. They are struggling to stay positive because the lure of the nightlife keeps pulling their lover away from them.

Their lover said they loved them, or were they just being kind? Or were they drunk? The protagonist is taking everything with a heavy heart for the whole of the album - while everyone else is partying.

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jasonjohn
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Re: Nightlife - time for reappraisal?

#113 Post by jasonjohn »

Also, Closer To Heaven is a classic PSB mixed emotions track. It's a pity this strong track carried the name of the theatre production, where it only had a muted appearance. As an album track it's everything we want - super high energy, happy/sad, lyrically poignant, a total banger. I just think the production is a little muddy and overly clever, and I wonder what a more modern approach would have done with it. Single material, imho!

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oakey
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Re: Nightlife - time for reappraisal?

#114 Post by oakey »

I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Anymore is one of their best 'later' songs for me, love the synths on that one and the lyrics. I was so excited that they played it during the Dreamworld concert I attended. And the Nightlife Tour show in The Hague was the first PSB concert I attended, followed by the original C2H in London 2 years later, so the Nightlife album always has a special place in my heart. But I do agree it contains too much filler and the album is a bit inconsistent stylewise.

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Too Many Shadows
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Re: Nightlife - time for reappraisal?

#115 Post by Too Many Shadows »

jasonjohn wrote: Fri 11 Oct 2024, 1:21 am Also, Closer To Heaven is a classic PSB mixed emotions track. It's a pity this strong track carried the name of the theatre production, where it only had a muted appearance. As an album track it's everything we want - super high energy, happy/sad, lyrically poignant, a total banger. I just think the production is a little muddy and overly clever, and I wonder what a more modern approach would have done with it. Single material, imho!
Vive la différence! Closer To heaven ranks near the bottom for me :) . This is of course, as you say, imho!
Look at my hopes, look at my dreams...

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