Pet Shop Boys, Similar

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Patrick Bateman
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Re: Pet Shop Boys, Similar

#46 Post by Patrick Bateman »

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One of the crowd
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Re: Pet Shop Boys, Similar

#47 Post by One of the crowd »

Hillbilly wrote:
Get "Prisoner of the past" if you haven't already!
Spotify randomly played this the other day and it’s been on rotation ever since!

Great tune

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jasonjohn
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Re: Pet Shop Boys, Similar

#48 Post by jasonjohn »

Only a vague similarity, but when an Australian band "Regurgitator" released "I Like Your Old Stuff Better Than Your New Stuff" I thought it was a little on the PSB side.

And then years later it seemed like PSB returned fire thematically with "Your Early Stuff".

(Regurgitator also took off Prince with "Song Formerly Known As", which probably deserved to be a world wide hit, imo)

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telys
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Re: Pet Shop Boys, Similar

#49 Post by telys »

York Minster wrote: Fri 30 Apr 2010, 6:28 pm
If you like these tracks listen to 'The Calm Before the Storm' and 'Let's Go Surfing' from Sparks. 'Let's Go Surfing' does sound like a response to the PSB version of 'Go West'. Also when Sparks released 'National Crime Awareness Week' I remember many journalists comparing this with PSB. Ron Mael is influenced by many things and he would certainly be aware of the Boys' career.
I want to issue a warning about Sparks. They have had two dancepop albums. One in 1994, one in 2000. The 1994 one sounds the most like PSB, and a couple of the singles are quite good. But overall I find the songwriting severely lacking (this also happened on some Sparks 80s albums). Unfortunately, the synthy 80s Sparks albums that had a sound that would appeal more to PSB fans don't have near their best work.

So what to do? Get the 2000 album Balls. Consistent excellent quirky and intelligent dancepop that I believe allmusic describes as a mix between Men Without Hats, PSB and a bit of Devo. You can't go wrong with almost anything from the 70s. They quit rock and started disco in 79 and that was better songwriting through 83 compared to the late 80s.

I think Sparks annoy some PSB fans, and they can be abrasive. But I really think their back catalogue is worth looking into even if what you heard turned you off. Just listen to various tracks on youtube or amazon from different eras. The first two albums are miles away from the 1994 stuff, and even from the stuff from the next couple albums, but they are also quite impressive.
More or less my take on it as well.
And you can't compare the guys behind the keyboards either. Ron is acting while Chris is just being himself, simply a bloke who couldn't be bothered.... I gues Chris is acting as well but he's acting it well.
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jules
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Re: Pet Shop Boys, Similar

#50 Post by jules »

The album Balls must have been an inspiration. Undertow is quite similar to the calm before the storm, like the album artwork.

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Sandy Shaw
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Re: Pet Shop Boys, Similar

#51 Post by Sandy Shaw »

Sandy Shaw wrote: Mon 03 May 2010, 2:47 am
FirthofForth wrote:
The Moyat song sounds Noel Cowardy. I never got into her stuff much, partly due to not liking the vocals, but this is pretty good. This also sounds more 1994 Sparks than PSB.
It has been mentioned on the forum before, but it is worth noting here that the Boys may have remixed Moyet's Whispering your name!
Since I posted this I asked Alison via Twitter about this and it turns out the remix is not by N and C.

The Boys have also confirmed it's not their remix.
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ahafan02
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Re: Pet Shop Boys, Similar

#53 Post by ahafan02 »

VinnyM227 wrote: Thu 29 Apr 2010, 6:58 pm The ultimate song that people think is an actual PSB song has to be Real Life's "Send Me An Angel". When I saw that this song predates the '86 version of "West End Girls" (and of course the "Please" album) I figured maybe PSB was biting Real LIfe's style. But from a fan perspective, there are maybe some some musical elements, but that's about all. When I used a PSB song in a lesson (and it was "Legacy", but it was more about the lyrics then the song which fans love oh so much) a student said she had a few PSB song on her Ipod....later she came up to me and said the one she couldn't think of was 'Send Me An Angel"). I told her it was Real Life and that people believe it is PSB all the time...and I sort of winched since I realized she must have gotten it from some Kaaza like site since it was obviously mismarked!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6zBjYIyz-0

Yes and someone sent Neil a question and accused Real Life of "stealing" PSB's sound but the moron who asked the question based it off of the 1989 remix not realizing the original came out in 1983.

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S-sense
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Re: Pet Shop Boys, Similar

#54 Post by S-sense »

Dubstar, Token. Perfect Pop, fantastic melody, great vocals more bitter than sweet,, not Happy sad, but could still be a PSB record (with slightly changed Lyrics). Produced by Stephen Hague.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IaHHRY9gpcs
Last edited by S-sense on Sat 29 Mar 2025, 8:47 am, edited 1 time in total.

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ea39
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Re: Pet Shop Boys, Similar

#55 Post by ea39 »

S-sense wrote: Fri 28 Mar 2025, 10:08 pm Dubstar, Token. Perfect Pop, fantastic melody, great vocals more bitter than sweet,, not Happy sad, but could still be a PSB record (with slightly changed Lyrics). Produced by Stephen Hagie.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IaHHRY9gpcs
A great album as well. I'd love them to work with Hague again.
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Re: Pet Shop Boys, Similar

#56 Post by leesmapman »

Heh, I was just playing the Dubstar video and my girlfriend asked me if this was the female Pet Shop Boys.

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Re: Pet Shop Boys, Similar

#57 Post by Alphonse »

Am I hallucinating?

"Pearly Spencer" by The Modernist sounds like a secret Pet Shop Boys track.
like a dud sub-sonic beat-box
booming bass under the bed

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Re: Pet Shop Boys, Similar

#58 Post by tottenhammattspurs »

Starlight Express - Whistle At Me (Remix), AC/DC (Electra Remix) and Hydrogen (Hydra Remix) sound 100% like the Boys have been asked to remix them. They're both pure PSB remix territory to the point I had to check they weren't remixes under pseudonyms. the AC/DC remix especially...
is is and isnt isnt

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Oznerol
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Re: Pet Shop Boys, Similar

#59 Post by Oznerol »

This one sounds like an unrecognised child between Being Boring and Left to my own devices...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0phkB8N ... rt_radio=1[/YouTube]
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