Reviews (page 7 of 8)
Enough with the British Rock Bands!! Seriously guys, knock it off. They were just meh
This made no impression on me in 1987 and has exactly the same effect today. I'm sure I'm missing something important, but I suspect it's all affective context.
I really like the Pet Shop Boys, but I wasn't familiar with this album and found it very bland compared to others.
Pet Shop Boys are a singles band, with the good songs distributed across any number of albums; a Greatest Hits record would be pretty good. But we have three albums on this list and West End Girls isn't on any of them.
Ned meins
This is so 80s and it did not age particularly well. Fav Track: It's a Sin, but the rest is so bland, that I just can't rate this with 3 stars.
Old Pop 2,4
Actually by the Pet Shop Boys is a synth-pop slog. "What Have I Done To Deserve This?" is what everyone is asking after they have to listen to this album. There’s not really a standout track to save it. Everything blends into one long, overly polished, emotionally flat ride through the most sterile parts of the ‘80s. It’s background music for a scene in a movie you forgot you watched.
Two Pet Shop Boys albums within 4 days of eachother. This has been fun 😏
Eh, not really for me
Average
This is the third (so far) album that I have gotten on this list from this group, and I really don't get why it's represented so much. This list really wants me to like Pet Shop Boys. This is dull and uninteresting. Stop cramming it down my throat please.
Tedious vocals, inane lyrics, repetitive noises for a backing track
It was boring; it didn't start off well with all the random noises in the first track.
2.4 Confused by this. The first 6 tracks were absolutely god awful, I had a-ha yesterday and this somehow made them look good. However, tracks 8 & 10 were stellar, so what on earths going on there? Felt like an 80s Placebo. The rest, absolute shite.
Normally I'm an 80's guy. I like romanticism in music just fine. This was a saccharine chug-fest.
Please don't touch my testicles-snl ahh music. Vibes but not what I'd listen to
meh
Just don't really enjoy this kind of stuff. Will I listen to again: 0%
Too 80s for me
Not my jam, though there were a few songs that were ok (One More Chance, Heart). There are some songs here that stink out loud though like Shopping, Rent, and It Couldn't Happen Here. I didn't fully hate it enough to give it a 1, but can't in good faith give this anything higher than a low 2.
I can usually get into synth-pop, but 3 tracks in I'm not really loving this. All the cheese of 80s electronica on display without much to redeem it IMO. Shopping is a low point for me. It feels a bit like a brightened Depeche Mode mixed with Thomas Dolby. Cheesy electronic horns and that 80s robotic vocal. I do actually enjoy Hit Music quite a bit. I mean, sure it is cheesy AF, but there is something catchy to the way its laid out. I'm also low-key into the cheesy epicness of It's a Sin. Yeah I could have done without this one. There were points where I could bite into the cheese, but in general this is too far removed from my area of interest to get excited. This is a 2 for me.
I don’t know what to say about this. This part of the 80’s music doesn’t have my preference. There is some okay songs, but also a few really bad ones, like “shopping”.. what the hell was that. I think albums like these were essential for inspiration and developing music. Maybe even creating different genres, but apart from a few songs, this is not for me. Favourite song: - It’s a sin
just hate it
Synth pop. Ya. Well, I didn't dislike it as much as I imagined I would, but I still didn't love it. This list seems to have every single synth pop album ever made.
Oh yea, just didn’t really care for this. Nor do I feel the need to explain why.
maybe this is something I'll figure out later in life
Happier Depeche Mode
The best song on this album: "What Have I Done To Deserve This?". As for every other song . . . I kept asking myself the same question.
Some wacky, random instrumentals. Fun though. Vocals are a bit… flat? Monotone and repetitive. Wish I could have experienced clubbing in the 80s. Probs would have liked this album more if I was older.
Not really a fan of this one. Music wasn't terrible, but too new-wave-y for me. 2.5/5
I don’t know what I did to deserve this.
There we some parts where I was like "wait, this is peak." And there were some when I was questioning life. I enjoyed this one, though. Favs: What Have I Done to Deserve This?, Shopping, Hit Music Least Fav: King's Cross
If you like budget Depeche Mode this is for you. Kinda sounds like they want to be Kraftwerk a bit too.
Mega cheesy. I listened to this while filling out medical forms, and the irony was stupendous.
VERY of its time. Sounds almost quaint to modern ears, and doesn’t really translate well.
Gay songs
All I can hear during S-H-O-PP-ING is P-O-O-PP-ING. It’s a shame because the lyrics convey a societal problem in 1987 that is far worse today, everything is for sale…your data, political influence. I appreciate this synth pop playing a small part in getting the modern version that I love. Unfortunately this sounds very dated.
I don’t know, once again a pop/electronic album that isn’t too impressive. It’s not bad, but just not very interesting. 2/5 Won’t listen again
"I love you, you pay my rent" is a funny lyric, even though I don't think it means what I first thought it means I once again thought it was The Beach Boys. Not bad really, just kinda boring
Actually... okay
Parit passelit rallit, en silti kuuntelisi kuin ehkä yhtä kappaletta uudelleen. Ei laulajan ääni itselle jaksa toimia.
Not for me. Fine in the background
Incredibly dated 80s synth-pop. I guess some people go for the detached tone here, and I actually kind of liked their last album we got, but this is not for me at all. Best song: What Have I Done to Deserve This?
I like their catchy electronic dance tunes but they may just be a singles band for me
Drony observations on bored, lonely yuppies over synth-pop? Yawn. I don't care enough to like this. Two stars.
… it’s a no from me dawg.
Very 80s, not sure it's held up over time. May be another brit-centric entry into this list.
Actually boring
Bitte mal wieder was gutes Süße Tracklist aber one Trick pony
Forgettable from start to finish.
never been a fan & listening to this does not win me over. never liked his vocals, or the talk/sing style. overly synth, repetitive lyrics. best part was Dusty Springfield in What Have I
I like synth pop from the 80s. But this was so dated it was like it was fake. Just not for me.
Synth pop for people who take themselves too seriously, written by a couple of guys who take themselves too seriously. Too much focus on the "art" of it, without actually making songs that I can care aboutn. Shame, because when PSB do it well I really like them, but this album definitely left me cold.
More SynthPop already? Low expectations going into this one with the band name and cover art so it's (actually) exactly what I thought. It's an odd mix of melancholy lyrics over upbeat backing tracks with vocals from two bored yuppies, oh and throw in some political themes from the UK. This is maybe fun if you're a very young British Chap in the 1980's. Some songs were alright but I think Depeche Mode and a few others do this better. "Shopping" was absolutely terrible but I'll give em 1.75 for the lyric "I love you, you pay my rent."
Cover sums this album up...kinda boring, Actually. I think Softcell did the 80s electro synth way better and this sounded like a watered down version. Sounded like 2 guys in their parents basement with a Casio. The PS boys will make the list for the debut I'm sure and I hope it's better then this...1.64.
I think I expected more from this. I usually dig synth pop even when it is on the lower end of the spectrum. I was enjoying Actually for the first half, but Side B was a letdown. By the end of the album it felt overall bogged down and did little to stay with me. A few of the songs were too slowed down and drawn out. Overall a forgettable album for me. 1.84 stars
I had another PSB album before this one and thought, based on that one that maybe I had misjudged them in the past. This is exactly what I expected on the last one (Behaviour for what it’s worth). This was boring uninspired generic 80s synth pop. There’s some amazing 80s synth pop out there, this just isn’t it. So maybe they got better as their careers went on but this album stinks.
If you are like me, listening to this album and struggling to listen, then make it a game of sorts. +5 points if you can guess what the rhyme would be, +10 bonus points if you hear a word rhymed with itself.
Generic 80's sound.
I don't care for synth pop, and this sounds very 80s. I had a hard time caring that much for it at all, but it didn't sound bad.
I've been saving this two-word review for a while: shit sandwich. This was mopey and over-dramatic when released and hasn't aged well.
What have I done to deserve that? “Shopping” and “Heart” dropped it to 2-stars.
A couple of good songs and some nostalgia, surrounded by a lot of boring songs. Maybe almost a 3, but not quite.
I thought I had a softer spot for Pet Shop Boys than I actually do. Besides 'What Have I Done to Deserve This' and 'It's a Sin,' I didn't recognize anything off Actually (and are those good, or are they just familiar?) Most of it was dated in a way that didn't really hold up, e.g. even if the lyrics of 'Shopping' are actually prescient, the knee-jerk impression is one of sheer 80s shallowness. I think I owned CD of Behavior as a kid, but re-listening to it was also a painful reminder of how bad late 80s/early 90s music was - like all the funkiness of New Wave got stripped down to bland, tinny samples. Maybe a precursor to what dance and electronica would eventually become, but not good.
The guy on the right sums up my reaction to the album. It's a Sin and What have I done to deserve this are pretty famous hits and decent songs, but I couldn't vibe with the album overall. Its a step above the other garbage that ruled the late 80's airwaves but I can't really see it as anything worth going back in time for to listen to. Interesting vocals though.
Interesting but not for me. Too electronic (synth).
Just listened to it and won't listen again. Plastic music without a soul.
Classic 80s, much like the Human League, but more mellow. It was fine. Much like the guy on the cover, I was yawning through most of it.
Nar. Don't like drum machines, and the songs were naff.
Woof.
I was not feeling this.
I found it to lack dynamic range, it all muddled into one tone/song type for me.
I listened to this a handful of times, just hoping something would jump out at me worthy of a better rating. Alas, this album was tough to get through every time.
A couple ok songs the rest sucked.
I remember how I first heard this album in Asia, they were quite excited over it back in the day... I liked PSB's "Rent" and "It's a Sin" but never quite clicked with much of the other tracks.
Good Lord the 80s sucked.
Synth-pop has its place. However, that place is not in my music library.
Not very good is it.
Melodically a lovely listen but beyond that I can’t really draw any value from this album. There’s moments where I think the songs are going to go somewhere interesting or a chorus catches me but it never quite hits the mark, overall I just found the experience to be very dull and routine.
Uniquely 80s sound, somewhat dated now. Easy enough to listen to, but not something I’m going to put on. High 2.
MEH AF
Synth pop. I didn’t really care for it, didn’t feel like anything really stuck out for me.
Prince Valium’s Get Up Mix. Just boring and dated.
So so
Pleasant enough but no need to listen again for another 35 years.
synth pop weirdness is enough to get you on the list i guess? could i write poetry to this? n
The guy yawning on the cover says it all.
Not sure this should be on the list.
Coveret indrammer helt perfekt min oplevelse af albummet.
This is so British and so 80s, it hurts. It starts out reasonably well with One More Chance, and What Have I Done to Deserve this is a very good single, but then it goes downhill. Shopping and Rent are extremely annoying, by the time I got to It Couldn’t Happen Here I was about to turn it off, but I knew It’s a Sin and Heart were two of their biggest singles from this era, so I held on. And wow was I disappointed. It’s a Sin is so dated, it would have been embarrassing to play it in the 90s, Heart is not much better. Maybe this album made a splash in the dance clubs of the late 80s, but there is no magic flowing into my headphones in 2024.
Drum machine driven pop. As it asked...what have I don't to deserve this
Huh... first Pet Shop Boys album I've ever listened to, apparently. Well since 2006 anyway - thanks last.fm Artist #1578
I did not regard this as highly as their first album.
First track was good. Production is decent. The rest is a snoozer. Overall, not my thing.
Playing “shopping” on the way to all my mall visits from now on
So, when this came out, I was so sick of the Pet Shop Boys that I didn't really give it a chance. West End Girls had played endlessly in the NYC clubs and then was revised as a radio hit a year or so later. By the 12000th play, I was done with Pet Shop Boys. In the interest of fairness, I decided to give this a listen again, first in the 90s and then recently after watching a documentary about the Pet Shop Boys. I still don't think much of it. It's basically disco and not all that clever, I especially dislike Rent. While they may mean it to be tongue in cheek, it comes across heavy handed - more like foot in mouth. What can I say? I tried to like it but found it still dull and self-absorbed.
I got bored of these songs after about 3 of them, just to much of the same.
Not good
Meh about this
80-taligt som tusan
The second album of theirs I’ve gotten, and it turns out I’m not a fan. Although I rated this one better, it’s just so over the top and flamboyant almost to the point of parody. The songs themselves are boring and repetitive and then someone whispers “beats…. Heart beats”, it’s goofy
The best concept album about being an 80s fuckboy in London I've ever heard.
It's a Sin
es plätschert so dahin
Perus synapoppia. Ei ees kauheen hyvää sellaista. It's A Sin on hyvä mutta siihen se jääkin sitten. Paras: It's A Sin
Pretty forgettable, elevator music.
As a child of the 80s I feel as if I have the right to wonder why that decade was allowed to happen. This is the epitome of everything I hate about 80s pop music, except the singing is also shit on top of it. There's some funny lyrics peppered in here and there ("I love ya, you pay my rent"), but nothing about these synth sounds aged well to my ears, so the joke gets old quite early on. This is 1.5 at best, which rounds it up to a very reluctant 2.
Considering how good their singles performance was in this era, this album contains a few duds and really just comes off as annoying. Dusty Springfield is on effortlessly imperious form of course. Some of the 80's electronic sounds are very hackneyed, in fact I had to check Stock Aitkin and Waterman hadn't got their grubby fingers on this one. Some great pop nuggets but a surprisingly irritating album.
Good.
Yet another British pop/new wave band from the 80’s that I’ve never really been able to get into in the past, confirmed to be the case after putting myself through an uninteresting album of theirs
Actually, I didn't like this very much. Maybe it's the day, maybe it's my mood, but I don't really have a desire to hear this again. I reserve my 1's for albums I hated listening to - this wasn't that bad, but still not great. 2/5
What have I done to deserve this? No matter how much they try, I can't enjoy the 80's.
few great songs. the album as a whole has not that much replay value for me it is easy listenable indeed but not special as its won. During the spotify bio i got familiar with the drip from chris lowe. He got that shit on tho
A couple weeks ago I had the Scissor Sisters, which is supposed to be the top gay album of all time. This was 100 times gayer.
thin treble 80s dance insult dance flirt dance wink looking for daddy
The guy who made this list loves the Pet Shop Boys. Guy on the album cover gets it. Yawn.
2+
It’s 80s music but without the annoying synths yet it still has a way of being dated and not hold up too well. It’s not bad the guys are good singers the music is okay, they have their political messages. Just nothing I find worth revisiting. 5.0/10
This was nostalgic and pleasant enough to listen to, but I'm not going to do it again.
Man drones on over synths, then man drones on over synths in a higher pitch. No thanks
•Not owned: Streaming •Pop sounds that are too formulaic and predictable to be admired beyond the few body moving hits contained within ("One More Chance", "Heart"), all from one of the more uninteresting singing voices from the genre. •2/5
Nah.
It's a sin is obviously brilliant, but things go downhill from there. It feels like there is a lot of poorly dated filler, as well as some good songs.
I don’t think I’ll be listening to that again. If I need to stretch that itch. I’ll listen to New Order who is infinitely better.
I'm not even a PSB anti but damn these songs all sound the exact same
80s synthetic pop. The male version of Kate bush
Not really in the mood for this right now 2
started off good, incredibly bored halfway through. so many forgettable tracks, couple good ones like: It's a Sin, Rent, What Have I Done To Deserve This and even One More Chance. won't find myself revisiting this album any time soon, so repetitive and bland to the point where I cant even justify a 3 for the couple good songs it has. pathetic attempts at capturing catchiness in the right way that it shoots itself in the foot due to pure repetitiveness. Shopping is one of the worst songs I've heard this year, holy shit. to the lad in the cover: me too mate, me too. 2/5 BLEH
1987 in purest form.
2/5. I really thought after the first two songs this was going to be a typical late 80s, early 90s pop album similar to Wang Cheung or Yello, but didn’t get any of that after all. It seemed very redundant and benign.
Okay, this album actually bore me to sleep.. I don't know if it's the lame voice of the singer, the weird song themes, the uninspired music or just the combination of the three. I could do without this band and their bland music. 4 out of 10
Pretty decent
pretty boring, 80s synth-pop
So very 80's
This will not go on my regular listening
It was alright. Bit samey.
A bit too cheesy 80s dance music for me
It's a Sin is fine, but the rest of the album is pretty forgetful and I'm not fond of the singer's voice at all. The overall sound is pretty dated, which yeah, I know it's from 1987, but still, it hasn't aged well at all.
I mean it's not bad or anything. Just never really my style musically.
What a strange album. I suppose you might find pet shop boys on a list like this, but they are far more of a singles band, so again, greatest hits? West end girls has a zing to it that most of this album lacks. Go west is not bad but again, not on this album. Tenants disinterested ennui is a nice gimmick but wears thin after a while. 2.5 rounded down as it’s not that compelling.
I agree with the guy on the right(of the cover). Never really been a fan. But undoubtedly hugely talented, very influential, blah, blah….and full marks for getting Dusty back into the recording studio and giving her her last successful release(s) before she died. For me, though, too much of this sounds like the soundtrack to a rave party where only drugs might save the evening (but I’ve never been on that dancefloor & I’ve never dropped an ecky, so that was never gonna happen). I read the wiki entry & I’m pleased to see that their politics were very Anti-Thatcher at the time, but I didn’t learn that for myself because I just wasn’t hearing the lyrics. I never liked the voice, whoever owned it, & obviously wasn’t a fan of the music.
This album might've been cool or ground-breaking in the 80s, but my 90s ears couldn't really find the appeal. It wasn't terrible. I did bop to it a little while washing dishes, but more ironically than anything. It has good beats, but won't be anything I reach for to listen to in the future.
So 80s…. I like track 6 I guess but the rest… Nevermind most of these songs are genuinely annoying. There was maybe one song I liked on this entire album
Gene from Bob's burgers made an album
I couldn’t really connect with the lyrics at all, and I don't know if there’s some deeper meaning to them. But at least I know how to spell shopping. The music itself is very outdated and doesn’t hold up well at all with the overproduced 80’s sound.
Usurpingly mid, but it was better than their orange one.
A little too much 80s on this bad boy.
A mi no me gustan, pero después de los bodrios de las últimas semanas, estos no son de lo peor. Un par de estrellitas.
Definitely feels dated, but I appreciate all the gold digging songs.
It's just okay kinda repetitive and the 80s productions is just too 80s
Yeah, some of the songs aged terribly. It's a sin still slaps, tho.
Pet Shop boys are too boring for me, consumption pop with a little bit more humor in lyrics than the average disco.
Well, here's one I didn't like. Song content, synth sound, drum machine, vocalist's delivery... there was nothing here for me to hold onto.
Everything I hate about the 80s
Album #: 215 first impressions: I was expecting more proto- Daft Punk. I'm getting v cheesy synths (hadn't we progressed more by 1987??) and...boredom? after listening through: I'm having a hard time remembering what this sounded like even a couple hours later. post-reading reviews/wiki: is this yet another "oh, this must be a british thing" album ? like, we just accept that a lot of british music (before a certain time/by certain demographics/in certain genres) utterly lacks...spice? I'm dreading the other 2 albums on this list. A relisten is probably not in the cards but I'll make sure to pay more attention to those on the other ones, if only something to distract from the tedium of the music. recommended for: city pop fans?
Best Song: It's a Sin. Decent song with great meme potential. Worst Song: King's Cross. Nice, a slow and somber number to close out the synth dance album. Overall: I found myself growing bored with the half-talking, half-singing approach that dominates the album. At least the other Pet Shop Boys album I've had on the list had some more theatricality to it. This one just feels like monologues over synths.
I don't think Actually is close to their best work, though it's not without its charms and qualities. It's a Sin is class, but the overall balance only scrapes a high 2.
"What if Depeche Mode was really really boring" My reaction to this album is the right guy's face. Why do these guys have 3 whole albums on this list?
One of the songs were a vibe. The rest of them I didn't like. It might just be the album but it got pretty annoying hearing them sing for all of the songs. Hopefully other albums in this genre are better than this. I hope this is not how all of the albums are in this genre. I'm glad I didn't need to listen to the extended version that has like 12 more songs. It would have been a nightmare.
Awful, actually. One's had meringues, pop rocks, that were more substantive.
The dude on the right of the album cover accurately portrays how I felt about this one. 2 snores
Not dated well
...Christ.
Hmm. Hated it when it came out. And haven't changed my opinion since. Perhaps even worse now that the sounds are so dated.
Pop con sintetizadores de los Pet Shop Boys. Se me ha hecho bola.
Är det inte möjligt att dö innan man lyssnat på ALLA Pet Shops? Bättre än de andra i alla fall.
I think of Pet Shop Boys like Erasure; nice fluffy 80's music that you can dance around to, sing along to. Which is a good thing. But today looking back at It's a Sin, that's a great song. Something along these lines should be on this list. Should it be Pet Shop Boys? Maybe. Should it be this particular album? I'm unconvinced. But I do like lots of these songs.
I liked it better back then. With a few decades of hindsight, it's clear that Pet Shop Boys represents the worst of the 80s. Performance vs. Music, Style vs. Substance. It's auditory cynicism. It turns out that there's not a lot of "there" there.
Rimelig 'meh', men jeg er heller ikke fan af Pet Shop Boys. It's a Sin er dog meget god.
Not great, Bob.
Quite an average album imo, alot of repetition in both lyrics and musical patterns.
Bit poppy for me. Repetitive lyrics. Some songs are decent though
Second psb album that’s come, yep and that’s enough of that hey
Can't believe people really liked this band.
Show tunes sung badly over Casio beats? Maybe that's too cynical. Didn't much enjoy it beyond the singles though.
Meh.. it really did not age well I understand that it could be perceived as good, but it's just dull..
Even on their biggest hits like I can't understand the hype surrounding them at all. They sound way too gentle for me, they sound tame and emotionless. I just can't get into them.
Not my type, but better than I thought.
I don't know. I just can't dive in with this band. The late 80s sound has really aged bad, not like the early and mid 80s sound that is always enjoyable. So what we get here is late 80s pop that is not really catchy. It's not completely bad, but... meh.
Buka.
Dance pop, but more subdued than the other PetShopBoys album
I love so much music from the 80's Pet Shop boys were band I just never liked very much. Probably the first time listening to a whole album and my opinion hasn't changed.
I actually bought this when it came out. And now I can’t imagine why. A few listenable synth pop tunes, but mostly uninteresting to downright dull.
Not a fan. This was the beginning of the pansy-fication of rock and roll. Effeminate male vocals combined with inorganic sounding synth-driven rhythms. Sorry to be crass, but this music has no balls. 2 stars.
Very synthy
Not my type of music whatsoever. Understand that it had it’s following and time and place and all that, but it’s really no good in my opinion. 2/5
К сожалению, не совсем мой формат. Хотя под какое-нибудь определенное настроение может и зайти
I dont like the pet shop Boys
Once again proving that this list is too damn long, I like synthwave and 80s new wave but this album was just ok.
Dance/pop/new wave combo not my thing. Can't say I hated, but did not really enjoy. Recognized a couple songs, it's a sin and what have I done to deserve this, from the radio, but for the most part wanted it to end. 2
C'est correct, mais beaucoup trop générique pour moi. Je n'aime pas vraiment ca et je ne trouve pas cela original. En plus, l'album est 1h ce qui est beaucoup trop long. J'ai été généreux pour les 3.5 et 3.85, ou peut-etre pas assez. C'est celui-ci qui écope. 2.75
Its just a smidge to 80s for me
My 1980's listening was somewhat limited at the time, so I gave this a little listening. The two expressions pictured above are relevant to this listener: emotionless and sleepy (from boredom). _Not much lyrically, the overall sound is very synthetic. Electronic drums? Dusty Springfield's performance on "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" is a highlight. (Now, take another look at "The Boys" above.)
Couple of tunes were OK and I get it's importance just a bit generally bland pop
Solid but largely forgettable pop
Whaddaya know, it's an English pop group. I think this is the 3rd album by them so far? I can understand maybe 1 album, but THREE? For a band that was only half a step above one-hit-wonder status (except maybe in the UK), and that one hit being a fucking cover song? Ah well. So far it's exactly as expected: 80s synthpop just like the other 2 albums. Update 45min later: what can I say? The start was exactly like the middle, which in turn was just like the tail end. Light-hearted 80s pop that tries to be both upbeat and downright miserable, but ends up somewhere in between? I feel like the singer really overrates himself as a capital-c Creative. There's a really hammy quality to his voice - he can hold a note fine, but the emoting comes off as stupid. Maybe it's because he's doing it over a Casio keyboard demo tune? The overall tone of the album misses the mark imo. If this was the only time I'd had to listen to the Pet Shop Boys here, I'd say fair enough and give it a 3. But there's no reason for this much of exactly the same shtick. 2/5.
Ngl, had it in the background while working, so not sure how accurate this is. But still, no song made me stop and listen carefully to it. 1.5 / 5
Not a big fan of synth pop but the album had a few good songs like one more chance and what have i done
Kind of bad generic 80s pop. 1.5 stars
It is so of its own time, so very very 80s. It’s a glamour shot of a teenager taken at the mall. All teased up 80s hair sprayed to high hell, boldly overdone tacky makeup, smiling at the camera with the absurd confidence only someone who looks like a total clown but thinks they’re the shit can pull off. All “glamour”, it’s soul splayed out right up on the surface level, no depth.
Ja sam ovaj desni dok sam slušala album.
It’s… fine, I guess. There’s not a lot here that catches my attention. The lyrics aren’t that deep, the hooks are present but not earworms. It’s fine. Not great, not terrible.
Clean synth sounds but too 80s for me.
Eh, liked it at first but album kind of blended together into forgettable highly produced synth pop
The song "I Want to Wake Up" has a line where the narrator starts crying when he hears the lyrics of a song, which is how I felt while listening to the inanity of Shopping, Rent, and others. Best track: King's Cross
Some cool songs. Half the album could be taken out and I don’t think it would make the album worse
Samey and meh. Was okay
It wasn’t too bad but I just don’t like the pet shop boys . His voice is annoying
I appreciate their pop sensibility and the clever and subtle lyrics. If the production wasn't so radio-friendly, I'd like the melodies more, though it was 1987, after all. One More Time and Shopping are fun tracks, but it's hard to offset stinkers like What have I Done and it Could Have Happened Here. It's funny that Cat Stevens sued them unsuccessfully for plagiarizing his hit, Wild World in It's a Sin. It's a bit of a stretch. They're no Zeppelin.
I do not think this is good. The lyrics make no sense to me, it's so strange. Also, this music is just so boring.
I enjoy the Pet Shop Boys in small doses, but a whole album was too much. It felt very dreary and repetitive, and the singer's nasal voice gets annoying after a while.
Not much to say on this one, just typical 80s schmaltz with annoying vocals.
Too much instrumental for me unable to finish it. 2-3 songs feel like the same one
Seems like pretty standard 80's synth-pop and it went in one ear and right out the other...nothing really stood out or stuck with me
This album suffers from too much synth, too much sing-talking, and too much of the same sound in every song. Too 80s for me to ever listen to again.
this was disappointing to me, a lot of the songs felt similar and not very musically interesting.
I love a synthtart band as much as the next (straight) guy, but this is hard to credit. I mean, “Shopping”? “What Have I Done” is an all-time earworm, but only in the annoying sense. The sound is hollow on some songs and the synths deeply cheesy on others (“It’s a Sin”). On the plus side, “I love you/You pay my rent” is pretty funny. I realize there might be finely honed irony too subtle for me to perceive, but to me the overall effects are of lightness and silliness. A poor man’s Blow Monkeys, and that’s a very charitable assessment.
Not my style
Meh, lives up to what I thought it was. 80s synth.
Nothing was actually bad, but it felt like it could have been summed up by a single 3 minute montage in an 80s movie
A bit too 80’s cheesy for me..
Eh. I hated that shopping song.
Helemaal gedraaid, maar het kon me niet echt bekoren.
Het heeft wel iets, die 80's sound. Maar het gaat me op een gegeven moment toch ook wel tegenstaan.
Oh dear, more dance music. I really don't like dance music in general and the Pet Shop Boys in particular.
Not the most interesting thing in Eighties
A complete a total meh… except than “it’s a sin” song, that one is dope
First thing that comes to mind is Jon Cryer and Molly Ringwald . Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles kind of music. Very nostalgic. Unfortunately nostalgic doesn't always equate into good. Most of things I was wearing in the eighties I can happily say stayed in the eighties. Most of the album sounds pretty mundane for the eighties sound. Synthesized crap that aged as well as the saxophone solo did. What I have Done To Deserve This? was the only memorable song on the album and left me asking the same question at the end of the listen. What did I do to deserve this?
Pretty solid
Just not my thing.
One or two good tunes but very lightweight.
It's a sin tais olla joku miljoona viikkoa listaykkönen Suomessa aikoinaan. Ihan mageesti se edelleen soi mutta muu levy oli aika tylsää shitiä.
I remember them from the 80s when they were on the airwaves and MTV quite a bit. I didn't pay them much attention then as most synth-pop bored me, so I gave this a new listen. Still bored. I don't blame them -- I think they are good at it -- but I just don't find synth-pop overall to be very interesting.
I'm assuming the front cover is Neil Tennant listening to this album.
Absolutely shit
Pet Shop Boys is electro-synth-pop music for unhappy people right? The ones with forced smiles at their own weddings. And this is genuinely unoffensive catchy unhappy music. Where's the joy?
very 80s synth.
Pop con sintetizadores de los Pet Shop Boys. Se me ha hecho bola.
Electropop album. Has the classic '80s production feel. Doesn't seem very memorable.
Lyssnade bara halva albumet. Övergav efter det. Lite väl 80-tal för min smak
As a child in the 1980's I always thought this keyboard pop kind of music was really corny, embarrassing even. I've always preferred music played on acoustic instruments. This era of synthesizers and drum machines is just so vapid. I'd been meaning to listen to this group for years. Glad to have finally heard their music, but I'll never be listening to them again.
Bit bland... Was surprised
The second album from the Pet Shop Boys is another 80's pop / synth-pop album. It was good imo and described by critics at releases as a 'pop album with something to say'. This album had 4 songs become top 10 singles in the UK and they are still semi-popular today. Get lost in the 80's nostalgia!
British, 80s, Pop + - Male, electro = Old, boring, NFM {0/10}
They've got a pretty unique sound which is cool to hear. Most of the songs on this album are pretty bland though. "It's A Sin" is a cool song though. "Shopping" is just stupid.
Sonido muy personal. Pop electrónico. Mucho sintetizador
Escutei até o hit It's a sin
As an electronic artifact of a time 60 years ago, this album retains interest as an historical document and as a bridge for the continuity of the folk tradition.
Nothing surprising, kind of what expected
Really not a fan of the Pet Shop Boys. Like at all.
Very 80s for sure, i liked it overall bc it made me feel like i was in vice city even if it wasn't necessarily my taste, production was on point, i love the sound of reverse gated-reverb drums of the 80s, slower songs Def dragged on a bit Standouts: shopping (baseline chefs kiss), king's cross
This album felt extremely 80s to me. The production was slick, big synths and punchy drums. I had a lot of lyrics jump out at me but that and the production was the only things I appreciated. I bet this album was revered back in the day but the synthy dance pop doesn't do a whole lot for me. Standout track was I Want to Wake Up. 3/10
Like wtf was that beat any kinda wack
Not my cup of tea, but I get why people would be stoked over this album.
meh, ok pop
Couldn't care less. Where's his big hat at? A pair of crunchy truncheons.
Very 80s sounding. 0RS
I listened to the whole thing in one go wanting to see the light and be converted to the church of the Pet Shop Boys. It was ok. Nothing grabbed me at all. Just felt really 80s synth pop. The song about going shopping. What’s that about? It’s a Sin is a banger though.
Never liked Pet Shop Boys, and nothing about this album has changed my mind.
During the first track I was thinking “better than expected”, but shortly after that I sort of forgot it was even on - garden-party background music when you want to be at the bar. These guys were popular with some good friends of mine in college - Artsy girls with angular haircuts - so that gives this album a nice nostalgic vibe. Then The Boys slip into their orchestral effort “It Couldn’t happen Here”. It did. I wish it wouldn’t have. 2.5 stars. Rounding down.
I guess a couple of the tracks are fairly iconic, but flimsy synth pop is not for me
The feeling of this album battle a school yuppy. A bit weird and pretentious, but I will give an extra star for being much better than the last Pet Shop Boys album
Is this a song about shopping? Ok then. How 80s. Let's go to the mall! Oh now a song about a sugar daddy. Live your best life Pet Shop Boys. Overall, eh? It feels pretty repetitive. Probably not adding it to my rotation.
Pop. Aburrido. Sintético.
Klassiskt 80-tal, ikoniskt. Men nej, jag fastnar inte. Lyssningsbart, men blir tråkigt fort. Kunde inte göra om Rateing för Tortoise, så här kommer review: SÖG! Bara massa oljud?
Kind of fun, but mostly like the Talking Heads without the soul.
Decent old pop. I don’t love the sound, but it’s well done.
Echt jetzt? Oje… Viele der Songs habe ich noch von damals™️ im Ohr, stelle aber fest, dass sie gealtert sind wie Milch. Ich habe oft vorgespult, ohne zu befürchten, was zu verpassen. Womit alles gesagt wäre. 2 Sterne, aber nur vong Nostalgie her.
Always on my mind is good but the rest I’m not a fan of. 2.3
Interesting theme to the album. Does this really need to be on this list?
80’s human music. Pretty okay
Not for me
Pop with lightly rebellious experimental sounds and lyrics. I'm sure it was a bop back then.
I only liked the track with dusty Springfield
njae, gillar inte den här 80-90-tals synthen alltså
I found the meaning of the songs like shopping to be quite good but overall i found the album boring and their musical inability shone through for me. These guys are an example of people who sound ok on tape but shit live.
I like the 80s synth poppy feel of it, sometimes weird percussion breaks and vocal interludes take up too much time, the synth is almost overwhelming sometimes too. But I liked it alright! not earth-shattering
Some bangers, like It's a sin and the one with Dusty Springfield (<3). That aside, it's not their best work.
I really only know Pet Shop Boys song “West End Girls”. That’s all I like from them.
I would happily have lived two lives without hearing the Pet Shop Boys. 1 star or F.
Strong out of the gate. I was feeling great for about the first whole minute. Then the vocal kicked in and the entire thing disintegrated from there. Possible recency bias, but that might have been the most difficult listen so far. Just an absolute ass whipping. Next please
Brain cells were lost listening to them sing about shopping and rent.
I did not enjoy this one. Maybe I’ll come around to it in another era but I couldn’t even finish it. Bored me to death
This album made me feel like the dude yawning on the cover. Too slow and boring
2/10 An album full of weirdness, propped up by the lonesome high that is 'It's a Sin'. Otherwise, it's 45 minutes of wading through sub-par vocals and strange sounds. I was keen to get this one over with. Best track: It's a Sin Will I revisit?: No
Oh man, the Pet Shop Boys can fuck off. The only thing I liked about this record is that it reminded me about how incredible the Lonely Island is at parody. About every other song, I half expected Pet Shop Boy #1 to start singing about the jizz in his pants. I don’t see anything redemptive about this record. Between the sneering, poncey vocals sung almost exclusively through the nasal passages and the non-stop synthesizer assault, there’s nothing really to enjoy here. I don’t even think there was a legitimate instrument on the record anywhere. I hold Pet Shop Boys largely to blame for the reason 80’s pop music sucked so hard. With all sincerity, I have no idea why this band was so popular at the time. But I am glad they eventually faded into obscurity. I usually reserve 1-star reviews for electronica and Neil Young audio diarrhea records, but Pet Shop Boys feel like a mix of both those things. 1/10
Almost all of the songs have the same beat and they are just repeating the same lyrics again and again, this was a tough album to go through couldnt even enjoy it.
This shit is ASS
When I first saw this album pop up, I thought: 1) here's the pro-British bias again, but 2) I'll probably end up giving it a 3, or possibly a 2. But, after listening to it, I think I have to give it a 1. For me, it hasn't aged well, and feels (but not in a good way) very much of its time. Which is a little surprising, because I still love their first, great hit, from 1984, "West End Girls." Both that song, and this album (from 1987) take me back to my NYC/Columbia years (fall 1983 - spring 1987), and the mid-80s in general, and synth pop, and the so-called Second British Invasion of the 80s (the first, of course, was ca. the late 60s, with the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Who, etc.). But, unlike "West End Girls," this album takes me back, but not in a good way, reminding me that, especially as the 80s went on, a lot of pop music was kinda crap. This included. If we wanted to make a case for this list of 1001 albums having a (misguided) pro-British bias, this album would be a good piece of evidence. Robbie Williams, too (lol)!
Silly nonsense. Overproduced and dated. Do I need different drugs to like this? Sounds like an SNL parody. I keep picturing what it would be like to see this in concert, and it is hilarious.
In Bojack Horseman, during some of the flashback sections they have songs playing on the radio with lyrics like 'Generic '80s new wave, Beep, bop, beep, bop, beep, bop; This is a song from the '80s, The decade which it currently is". This is basically how I felt about this album. It was like you distilled 80s new wave into the most 80s album possible..which could be great, if it captured all the great parts...but no. This is just the most generic 80s possible. Even when it has some vaguely interesting synth melody going on, it screams "generic 80s sound". I hated it. "We're S-H-O-P-P-I-N-G, we're shopping". Aaargh.
Not my cup of team. Shopping song was funny tho
👎
This album is very very bad. S-h-o-p-p-I-n-g??????? I love you, you pay my rent is….very nyc.
The further along this list I go, one thing becomes clearer and clearer. I really hate the 80's music.
Nope...this is a step (or several) beyond my taste to revisit this era and my life back then. God awful...then AND now.
Can't stand them
“Try Diet Coke! Now Caffeine Free!” That’s how I feel about it.
Two PSB albums in one month is cruel and unusual... genuinely what HAVE I done to deserve this??