Very

Not what I was after

Not my favorite

Badly aged 90s shit

Sounds like a faux triumphant soundtrack to a shit 90’s video game. Having said that, Sonic the Hedgehog had its fair share of bangers, shame the Pet Shop Boys couldn’t follow suit, the bastards.

Nice and gay. Thank you.

Sounds like loads of gameshow music remixed into tracks with a bloke who is away with the fairies writing nonsense lyrics to it all. Quite shit. But was nice and soft sounding, so… 2 stars I guess

i love pet shop boys right up to this album, and there are a few good tracks here , but too many cheesy hi-nrg ones. 2

eh

Rating: 5/10 Meh.

The first song I heard from the Pet Shops was, "West End Girls", which is probably still the song I associate with the group. I never liked synth-pop and this reconfirmed my bias, so I never explored any of their music further. "Very" is a breezy-synth-pop record that brings energy and beats to the forefront, that are both infectious and repetitious. I can't say this album is swaying me towards this style of music, but it wasn't as painful and boring as I thought it might be. Listening now to, "West End Girls" brings a slight wave of nostalgia of music from the 80's I avoid and has a bit of a guilty pleasure vibe, but I can't say the same about Very. It's just okay, I'll listen once and continue to ignore synth-pop and the Pet Shop Boys.

Prior to this album, I was a regular listener and had purchased multiple albums. This album was a miss for me, I’ve revisited this album since then but it really doesn’t work.

Usual soft singing and romantic lyrics from the Pet Shop Boys, none of which interested me except for the fun Yesterday When I Was Mad and campy Go West.

I like a lot of Pet Shop Boys music, but not this album so much.

1. forgive - 1.5 2. thing - 1 3. liberation - 1.5 4. vieuu - 1 5. queen - 2 6. mad - 1 7. theater - 1.5 8. five - 1 9. zin - 1.5 10. offender - 1 11. million - 0 12. uuezt - 1

Gear: DCA ÆON 2 Noire Artwork: 🟧⚪❕ Production: 🎧😐🆗 Music: 🌈💻🕺🤑🫧🤷 Rating: 🟧🟧/5

Synth Pop past it's prime. Nothing I would choose to listen to on my own, but not terrible. 2/5

Didn't do much for me. Kinda all the same song

80s Brit Pop

Flat and boring - to me

An entire album of dance music will never resonate with me. Some things are just meant to be singles in a playlist

Not my fave. 2/5

Dear Mr 1001, Let’s be honest, homeopathic doses of the Pet Shop Boys are all anyone should be asked to take in. This is too much PSB; surely they only rank 1 in 1000 all time. And this isn’t even their best. Yours truly Synthed out

This reaffirmed that I am still not a pet shop boys fan. The vocals put me off (although their earlier song west end girls is awesome). Sorry pet shop boys. Not today.

I always think there is a good band there but hate that they make a deliberate attempt to be as poppy as they can. Some of the music is just Stock, Aiken & Waterhouse drivel. Good vocals and lyrics save it and hopefully other albums will be better. Top track: I wouldn’t normally…

I was intrigued to listen to this given that while 80s synth pop is not exactly my bag, I have a certain soft spot for the PSBs. This did rather disappoint though, the opening track and ‘the theatre’ aside it was far too bland camp pop for me, all just rather meh. I recall them as having more of an ‘edge’ to an extent. Maybe there are earlier albums on the list that will show that…..

Don't think I have ever listened to this, had a hint of New Order about it and made me think I never really appreciated their electric beats. -1 for going on forever playing the same stuff and wearing pointy hats.

Not a big fan. Generic 80s sounding pop with at times poor vocal performance. Maybe this was transformative at the time but for today, it's not great.

The Good: Non-abrasive music The Bad: makes me wonder what the point is of this album The Ugly: having to sit through an entire album of Neil Tennant singing… Yes, I understand that all people have their biases, and mine is that I like rock n roll related music more than pop or dance music. Which makes me wonder why I have to listen to this album, as even the wikipedia description does not give me enough reason to understand. Is it because Mr. Tennant finally came out of the closet? Is this the same reason why people should like Queen? What does admiting being gay, which everyone already believed, have anything to do with me having to listen to this album? Go West was okay to listen to, and all the “songs” that came before too, but they are all bland, and all pretty much sound the same to me, just like their previous musical endeavors… so, again, why do I have to listen to this? 2* because I didn’t hate it, but I refuse to give this the 3* it probably deserves… because I don’t understand why this album did make it on the list, but the album Magnolia by The Screamin’ Cheetah Wheelies did not...

After being tortured by the Pet Shop Boys over the radio for years I can't like them. I tried. But their stuff just sounds very similar without any highlights. I really don't get why there are three albums (!) so far of this band on this list. Some tracks are ok, sure, but nothing that is a highlight.

forgot to rate this one when i listened — i remember liking it ok?

Very cheesy

Pet Shop Boys go very gay and also start wearing the weird outfits. Never heard this album before, but in context the seemingly massively random Village People cover finally makes sense. It's mostly lyrically interesting, as you'd expect, though musically? It's pretty forgettable. Strange for such a commercial sound. Exceptions being the outstanding The Theatre and Young Offender is pretty good. There's probably a fair bit of later Pet Shop Boys that's decent, (Se a Vida E is a slice of summery pop) but I basically sign off post 1990.

So dull, repetitive, annoying. I don’t get it.

It’s not the worst Pet Shop Boys album, but I still honestly don’t get why any of them are on this list. In the words of my teens, it’s “very mid.”

If someone was to tell me that this was the album that was a major influence on club music in the 90s/2000s then I could well believe that. Switches from really radio friendly pop numbers to club-ready dance anthems. Probably captured several early 90s zeitgeists (zeigeisten?): the aftermath of the Cold War, the rise of club music/culture, and the expanding visibility and empowerment of LGBTQ+ communities. I guess you had to be there at the time of its release to really have felt its impact and understand its significance.

I’ve never been able to get past Pet Shop Boys vocals.

If my Spotify was alive, I bet it would stop my music and ask “what the fuck is up with you”? That’s the feeling I get with the back and forth and side to side stepping with each album that is suggested to me. I know the Pet Shop Boys, which is good because I’m not sure I’d find one of their albums listenable if I didn’t. It’s very soft disco pop with songs that don’t drag on but seem to end a little earlier than they should. This is not one I’d suggest to someone if they were interested in listening to the Pet Shop Boys. It’s not a strong album, though Go West blows the whole album out of the water. Choice cut: Go West

So very 80's. Too 80's. It is off-putting.

Heard of the group before but don’t think I’d be able to name any of their songs.. I wanted to like this more, but something was just unsettling to me. No terrible but I would not seek this one out again.

Wasn't really my cup of tea

heavy on the synth. its aight 4/10

Meh. I hate to keep coming up with negative comments. It's too soft and effeminate for me. Just not my style of music.

Can You Forgive Her and Liberation are both great, but the rest just felt like I was listening to an abandoned Jazzercise mixtape

4/10. Nothing stood out as exciting for me.

Feels plastic, contrived and hollow. (That would’ve suited as a PSB album title, no?) Plus, too much, though one can admire their commitment to same. The sweet bits are made too cloying, the ironic bits too obvious, and the vocals consistently annoying. They wanted to be the Smiths, right, but they weren’t that clever or aristic lyrically, lacked Morrissey’s vocal chops and lacked any musical talent beyond picking producers to soup up the latest studio synthetics. One senses many people connect to this emotionally, without feeling anything like engagement oneself or even much sympathy (again down to an excess of gloss and froth in the packaging). But then this is really is quite narrowl targeted, isn't it?

One decent song and a bunch of snooze

I guess they're like a poppier Depeche Mode? This album isn't really doing it for me.

I definitely preferred the other Pet Shop Boys album I had on this list, but this one still wasn't bad. I don't imagine coming back to much here, but it was still fine.

Don't feel like this recording was truly special. Similar themes across songs and the synth pop started getting repetitive. I do recall the Pet Shop Boys being big in their day and I am just not sure this album represents them at their best.

Suuuuper boring

Oh my goodness, I haaaaaaate the Pet Shop Boys. There’s no feeling quite like not listening to them. Their voices, their arrangements, their beats? Quality production and I don’t think it’s the worst thing in the world, but for me, it is unbearable. 2/5

Niet m'n vibe. Geen immense fan van 80s/90s popmuziek met een overdosis synthesizers. 2.3

Gay songs

One drum track to rule all.

Funky

Struggled with this. I've never really linked the Pet Shop Boys, find it all the same and the vocals annoy me. They've got some good hits but this album but a bit duff for me

As their wiki says, so consistent. Another way to say it is wow, this album is so monotonous and repetitive. Without any of the PSB hits that we love, this album seems lackluster and overall pretty boring. I like the sound of the vocals to be honest, so I can't go one star. But it's definitely no better than two. :(

I like the pet shop boys singles. But christ, the more I listened to this, the more it agitated me. The combination of Neil Tennant's vocals with the poppy electronic sound were an awful combination. Some of the songs at the start were OK (different point of view for example), but it really over welcomed it's stay. 'Go weest' was interesting purely because it sounds like it came from an advert? I'm torn between 3 and 2 stars. I'm going with 2 stars, screw it.

Not for me

Wasn't as bad as I'd expected.

You can shake your tuccus to this one. It's like if Empire of the Sun was hopped up on meth. Speaking of meth... when I was in my early 20's, I did many meths. We purchased our meth through a gentleman in the gay community in Atlanta. One night, we had to meet him at the famous 24 hour gay nightclub, Backstreet, in order to make the purchase. It was an interesting experience for a young, heterosexual male. Sweaty dudes with glitter on their shirtless bodies, dancing and making out. One guy even hit on me. I was flattered. My mom always said I was handsome, and this experience helped confirm that was true. I tell that story to say that I could definitely imagine hearing this album playing at that club. Yesterday When I Was Mad was my favorite.

This started out pretty decent, but then slid into unremarkable and repetitive dance junk

This is my third Pet Shop Boys album, and it gets the same rating as all the others. Why are three of their albums on this list (so far, for me)? Surely, there must be two other albums worthy of a spot? 2/5

Åbneren er Pet Shop Boys absolut bedste nummer. Tung, melodisk, dragende. Desværre fortsætter det ikke sådan. Og det ender i 8 minutters ulidelig 90er patiche på hvad der må være indbegrebet af alt det vi bør glemme fra et ellers fantastisk musik årti.

Tecno pop robusto, só não reconheci grandes sucessos.

Hard to have a strong opinion on this one either way. Nothing terribly unpleasant, but nothing I would go back to.

#254. Uninspiring British synth pop. Seemed pretty soulless and commercial to me. A bit of a force your way through it kind of album, honestly. 2/5: meh

The first descriptor that came to mind when this record came on was “orchestral pop.” This is not my cup of tea, but I can see why people would enjoy it. It’s bright, high-energy, and makes me feel like I should be in a spin class, working up a sweat. The vocals are too cheesy for my liking, but it’s poppy and dreamy. This is one I’m surprised made the list.

Couldn't get through it

It just does nothing for me.

Very fun.

Love their early music. This much less.

Liked their one (or 2?) big hits. Kajagoogoo wants their keytar back.

I'm more of a greatest hits fan

I like this band but this one couldn't hold my attention. Not in my top 1001

Why is the singers voice so annoying

I find the Pet Shop Boys so dull so this was a Hard listen. 1.5 but because Go west just about makes a 2 but only just!

A bit disappointing... I loved the 1980s version of the Pet Shop Boys but I found this pretty bland. Just a bit of a wash. 2/5

Really dragged by the end. Not really bad but definitely not for me

It’s got fun energy, but the songs all sound the same.

Musically kind of interesting, but the whiny vocals get pretty grating after a couple songs. Very polished sounding, but in an almost clinical way, despite having lots of spectrum coverage, sonically. Go West's chords almost perfectly matched Canon in D, which was interesting for a minute, but then became pretty monotonous (no pun intended) and boring. Overall not really my cup of tea. Two stars.

Not my thing, but I can see why it was on the list. Felt like a very progressive record for the time - both musically and lyrically.

couldn't really be bothered with this. not my jam at all. +1 for the lady Di reference

I was unconvinced by the album review. Solidly meh, pretty melodies but I felt bored while the music bopped away. Vocals left a lot to be desired for me.

Whole album felt a bit thin

Go West (cover of Village People 1979 song) uses Pachelbel Canon chord progression.

There’s something about the Pet Shop Boys that really bugs me but I can’t quite put my finger on it. Maybe it’s that they have such a distinctive style? Why not switch it up a bit lads?

If you like pet shops boy this will be good but it's just meh. The last song is actually good

Cool early elements of hyperpop, though I'm not sure they were conscious. The dramatic string synths sound bizarrely dated for 1993. The dance tracks don't take me there. Moby did a much better job at this. The song "Forever Young" came on right after this album and my ears pricked up excitedly, only to realise that I was no longer listening to the Pet Shop Boys.

No le puedo agarrar gusto a esa voz... Musicalmente está bien pero tampoco es un antes y un después en mi vida. 2,5/5 (mid)

Pour de la musique électronique qui se veut apparemment festive, ça me semble très désincarné, peu sensuel, comme intellectualisé. J'accroche peu. Je pense que j'ai trouvé une version anniversaire augmentée ; en tout cas, j'ai trouvé ça interminable pour le concept.

Boring. Don't like his voice.

Whatevs.

I didn't hate the experience, but this isn't for me. 2/5

not much of a fan 1.5

It was kind of boring

The backstreet boys if you dipped them in glue and dragged them through New Wave. Incredibly glossy production and dandelion light vibes. Ahead of it's time, but the bright lightness is a dark ominous sign of the boyband bubblegum tsunami that the pop factory would unleash a few short years later. A few welcome tastes of the signature pet shop boys speak-sing delivery (Yesterday When I Was Mad) and some nice rise and fall melodies with pretty distinctive phrasing, but for the most part they've moved on from the 80s synth pop sound for a fast Scandi techno pop thing that is really not my thing.

probably a 2.5 or so really. could i write poetry to this? n

I dug half this album. The other half though...

Not my thing. Far too euro-pop for my tastes.

Theyre clearly good but man did this drag for me

Actually not too bad but this album was a bit weak, in my opinion.

Fine background music. Not unlistenable but not really enjoyable

Not really my favorite style of music, but the lyrical content is pretty interesting and the music was fun. I can’t see myself revisiting this, but I enjoyed it well enough.

Considering I'm not a fan of electronica, it's less annoying than most recordings in this genre. The monotony of the lead singer's voice wears on one after about 6 songs.

Generic British synth pop, but not terrible enough for a one.

Juist. Ja sorry paps, maar dit vind ik dus echt heee-lee-maal niks. 2/5.

Not my type of music, good background music though

Frenetic. Well done but insistent back beat doesn't do much for me. Nervous hamster.

I just looked back and this is the third Pet Shop Boys album on this list. WTF? Seriously? How can that be possible? I have a strong dislike for Pet Shop Boys. The music is not horrible, but the vocals just make me cringe. So wimpy, soft and effeminate. Once you're done listening to this, I recommend putting on Who's Next by The Who to get your day back on track. It's almost a 1 star for me, but like I said, some of the music is okay, so I'll give it 2 stars.

don't think I like his voice, very 80's vibe, which isn't my fave... I sort of giggle listening to it, it's silly -feeling. I'm glad that's over.

90s dance music feels about as dated as it is. Groovy but kind of silly at the same time -- feels like the granddaddy to the upbeat newgrounds techno i was listening to as a kid.

Very forgettable. I can see that this album might speak to young gay men, which is fine, there's plenty of albums already with songs about straight young men/ women. However, it's not very interesting/ relevant to me. The songs were very similar and I was very glad to hear the one big hit I remembered, as this marked the very end of the album. 2 stars seems fair, this wasn't very bad, just very dull.

2 - Not for me. Don't like the lyrics and find it all a bit repetitive

I think I maybe hate this. The first two tracks are really cheesy. Liberation started better, Balearic house vibes. I’m really not a fan of Neil Tennant’s vocals. Yesterday When I Was Mad probably best track so far, but I still find the sound palette of it incredibly cheesy. The Theatre is similar, has some decent moments, but then the hideous dramatic strings and vocoder-y synth effects are so corny. One and One Make Five - jesus, this is bad. They turned in a whole song just for the contrived rhyme of “alive” with “five”. So “To Speak is a Sin” isn’t even “It’s a Sin”. Go West is one of the most annoying songs ever created. You can’t make me listen to the hidden track. This is another case where I don’t think this is the worst album out there, but it’s baffling to me as to why this was included in the list. I don’t hear what is essential or groundbreaking about this in anyway. 1.5/5

Just nothingy really, besides about 30 seconds of one track which was okay but I can't remember what it was and don't care enough to check

Quickly turned into background noise. Wasn't horrible just forgettable.

First off, love the album cover of just Orange. Beautiful. Not that I can recognize songs by name, but I think I can always tell a Pet Shop Boys song by the singers unique voice. There are a few songs I find very good by these guys, but unfortunately, none of those songs are off this album. Thought To Speak Is A Sin was one of those songs, but nope, different song, similar title. As for the album, I thought it was OK. There were times it drifted into too much disco/dance stuff, but I found it to be OK. I really appreciate the cover of Go West. It took me a long time to figure out where I heard it before and once it hit me, all I could do was smile. Even went back and played the original. Do it. It will make you/us older folks smile when you see the artist. Can't say this is my favorite kind of music, but thought it was a decent listen. I do like some of their songs and Go West made me think of my youth. Not off this album, but think their version of Always On My Mind is pretty good too. I'm going with a 2.5, bit scoreboard will read 2 2.5

2.5 This is much more accessible and catchy than our last Pet Shop Boys album, but really just to the point where I found it okay instead of annoying. There are a couple decent tracks here like Can You Forgive Her?, I Wouldn’t Normally Do This Kind of Thing, and To Speak is a Sin (not to be confused with their similarly titled It’s a Sin) that I feel are ALMOST good enough to put me in a dance-y mood, but they never quite get me there or even really impart a lasting impression for that matter. They admittedly do a good job of having a unique feel to each song, to the point that I almost immediately recognized them all upon re-listening, but even still, nothing about any one of them struck me in any particular way. Maybe Young Offender, but mostly just because that one was ick-inducing more than anything else. Yeah, I just don’t think Pet Shop Boys are my thing. I’ve seen a lot of people refer to them as dance pop sadbois, so it seems like they should be up my alley, but I’m just not picking up on any of that in the music - thematically, both albums of theirs I’ve heard seem more focused on nightlife and hooking up. Supposedly this is also littered with hints of vocalist Neil Tennant’s homosexuality prior to him coming out which are definitely noticeable in the lyrics once you’re looking for them, but I don’t think it really adds to the album in any meaningful way, and it definitely doesn’t make Young Offender any less creepy. I don’t think these guys are bad at writing dance pop by any means - I can definitely see the appeal if I was someone more into the genre - but I do feel like there are much better offerings out there from better artists. That being said, this album prompted me to go back and look at Actually again, and to my surprise, it features a collaboration with Dusty Springfield, an artist I didn’t know at the time of my initial review but am well familiar with now, and as a result, the track is probably now my favorite Pet Shop Boys song. So, I guess you could say some good came out of this after all.

Clean, but very dated and showing its age.

Arvostelu ”Actually” rakastajalta…Miksi ei enää toimi…. NOH.. Lyriikka tarinointi paskoo lahjahevosen suuhun.. Lahajana aina se mitä näille kavereille on antanut että ei PERKELE rupee popittamaan kun ollaan herkässä tilassa.. TÄSSÄ PUUKOTTAA SELKÄÄN.. pikkasen.. Ei ookkaan kontenttia samassa muodossa… Noh ei sähkösokki kahdesti toimi.. vanha sanonta.. Välillä hevonen juoksee liian nopeasti pysy perässä.. mitä vittua yritätte… Biisit upeita ja taas hralla ihanat ihmmissuhderakkaus maailma oma itsyys lyriikoina.. Mutta herra ei anna rauhaa… Jokainen biisi baller.. jokasella stadium huutaa.. Noh ei sähkösokki kahdesti toimi.. Ei pysty shokeeraaman uudesti samalla tvl.. ja virta pamauta uusia reittejä aivoissa.. R&B sampleillekkö pitäis tässä innostua.. Eikö mahtavan neuvostoliiton tuho olisi saannut artisti mieleenne vaikka torvet siellä 90 luvulla joita toitottaa niinkuin Kult bandissa.. btw halusin sen 3 antaa.. lopusss paskottiin semmosta litravauhtia suuhun että eipä tule..

I feel bad but this is really not for me. I was gonna do a 2.5 because it seems well liked and important for the outing element. But I can’t really round up to a 3 considering how many albums I liked more in the 3s. It’s a 2.4 for me. Seems pretty well put together, and I know it’s important for some people, but it’s so cheesy sounding and not my thing.

I listened to the Further version tracks 1-12

This is wildly different than anything else I have heard from this project so far. That doesn't mean its bad but definitely a welcome change of pace. It does feel a bit dated though and has moments of greatness followed by things that are not so great. 2 out of 5.

A bit whacky but pretty decent

Like depeche mode but corny. some good tracks but MAN i hate go west so much.

Meh.

This was...flamboyant. It's funny how when I was younger I confused "Pet Shop Boys" with "Beastie Boys." I may be the only person to ever do such a thing.

Blumig klingender Synth-Pop.

Synth pop is not my thing, couldn't finish this album. However, I feel that Pet Shop Boys deserve credit for the contributions to pop culture and 90s music. I may have more opinions when "Behaviour" comes around. Overall: 5/10

Not really a style of music that I frequently enjoy. Was an odd mix of upbeat dance type music and some really sad lyrics. 2/5 Won’t listen again

This is what I think when I hear 80s synth pop, the first song is great but then seems quite repetitive in rhythm and song structure in general.

I grew up when the Pet Shop Boys were on the radio pretty regularly. I’m glad I heard that stuff (Actually, Behavior) before this as I’d have the impression that they are not a good band. It pains me to say it about any of their work, but this is kinda crap.

# 96 : its not bad, its not good, another good background album I probably wont go back to. There's better things to listen to before you die. Favourite Track : Can You Forgive Her? Listened : 26/10/2023

Disco-ish. Sometimes cool and kind of catchy, Most often pretty boring.

The quintessential 90's 🌈 club music. I'll always consider Pet Shop Boys a one hit wonder, and this album doesn't even have the hit.

Meh

Nja, bättre plattor har de gjort.

I find this to be awful because it feels designed to be inoffensive and bland. I read the description and the context and that makes it even worse IMO. It’s techno and a coming out party at once and it’s less likely to make me dance than anything I’ve listened to in a while. And, it seems pretty generic and not super introspective from a sexuality standpoint. Really disappointing.

Poopsock

I'm not feeling this album. Sorry Boys!

I have always liked Pet Shop Boys' radio hits, like 'Go West' from this album, but a whole arecord full of simple, commercialised, now dated sounding songs is too much for me. I thought I would like this album more but I was clearly wrong.

Top 3 Songs: 1 - Yesterday When I Was Mad (6) 2 - One in a Million (11) 3 - One and One Make Five (8)

There's 3 pet shop boys albums on the list. PSB definitely belong on the list, but not 3 albums and not this one. It's not bad, it's not great. Favorite song: Yesterday When I Was Mad. But really none of the songs are very memorable.

I'm starting to think that they just accidentally made a good album with "Actually".

I was tempted to give it a 3 - I’ve never liked Pet Shop Boys but I didn’t mind listening to this. But then realising that the “stand out single” is a cover? Knock it down to a 2, I’m just not a fan.

Did not age well - I got some Right Said Fred drum vibes.

I felt that this album had a familiar sound but I was unable to recognize who they sounded like. Heir style with the soft singing and electronic beats has a modern style yet also feels like it was dated at the same time. Very melancholy yet upbeat. It was like a more depressed lcd sound system. Overall it was okay but nothing worth revisiting. 4.6/10

The 80's meets late 90's boy bands. Pretty forgettable pop.

A total musical dumpster fire but at least it’s a silly one. +1 for making me chuckle multiple times at how over the top whimsical and goofy this thug managed to be while trying to be 100% serious.

I didn't like this one. Way too long for what it is. I saw that it was British synth pop but I still expected something else for some reason. This was not my jam.

A THIRD Pet Shop Boys album? Considering I gave the other two a 3/5, it’s safe to say I went into this not expecting a lot. Where the others had some standout tracks and strong ideas but suffered from a bit of inconsistency, this was just not very good from start to finish

Visual novel music vibes. I didn't like it

that last song was so bad 2/5

Not my style

One-note.

Go West är ju en hit trots arr, men annars är det mest som att föräta sig på finska pinnar.

Doesn't quite convince me

Ik geloof dat ik ooit eens een lans brak voor de PSB, terwijl ik nu niet meer weet waarom.

Wat een eenheidworst! Jammer, want verder was ik wel toe aan wat energieke muziek in deze lijst.

"Diana dried her eyes and was surprised, for I was in the NEWD" is definitely a statement. I think if I were British and not an infant in 1993 I would likely have a higher rating but alas, the Pet Shop Boys are corny in the unaware way that brits veer into so often. I mean they're always the guy in the big Pharell hat and not-Peter-Gabriel to me - and his voice is too nasal for my taste. It feels like what Mr. Bean listens to when he's in a funk. Nothing about the album is BAD necessarily, it just made me wish I was listening to more interesting synth pop, and it feels dated to my ear in a way that Duran Duran;s best stuff for example does not. My REAL hot take is that Future Islands is basically Pet Shop Boys 2.0. Objectively its closer to 3 but subjectively it was a bit of a chore for me, like eating boiled vegetables, so a 2 from me.

meh

I used to really like Pet Shop Boys. In fact, I still do, but this album is far from their best. They peaked early in their career and this album seems as though they're trying to replicate what had come before. I mean, it's still unmistakably Pet Shop Boys, but the spark isn't there anymore. Nothing on this album made an impression at all, it all just floated by, inoffensively enough, but with praactically zero engagement from me.

p714. 1993. 2 stars Well produced but instantly forgettable pop fluff. It speaks volumes that the biggest hit on this is a cover. Not essential listening.

Very gay

fav tracks: can you forgive her

Just not my thing, his voice grates on me

Meh

Was up and and down on this one 2.5

Hmmm I feel like after 3 songs I got the idea of the entire album. Not bad but got a bit boring. I feel like it’s a 2.5 but leaving 2

Boring music. Fades to the background quickly and all songs on the album sound like any other Pet Shop Boys song.

Cheesy and kind of annoying

This one took me by surprise; I wasn't expecting something so dance-oriented. Regardless, I didn't particularly care for it. Didn't hate it, didn't love it. Giving it a 2, but let's call it a 2.5.

Strong two star. Nothing terribly memorable, but some interesting songs there.

Back in the early-mid 2000s I was given a burnt DVD containing (among other things) the entire catalogue of Pet Shop Boys releases. Everything, singles, albums, best of mixes - if it had been released, it was copied there in glorious 320kbps MP3. There were a LOT of Pet Shop Boys tracks - to the point where a random play of mp3s from my selection would pop up with one of them every four of five songs. And I'm afraid that this has rather polluted the Pet Shop Boys for me. They are an important act in the history of electronic music - but this selection is from 1993 when they had broken a not insubstantial amount of ground already. Saying that, I've tried to listen objectively. Is this a good album? No. Is it an important album? Also no. Why is it included on this list? Because Pet Shop Boys. It's the artist, not the album being honoured here. And that's a shame.

Good, not my thing

I feel like by 1993 it was long past time to evolve past this kind of sound

At the risk of sounding like an old fart, I much prefer their earlier work

I am happy to be done with this one, I hated it. I have no problem with pop or synth, they actually had some full instrumentals at times but man oh man this just didn’t click with me. I’m sure I’ve heard songs by the Pet Shop Boys before but I didn’t recognize any of these songs and the vocal delivery just bothered me. The lyrics were just as lame as the vocals. The only song I liked was Yesterday When I Was Mad, it sounds like an MGMT track so I don’t know maybe some of their other work is better than this album but this album get a 2 from me

Didn’t do much for me

Never really listened to this band before, but didn't hate it.

Pet shop boys of the 80s > 90s

Now that I think about it, I think I remember this coming out (sorta, I was 6 at the time) because my sister and aunt listened to “go west” and said something about their “new” stuff was good… well I cannot like this music, I hate the beat and the drums and the voice. The mentioned song is quite catchy but the record overall is lame.

favourite song: dreaming of the queen least favourite song: young offender boring drivel

Not a fan

The first four Pet Shop Boys albums are great, full of instant-classic singles. But the quality drop begins here. In my memory, Very was still a good album (4 stars) and listening to it again, the album still has its moments. But the songs are not so memorable and the production is pretty dated (unlike the previous four albums which still sound fresh).

Quite energetic albumn, very disco. Listened to it just before bed which was not the best idea because the energy transferred to me somewhat.

I think Very is an okay PSB release but it's definitely not my favorite nor their best. Confusing why this was part of the 1001 Albums list but whatever. I like the songs I've liked on here and everything else is pretty inessential for me.

not my jam

im not fan

The first few songs on this album had plenty of similarities to Postal Service. Wonder how much Pet Shop Boys influence their sound. There is some decent songwriting on this album but it is hidden by some pretty bland synth and drum machine combos that show their age. Hard to get beyond that so the album felt pretty monotone.

Not something I’d ever listen to again. Few fun dance songs though

Eesh, not a fan of the vocals at all. That along gives it's enjoyment to a 2 but it's "competent" in what it's doing, but... there are much better things out there. Feels like every song is a cartoon's montage.

Nothing really exciting couldn't really get into this.

Pet Shop Boys was a band that wasn't that good but they had a trendy sound.  For this album they decided they didn't want to have the trendy sound anymore so all that's left is a band that wasn't that good. 

Yay..Pet shop boys, I rarely listen to any full album when it comes to this duo. Four songs in I remember why. This has not aged well. If I remember correctly I thought so when the album first came out as well.

really cheesy but in the bad way

A couple of cool tracks, not my favorite album of theirs though. A bit too "soft"

They were never my thing, still aren't my thing nearly 30 years later

Just didn't connect with it. All filler, no killer.

Cant get behind this one. Just a tough listen after about 3 songs.

Good listen, interesting instrumentals and arrangements. Don't know if I'd ever revisit but enjoyed it while it was on.

I didn’t mind the ‘Actually’ album, but I don’t know, this just did not do it for me

A lazy bloke has been breathing helium and seems to be deciding whether or not he can be bothered to say the lyrics while his mate plays about with a synth. Best Tracks: Can You Forgive Her?; I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing; Go West

It's too repetitive, there's no nuance in the sound or production. PSB is one of those \"just the hits\" kind of artists for me, no deep cut hidden gems here.

Love their 80s stuff but this did nowt for me

Not sure why this is on the list. Their other album was better.

Pretty catchy but not my thing

didn't particularly enjoy this one. feeling like it's in league with the other 2 star albums i've rated.

Pretty meh. Why is this on here? There have to be better albums in their discography but I’ll never know. Very repetitive and uninspired.

fucking hell. i bet this was sooo cutting edge back in the 90s. its dated about as well as wacko jacko being allowed his own theme park. fucking nonce.

Yes! Something from my ‘era’ that I could finally sink my teeth into...or so I thought. I’m a closet new wave fan but this album lacks a real killer punch. In fact it lacks the jabs and upper cuts too. Apart from a couple of released singles the rest of this album is very light on. Sadly, each track came and went until the end left me extremely unsatisfied. KAPOW! 2 Stars!

Had to turn this down to get through it. I find his voice very irritating.

Only alright

Fun little songs, but they can get busy at times with synths on beats on synths on synths. Combine that with songwriting that's hit or miss, and you have an album that didn't impress me as much as Actually, the earlier Pet Shop Boys album. Still a few bangers here though, just not consistently impressive. Disappointed :(

Well executed, but just not for me.

2/5

Nah.

Boring 90s Pet Shop Poo

Not for me

nope

This was a weird and very 90s album. Just kinda mixed all pop styles from then into one.

Not my cup of tea, but produced well!

Very samey

go west and can you forgive her are decent songs but the rest are just lesser variants of those. The album as a whole can be reduced to those 2 songs and it wouldnt hurt it

Everything I hate about 80s music

I don’t like synth pop. I think I could possibly enjoy this album if it was played with real strings, real drums, bass, guitars, etc. Unfortunately, most of the pop electronic music produced in the 80’s/90’s sounds soulless to me. “Go West” is laughable.

Very bad

1.25

The Credits as written on the packaging * Mark Farrow – graphic design * Pet Shop Boys – graphic design * Chris Nash – photographs * David Fielding – costume and set design * Pentagram – Lego case CD packaging, concept, design - Daniel Weil Mark Farrow won a D&AD award for one of his Pet Shop Boys sleeves. Not this one. I remember when this came out, and we all gasped at how outrageous it was as a sleeve. Didn't buy one as the music is hideous.

25

o law!

Absolute slop. Anyone who enjoys this please go fuck yourself. This is what ai would create if I told it to make synth music

It’s a bit shite.

Coming in as a surprise to no-one... I hate this.

🤮 seriously?!? There cannot be another one!!!!

If bland flavour had a sound. The guys voice is irritating amd the music ia very uninspired.

made a bunch of songs that sound the same and one good one at the end

Nah

Well put together, but I still don't like it

Bailing halfway through. Very clearly not for me but I’m sure great for someone.

This was truly a heroic effort & picture of perseverance in the face of struggle, by me, to endure this aural assault. I was searching for the good bits but came up empty. I suppose it’s possible I missed them (it?) as I was hunkered down during the onslaught. I do recall this had cool packaging back when that was a thing

Absolute pish

No.

1,2/5

I listened to it. I can say that. I'm just not a fan of theirs, or the genre of music. It's better than the other Pet Shop boys album I listened to but that's not saying much. I think the lyrics would be better with a boy band singing it. Maybe it would be more enjoyable then.

Cringe. As a Depeche Mode Devotee I can only feel disappointed at how lame this is in comparison.

Ugh, more fucking Pet Shop Boys. I hate them so much partly because they had a track on the Abercrombie & Fitch playlist when I worked there so would play every 70 minutes and it drove me completely nuts. Also, they're shit.

Exactly what I expect from the pet shop boys, without any of the recognisable hits, except go west, which is crap..... I'm not generally a fan and the lacking of any big hitters really made it drag. I feel the only thing keeping me from giving this a 1 is the pet shop boys name, and that isn't fair. 1 it is

About as good as Robbie Williams

Bored by the third song

No

This is album 962 for me and if I ever have to listen to another Brit EDM record it will be too soon.

Smurf rave. No thanks

The album is called Very. If this is the Pet Shop Boys at their most, then they are very not for me. Deadpan vocals over what sounds like the demo presets on a cheap 80s Casio keyboard. Everything the same tempo, the same texture, the same emotional flatness. I understand this is intentional. I understand Tennant's monotone delivery is the style, not a limitation. I still spent most of this album checking how much was left. "Go West" is fine. I already knew "Go West." 1/5 — very.

This album is only good if you're listening to it as background music at Tunnel

Not my cup of tea

#403 / 1089 Heard before? ❌ Revisit? ❌ While I'v heard some of these songs, they could've been remixes or something, because I don't remember them being _this_ annoying. Because this was super annoying to listen to. Partly fun, party childish and fuckton annoying. Most of the songs I thought decent had a layer of useless instrumentation that just pissed me off. I think I said "WHY" out loud three times while listening to this one. No. Not for me. Just no. Unappealing 1/5

Fuck off

favs: i wouldn’t normally do this kind of thing dreaming of the queen one and one make five rating 1.3/5

DNF - ohhh I am so unpleased with myself but I cannot hide my true feelings. I struggle at the best of times with synth pop but I could not NOT laugh at the opening to every song I got through Jesus sorry team x

I can’t tolerate this cheap sounding disco music. To name a few, I hate the melody of “a different point of view”. And the sound effect on the chorus of “yesterday” is unbearably cheesy. But overallI can’t tolerate this cheap sounding disco sound. To name a few, I hate the melody of “a different point of view”. And the sound effect on the chorus of “yesterday” is unbearably cheesy. Overall, this album was not for me at all. I can see that some of the songwriting is pretty good and the contrast of the lyrics and the sound may interest some. But the lame disco sound was too overpowering.

Very is...well, very bad. Shitty 90s dance pop. Not a single song hit home. I was not impressed with their earlier album Actually but it was much better. This "coming out" record is lame and must make the list for the leads reveal. Cheesy dance music with the same beat and synths is weak so I can't get into it but this may have been the roots for other, later clubby crap and for that I don't thank the Pet Shop Boys. Amazingly, I would rather listen to Kollaps tear down a building, Beyonce banging Jay-Z, or an actual pet shop full of rowdy animals. 0.68 stars for this slop.

I'm starting to wonder why Pet Shop Boys are put in the upper pantheon of synth-pop artists. From the 2 albums I've heard so far there are certainly better options out there. "Very" as an album seems like it should be renamed "Very Redundant". It felt like they wrote 2 OK songs and then just tweaked them a tiny bit and threw 10 versions of those onto an album. The vocals were overall uninspired and forgettable. Not sure if this made more sense in the moment but during this listen I was severely underwhelmed. I can understand why people would have enjoyed the way Pet Shop Boys transitioned from some of their earlier subdued style to the much more upbeat dance style, but I still found the album lacking. I was surprised to see this was a #1 album and spawned 5 singles, but I guess if you find formula that kinda works and don't stray far from it the masses will respond. For my money, 1 maybe 2 songs would have been OK, but I certainly didn't need anywhere near an hour of this. Pet Shop Boys overall disappointing from 2 entries thus far. 1.46 stars

Meh

This stinks

I now understand why people perform self-immolation. I seriously considered it while listening to this album. To be fair, it’s not my jam but there are people out there that this speaks to. For me, I regretted that I had all my senses and privately wished I would become temporary deaf.

This kind of popmusic should be restricted to people who want to hear it and not be heard by anyone else...horrible.

Langweilig

I was tired when I came round to put this on and frankly, I wasn’t in the mood for it. I don’t really like Neil Tennnant’s voice and it’s a brand of synth pop I could live without so suffice to say, I didn’t need to hear this. I ended up listening to other music in between to get me through…I was almost prepared to 1 star this, in fact, I will because I had a terrible time.

Aint listening this not my type

1/1

It's dance? This is a dance album? Not good, it's a dance album

I genuinely don't get why this is on the list. As far as I know, the Pet Shop Boys had fallen out of relevance by the time this came out. It doesn't have any of their hits on it, either. Despite coming out in 1993, it's a very 80s sounding synthpop album. Lyrics are mostly standard love lyrics, albeit with a queer bent to them. The vocals are OK, but difficult to make out over the loud synth sounds that were dated even when the album was new. It's also too long for what it is, as it all kind of sounds the same. By 1993, the music world was past this kind of album. It bored me to tears and showed nothing of musical merit to keep me invested. I think it might legitimately be a 1, as much as I hate to say it.

Very artificial sounding, and I don't like it. 1 star

Y'all are reaching

Synth-pop des années 90, les bruitages m'insupportent...

This album made me angry, for some reason. Probably Neil Tennant's voice. No songs added to my faves. Really annoyed. 1/5

I'm a pretty relaxed guy. If we're in the car and you put on something I don't care for, whatever, that's fine. It doesn't hurt me to listen to music I dislike. I will make no comment. Usually. I think if someone put this one on, I'd politely ask them to change it to anything else. Maybe the Village People version of "Go West." That song slaps.

Not for me.

Yeah, I didn’t get it

Can you forgive her? - 3 I wouldn't normally do this kind of thing - 1 Liberation - 2 A different point of view - 1 Dreaming of the queen - 2 Yesterday when I was mad - 2 The theatre - 2 One and one make five - 1 To speak is a sin - 2 Young offender - 1 One in a million - 1 Go west - 3

mega to było średnie – bardzo nie w mój gust

How are there three Pet Shop Boys albums on this list? I have liked each album I’ve heard less than the last and this is no exception. I can’t stand this.

Honestly I did not enjoy this at all. The cheesy 80s beats, the affectation of the singer, the bad lyrics. No thanks.

I swear to god if I have to listen to that orchestral hit one more time, I go completely insane.

the pop form is neutral tending towards evil, some things shouldn’t be normalized

flojo flojo, romanticon, calmado, trompetas medio jazz tranquilo comercial, un rollo

What are … what are we doing here? No east end boys? No west end girls? Isn’t that their only song? Why are we being told we need to listen to an album that came out almost ten years after their only hit? A song I don’t even like?

I could have noticed at first glance that this wasn't my cup of tea. It looks like a bucket, says “trash” in bold letters, and inside is a steaming pile of shit. My cup of tea, on the other hand, is characterized by the fact that it is a cup with actual tea in it that says “Regulation Hottie.”

The music videos are creative I'll give them that

meh

This does not deserve to be on the list. Home cooking again.

Quite boring pop form the 90s

God do I resent those guys with their cheap synths. New Order wannabes

Very?

As Brandon said it best on our last PSB album "Meep merp morp". I hate when I open up the website in the morning to see the album and am instantly pissed that it comes up with a third album from a band that I already don't like from starting this project. This album never got above slightly enjoyable at any point. Cheesiest of cheese. One and One Make Five really annoyed me. Far from the worst album that we have heard so I can't quite give it a 1 but this is the absolute lowest of 2s *****I finished writing this review before finishing the album. Now that I have listened to the last song with that horrible background singing it absolutely gets a 1.

3 Pet Shop Boys albums on here is a travesty. It's just the worst sounds of the 80's and 90's clashing and I hate it. I think I've found my least favorite band from doing this project so at least there's that.

Sounds like a worse version of the smiths

Not very good is it? I wasn’t a huge Pet Shop Boys fan at all. Didn’t hate them. Just wasn’t that interesting to me. Kind of like 90s easy listening music. This album was actually boring as fuck. Not a bad thing if you like your music to operate on a level where you can nod off for a bit and when you wake up you haven’t missed anything. Muzak of a particular generation. I bet the boomers still bounce to this. 1/5.