There's A Couple Missing... (Discography: The Complete Singles Collection - Pet Shop Boys)

Member Name: SkyscraperFanClu

Product:	Discography: The Complete Singles Collection - Pet Shop Boys
Date:	09/04/09 (30 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Every Pet Shop Boys' A - Side, 1983 - 91 . .

Disadvantages: . . except for two

'Discography' is best described as the rough guide to the first eight years of the Pet Shop Boys, at it simply compiles 18 of their singles in chronological order.
Surprisingly, the album fails even in the basic task of bringing the appropriate tracks together - as two obvious choices are missed. The Pet Shop Boys' first single, 'Opportunities (Original 7" Version)' is not to be found, only the remixed, re-released 1986 version. The second version is by no means inferior, but the exclusion of the original is disappointing.

Worse is the omission of 'How Can You Expect To Be Taken Seriously?', one half of a double a-side pairing with 'Where The Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)'. This is an excellent song, satyrically lampooning the pretentions of modern pop stars (think of the video to Blink 182's 'All The Small Things'). The album sorely misses this brilliant song.
It would be a little picky of me to make a case for the inclusion of 'Paninaro', which was released as a single, but only in one country - Italy.

By every other measure, however, 'Discography' is excellent as it brings together the Pet Shop Boys as they present themselves to the world. It is the perfect contrast to 'Alternative', which compiles their hidden b-sides and 'other tracks'. Here each track is annotated with thought from Neil Tennant providing insight into the meaning of and work behind each track.
For those naive enough to use number ones as a measure of success, 'Discography' boasts four: The hugely famous 'West End Girls'; 'It's A Sin', lamenting the judgemental nature of Catholicism; reinvented and reinvigorated Elvis track 'Always On My Mind; and the inspired disco track 'Heart'.

More importantly, 'Discography' chronicles the changing approaches of the Pet Shop Boys throughout their earlier albums. The contrasting moods od 'Loves Comes Quickly' and 'Opportunities' show their flexible use of a then primitive genre. As the album progresses, the music becomes gradually more sophisticated and the songs can develop greater subtelty and intelligence. 'Discography' shows the Pet Shop Boys as masters of their genre, able to make more creative and enjoyable use of dance music than any other artist.

Summary: There's A Couple Missing...