Customer Reviews

Battleship Potemkin

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Battleship Potemkin is a beautiful piece of electro-prog (electronic music blended with classical music). Mostly instrumental, but containing a few vocal gems, this is one of the best things I have ever heard from Pet Shop Boys. They have always submerged their artistic inclinations under a shroud of pop and disco, but it occasionally surfaced in remixes, B-sides, and even the first half of their BILINGUAL album. Always afraid of breaking their string of perfect pop singles, this album was even released under their name as composers (Tennant/Lowe) rather than the Pet Shop Boys moniker. Then stickers were placed on the cover to make it clear that this is a Pet Shop Boys album in both writing and performance. In my opinion, it only strengthens their artistic credibility. A large share of the credit has to go to the orchestrations written by Torsten Rasch (performed by the Dresdner Sinfoniker)-- the strings are amazing throughout. But the Boys turn in equally interesting performances. "After All (The Odessa Staircase") is a stunning composition-- one of the best of their career-- with excellent vocal melodies by Neil and an amazing merger of electronica and strings. For a focus on the strings, listen to the opening track, "Comrades!" "Men and Maggots" is one of the most successful instrumental tracks, but there are really no clunkers on this album. The slamming electronic beat of "Nyet" and the mantric chant ("Da....Nyet!") provides a compelling background for some scorching explorations on synthesizers and occasional blasts of strings. The only thing even remotely pop-like is "No time for tears," which was even considered for release as a single. It's a beautiful song, with Neil's high voice at its breathiest. It's a good thing it wasn't released, as this album works best as a continuous flow of music. Even this ballad ends with the rhythms picking up and segueing into one of the album's most beautiful orchestrations ("To the battleship"). There's no way to stop or start this soundtrack-- just let if flow from start to finish.
As a soundtrack to the 1925 silent film, it does get a bit intense by the end, but mostly it is appropriate to the scenes of the film. There are a few scenes where I would have opted for something different, but quite honestly I think this is better than the classical scores that have been used previously. Oh, and if you are trying to get it in sync to the film, you have to hold the CD up at the end of track 3 (where the glass breaks) and wait for the scene in the film where a sailor washing dishes smashes a dish. This is because a large chunk of track 2 was deleted for the CD release. The soundtrack and film should play out pretty much together from that point on. I've watched them together so many times, I'm starting to have visual flashbacks when I listen to the soundtrack alone.
Aside from perhaps "Being Boring" or "Electricity," I think this is the best thing Pet Shop Boys have ever done. It irks me that they have performed it live in Britain and Germany, but we Americans are probably considered too shallow and artless to appreciate it in concert. Personally, I wish the Boys would do a tour where they perform it in its entirety. But alas, I'm living in the memory of the 1970s, when it was fashionable to pull out all the artistic stops and regale fans in the most complex music you can muster. Battleship Potemkin fits that bill perfectly.

I got this album because I have always liked the Pet Shop Boys and will support them no matter what. I thought at least it would have a few good tracks. The WHOLE album is great! From minimal bleeps with strings to soaring orchestral tracks with awesome electronica mixed in. Every once in a while you hear Neil Tennant's vocals which are so appropriate and beautiful. Some of the tracks are more dance oriented, but even though I haven't seen the film, I can still tell that the music is perfect for it. It never sounds out of place or odd. I was sooooooooo impressed! I just wish more people knew of the film when I told them about it. This is a MUST HAVE!

Must admit I was not sure this soundtrack/score would win me over. While I am a fan of PSB music, long instrumentals short on lyrics scare me. Fortunately this album has something for all of the PSB fans. While the film Battleship Potemkin may be old, the style of this score is very modern. The orchestrations are beautiful using electronic, mechanical and orchestra sounds. "No Time for Tears", "After All" and "For Freedom" contain Neil's lyrics and voice. This is a must have for the die hard PSB fan. For those who liked PSB's slower grooves you will be very happy with this release. It is haunting, thought provoking and works even if you have no memory of the film. Buy it, play it while you are doing something else and you will find yourself replaying it so you can hear every audio detail. Beautiful is the word that best describes this recording.

In 2003, Pet Shop Boys were approached by London's Institute of Contemporary Arts with the suggestion that they write a score for the silent cinema masterpiece, "Battleship Potemkin." The score, done in collaboration with the Dresdner Sinfoniker, premiered during a free concert at Trafalgar Square on September 12, 2004, with 20,000 in attendance. Members of the Pet Shop Boys fan club received a preview DVD for Christmas 2004. Pet Shop Boys seem like an odd choice to score the film, but it generally works. Of course, fans will recall the fondness PSB have for Russian culture and art, as witnessed by songs such as "Red Letter Day."

The score is rather dramatic and filled with blippy techno-style music. At first listen, PSB fans may be jarred a bit, but repeated listens reveals music not too far afield from their typical material. The score commences with "Comrades!" which features a rather strong thumping sound akin to a submarine sonar system - quite annoying. Fortunately, the score grows more melodic and, at times, rather beautiful. "Drama in the Harbour," for example, features soothing strings paired with a propulsive beat. "To the Shore" is another highlight, sounding rather fragile and expressive.

A few songs feature vocals by Pet Shop Boys or others. "Our Daily Bread" is one of the highlights, with the familiar prayer sung by Neil; the refrain reappears in several other songs. "No Time for Tears" is perhaps my favorite vocal song, and probably the one most easily digested by PSB fans; the song even ascends into a disco beat. "After All" is very good likewise and could blend in on other PSB disks. The lyrics are also timely, and perhaps take a swipe at Tony Blair: If you didn't really understand the cause/ If you didn't even pause for thought/ How come we went to war? Some of the vocals, however, are rather annoying, such as "Nyet" - featuring "da" and then "nyet" repeated over and over.

"Battleship Potemkin" is arguably the most grown-up music PSB have ever made. Can the score stand on its own? Mostly. At times, the music is quite gorgeous and dramatic. I don't anticipate that I will be listening to this CD frequently over the next several months, but I enjoyed it far more than I expected. Their foray into classical style music is as least as successful as other pop artists have been. I haven't seen "Battleship Potemkin" in many years, so I can't match songs with particular scenes while listening to this CD. However, I still found the score entertaining, especially considering the depressive nature of the original film.

In sum, the score is highly recommended for hardcore PSB fans, as well as people who enjoy sophisticated film scores. On "Left to My Own Devices," PSB joked about wanting to put Debussy to a disco beat; here they succeed in scoring a Russian silent film to a disco-styled beat. I'll never doubt them again! Another fine addition to the ever-expanding and diverse PSB canon.

This is about the dullest thing I have ever heard. Save your money.