Customer Reviews

Bilingual

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

CD1

1.Discoteca

2.Single

3.Metamorphois

4.Electricity

5.Se a vida e (That's The Way Life Is)

6.It's Always Comes As A Surprise

7.A Red Letter Day

8.Up Against It

9.The Survivors

10.Before

11.To Step Aside

12.Saturday Night Forever

CD2 (Further Listening 1995-1997)

1.Paninaro '95

2.In The Night (1995)

3.The Truck-Driver And His Mate

4.Hit And Miss

5.How I Learned To Hate Rock 'N' Roll

6.Betrayed

7.Delusions Of Grandeur

8.Discoteca (Single Version) Previously Unreleased

9.The Calm Before The Storm

10.Discoteca (New Version)

11.The Boy Who Couldn't Keep His Clothes On

12.A Red Letter Day (Expanded Single Version) Previously Unreleased

13.The View From Your Balcony

14.Disco Potential

15.Somewhere (Extended Mix)

I have to say since buying the "Further Listening Series" it has been worth every penny.It is great to go back and hear the gems that were and the rarites of lost treasures.

As if emerging from a swanky beach house, The Boys hit a smooth and consistently rich stride on their sixth album. "Discoteca" and "Single" accompany a sophisticated pleasure traveler with Spanish rhythm, "Metamorphosis" recapitulates an introverted man's growing up, while the beautiful "It Always Comes As A Surprise" seems to capture the northerner's amazement at his first night in tropical paradise. The self-referential "Electricity" and proud stances of "Up Against It" and "To Step Aside" show an artistry and intellectual cleverness that never falls out of rhythm, while "Se A Vida E," "Before," and "Saturday Night" celebrate sweetness in life without running aground, as happy anthems so often do, on shallow bromides, cliches, or repetitiveness. The Pet Shop Boys have given us a library of fine albums, and often, even finer remixes, and this inventive and pleasurable album perhaps shows them at their best so far.

This is such a great CD. I have listened to it so many times and always come away uplifted; it gives me a boost. This is my favourite PSB CD; even better than Very, because all the tracks fit together so well and are all so enjoyable. "Metamorphosis" and "The Survivors" stand out as my favourites. The remixed CD is also very good.

Again the Pet Shop Boys played their little trick on their fans. The album Very was released in 1994, and didn't do very well commercially or critically, and while the Pet Shop Boys shortly thereafter toured, it had the feeling (partly due to the rumour mill) that this was in fact a farewell series of performances. The next year, when the dual-disc set Alternative was released, the question was largely, 'Alternative to what?' -- a real album, a continuation (Alternative was made up of all the non-album b-sides that had been released during the Pet Shop Boys career, once again fueling speculation that this was a tying-up-of-loose-ends at the end of a career).

Then, in 1996, the album Bilingual was released, again following the by-then-well-established pattern of releasing a single, then follow-up with the album. This was an 'out' album; while most people always knew the alternative sexuality of the group, it had never been made explicit in the group's official publicity. Now, it had been. No surprise to anyone really (does anything coming from any band from the 80's really surprise anyone?).

The Pet Shop Boys managed to release an adequate album, alas, not their best work, and indeed some commentators, remembering the speculation that they were ready to retire, opined that retirement would have been better than this.

Not so, to be sure -- this is a perfectly serviceable album, good in many respects; the first single, Before, was released with a CD-movie of the video (very useful for those without Euro-MTV, American MTV long since having left the genre of the Pet Shop Boys behind and thus unlikely to carry their videos even when they win Euro-MTV awards). This song included many of the classic Pet Shop Boys elements -- poppy dance tune, double-edged lyrics, sample heavy feel, and toe-tapping rhythm.

The rest of the album is influenced obviously by the groups adventures in Latin America and Latin Europe during their concert tour, as well as holidays in the sun. Songs such as Discoteca and Se a vida é contain in their titles the influence; peppered throughout with almost spoken lines in Spanish (¿Hay una discoteca por acqui?), almost as if they had simply lifted lines from their Berlitz travel phrase book. But, in the traditional quirky Pet Shop Boys way, these fit in nicely with the tune.

The transitions on this album are interesting -- for the first time, the Pet Shop Boys didn't have their songs as isolated bits, but many instead flowed together--Discoteca and Single being two prime examples, which bleed together musically and lyrically, the end of Single being also the first line from Discoteca: (¿Hay una discoteca por acqui?).

Songs in the much more traditional upbeat, lyrically-cynical and clever, electronically pop include To step aside, A red letter day, and Saturday night forever. Tennant begins to allow himself some more direct social commentary in songs like The survivors, which can be understood on many levels. Of course, Tennant's lyrics on the album Behaviour poked fun at those celebrities who, because they have fame, suddenly start taking themselves seriously as experts on social concerns, so he is understandably cautious and understated in his own observations, which are usually very much rooted in his own, direct experiences.

As with many Pet Shop Boys albums, Bilingual had a follow-up single, Somewhere, which was not included on the album, but was on the special edition, limited release of the double-CD Bilingual. This second disc includes in addition to Somewhere remixes of several of the album cuts, as well as an additional b-side.

The songs Before, Single, and A red letter day charted variously around the world, but didn't catch hold and take top honours anywhere. Alas, the Pet Shop Boys looked like they were past it. But history has proven differently.

This is an essential album to anyone who wishes a complete Pet Shop Boys collection -- the special album only for those die-hard collectors who can spend extra on auction sites or some such to track it down, but one gains little musically from it. However, this album is for the most part a placeholder in the overall history of the Pet Shop Boys (for the historically inclined, perhaps it is the 'James Polk' of their albums, adequate but undistinguished, often forgotten, but still on the books).

From looking at the other reviews of this album, I'm not going to focus again on how incredible these two men are. That is a given. But I do wonder sometimes why this album didn't become more popular, especially in the time of where everyone's living la vida loca. It's got a latin type of beat to it, and the music is pretty diverse in that area as well. But I really want to comment on one particular song that could represent the whole album in a nutshell: Why didn't the song "Single" from this album get released as a single? It has all the components. The subject matter IS different, but Pet Shop Boys couldn't be normal if they tried. This whole album is a journey through their eyes of going through life when traveling around the world, but the song Single, could best reflect Neil's attitude and perhaps all celebrities attitude of what it's like to be somewhere where you've never been before. Taking that even further, it could signify any person who experiences "culture shock", where one is recognized in a place where you least expect it. Whether it be from just a grocery store, to another country, this song is a great representation of how fast everything moves in one's life, and how you only have time to think about it later, after it's over. The song also follows the formula of possibly being a hit single: it's not too short, or too long...it focuses on the same type of phrase and beat most of the time so people can have something to easily remember and sing with...and it's a subject that is different, YET at the same time one wouldn't have a difficult time relating with any part of the song. As for the rest of the album, see other reviews. I could go on forever about how good it is, myself.

PSB once opined about a band's "Imperial" phase, where basically one can do no wrong. This album belongs in that phase. Many fans didn't like it all that much, but four years later it still ranks as one of my favorites. It sways, it crackles, it dances, it has attitude: it is a pop album that had no real competition for its time and can still hold itself against the pop stars of today. I mean, if "Electricity" doesn't make you want to do some down and dirty moving around, then brother, check your pulse. What really surprises me though is how happy and without pretense the album really is. Remember, Grunge, Industrial and Gansta rap were kings in 1996. "The Survivors" sums it all up. For someone to come out and say "That Life is worth living; Its still worth a damn" during that time was actually taking what could be called a radical stand against the common thought. My favorite somg though is the Bossa Nova inspired "It always comes as a surprise". Close your eyes, and relax. You might wake up on a beach in Rio along the way.

After purchasing several other PSB albums first, it took me a while before Bilingual started to grow on me and I began to realize how good it really is. The boys manage to maintain their disco sound while bringing in new music and rhythms that are unlike anything else they have done. This is a truly great album, not my favorite (Very, of course), but consistently entertaining, fresh, and at times, absolutely brilliant. Like some other reviewers, I too could care less if the Boys are gay or what their politics are--they can just plain make great music, and that should be all that counts.

WOW!!! i just got this CD and I must admit, it is above and beyond what I ever thought. This cd rocks! Bilingual is excellent and this takes it to the next level. Why stations won't play this I have no clue. Very danceable music with a certain spookiness that only a remix like theirs can deliver. Buy this cd if for nothing else than the remixes. The tracks selected are wonderful, especially somewhere. Symphony and Sythensizer never went better together.

This one has the regular Bilingual CD and another CD of unavailable remixes of songs on Bilingual. And it's well worth the price! It also comes a nifty package with an odd picture of Neil sitting on a naff chair. Here are the songs: 1. Somewhere (extended mix) Straightforward disco fare here with wailing disco divas the PSB's great cover of the West Side Story song. 2. A Red Letter Day (Trouser autoerotic decapitation mix) very trancy and spooky backwards vocals of Neil. 3. To Step Aside (Brutal Bill mix) DJs will already have this one on the vinyl pack. Basic dark, sweaty house fare. 4. Before (Classic Paradise mix) A very poppy housed-out version of this song. Nice. 5. The Boy Who Couldnt Keep His Clothes On (International Mix) An extended version of this funny little, somewhat embarrasing song. 6. Se A Vida E (Pink Noise mix) Kind of a sleaze version of the original. More electronic than the original, and I think better. 7. Discoteca (Trouser Enthusiast! ! s empire mix) Out-there trance with Neil's classic vocals. Nice and throbby a la Jam n Spoon. Mixes well with the other trancy stuff for you bedroom DJs out there. (you can only play this stuff in europe because the regular idiots dont like euro-trance and the kids dont like vocals).

Again the Pet Shop Boys played their little trick on their fans. The album Very was released in 1994, and didn't do very well commercially or critically, and while the Pet Shop Boys shortly thereafter toured, it had the feeling (partly due to the rumour mill) that this was in fact a farewell series of performances. The next year, when the dual-disc set Alternative was released, the question was largely, 'Alternative to what?' -- a real album, a continuation (Alternative was made up of all the non-album b-sides that had been released during the Pet Shop Boys career, once again fueling speculation that this was a tying-up-of-loose-ends at the end of a career).

Then, in 1996, the album Bilingual was released, again following the by-then-well-established pattern of releasing a single, then follow-up with the album. This was an 'out' album; while most people always knew the alternative sexuality of the group, it had never been made explicit in the group's official publicity. Now, it had been. No surprise to anyone really (does anything coming from any band from the 80's really surprise anyone?).

The Pet Shop Boys managed to release an adequate album, alas, not their best work, and indeed some commentators, remembering the speculation that they were ready to retire, opined that retirement would have been better than this.

Not so, to be sure -- this is a perfectly serviceable album, good in many respects; the first single, Before, was released with a CD-movie of the video (very useful for those without Euro-MTV, American MTV long since having left the genre of the Pet Shop Boys behind and thus unlikely to carry their videos even when they win Euro-MTV awards). This song included many of the classic Pet Shop Boys elements -- poppy dance tune, double-edged lyrics, sample heavy feel, and toe-tapping rhythm.

The rest of the album is influenced obviously by the groups adventures in Latin America and Latin Europe during their concert tour, as well as holidays in the sun. Songs such as Discoteca and Se a vida é contain in their titles the influence; peppered throughout with almost spoken lines in Spanish (¿Hay una discoteca por acqui?), almost as if they had simply lifted lines from their Berlitz travel phrase book. But, in the traditional quirky Pet Shop Boys way, these fit in nicely with the tune.

The transitions on this album are interesting -- for the first time, the Pet Shop Boys didn't have their songs as isolated bits, but many instead flowed together--Discoteca and Single being two prime examples, which bleed together musically and lyrically, the end of Single being also the first line from Discoteca: (¿Hay una discoteca por acqui?).

Songs in the much more traditional upbeat, lyrically-cynical and clever, electronically pop include To step aside, A red letter day, and Saturday night forever. Tennant begins to allow himself some more direct social commentary in songs like The survivors, which can be understood on many levels. Of course, Tennant's lyrics on the album Behaviour poked fun at those celebrities who, because they have fame, suddenly start taking themselves seriously as experts on social concerns, so he is understandably cautious and understated in his own observations, which are usually very much rooted in his own, direct experiences.

As with many Pet Shop Boys albums, Bilingual had a follow-up single, Somewhere, which was not included on the album, but was on the special edition, limited release of the double-CD Bilingual. This second disc includes in addition to Somewhere remixes of several of the album cuts, as well as an additional b-side.

The songs Before, Single, and A red letter day charted variously around the world, but didn't catch hold and take top honours anywhere. Alas, the Pet Shop Boys looked like they were past it. But history has proven differently.

This is an essential album to anyone who wishes a complete Pet Shop Boys collection -- the special album only for those die-hard collectors who can spend extra on auction sites or some such to track it down, but one gains little musically from it. However, this album is for the most part a placeholder in the overall history of the Pet Shop Boys (for the historically inclined, perhaps it is the 'James Polk' of their albums, adequate but undistinguished, often forgotten, but still on the books).