Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A front row seat to the show!, April 10, 2008
Great live cd's are rare birds indeed. Only a few bands have managed to capture the magic of their live performances. Well, Pet Shop Boys have made their "Live at Budokan" and it's an instant classic. At least for PSB fans.
The track listing is a kitchen sink mix of old and new and everything in-between. There are nice surprises too: a live band that includes a small orchestra, guest singers (Rufus and Robbie make the songs sound as if they were written for them to sing), and Neil speaking casually with the audience as if it's a get-together at his home. Very intimate.
The production is flawless (another success for Trevor Horn who, if there ever were a third member of the band, he is it) with every instrument and vocal coming through richly and warmly. I can close my eyes and suddenly find myself sitting in the front row and I've got the best seat in the house.
Listening to Concrete is, to put it simply, an experience. It's the next best thing to being there!
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth the price just for the Rufus Wainwright guest vocal, November 14, 2006
I bought this a few weeks ago on a trip to London. It seemed to have been released without a lot of fanfare, and although I'd count myself as a fan, I hadn't heard of this CD until I saw it on a shelf in a record shop.
Rufus Wainwright's vocals on "Cassanova in Hell" and, almost as good, Robbie William's vocals on "Jealousy", are worth the price in themselves. I'll have to check out Rufus Wainwright's music now. "Friendly Fire" is gorgeous too, but I'd prefer to hear Neil singing it; the theatrical version is a bit, well, theatrical, for me.
Nice subdued version of "Dreaming of the Queen", with Neil enunciating the words of the chorus, as if to say "I told you so". Surprisingly propulsive version version of West End Girls, with a great extra piano line.
Although they use a concert orchestra, they do use drums too [Neil notes the shock of a *drummer* being on stage with them] and the sound fills out nicely. The only downside for me is the Liza Minnelli version of "Rent", which I've never really liked.
If you only know some of the songs then this gives a good sweep of their career, and is a great intro to the rest of their songs. I'd also recommend it to completists.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
a perfect fit, December 11, 2006
The biggest surpirse about this live concert with Pet Shop Boys and the BBC Concert Orchestra is that it took so long to happen. The idea of a PSB show with a full orchestra has seemed so logical since waay back in the Introspective days. And now that it is here there is plenty to enjoy. Songs like Left To My Own Devices, Jealousy and Casanova In Hell already enjoyed slightly over-the-top orchestral arrangements and they are highlighted to full effect here. Liza's Results arrangement of Rent also comes up magnificently. So why not five stars? Well, I must admit the song selection on here is not all that I would have hoped for. I wasn't necessarily expecting a "greatest hits with strings" album but there are a number of singles as well as classic album tracks that I would have preferred to have seen on here instead of, say, After All, Integral or Luna Park. Regardless, what is here is wonderful; the re-arrangements are great, Neil's intros are interesting, his singing is spot on and Rufus Wainwright, Frances Barber and Robbie add interest to the proceedings rather than distracting from them. Strongly recommeneded for anyone into grandiose pop!
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