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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Folks, realize this includes TWO discs - a DVD and a CD - fantastic concert, excellent value!, March 30, 2010
This review is from: Pandemonium Live (Audio CD)
I'm a huge fan of the PSBs, to put it mildly. If they put their name on a product, I buy it. And sometimes that means buying 8 songs I already have just to get the 2 that I don't ... always great products, but not always a great value. But I don't really mind, because the way I see it, if people are still buying their products, they will keep producing!
Well let me tell you that this double disc (one CD, and one DVD) package is fantastic and well worth the $s. The Pandemonium concert DVD is filmed beautifully; sounds and picture are great (looked almost as a good a Blu Ray in my opinion). Since I did not get to see this concert in person (which absolutely killed me), I was quite thankful that they made the concert video available so quickly. The set list is excellent - enjoyable for the true long-term fans for sure.
The DVD also has plenty of extras ... the latest videos, some extra cover songs from the concert, AND last but not least, the phenomenal performance at the Brits last year. Again, quality and sound (considering the live performance) is excellent - WAY better than watching on YouTube!
Finally, the CD is packed to the brim with the best songs of the concert. I enjoyed the live CD MUCH more than the last live CD that the PSBs put out (Concrete). The songs are fun, there are remixes and mashups, and it makes turns listening to old favorites into a new experience.
In summary, this combo package will be sure to entertain you at home or in the car - do not hesitate to pick this up, because it is a FANTASTIC value - if you like the PSBs, you won't be disappointed!
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pet Shop Boys Mania! Their Biggest Pop Show., March 29, 2010
This review is from: Pandemonium Live (Audio CD)
The Pet Shop Boys have never been gone away despite the fact that many Americans (specifically, Untied States Americans) thought they broke up after their big 80s hits like "West End Girls" and "It's A Sin". Hardly. They've been recording studio albums (always filled with excellent material for their b-sides) as well as other projects including tours, soundtracks, musicals and working with other artists. But with "Yes", they enjoyed their biggest US debut in years with perhaps their most "pop" sounding album ever. The Pandemonium Tour was not all that different. While I didn't see the show in person, this DVD/CD combo makes it like I was there. It not only includes a great deal of songs from the "Yes" album, but most of their biggest hits, plus other great "pop" PSB songs. The reason I keep using the term pop is because in 2003 the Pet Shop Boys released a double CD greatest hits set called "Pop Art", dividing their huge collection of hits into the categories of "Pop" and "Art". Songs like "Always On My Mind" and "Go West" were Pop (due to not only their sound, but the supposedly "lighter" writing) while more introspective (perhaps, "smarter" songs) like "West End Girls" and "Left To My Own Devices" were deemed art. Newer hits like "Love, etc." and "Did You See Me Coming" would probably be considered pop as well. The show starts off very danceable and fun, front loaded with these upbeat and much loved "Yes" tracks. In general, the show is definitely a big fan's dream. A lot of the better "Yes" songs, smash ups combining two or more songs (in order to include more tracks and keep things interesting) and most interestingly, choice album tracks (and in the case of "Do I Have To?", a b-side over 20 years old). The show presents fascinating visuals (the most stunning are the flashing colored lights that make up a New York during "Two Divided By Zero"). White and multi-colored squares (cubes...although interestingly their last live DVD was called "Cubism") are often used as props in the background as well as being worn by the dancers and background singers (Neil and Chris actually wear them as well during the opening number....it's strange, but very PSB). The show has some interestingly heartfelt moments, like showing two dancers representing a broken relationship during the songs "The Way It Used To Be" and "Jealousy". The most poignant moment is Neil singing the haunting "King's Cross". One of the most fun moments is Chris dancing with the "skyscraper people" during the great post disco album track "Why Don't We Live Together". The interesting mix of "Domino Dancing" (which only include a few lines of the song repeated over and over again) with Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" is a cool experiment but not all fans loved it (although the crowd enjoys it). While "It's A Sin", "Being Boring" and especially "West End Girls" have become concert staples, the new way they perform the tracks (although "Being Boring" is a bit standard just Neil and Chris, but with funny hats!) shows they still have a lot of enthusiasm for the standards.
While I'm not 100% in love with the way that audio on the CD sounds (the female background singers could be a tad lower when singing along with Neil, especially on the first few songs) the song arrangements are very good. Also, a big bonus is that they chose the right tracks! They cited choosing only 17 tracks (although in some cases, it is several songs combined) was a time restraint issue. When Madonna does similar releases like this (including her upcoming "Stick and Sweet" set), she chooses even less songs and it clearly is not about time! Those discs also always feel choppy when she and/or Warners chose the wrong songs (often leaving songs that should be on the CD off). But the way that most of the songs here merge into each other makes it feel like a real live disc. The omissions aren't terrible ones. "Building A Wall" is not a fan favorite (although it is interesting visually) and the arrangement of "The Way It Used To Be" makes you miss the much better produced album version (no problem with the female vocalist....if anything, it would have been interesting to make it more of a full on duet). Maybe cutting the newer songs made sense in order to keep the hits that would interest non-fans.
As for the DVD bonuses, they make for an even more full "Yes" experience by including all the videos released from the album (although to see the very weak camera work and visual quality of the live show as it is presented in the "All Over The World" video is not very impressive at all). I think it was wise to not include "My Girl" and "It Doesn't Often Snow At Christmas" in the full show DVD and leave them separate. The latter makes it seem too much like a "Christmas" show (and this song was added only for the Dec dates) while "My Girl" (a Madness cover, not the Motown song, they did live before as a tribute to a friend that has now become a studio track) is a nice bonus but definitely non-essential but fun encore material.
Considering the large catalog of released original PSB songs (not even including material they have written and/or produced for others), they made some really good and interesting choices here while also including a majority of their biggest hit singles. The materiel is very strong and any minor weaknesses can be forgiven because overall the show is a great feast audio and visually for hardcore Petheads but even those that know a few songs that might be interested in seeing more. They'll be won over by "Pandemonium".
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredible show!, March 23, 2010
This review is from: Pandemonium Live (Audio CD)
The attention to detail in this tour was second to none. Very tight with many surprises!
Alas, Neil's voice may now be lacking the range he enjoyed as recent as the Cubism tour (which I saw and enjoyed).
I got the import version and it only plays on one of the dvd players I own. Region 0.
Highly recommend!
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