Customer Reviews

Release [Vinyl]

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

 

 

I REALLY like this album. It seems to have more "soul" than other PSB albums. The tempo is slowed down a bit and the bass seems fatter.

The send-up of Eminem is hysterical, worth the price of the cd alone.

Beware about the various versions of this disc out there, though. Some contain a bonus 2nd disc. This version does not. When I saw "limited edition" in the title, I thought that's what that meant. "Limited Edition" here refers to the colorful paper sleeve the disc case is in -- collect all four colors! (Big deal.) If you want to buy this disc and get the bonus disc, be sure to read the description carefully.

SOUND: _Release_ is a departure from the PSB sound of years ago. It reminds me of the pace of _Behavior_ without the gems of It's a Sin, HCYETBTS, and Jealousy. Also, it sounds like Chris was absent for many of the songs, since his vibrant programming sounds are missing or diluted. Instead Neil stole that vocoder thing from Cher and used that on one song. (though Neil's nasal sound could double as a vocoder). However with all its faults from traditional PSB sound (whatever that is), the album is surprisingly good. I only hope the singles are remixed up a notch. Sadly Home & Dry is not...

SONG PICKS: (1) Home & Dry defines the album. (4)London and (8)Here are the peppiest.

It was long time ago that I bought this cd but I wanted to share how amazing this album is. I personally think that "Release" album is the best all-around of Pet Shop Boys. I've never seen such good mixing with the sound. I really recommand this CD to all PSB fans and to people who wants to know them.. 5/5

PSB's latest album, RELEASE is their best record since 1990's Behaviour. Just as simple as that. The duo shows the world how electronic stuff and traditional musical instruments (mainly guitars) can fit toghether, delivering a warm listening experience. Highlights are "London" and "E-mail", where the combination of Johhny's Guitars and Lowe's Keys sounds litterally astounding...listen to the "E-mail" middle-bit, and you'll melt on your sofa. The best ballad off the record is "love is a catastrophe", something so dark and desperate to make the listener think just one thing: why didn't they ask Moz to sing this track, as a guest?
In other words, Release is a MUST HAVE album for all of those who are sick and fed up with current hip-hop rubbish on their radios and TVs. You won't regret it.

This is a shocker. PSB's RELEASE is basic pop-rock. But not quite, if one removed the dance-grooves from most of their songs from previous albums, you will get this sound.

Almost Beatles; almost Dylan. RELEASE is an album with "the emphasis on the song rather than production".

Of course the guitarist Johnny Marr(former Smiths) fills in the strums on most tracks, with Neil playing occasional tracks. Therefore, making this an almost guitar-rock-band album.

With Home and Dry, the first track and first single of the album, the strumming guitar-work introduces us to the pared-down pop-rock sounds that is to be this album.

I Get Along and E-mail will be the most hummable tunes here. The former sounds like great Beatles/Oasis stuff! With lyric like "looking for hardwork/or credit card fraud/what do you expect from us/we come from abroad", London continues the dark theme of escaping to the "free" West....

My favourite track - Birthday Boy tells of a modern day martyr..with an interesting but haunting ending, a sample of The Choir of Clare College, Cambridge performing "in the Bleak Midwinter".

Samurai in Autumn is the "one track that has some dance elements", says Lowe. And it would be "side 2, Cut 1 if Release were on vinyl". It is almost dance-instrumental if not for the three-lines lyric. (NB - there is a limited edition vinyl available in the UK)

We then get back to the bleak Love Is A Catastrophe, written on "a very windy day in November..and everything seemed so desolate", says Neil.

The rather-talked-about track here must be The Night I Fell In Love. The song, about a fan meeting and falling for his pop idol, sleeping with him....is a wry, sly reference to Eminem. Trust Neil Tennant to narrate a story!!!

The album ends with You Choose. A poignant view at love and other choices we make....

All together, this album is more raw; less on production. The same tongue-in-cheek, wry, ironic, clever lyrics by Neil Tennant; and good pop melodies by Chris Lowe make up this Pet Shop Boys RELEASE.

Granted that the PSB dance sounds are largely missing from RELEASE, it is a good strumming, pop-rock PSB release.......

I was able to buy this CD in the U.S. on import for a pretty reasonable price a couple of days after it was released in europe, and I was glad I did. This, their 7th studio album, is a contrast to 'Nightlife' moving away from the techno-dance sound they have been known for lately. Neils guitar skills are shown off several times in this album along with Chris' melodic keyboarding. Of interest is the song 'Love is a Catastrophe' a very dark balad about being hurt by a relationship, actually offers a bit of electric guitar. The whole album demonstrates how they are able to change and reivent themselves and give their fans something different.