Customer Reviews

Tennant/Lowe: Battleship Potemkin

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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've always loved the way the pet shop boys incorporate classical aspects into their pop songs. Some past examples of that are "Jealousy," "Decadence," "My October Symphony," etc. I could go on. That's why I was so excited they were releasing this on cd. Make no mistake, Neil lends his voice on a few of the tracks but it is mostly instrumental and brilliant at that. I really enjoyed listening to this cd. The instrumental arrangements are beautiful and the PSB signature electronic elements are added in to create a well balanced blend of synth-pop, classical songs.

The prior review refers to a cut of the film (released in U.S. by Image Entertainment) containing a single block of extra footage, beginning at

00:08:22.969 (butcher sniffs meat)

and ending at

00:13:27.573 (begin dishwashing).

If you pause and then resume the soundtrack at these times the rest of the film will be roughly in sync, including the cues previously mentioned. Enjoy!

I bought this album last week and I've been listening constantly since then. It's a Pet Shop Boys opera in that the music follows the story of the film, with a theme that develops over the course of the album. The music-only tracks are amazing and they're perfectly punctuated by Neil Tennant's distinctive voice on about four tracks. The Pet Shop Boys talent really shines through on this album. I only wish they had a DVD with the movie and music together.

Let me first assure people that this "instrumental" album (yet considered by some as background music )...is by far one of the best Pet Shop Boys' albums ever produced . All the essence of the PSB sound is here and amplified dramatically by the classical orchestra ; the music captures very well the subject of the film putting the listener right in the middle of the ocean : as soon as the music starts you will REALLY get the feeling of sailing !!! even the steaming mechanical sounds of the battleship make their way into the album to make your experience "closer" to this trip .
The expression "moving" is the best for describing the sound : from the ambient electronics that capture your body ...to the classical symphony that captures your brain ... or more accurately your heart !
Neil Tennant was absolutely right affirming that this piece of work is more than background music .
And MUCH MORE !!!...

Short but simple...
I don't listen to classical. It usually bores me.
I LOVED this cd. Something about setting electronics against an orchestra. It's very big sounding. Neil drops in a couple songs with lyrics but mostly its instumental. But it kept me listening the whole way through. Now I just gotta find the movie to play the two together :) was worth the $20 I dropped for it

The Pet Shop Boys score big on this soundtrack. Hearing their electro pop with an orchestra is an amazing combination. This cd's already got high ranking critical reviews for good reason; if you're a fan of the duo, this is a must buy.

After listening to it twice or so I was hooked... The music is very subtle. Great to have it playing in the background when you are studying.

This film soundtrack, done by the Pet Shop Boys (Tennant/Lowe) is the latest new soundtrack to this classisc silent film (Battleship Potemkin) from the Russian school. Alone, the soundtrack is a bit strange because it fits the movie exactly, frame by frame, cut by cut. There are some abrupt changes and three songs. However it is a crowning achievement for Tennant and Lowe. I was most impressed by the performance as well. It's a live recording from Liechester Square in London, and it set a world record for the largest crowd ever to see an art film. If you love the Pet Shop Boys, You'll love this soundtrack which I count amongst their finest artistic achievements.

Wow!

I love this album! This is the best thing they've released in a VERY long time! Such an eargasm after Release - which, although better than most crap being made nowadays, was just so not THEM... and I couldn't get into it very much.

This is the kind of album you just have to allow to play from start to end - if you stop and start it at different parts of the disc, the soundtrack loses its power. I do, however, prefer certain tracks. My absolute fave was "The Squadron", which is probably the most thrilling track they've ever composed. The strings in it are stunning, and the buildup is so dramatic, by the time you reach the melody, it's like you're having some kind of orgasm. At least, after a joint that's what it's like! ;-)

I do hope they release the film with this soundtrack dubbed over it on DVD - I actually have never seen the original version, and so seeing the film for the first time with this amazing score would be mesmerizing.

Anyone who thinks the PSB are just another lame 80s gay pop band /who think they've lost their touch in recent years has to hear this.