Archive for the ‘Complete Albums’ Category

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Disco Space Invaders! Mario Bros.! Wow! Exclamation Points!

Tuesday, July 15th, 2014

Disco Space Invaders

disco

Funny Stuff (Seriously, that’s the credited artist)
Disco Space Invaders
Dancing Cats
Disco Space Invaders is not game music per say. In fact, it barely has anything to do with the game from which it was allegedly inspired. The title track only features sound effects from the game for a few brief seconds before diverging completely into an entirely unrelated (and entirely amazing) disco track. And from what I can tell, the hilariously-titled b-side “Dancing Cats” has absolutely nothing to do with anything (except for dancing cats).

However, it did come out in 1979, one year before the first Pac-Man children’s records were released in the states; two years before the similar-in-tone “Pac-Man Fever,” and several years before Yellow Magic Orchestra’s Haruomi Hosono would release the first proper video game music single – Super Xevious Hardcore Mix. As such, Disco Space Invaders holds the dubious distinction of being the very first game music-themed release.

It’s historical significance far outweighs its musical quality. But if you enjoy idiotic disco as much as I do (AND DO I), then you’ll probably find some joy in this.

The sleeve for Disco Space Invaders surprisingly has full production credits, complete and in English. I did a search of the people who worked on it, hoping that they would include some pioneer of Japanese electronic music or perhaps a YMO associate, but I don’t think anyone who worked on this went onto do anything of note.

Also, I really hope that thing on the cover is supposed to a mushroom-shaped alien or something.

 

Super Mario Bros. Soundtrack

mario

Koji Kondo
Super Mario Bros. Theme
Super Mario Bros. Theme (Orchestra Version)
Both of these tracks are from a 7″ single that’s simply titled Super Mario Bros. Soundtrack. This came out in 1986, and was one of many Mario-themed musical releases to be released that year. I’m fairly certain this was the first one though, and it was also probably the first record put out by Nintendo, although many would follow in the late 80s, as it was really a prime time for game music in Japan.

The first track is exactly what you think it is, a straight-up rendition of the Super Mario Bros. theme. Its different than the one that’s included on the Famicom Music album though. Firstly, it’s much shorter, only including the music from the first stage. Additionally, it features no game sound effects, it’s just music. Oddly enough, it doesn’t end with the stage complete fanfare, instead ending with the music that plays when Mario dies.

The b-side is interesting. While the direct translation of the track is “Orchestra Version,” there’s really not much orchestral about it. I think I hear some chimes in there somewhere, but it’s pretty much a souped up electronic version of the original theme. It’s really different than other arranged versions of the Mario theme that I’ve heard, and it’s actually pretty damn great. I hope they re-use it at some point.

Sadly this release doesn’t feature any linear notes, so I can’t tell you who worked on it. However, it did include a rad poster and some amazing stickers, so check them out!

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Full size poster. Very cool.

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Game shots obviously taken by someone pointing a camera at a TV.

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STICKERS!

 

Posted in Complete Albums, Game Music, soundtrack | 5 Comments »

The Lady Or The Tiger

Tuesday, July 8th, 2014

ladytiger

Toyah & Fripp
The Lady Or The Tiger
Discourager Of Hesitancy
I’ve been meaning to post these tracks for about five years now. Seems like now is a good time to finally get around to doing that.

In case you couldn’t already figure it out, Toyah & Fripp are Toyah Wilcox and Robert Fripp. The former being one of the most unjustly forgotten 80s new wave frontwomen of all-time, and the later being the frontman of King Crimson and part-time collaborator of Brian Eno, David Bowie, Talking Heads, Blondie, Daryl Hall, Andy Summers, David Sylvian, The Orb, Van Der Graff Generator, Peter Gabriel, The Future Sound of London and Porcupine Tree (to name a few).

As prolific as both are, I feel safe in saying that neither have ever put out another album like The Lady Or The Tiger, which first came out in 1986 and has yet to be re-released digitally or on CD. Because while both have put out some wacky experimental shit in their days, this has to be the only spoken word album ever released by either of them.

Each track on the album isn’t a song, they’re short stories, both written by American author Frank R. Stockton. Both are equal parts logic puzzle as they are short stories, presenting readers with a near-impossible “what would you do” scenario at each story’s end.

Toyah recites both stories, while Fripp provides his trademarked ambient guitar Fripptronics, layer-upon-layer of distorted, manipulated guitar effects that help to give both stories the dream-like, otherworldly quality that the author no doubt had in mind.

Even in the experimental realm of Fripp solo records and side projects, this album is a little out there and probably isn’t for everyone (or most people for that matter). But I find it fascinating, and I’d listen to Toyah recite a phone book with that voice, so I hope you like it too.

Posted in Complete Albums, Robert Fripp, Toyah | No Comments »

Famicom Music

Friday, July 4th, 2014

I love it when I say “I wish I had this album” and then I immediately find the album the following day.

famicom music

Famicom Music (Complete Album Download Link)

As I mentioned in a post from a few months ago, Famicom Music was the third release by GMO Records, the game music-centric label started up by Japanese electronic-pop pioneers Yellow Magic Orchestra. It was the first of their developer-specific compilations, with releases focused on Konami, Data East, Taito and just about every other important Japanese game developer from the 80s following suit.

The early GMO releases are different than a lot of other game music albums that came after because they would often incorporate the gameplay sound effects into the tracks. Sometimes this is rather annoying (I’d rather hear the Yie Ar Kung Fu theme without punch effects) but sometimes it worked to great benefit. The Mario Bros theme track uses the block smashing sounds in some interesting ways, and the 12″ single “Xevious (Hardcore Mix)” (which I will feature here someday) really uses sound effects in an interesting way that expands on the original music.

Also of note here are the arrange versions (arrange means remix) of themes from two classic Nintendo games, Super Mario Bros. and Balloon Fight. In an era before CD-quality game audio, FM synthesis or anything remotely resembling dedicated audio boards, these arrange versions were usually the only way to hear what the composers of the games had probably had in mind when creating the music for the games. In the case of the Mario Bros. one, it’s almost like a portent of what the game’s music would eventually become in the 16-bit era and beyond.

As this is some of the earliest game music around, this CD is kind of  a mixed bag when it comes to music you’ll actually want to listen to. Obviously the Mario and Zelda themes remain timeless classics, but Wrecking Crew, Donkey Kong and a lot of the others included here are more sound effects than music. Still, they’re interesting from a historical perspective, and will probably trigger massive waves of nostalgia for anyone who grew up on these classic games. Enjoy.

Posted in Complete Albums, Game Music, soundtrack | 1 Comment »

We’re YMO, We Come From Tokyo

Tuesday, July 1st, 2014

Okay, so I said I was going to do it and here I am. Five posts a week, every week, for the entire month. I hope this can get me back into the habit of writing on a regular basis. I tend not to write when I’m busy, but I noticed that when I don’t write, I often find myself getting depressed easier. Of course, when one gets depressed it becomes harder to write. So here’s hoping I can break that stupid cycle once and for all and get back into the thick of things, some seven months after my arrival in Japan.

So here we go, and I’m starting with a doozy.

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Yellow Magic Orchestra – YMO World Your 1980 (Complete Album Download)

There are many YMO live albums. Of those, some seem like proper, well thought-out releases (Complete Service, Public Pressure) while others seem more like crash grabs released by a label desperate to milk a fanbase for more money (Live At Budokan 1980).

That is thankfully not the case with World Tour 1980, a 3LP/2CD live set that was first released in 1996. Unlike many of the other YMO live releases, World Tour 1980 takes the chance to showcase never-before-released live versions of many YMO tracks, as well as several YMO-related tracks that were previously only available on various solo albums by the band members.

For example, this album features live band versions of Sakamoto’s “Riot in Lagos,” as well as Takahashi’s “The Core Of Eden,” which was first released on his incredible 1980 album Murdered By The Music. It even features tracks that were originally released by YMO-collaborators, such as Kenji Omura’s “Maps” and the song “Kang Tong Boy,” which was originally recorded by Sakamoto’s then wife Akiko Yano. The album also includes one bonus studio track, “Jiseiki Hirake Kokoro,” which was never released on a proper YMO album (although it’s appeared on a few compilations).

I have a lot of YMO (okay, I have all the YMO) and World Tour 1980 is one of my favorites. Not only is it a stelllar live LP, but it’s a great sampling of some of their best works. If you love YMO you’ll obviously love this album, but if you don’t know much about the group, consider this to be a great sampler into their imp
ressive catalog of work.

Posted in Complete Albums, YMO | No Comments »

Vintage 8-Bit Jams and a Kickstarter Plea

Monday, May 12th, 2014

One of my favorite games of all-time is Harmonix’s Amplitude, an amazing rhythm game that served as the foundation for the Guitar Hero and Rock Band series. It’s fucking dope, and I wish more people remembered it.

Thankfully, right now Harmonix is using Kickstarter to bring back the series! Which is great! However, with less than two weeks to go before their deadline, they’re still well short of their goal, which is not great!

I love this game and I want to see a new one (I gave…far too much to this Kickstarter) and I want to do whatever I can to help make that happen.  So while my blog isn’t exactly popular, I’m going to do what I can, which is bribe what few readers I do have in the hopes that every little bit helps.

If the Amplitude Kickstarter is a success, I will update Lost Turntable five days a week for one month. And each post will have completely new music, no reposts, no re-recordings. All new shit. So if you’re a reader of this site and have lamented my lack of updates since my move to Tokyo, yo, this is your way to get my ass writing again.

So what are you waiting for? Head over to the Amplitude Kickstarter page and send them a few bucks!

Then when you’re done with that check out this vintage collection of dope game music!

konami

Konami Game Music Vol. 1 (complete album download link)

When I was on Retronauts last year (which, if you haven’t heard, you can listen to here) I briefly mentioned the instrumental role that Yellow Magic Orchestra had in getting game music released in Japan. Not only did the group sample video game sounds in their early releases, they started their own label to release game music, the ingeniously-titled G.M.O. Records (Game Music Orchestra).

The first release on said label was simply titled Video Game Music, and I’m fairly certain it was the first full-length video game soundtrack ever released (early 1985), although I could be mistaken. They followed it up later that year with The Return of Video Game Music.

After that, they got a bit more specific with their releases, focusing more on individual game companies for each album. The first of these was Famicom Music, which featured nothing but music from Nintendo-produced Famicom titles. With a roster of tunes that includes themes from The Legend Of Zelda, Super Mario Bros., Excitebike and motherfucking Balloon Fight (in a remixed version no less!) it’s definitely on my want list. One day it will be mine.

But while I don’t have that stellar compilation, I do have the second developer-focused release by GMO, Konami Game Music Vol. 1, which came out in 1986. While it doesn’t have anything as well-regarded and classic as the Zelda or Mario themes on it, it does have some pretty great standout tunes. The theme music to Yie Ar Kung Fu is included in full, and that shit is dope (even with the game sound effects playing over it). But by far the real standouts here are the TWO versions of the Gradius theme music; the original version and a remixed (or “arranged”) version. The original Gradius theme is some of the greatest game music of all-time, so getting any version of it is a win in my book.

And if this leaves you in the mood for more game music, I recommend the amazing soundtrack to Darius, which you can actually get on iTunes (wow). Check out this batshit insane live version of the Darius theme “Chaos.”

Woah.

Posted in Complete Albums, Game Music, soundtrack | 1 Comment »

Angelus: Great Game Music From A Game You Never Played

Wednesday, October 2nd, 2013

In case you missed it, and I don’t know how that could happen since I’ve been talking about it all damn week, I was recently a guest on Retronauts, the best damn retro gaming podcast on Earth. Now, I don’t want to make it like they called me out to be a co-host because of my awesome knowledge on video games, truth be told, I got to co-host because I donated a lot of money to their Kickstarter. However, I think I held my own pretty well on the podcast, and most comments I’ve read about the episode seem to be of the “that guy was surprisingly decent” variety (and one asshole talking smack about my speech problem. Fuck that dude). So check out the episode if you haven’t already, and leave a nice comment if you feel so inclined!

And once you do that, check out this sick video game music!

Angelus – Original Soundtrack Album (Complete Album Download)

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When I went to Japan earlier this year, I was on a quest to pick up as many video game soundtracks as possible, preferably on vinyl. However, that task proved harder than I thought it would be.

Turns out that game music on vinyl is pretty damn rare, even in Japan. I went to countless game, music and other collectible stores throughout Tokyo and came up nearly empty-handed in every single one. While I was able to pick up some soundtracks on CD in stores like Disk Union and Tower Records, no one seemed to have any game music releases on vinyl. It was only near the tail end of my trip that I was able to find two game soundtracks on LP, and this was one of them.

Angelus was a game released by Square Enix in 1988, but don’t feel bad if you’ve never heard of it; the game was only released in Japan, and only for systems that never came out in the states, such as the PC88 and the MSX2. And unless you can read Japanese, don’t bother tracking down an emulated version, as it’s a text-heavy adventure game/visual novel. I know very little about it. In fact, when I bought it, I didn’t even think it was a game soundtrack. I thought the clerk had misheard what I asked for and that he was actually giving me an anime soundtrack, but it was so cheap (and weird looking) that I bought it anyway.

And it was a good thing I did! Because it’s a pretty great soundtrack. In fact, the music is by Koichi Sugiyama, the critically-acclaimed composer who also did the music for the Dragon’s Quest series. From what I’ve read about the game (mostly from this site), it’s about some occult conspiracy/devil worship that causes random people to become hideously deformed, and that dark subject matter really shows in the soundtrack. It has a real menacing vibe to it, like an 8-bit Omen soundtrack. It terms of game music, it’s nothing revolutionary or a lost classic, but it’s certainly worth a listen and pretty unique. It’s also probably one of the few times that a PC88 game’s soundtrack has been made available, making it a rare chance to listen to what that system’s sound chip was capable of.

In addition to the original game audio, the Angelus soundtrack also features an arranged version made using the Fairlight synthesizer.  In case you aren’t aware, the Fairlight was the go to synthesizer in the 1980s, and was so ingrained with pop music in the decade that it actually changed the way music sounded for a good number of years. That awesome synth-riff in a-ha’s “Take On Me?” That’s the Fairlight. Same with awesome end noise in the “Miami Vice Theme.” Duran Duran, the Pet Shop Boys, Prince, The Cars and countless other acts from the decade also used the synthesizer on some of their biggest hits.  Seriously, it helped to define the decade. Well, that and hairspray.

While I do enjoy the Fairlight version, I actually prefer the original game audio. While the two versions sound very similar, I think Sugiyama was trying too much to add “depth” or layers to the Fairlight version. It has a lot of echo, and a few tracks even have some tacked on beats. The original version, on the other hand, is very sparse and minimal, which I think adds to its creepiness. Also, since the sound of the Fairlight is so ingrained with the 1980s, whenever I hear instrumental music composed entirely on it, I picture bad late-night cable movies. But that’s my own baggage.

I hope you all enjoy it, and to all my new readers, I hope you stick around. I post a lot of random stuff here, so if you ever see one post and just hate everything about it, just wait a week, I’ll have something entirely different.

Except for my next post, that’ll probably be more Sugiyama. Although I don’t think most people will complain when they see what I’ll be posting.

A quick technical note about this recording: This is a vinyl rip, which I did using the best equipment I had at the time. However, it is a very quiet record, so you may hear some hiss/surface noise. It’s not that bad, but I found it to be worth pointing out.

 

 

Posted in Complete Albums, video game music | 5 Comments »

Echo And The Bootleg

Wednesday, August 21st, 2013

When this goes up, I’ll be in (not so) lovely NYC. Remember all the smack I was talking about Toronto and Canada? That was mostly facetious. Toronto is actually a pretty alright town. It might not be for me, but I can see why so many people dig it. And it has some pretty great record stores.

But New York City? Man, fuck that place. An overcrowded, overrated, overpriced and oversantized nightmare amalgamation of everything horrible that America has to offer. Sure, it’s the “city that never sleeps” and you can always find an amazing restaurant, bar or whatever, but damn, between the racist cops, smelly subways, mean people, crowded streets and every other disgusting and evil thing the city has to offer, why the hell would you want to leave your home in the first place?

If the above rant offended anyone who lives in the greater New York City area, I’m sorry…that you’re stuck in New York City.

Echo And The Bunnymen
New Horizon – Live in Tokyo January 1984
Two of my favorite things, Tokyo and post-punk/new wave music from Liverpool!

This is a bootleg. As the title suggests, it was recorded in Tokyo, sometime in January of 1984. I really don’t know much about it aside from that. There are no linear notes on the release, just a poorly made photocoppied piece of paper taped to the front cover. Judging from the setlists at this Echo And The Bunnymen fansite, however, it would appear that this an abridged recording of their January 17th show at the Nakano Sun Plaza Hall, with the encore of “All My Colours (Zimbo)” and “Do It Clean” absent.

I’ve posted bootlegs here before, and unfortunately most have sounded like hot garbage. Not the case with this one! Judging from the snippet of Japanese audio that plays at the beginning of the first track, I suspect this is a rip taken from a Japanese radio broadcast. While that means its definitely a cut above your typical audience recording, it still does have its fair share of flaws. The stereo cuts out from time to time on the first track, and the overall fidelity of the recording (and the vinyl I ripped it from) are less than perfect. That being said, it’s completely listenable, with clear vocals and instruments on all the tracks.

It’s also a pretty great performance from the band during their peak. Ian’s voice is incredible throughout the performance, and the band as a whole sounds damn near perfect. A must-listen for Echo fans who want a glance of the band during their prime, no doubt.

Click on the link above for a complete zip of the concert. But if you’re curious, here’s the entire tracklist:

  • Over The Wall
  • Stars are Stars
  • The Killing Moon
  • The Cutter
  • All That Jazz
  • Never Stop
  • Thorn of Crowns
  • Crocodiles

Posted in bootlegs, Complete Albums, Echo and the Bunnymen | 3 Comments »

Mo’ Sakamoto

Monday, July 22nd, 2013

I reviewed the 12″ single to “Get Lucky.” Because if I don’t who will?

Another post dedicated entirely to Ryuichi Sakamoto. I should just turn this site into a Yellow Magic Orchestra fanpage.

Ryuichi Sakamoto
Forbidden Colours
The Last Emperor
Little Buddha
Wuthering Heights
Replica
El Mar Mediterrani
All of these tracks are live, taken from the album Cinemage.

The first four are excepts from musical scores and soundtracks that Sakamoto worked on. “Forbidden Colours” being the theme to Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, while the others are all self-titled from the films they appeared in. This version of “Forbidden Colours” does feature Sylvian’s vocals, but I suspect they were dubbed in later and not performed live with the rest of the music.

“Replica” is the only track on the album that is not taken from some sort of project, it is lifted from the Japanese version of Sakamoto’s solo album Illustrated Musical Encyclopedia. Next to “Forbidden Colours,” it’s probably my favorite track on Cinemage, thanks to its regimented, minimalist feel that echos Phillip Glass.

Finally, there’s “El Mar Mediterrani,” which was composed for the 1992 summer Olympic games. It’s 17 minutes long and crazy. That Olympic theme that John Williams did doesn’t have shit on this.

Bonus Sakamoto!
Jungle LIVE Mix Of Untitled 01 – 2nd Movement – Anger
I put up a ton of remixes from Sakamoto’s album Dischord a few weeks ago and since then a reader sent me along this mix, which he snagged off a promo CD. I love it, it’s just barely removed from pure noise at parts. As a narcoleptic who has built up a near-immunity to caffeine, I really find that comes in handy at times.

Posted in Complete Albums, live, remixes, Ryuichi Sakamoto | 5 Comments »

Switched-On Gershwin

Wednesday, July 17th, 2013

Quick reminders/shameless plugs/pleas for cash!

I wrote this review of the Maniac vinyl by Death Waltz over at my other website! It’s really good! (The record, I mean…although yeah, my website is pretty rad too.)

I wrote this little piece about audio warnings you’d find on old CD-ROM games at my other website too! It’s really dumb (The article I mean…although, y’know.)

I’m selling a bunch of stuff on eBay, if you like Criterion discs and really really low price (and I mean LOW) check them out!

Finally, I’m still trying a sell a TON of records, while I’ve been adding a few to eBay every now and then, I’d still prefer to sell them direct via my website. So if you’re interested, head on over to this post to find out more about that.

Now for Moog covers of Gershwin songs.

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Gershon Kinglsey – Switched-On Gershwin
Rhapsody In Blue
I Got Rhythm
Porgy and Bess Introduction And Opening Scene I
Summertime
My Man’s Gone Now
It Ain’t Necessarily So
Clara, Clara
Crown’s Killing
In America, three people are widely credited with bringing early electronic music into the pop realm; Wendy Carlos, Dick Hyman (hehe) and Gershon Kingsley.

Wendy Carlos took electronic music and made it mainstream with Switched-On Bach, creating the first best-selling and Grammy award-winning electronic album, while Dick Hyman, who was already an accomplish jazz musician, took electronic music and made it respectable with his all-Moog albums full of original material.

However, sometimes I think that Kingsley gets lost in the shuffle, as he (along with with collaborator Jean-Jacques Perrey) were experimenting with the Moog and creating electronic pop music years before either Hyman or Carlos.

Carlos’ Switched-On Bach came out in 1968. Hyman’s first all-Moog album debuted in 1969. Perrey And Kinglsey’s debut album, The In Sound From Way Out, came out in 1966. The same year that The Beatles released Revolver, the same year that Tom Jones won the Best New Artist Grammy (really), these two crazy bastards were experimenting with previously unheard of electronic instruments, literally creating a sound that no one had ever heard before.

And they were doing it with mostly original tunes, not covers or interpretations of classical material. They were breaking ground in every way imaginable. It’s really amazing when you think about it. Of course, the true innovators never get the credit they deserve, and it was Wendy Carlos who broke electronic music through to the mainstream with Switched-On Bach. It makes sense though, better to expose modern audiences to electronic music via a sound they know than one they don’t. And Switched-On Bach is an amazing record, one that still sounds awesome and futuristic to this day.

It also inspired a legion of rip-off “Switched-On” albums. For some reason, in the coming years the term “Switched-On” came to mean “electronic music” and artists were releasing “Switched-On” country music, Beatles covers, showtunes, you name it, it got a “Switched-On” treatment.

It was such a popular trend that even innovators like Kingsley cashed in on it with Switched-On Gershwin, which as you can probably guess from the title, offers a selection of George Gershwin pieces redone as Moog tracks.

However, this “Switched On” albums differs from many imitators in a few ways.

Firstly, it wasn’t always a “Switched On” release. The record was first released in 1970 under the name Gershwin: Alive & Well & Underground, and may have come out so close to the original release of Switched-On Bach that it’s probably not fair to call the album a cash-in on that other record’s success. Kingsley’s decision to cover Gerswhin tunes was most likely independent of the success of Carlos’ LP.

Secondly, it’s not an entirely all-Moog album. The showcase track of the record, the 14-minute take on Gershwin’s classic “Rhapsody In Blue,” employs ample piano performed by Leonid Hambro. It may seem like a minor thing to mention, but the track’s constant interplay between the traditional piano and the more experimental, modern Moog effects really makes it stand out in a way that other Moog albums can’t lay a claim to. It also wonderfully showcases the playful and upbeat feeling of the original piece.

Finally, and most importantly, while most “Switched-On” records were bland and unoriginal albums created by people without a creative bone in their body, Switched-On Gershwin is fucking amazing.

Kingsley may be performing someone else’s music here, but he interjects as much originality and creativity within the confines of those songs as humanely possible. These tracks are layered with all kinds of sound effects and really showcase the power of the Moog far more than Carlos’ album did. It’s obvious listening to this record that Kingsley probably knew more about the Moog and what it was capable of than nearly anyone else who was using it at the time, radically altering these tracks and making them his own. Listen to his version of “I Got Rhythm” or “Porgy And Bess Introduction And Opening Scene I” and tell me they’re mere covers. You can’t. He transforms them into something entirely unique and beautiful. It’s really incredible.

And that cover is fucking DOPE.

Posted in Complete Albums | 2 Comments »

Pet Shop Boys – Relentless

Sunday, July 14th, 2013

Pet Shop Boys
My Head Is Spinning
Forever In Love
Kdx 125
We Came From Outer Space
The Man Who Has Everything
One Thing Leads To Another
In 1993, the Pet Shop Boys released Very, an amazing album that contained some of their greatest singles, including “Go West,” “I Wouldn’t Normally Do This Kind Of Thing,” and “Can You Forgive Her?”.

Very is one of the band’s most well-known and best-selling albums, and has never gone out of print since its original release. It was put on iTunes at the same time as the rest of their catalog, and was even remastered and re-released in 2001 with an added disc of bonus cuts and B-sides.

However, when the album was first released it was made available in two different versions; the standard single disc edition that most people know, and a limited edition two-disc set that featured a bonus disc called Relentless; this version is often just called Very Relentless.

As far as I can tell, this version, the most complete and comprehensive version of the album, was only released once, right when the album first came out. In the 20 years since, none of the songs on it have ever been remastered or re-released at all. Not on a greatest hits, not on a rarities or b-sides compilation, and not as a standalone release. You cannot get the songs on iTunes, you cannot get the songs on Amazon, you simply cannot get the songs.

If there was ever an example of a record label/artist forcing you to steal their music, this would be one.

I feel like it happens a lot though, whenever an album is released in multiple versions with different tracks, the most basic, cheapest one is the one that becomes part of their official discography. The versions with more tracks, with added video content, or extra-cool packaging, they’re the ones that vanish into the bargain bins of time.

It makes no sense, like the record labels are actively telling you that they don’t want your money, but whatever, makes it easier for me to pick tracks to share here.

Relentless is a great collection of tunes that would work fine as a standalone Pet Shop Boys release. It’s just six tracks long, but with an average track length of around six minutes, the album still fills out to a hefty 37 minute running time.

Musically, the album is a bit different than Very. Both are dance albums for sure, but while Very is a pop record you can dance to, Relentless is a dance record through and through, one that I suspect was influenced heavily on the growing dance scene that was spreading across the UK at the time of its release

Like I said before, the songs on Relentless are long, and they don’t conform to the typical pop structure that Pet Shop Boys usually operate in. Don’t expect at lot of Neil Tennant’s trademark vocals here. Sure, he pops up from time to time, but this is largely an instrumental affair, focused instead on hard-driving, pulse-pounding beats made to make people get up and dance.

I don’t know how different Relentless is when compared to the entirety of the Pet Shop Boys discography (I collect their singles more than their albums) but as someone who has always liked their remixes and dance versions more than their short single edits, I love this record.

Additionally, it is the ultimate synthpop workout record.

Posted in Complete Albums, Pet Shop Boys | 11 Comments »

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