Customer Rating: 
Summary: All their hits & more
Comment: This great two disc album from the Pet Shop Boys contains thirty five of the duos greatest songs. All of the Pet Shop Boys biggest hits, such as `Go West' and `West End Girls' are included as well as some that I hadn't heard before buying this album but they are all very enjoyable. My favourite song from the album though is the relatively resent `Flamboyant' and in all honesty it was this song that encouraged me to get the album in the first place. The one slight criticism of this album is that all of the truly great songs from the Pet Shop Boys could have easily fitted onto one CD rather but this is only a slight annoyance and even the songs presented here that are less that stunning are still a cut above much of the music released today. This album is great and would be of most interest to people who like the Pet Shop Boys but do not have own of their music.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Pop gold
Comment: Every track a classic, not a weak song on the album.
Totally recommend for your IPOD/MP3 for the gym
Customer Rating:
Summary: Contemporary music simply doesn't get better - fact.
Comment: For a general concensus on Pet Shop Boys see popjustice.com. They have quite simply voiced the views about Pet Shop Boys' indelible print on popular music by rating all their previous albums that mostly rate above a ten (out of ten,) whilst acknowledging that their recent output only appears to be, at worst, "as good as anything else ever". Well, if you have a double cd that includes 35 tracks - ALL of which managaed to get in to the UK (and most other countries') top 20 and yet they still have a reputation and respect as they maintain (and i am talking about being on a Kate Bush scale here,)then this is not bad going. The fact they are gay is completey inconsequential as their lyrics are, largely ambiguous, thereby giving the listener a feeling of identity like no other band, especially on views of loves, lost and lamented. Their humour is also a blessing without ever falling in to that Weird Al Yancovick category. Unfortunately they are till very underrated - in the UK for being so popular (which is never cool, is it?) and in the US (for not being Depeche Mode).They are still compared with bands like Erasure and New Order. Whilst New Order are also gods (but of rock and of history)and Erasure can knock out the occasional good tune (even if it is a little too sickening with Andy Bell singing it in a gold body stocking,)they are by vitue of their talent, wit, humour and sense of self deprecation, miles better than Erasure and half a mile better than New Order. There are not many bands who can say they have worked with Bowie, Dusty Springfield, Blur, Rammstein, Madonna, Robbie Williams and Liza Minnelli. Truly a great pop institution.
Customer Rating:
Summary: All the best...
Comment: Despite being advertised as a Japanese version, this is in fact the same configuration as the North American release of the PopArt CD with a bonus CD. There are several versions of this with minor variations and extra tracks, so be advised to check the listings carefully for the song-selections and tracks. This one includes a book (as have most PSB Japanese offerings) with lyrics and such, but that is the only difference. The first of the discs of this 'Greatest Hits' for the Pet Shop Boys contains 17 tracks (Pop), and the second 18 tracks (Art). For those who are die-hard fans of the Pet Shop Boys, this is a must have, but, for the most part, those fans will find it is in many ways an already-have. The tracks are remastered, but given the high production qualities of most PSB discs generally, there isn't a great deal to be gained from this. There are two new songs, Miracles and Flamboyant (one on each disc), which are both wonderful (and, interestingly, the addition of two songs to the 'greatest hits' compilation matches their performance with Discography, which also had a 'best of' with two new tracks added).
There are the major songs and single releases from all previous albums, so this serves both as a retrospective but also as a handy all-in-one collection spanning the history of the Pet Shop Boys; from that perspective, if you were to have just one CD from them, this would the one. The songs are not in chronological release order (as Discography was), but rather seem almost randomly arranged; all songs but one from Discography are here, with an additional collection of tracks from the later album releases that reached the UK top 20. The division between 'Pop' and 'Art' is subtle, and any lifelong fan will have his or her own impressions as to which songs should fit into which category. The 'Pop' side is more disco/dance music, whereas the 'Art' side is a little more sombre, and the lyrics a little more complex. On the other hand, some songs, such as 'Love comes quickly' would easily qualify for either designation.
This collection represents more than 20 years work on the part of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe. For the first several years of that career, they were famous world-wide, and quite a staple in the dance clubs and video programming in America and elsewhere. The first singles collection 'Discography' represented the beginning of the decline of 80s style dance music in America, but the music descended from this type remained strongly popular throughout the rest of the world, as the sold-out concert tours of the Pet Shop Boys everywhere except North America attests to. Many of the songs on this 'Pop-Art' collection will therefore be new to audiences whose interest in the Pet Shop Boys ended the hits from the 'Behaviour' era.
The bonus disc offers remixes of songs from the other discs, and tracks from B-sides and other tracks from the 'major' albums.
Pop-Art is a must-have for anyone who likes dance music, disco, electronic music, 80s music, the Pet Shop Boys, or who wants to have a complete music collection, but only one version is likely necessary.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A brilliant and timely collection....
Comment: This collection updates the earlier Discography and takes the story up to then end of 2003... And what a story it has been. Pet Shop Boys have been the most consistantly brilliant and intelligent pop groups of the last twenty years. There were many other pop groups during that period, but none can match PSB for wit, depth or melodic genius. This collection contains almost all of their singles. The obvious omissions are "How Can You Expect to be Taken Seriously" (a pity as it's very different to the album version - and there is room on the CDs for at least two more tracks), Was it Worth It? (likewise, it's not a classic but it was quite fun) and Absolutely Fabulous (no great loss, it's a novelty throwaway). It is difficult to pick out personal faves from this collection (so many great tracks) but for me You Only Tell Me..., It's a Sin, Being Boring, Red Letter Day, Liberation and I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing are obvious stand outs... Signs are the PSB are past their peak now (that occurred with the brilliant Very album) but that doesn't affect this collection...
If you don't have the albums then this is a great value purchase that you will not regret.
If you do own the albums (as I do) then it is nice to have all of the hits in one place...
