Pet Shop Boys Concrete review

 

 While also listening to Elysium, I was listening to Pet Shop Boys Concrete. Another material that moved me, words cannot describe how this album sounded! It is their 17^th album released on October 23, 2006. It’s a double CD, and mine was from Amoeba Music; imported. It was the first live concert to be put on audio CD. It was located at the Mermaid Theatre for Radio 2 with the BBC Concert Orchestra. Monday May 8^th, 2006. Musical Director: Trevor Horn. It was an interesting choice of title Concrete, it was going to be called Concert but they announce as Concrete, which sounded way better. I guess because concert is a common word and then by them having more than one concert, it’s best to give a unique title. I like the context of the word for it, even the booklet had the sense of gray scale color scheme and pictures of place with concrete or cement on the foundation. It seems it’s like the title for me is like a “permanent” type of meaning of revealing material from the past and newer recent music at the time and also having special guest performances by Robbie Williams, Frances Barber, and Rufus Wainwright. The choices of the songs were fascinating. I mean there’s no “Go West” or “Domino Dancing” or even “Opportunities”. But instead songs like “It’s Alright”, You Only Tell Me You Love When You’re Drunk”, “Nothing Has Been Proved” or “Dreaming of the Queen”, “Friendly Fire” and “Indefinite Leave to Remain.” Some were blast from the past and they still sounded good as well as their newer material. I felt like I gotten a minimal glimpse of Closer to Heaven musical because of Barber’s version of “Friendly Fire” or “After All” from Battleship Potemkin score/soundtrack. That was unusual choice for the concert but I didn’t pay that much mind to it really. I must say that honestly, that “Friendly Fire”, “Casanova in Hell”, and “Jealousy” actually sounded way better than the Pet Shop Boy versions of the track. It just that these individual musicians bring the actual feel to the song, and frankly, these are on my few least favorite tracks but for now, these are probably the only versions of these songs I will truly like rather the Pet Shop Boys’ versions.  “Rent” even though it was sung by the Pet Shop Boys; but it also did a mini bring back of Liza Minnelli’s version, which by far is the best version of the song, I believe. I hate to even admit that “It’s a Sin” and “Numb,” sounded really good on here too because those are also my least favorites of theirs. Not to mention “Nothing Has Been Proved” sounded good because I prefer Dusty Springfield’s version of the song. When they write a song for someone, most of the time I would prefer the version of the musicians it was for versus their version. Then ending it with “West End Girls” of course as the encore was done really well. I can actually just listen to this on my way to school sometimes and it just gives the reminder that they still have so much to offer even at their age, it’s incredible! Fans told me about this concert and they weren’t lying, it was brilliant. It’s good to actually own this, I highly recommend it; those competition winners were really lucky to be around that much art. I haven’t been able to see the music scores, and musical but honestly just by listening to these small glimpses, for me it’s not that much of a rush because this is really that good!