Pet Shop Boys - Disco 2

Eccch.

Highly anticipated by those who remember "Disco" fondly, "Disco 2" is similar to its predecessor in that it contains remixes that were highly indicative of club culture at the time.

But that's where the similarities end. While the Pet Shop Boys' original music somehow remained engaging even when they used utterly inhuman sounds in their songs (like the blips and alarms in "Young Offender", for instance), the DJs and producers responsible for the mixes showcased on "Disco 2" don't have that magic touch. In their hands, the music of Tennant/Lowe has all the appeal of a wall of aluminum siding.

To make matters worse, the album is assembled in a slipshod manner to accomodate a "megamix" format. In other words, the music is non-stop, and jacked up to the point where it seems like it's flying right by. Certain segues are so abrupt that you don't even see it coming, and it's not in a good way either. I don't understand why, but some of the songs are repeated on here several times, to the point where it starts to get monotonous.

Completists would need this in order to collect "everything", and there was a limited-edition two-disc set that compiled five or six bonus tracks from various singles, but the collector would probably have all of the mixes and b-sides represented here, anyway. In other words, those who don't avidly collect the band's releases will probably find this more interesting than the fans who have heard all of this already and are not impressed with the packaging and presentation of the music. January 24, 2006

Not like the first one

The first 'Disco' album (or rather, mini-album) by the Pet Shop Boys was released a year or so after their main hit album, 'Please'. That album generated several major hits, and the 'Disco' remix version collected those in good, dance-able and recognisable form.

Thus, it is understandable that fans would expect the same treatment from an album entitled 'Disco 2', right? Well, not really. First of all, the Pet Shop Boys had been in a period of decline, relatively speaking, in terms of their overall popularity. Their album 'Behaviour' was the last major chart-topper; the album 'Very' got a lack-luster reception despite being in many ways very typically Pet Shop Boys in sound.

The songs collected on 'Disco 2' are primarily from 'Very', with a few extra tracks thrown in ('So Hard' from 'Behaviour', 'We all feel better in the dark' from a B-side, and 'Absolutely Fabulous' from their one-off single release in honour of the show of the same name). One of the problems is less PSB and more systemic, perhaps - the era of remixes staying more-or-less faithful to their base tracks had come to an end, and the remixes of the mid-1990s to the present are more DJ/remixer creations with just a hint of the original song thrown in. One often gets the sense of more remixer than PSB influence on the tracks here.

The songs included here (sometimes more than once) include 'Absolutely Fabulous' (x2), 'I wouldn't normally do this kind of thing' (x2), 'Go West' (the PSB remake of the Village People classic), 'Liberation', 'So Hard', 'Can you forgive her?', 'Yesterday when I was mad' (x3), and 'We all feel better in the dark.'

There is a bonus disc in some packagings, which includes remixs of the songs 'Decadence', 'Some Speculation', 'Euroboy', and yet another version of 'Yesterday when I was mad' and 'I wouldn't normally do this kind of thing'.

I must admit this is one of my lesser-played PSB albums, in part because there are no clear breaks in the tracks (and I rarely have time to listen to an hour or more of music of this sort uninterrupted), and partly because, while the die-hard fan will want these tracks, most will probably prefer the original songs themselves in any event.

One for the fans, definitely, but not for the casual listener. October 9, 2005

Dancefloor Megamix simulate a la PSB

Before I begin it just has to be said that my 4 star rating for this {remix} album is VERY generous and probably reflective of the fact that I feel bad that this album seems to be the object of much undeserved criticism. I think we all have a sense of our likes and dislikes and just how we want(expect) something we already like to be reinterpreted. There are endless possibilities on just how a song can be redone and I found Disco 2 to be quite admirable. Although I am only a novice PSB fan and in many cases these were my first tastes of some of the songs featured, I can say that my listening experience was pleasant and enjoyable. After an 'Absolutely Fabulous' opening, it is evident that this album is not going to be a standard remix compialation album that features a wide variety of remixes that are separate songs( remixes like what you'd find on a Maxi or EP single ). All the songs are all somewhat similar and linked together into one long stetch of music that goes nonstop in the megamix format that you'll hear in night clubs and on your radio staion. Yes, it can get cheesy at times like many megamixes do and of course it's going to sound dated( Liberation is all the proof you need on both counts ), it's already over 10 years old! But if you're choosing to get into PSB NOW then age shouldn't be an issue. Imagine how much easier it would have been for the band to simply throw together a quick compialation of separate remixes already in existence rather than go through the time and effort to do something unique and different than the average band? I like the mixing; it suits the bands' style and shows that they are willing to take risks and try different ideas. After listening to the entire CD in it's entirity I get the feeling that the band may have been trying to actually simulate the whole 'clubbing' experience, from the high jubilation and energy in the beginning until chilling out in a more intimate manner with 'We all feel better in the dark', which gives not so subtle hints at what is usually the culmination of a night out partying on the town. However I must say that I think it would have made a bit more sense and carried on the lighthearted and slightly amusing tone of the album if all those moans and groans had been Male rather than Female...;) June 10, 2005

All time favorite Disco sequel Album

Most people disagree with the mixing; being a DJ I concur with that. But its a CD mastered in 1994. Just listen to some of the mixes of Sasha and Digweed (like Renaissance). Their mixes were NOT state of the Art.

The songs are fantastic, remix editions very hard to find as a single. I played this CD in a party back in 1996 and it really liked very much to the public. I can hear it again and appreciate it as much as I used to in 1995 (first tiem I heard the CD).

For all PSB fans, this is a must have IMO. March 12, 2005

5 stars for content, -5 for mixing

OK you get both ends of the spectrum here - Pet Shop Boys remixes have always gone the distance and have consistently ranked near the top of the heap production-wise - you never know what to expect really from a remix of theirs - some are so similar to the original wheras others are just turned inside out (hence, the E-Smoove Mix of Liberation which, as much as I like it, wins my "SO REMIXED TO THE POINT WHERE IT HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH THE ORIGINAL ANYMORE" award).
There's some amazing remixes here, there's just one problem...

It is the absolute WORST EVER mixing i have honestly ever heard on a mix CD. Listening to this is SO hard to do cause you love the songs but the mixing is so poorly timed and executed. It's like watching the retarded kid stumble off the short bus.

Danny Rampling, what on earth were you thinking when you put this together??????? I'm serious. This mixing is pathetic.

The definite pinacle of suckitude this mix displays is between tracks 9 and 10. the Rollo mix of Ab Fab (one of my favorite remixes of all time) builds, builds, then climaxes and is all fine, dandy, hands in the air, then all of a sudden, in the middle of THE BEST PART OF THE FREAKIN' TRACK Danny slams it into Yesterday, When I was mad. A Very, VERY BAD slam. "What the F*$*%*$#*ING HELL WAS THAT?" were my exact words the first time I heard it. And what the hell is up with none of the CD index points lining up? They're all like 5 or so seconds too soon!! Was Danny that confident in his oh-so-superior mixing skills that the first thing he wants us to hear at the beginning of every track are his god-awful train-wrecks???

The whole disc is a whopping 45 minutes or so long. EVERY TRACK ON HERE except for Ab Fab & We All Feel Better In The Dark (WHICH IS MIS-LABELED BY THE WAY - THIS IS THE "AMBIENT" MIX, NOT THE "AFTER HOURS CLIMAX" - which would have been better suited anyways) is missing 1/2 of its content.
Umm, earth to Danny - a CD holds 74-80 minutes of music. Was it really necessary to mix out or in during the middle of most of these tracks? You had more than enough time to spare for God sakes.

My goal is to obtain ALL these mixes in full length (i'm missing like 3) in CD quality and totally re-do this mix the way it should have been done in the first place.

If you must buy this, be warned - the mixing ABSOLOUTELY POSITIVELY SUCKS TO THE BITTER EXTREME. October 20, 2004

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