Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A career highlight, 19 Oct 2006
Start with the princes of pop, add a sprinkling of their biggest hits, don't forget to add a 72 piece orchestra, garnish with some big stars including Robbie Williams and Rufus Wainwright and you have the Pet Shop Boys finest hour (or so!)
I was lucky enough to be in the audience for this one off BBC concert and without question, it's one the greatest live concerts I have seen and heard.
I left the auditorium, like everyone else that evening, realising that I had experienced something very special and hoped that I would have the pleasure of listening to it again, on my hi-fi, in full, glorious CD quality. My hopes have been realised with Concrete!
PSB's music rises beautifully to the treatment of the BBC Concert Orchestra, the arrangements are very special indeed and Trevor Horn's production, as always, is impeccable.
I rarely like 'live' albums - this one, however is different and worth investing for your library.
On the press copy of the album that arrived today, there is not a dud track on this double album - from the moment the strings rise for the opening number, to the inevitable encore of 'West End Girls', Concrete proves that PSB are our finest purveyors of pop and should be cherised forever.
It's an often muted cliche that the BBC is a national treasure. Well, thanks to them, we have a unforgettable night of music on record for eternity, and I for once, don't begrudge paying my licence fee! It was worth every penny for this one night only!
Now experience Pet Shop Boys and a 72 piece orchestra for yourself. You won't believe your ears!
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
More vital than you might imagine, 1 Feb 2007
You might find yourself asking the question "is there any need for a Pet Shop Boys live cd" and you wouldn't be alone. I mean I'm a huge PSB fan and I've got a CD of the Performance tour but is there any real need for an official release? You might find yourself thinking there isn't and you may well be right but that would disguise the fact that whilst a PSB live CD may never be a "must have" this two disc set is actually well worth investing in.
Of course being PSB it could never be a straight Live album; this one sees them backed by the BBC concert orchestra and helped by some special guests (Robbie Williams, Rufus Wainwright, Frances Barber) to bring you songs that stretch right across their varied back catalouge.
The special guests for the most part add a lot to the proceedings. Ok, Frances Barber isn't a singer and that is proved as she sings Friendly Fire (taken from the Closer to Heaven musical), but Robbie Williams is suprisingly effective taking the lead on Jealousy. It's Rufus Wainwright who steals the show in terms of guest spots though, transforming the Fundamental misfire Casanova In Hell into something quite special indeed, not least because he can bring the overwrought passion missing from the original to bear.
But even without the guests there would be much to admire. The version of Rent may only be a re-working of the Liza Minelli version, but it's no less satisfying for that. The Sodom And Gommorah Show leaves us in no doubt as to why it's become such a huge live favourite, whilst old Trevor Horn collaborations It's Alright and Left To My Own Devices sound as fresh as ever.
To round things off there are also vital and exciting re-workings of a couple of classics, West End Girls and It's a Sin and you have an album which confounds the expectations I had coming into it (namely that it would all be a bit pointless). Sure it's hardly likely to convert the non-believers, but anyone whose love of the Pet Shop Boys extends beyond the hits to be found on Pop Art is likely to enjoy this very much indeed.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still a class act after 20 years, 26 Oct 2006
The Pet Shop Boys may no longer be the chart-conquerors they were in the 'Eighties, but they have continued to produce high-quality electro-pop (with a couple of minor bumps, most notably the ill-advised 'Release') and in my opinion remain the best lyricists in the business.
This concert, performed with the BBC Orchestra and a smattering of special guests, perfectly illustrates their unique talent for straddling the divide between mainstream populism (is that a word?) and high art. The songs have been selected from across their whole career, including side projects such as the Dusty and Liza collaborations and 'Battleship Potemkin', but with an understandable focus on current album 'Fundamental'. Neil is in fine voice, and the orchestral arrangements perfectly compliment the material; in fact, it works so well, I wish they'd do a whole new studio album with a full orchestra. Guests Rufus Wainwright, Francis Barber and Robbie Williams all do admirable jobs with their respective tracks, but never overshadow the music. Personally I found the brief spoken introductions by Neil added to the atmosphere rather than detracting from it.
So, another quality release which won't sell in the quantities it deserves to, but as long as the Pet Shop Boys keep on making music, we shouldn't complain.
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