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 Caught in the Carousel - Music Reviews and More
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Got No Secrets by Danila Botha
All You Get Is Me, by Yvonne Prinz
Getting in Tune, by Roger Trott
Hew, Screw + Glue: How Stuff is Made, by James Innes-Smith
Me, the Mob, and the Music: One Helluva Ride With Tommy James And The Shondells , by Tommy James
Mingering Mike, by Dori Hadar
New York Dolls, by Bob Gruen
Red Album of Asbury Park, by Alex Austin
Satchmo: The Wonderful World And Art Of Louis Armstrong, by Steven Brower
Stalker Girl, by Rosemary Graham
Stone Roses, by Alex Green
Three Wishes: An Intimate Look At Jazz Greats, by Pannonica de Koenigswarter
The Vinyl Princess by Yvonne Prinz
The Pet Shop Boys
Pandemonium DVD
EMI/Parlaphone
A cursory glance at some items from the long list of things that Americans tend to either not get or are frightened by (same thing really) might include any of the following:
- The assigning of gender to nouns in certain foreign languages
- Deep and meaningful friendships with people from completely different age groups.
- The skin of Brie cheese ("Am I really supposed to eat this? No way.")
- Girls at Pet Shop Boys concerts and
- Pet Shop Boys concerts at all.
And each fear is more ridiculous than the next. To help Americans get over this nonsense, EMI/Parlaphone has released Pandemonium, a two-disc souvenir of the 2009 Pandemonium tour that Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe undertook in support of their brilliant album Yes. The first disc is a DVD of their December concert at the 02 Arena in London in front of close to 20,000 of their hometown fans: East End Boys and West End Girls alike.
The U.K. concert was clearly on a much grander scale than what they were able to bring through the U.S. last fall. The sets were taller, the play-set longer, the crowd bigger. From their phenomenal reinterpretation of Coldplay's "Viva La Vida," to their own statement-making "It's a Sin," the DVD has it all. There are DVD extras such as a live and brilliant version of Madness' "My Girl," and clips from the BRIT Awards career tribute to the duo. But the highlight is a song they didn't do Stateside: A version of "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" which is dealt with in the only fitting way possible: the recorded female vocals are piped in by Dusty Springfield as her visage graces the screens. At song's end, Tennant—always a class act—informs the crowd: "Tonight we remember the wonderful Dusty Springfield." It's a touching moment that also serves as a reminder that the Pet Shop Boys are often warmer and more tender than one is led to believe.
The accompanying disc is for the most part a live recording of the DVD playlist. And though it serves well to show the duo's few critics that they can indeed recreate that signature sound live, in the end it makes one want to watch the DVD all over again. And what a grand and thoroughly British spectacle it is. For those who were unable to see them on tour (as well as for those who were so fortunate to see them) you are commanded to buy the DVD/CD double-disc, invite old and young friends over and serve le Brie.
—Thomas Cooney
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