While listening to my Pet Shop Boys CD collection yesterday I remembered that they had always admired Bryan Ferry and in 2011 flew over from London to see Bryan's Olympia show in Berlin. I always liked their music and their cover artwork, too. BTW, Neil Tennant grew up in Newcastle (like Mark Knopfler, Sting, Brian Johnson etc.) and often wears suits like our hero .

They are big fans. NT said some very nice things about BF's "I'll see you again" when he was talking about great Noel Coward songs/interpretations. He's also been many many times on record saying good things about Bry/RM

Saw Chrissie Hynde on Tv this week saying good stuff about BF and requesting Jealous Guy on Sarah Cox's show (saying how much she liked the voice and video).

but....Chrissie and Neil are hardly contemporary. Great, yes. Newbies no.
CH's new Stockholm is a superb album btw.

Hi, pianoman

Did you actually listen to a Pet Shop Boys CD Collection. Or are you aurally defunct?


Cheers
Zappa.

Elegantly Ageing Hipsters,
Un tres grand merci to our astute and discerning columnist, Rendezvous.
Thanks to his promotion of 'Field Music', this thread has struck gold. Windswept's intention was to find something interesting by mining the taste buds of kindred spirits and this band are fabulous.
W2 has invested in 'Tones of Town' and is loving it. These boys can really play and it's all genre defying stuff.
They are very difficult to categorise because their music embraces a plethora of different influences whilst, at the same time, managing to remain refreshingly original.W2 is sure that Roxologists who like their music a little Jazz infused will certainly go for it.
It also boasts a great cover featuring Louis' Cafe. It looks like this venue might have taken over from that Park Lane stalwart and Ferry favourite, the 'Biz Bar', as the haunt for the more discerning dilettantes. Windswept can imagine the old Annabel's crowd hanging out there - life repeats itself de temps en temps!
Final thought - wouldn't they be a great opener for a Ferry fandango?
They would bring a young crowd in whilst broadening the more mature hipster's horizons.
Salutations a tous,
Windswept

Hi, Zappa,

I'm not aurally defunct (at least that's what my otologist says). But I've got about 2.000 CDs from Abba to ... Zappa and I can tell the difference between The Pet Shop Boys and The Bay City Rollers .

Best regards,
- pm -

Hi Pianoman,

Nice to hear you have an eclectic taste.
Keep on listening,
All the best,

Cheers
Zappa.

Ooooooohhh Agree WS2- I listened to it the other day at the suggestion of Rendezvous and loved it

Is Zappa messin with you pianoman I like the PSB

Philosophical Philanderers,
W2 is into day two listening to Field Music and just can't get enough of them.
As part of his accelerated induction program into Sunderland's finest he has discovered that they made a covers album, 'Field Music Play ...'. It includes an absolutely fabulous version of Roxy's 'If There Is Something'. Although Field Music's version has a distinctly modernist feel, there are marked similarities between Brewis' vocal style and that of a young Ferry and the whole thing is the equal of the original whilst being different - the mark, IWNSHO, of a great interpretation. I'm sure The Bonny Lad loves it.
Also on the album is a little something for Pianoman - a great version of The Pet Shop Boy's 'Rent'. This one, Windswept actually prefers to the original!
Windswept apologises in advance if any of the above has been covered in Rendezvous' previous missives. W2 can't thank him enough for this recommendation and would like to make him an open offer to take up the new role as Windswept's musical advisor. Although this is an honorary unpaid position, it does come with considerable prestige.
ArtRock is alive and well and is in the hands of Field Music!
Il doit arrêter et acheter leur nouvel album, 'Plumb'.
Salutations,
W2

[quote="Windswept2
Elegantly Ageing Hipsters,
Un tres grand merci to our astute and discerning columnist, Rendezvous.
Thanks to his promotion of 'Field Music', this thread has struck gold. Windswept's intention was to find something interesting by mining the taste buds of kindred spirits and this band are fabulous.
W2 has invested in 'Tones of Town' and is loving it. These boys can really play and it's all genre defying stuff.
They are very difficult to categorise because their music embraces a plethora of different influences whilst, at the same time, managing to remain refreshingly original.W2 is sure that Roxologists who like their music a little Jazz infused will certainly go for it.
It also boasts a great cover featuring Louis' Cafe. It looks like this venue might have taken over from that Park Lane stalwart and Ferry favourite, the 'Biz Bar', as the haunt for the more discerning dilettantes. Windswept can imagine the old Annabel's crowd hanging out there - life repeats itself de temps en temps!
Final thought - wouldn't they be a great opener for a Ferry fandango?
They would bring a young crowd in whilst broadening the more mature hipster's horizons.
Salutations a tous,
Windswept[/quote]

Windswept2,

I'm so pleased you like them and thank you for your summation of their style, whenever I discuss this band I find it impossible to "nail" them to my satisfaction, some of their harmonies remind me of side 2 of Abbey Road. My eldest boy worked in The Bunker recording studios with them when they were preparing their first album, but I didn't know about it until much later!

Nostalgia - I think the Biz Bar was Notarianni's on the other side to Louis cafe, I can still smell their ice cream.....

Teresa - I like the Pet Shop Boys too, I've always felt "Coming Home" has the same yearning melody as More Than This.

Great to see the Bay City Rollers are reforming eh!

Love to you all.