Pop Art Hits (W/3 New Tracks)

The first of the discs of this 'Greatest Hits' for the Pet Shop Boys contains 17 tracks (Pop), and the second 18 tracks (Art). For those who are die-hard fans of the Pet Shop Boys, this is a must have, but, for the most part, those fans will find it is in many ways an already-have. The tracks are remastered, but given the high production qualities of most PSB discs generally, there isn't a great deal to be gained from this. There are two new songs, Miracles and Flamboyant (one on each disc), which are both wonderful (and, interestingly, the addition of two songs to the 'greatest hits' compilation matches their performance with Discography, which also had a 'best of' with two new tracks added).

There are the major songs and single releases from all previous albums, so this serves both as a retrospective but also as a handy all-in-one collection spanning the history of the Pet Shop Boys; from that perspective, if you were to have just one CD from them, this would the one. The songs are not in chronological release order (as Discography was), but rather seem almost randomly arranged; all songs but one from Discography are here, with an additional collection of tracks from the later album releases that reached the UK top 20. The division between 'Pop' and 'Art' is subtle, and any lifelong fan will have his or her own impressions as to which songs should fit into which category. The 'Pop' side is more disco/dance music, whereas the 'Art' side is a little more sombre, and the lyrics a little more complex. On the other hand, some songs, such as 'Love comes quickly' would easily qualify for either designation.

This collection represents more than 20 years work on the part of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe. For the first several years of that career, they were famous world-wide, and quite a staple in the dance clubs and video programming in America and elsewhere. The first singles collection 'Discography' represented the beginning of the decline of 80s style dance music in America, but the music descended from this type remained strongly popular throughout the rest of the world, as the sold-out concert tours of the Pet Shop Boys everywhere except North America attests to. Many of the songs on this 'Pop-Art' collection will therefore be new to audiences whose interest in the Pet Shop Boys ended the hits from the 'Behaviour' era.

The bonus disc available on some versions offers remixes of songs from the other discs, and tracks from B-sides and other tracks from the 'major' albums.

Pop-Art is a must-have for anyone who likes dance music, disco, electronic music, 80s music, the Pet Shop Boys, or who wants to have a complete music collection, but only one version is likely necessary.

PROS:-Let's say you're a casual fan of the Pet Shop Boys, and you want their big hits. They're all here for your listening pleasure. Among them are West End Girls, Always On My Mind, What Have I Done To Deserve This (with Dusty Springfield), Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money), It's A Sin, and others.-You also get a number of underrated masterpieces that should have been hits but weren't. Among these are Rent, Suburbia, and an awesome cover of U2's Where The Streets Have No Name.-It's two disc and it covers their entire career-Several rare remixes can be found on this compilation.-This puts the old Singles Collection compilation to shame. -There are some new recordings!

CONS:-Two discs means a higher price (but the Singles Collection was ridiculously overpriced anyway, so this isn't that big of a deal.) -Many die-hard fans may find some track selections questionable.-The tracks aren't in the original recording/release order. This bites.-Die-hard fans won't want to shell out the extra cash just to get only two previously unreleased tracks.

OVERALL:Overall, despite very minor flaws, this is an excellent compilation that beautifully captures the genius of one of the finest eighties new wave duos out there - and then some. If you're a fan of these guys, this compilation is highly recommended.

PSB + Erasure are must have artists in your collection.

• Styles > Alternative Rock > Alternative Styles
• Styles > Dance & DJ > Dance Pop
• Styles > Dance & DJ
• Styles > Pop > Dance Pop
• Styles > Pop > Euro Pop
• Styles > Pop
• Styles > Rock

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