Bilingual - Pet Shop Boys

Again the Pet Shop Boys played their little trick on their fans. The album 'Very' was released in 1994, and didn't do very well commercially or critically, and while the Pet Shop Boys shortly thereafter toured, it had the feeling (partly due to the rumour mill) that this was in fact a farewell series of performances. The next year, when the dual-disc set 'Alternative' was released, the question was largely, 'Alternative to what?' -- a real album, ...
...b-sides that had been released during the Pet Shop Boys career, once again fueling speculation that this was a tying-up-of-loose-ends at the end of a career).

Then, in 1996, the album 'Bilingual' was released, again following the by-then-well-established pattern of releasing a single, then follow-up with the album. This was an 'out' album; while most people always knew the alternative sexuality of the group, it had never been made ... more

Again the Pet Shop Boys played their little trick on their fans. The album 'Very' was released in 1994, and didn't do very well commercially or critically, and while the Pet Shop Boys shortly thereafter toured, it had the feeling (partly due to the rumour mill) that this was in fact a farewell series of performances. The next year, when the dual-disc set 'Alternative' was released, the question was largely, 'Alternative to what?' -- a real album, a continuation ('Alternative' was made up of all the non-album b-sides that had been released during the Pet Shop Boys career, once again fueling speculation that this was a tying-up-of-loose-ends at the end of a career).

Then, in 1996, the album 'Bilingual' was released, again following the by-then-well-established pattern of releasing a single, then follow-up with the album. This was an 'out' album; while most people always knew the alternative sexuality of the group, it had never been made explicit in the group's official publicity. Now, it had been. No surprise to anyone really (does anything coming from any band from the 80's really surprise anyone?).

The Pet Shop Boys managed to release an adequate album, alas, not their best work, and indeed some commentators, remembering the speculation that they were ready to retire, opined that retirement would have been better than this.

Not so, to be sure -- this is a perfectly serviceable album, good in many respects; the first single, 'Before', was released with a CD-movie of the video (very useful for those without Euro-MTV, American MTV long since having left the genre of the Pet Shop Boys behind and thus unlikely to carry their videos even when they win Euro-MTV awards). This song included many of the classic Pet Shop Boys elements -- poppy dance tune, double-edged lyrics, sample heavy feel, and toe-tapping rhythm.

The rest of the album is influenced obviously by the groups adventures in Latin America and Latin Europe during their concert tour, as well as holidays in the sun. Songs such as 'Discoteca' and 'Se a vida é' contain in their titles the influence; peppered throughout with almost spoken lines in Spanish (¿Hay una discoteca por acqui?), almost as if they had simply lifted lines from their Berlitz travel phrase book. But, in the traditional quirky Pet Shop Boys way, these fit in nicely with the tune.

The transitions on this album are interesting -- for the first time, the Pet Shop Boys didn't have their songs as isolated bits, but many instead flowed together--'Discoteca' and 'Single' being two prime examples, which bleed together musically and lyrically, the end of 'Single' being also the first line from 'Discoteca' : (¿Hay una discoteca por acqui?).

Songs in the much more traditional upbeat, lyrically-cynical and clever, electronically pop include 'To step aside', 'A red letter day', and 'Saturday night forever'. Tennant begins to allow himself some more direct social commentary in songs like The survivors, which can be understood on many levels. Of course, Tennant's lyrics on the album 'Behaviour' poked fun at those celebrities who, because they have fame, suddenly start taking themselves seriously as experts on social concerns, so he is understandably cautious and understated in his own observations, which are usually very much rooted in his own, direct experiences.

As with many Pet Shop Boys albums, 'Bilingual' had a follow-up single, 'Somewhere', which was not included on the album, but was on the special edition, limited release of the double-CD 'Bilingual'. This second disc includes in addition to 'Somewhere' remixes of several of the album cuts, as well as an additional b-side.

The songs 'Before', 'Single', and 'A red letter day' charted variously around the world, but didn't catch hold and take top honours anywhere. Alas, the Pet Shop Boys looked like they were past it. But history has proven differently.

This is an essential album to anyone who wishes a complete Pet Shop Boys collection -- the special album only for those die-hard collectors who can spend extra on auction sites or some such to track it down, but one gains little musically from it. However, this album is for the most part a placeholder in the overall history of the Pet Shop Boys (for the historically inclined, perhaps it is the 'James Polk' of their albums, adequate but undistinguished, often forgotten, but still on the books).
 

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