 | Pet
Shop Boys
Disco 3
label: Sanctuary
released: 02.04.03
our score: 3.0 out of 5.0
| Somebody give
Neil Tennant a compass. The Pet Shop Boys have been wandering
in the wilderness for far too long and it appears that their frontman
has absolutely no idea which direction they are heading in. Last
summer, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe triumphantly toured small
UK venues and turned their normally disco-dominated live affairs
into a rock ‘n’ roll festival of clichés they
previously hated. But on Feb 3 (in the UK, Feb. 4th U.S.), Disco
3 will hit the shops and it appears to steer the synthmeisters
back to the shores of Danceland.
Pet Shop Boys
have had a fantastic career and furnished the charts with some
of the greatest tunes in pop history, but the disco albums they
have released alongside their more conformist studio CDs have
always been touch and go. Some of them (Disco, Relentless,
Introspective) have been true champions of dance, allowing
their six tracks extra time to explore some fascinating rhythms.
But Disco 2 was a complete disaster, full of cheesy mixes
that didn’t deliver the depth you might expect.
Disco
3 (when will this overused title ever end?) is a mix of both
the good and the bad of the now-traditional Pet Shop Boys dance
CD. There are some terrific moments on here, not least the storming
Chris Lowe-led intro of "Time On My Hands," where “17,
18, 19, party” could prove to be a catchy club theme. "Positive
Role" model may also get you to reform your best disco moves,
the PSB mix of "Here" is worth a listen, while the Superchumbo
Mix of b-side "Sexy Northerner" is ace. But
that covers just four tracks and seems as there are ten on Disco
3 you don’t need a degree to recognize the shortfall
in quality.
This new attempt
at keeping the Pets trendy has some real howlers on it. "Try
It (I’m In Love With A Married Man)" is abysmal, there
are strangely two versions of "London" that both fail
to inspire and "If Looks Could Kill" is littered with
computer enhanced vocals like all too many of the PSB’s
later work.
If Disco
3 had limited itself to just six songs and followed the successful
pattern of Relentless and the original Disco,
it could have been superb. There are some tremendous tunes that
could have benefited from having the extra room to breathe and
I’m sure Lowe still has it in him to knock out a classic
pop album.
"Time
On My Hands" is a classic, the new "Paninaro" perhaps,
but there is just not enough to keep the interest. It becomes
dull, embarrassing to listen to and woefully weak. As with much
of the PSB’s later work, there is potential there that fails
to come to the brim. Better luck next time, fellas.
27-Jan-2003 
If you
liked Disco 3... |
Tracklist:
1. Time On My Hands
2. Positive Role Model
3. Try It (I'm in Love With A Married Man)
4. London (Thee Radikal Blaklite Edit)
5. Somebody Else's Business
6. Here (PSB New Extended Mix)
7. If Looks Could Kill
8. Sexy Northerner (Superchumbo Mix)
9. Home and Dry (Blank & Jones Mix)
10. London (Genuine Piano Mix) |
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