Release (Pet Shop Boys album)

Infobox Album | Name = Release
Type = Album
Artist = Pet Shop Boys


Released = April 1, 2002
Recorded = March 2000 - November 2001
Genre = Electropop
Length = 45:00
Label = Parlophone
Producer = Pet Shop Boys
Chris Zippel
Reviews =
* Allmusic Rating|4|5 [http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:11120r8ai48x link]
* BBC (Unfavourable) [http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/pop/reviews/petshop_release.shtml link]
* Robert Christgau (B+) [http://www.villagevoice.com/music/0224,christgau,35560,22.html link]
* Drowned in Sound (6/10) [http://www.drownedinsound.com/release/view/2898 link]
* "Hour" (3.5/5) [http://www.hour.ca/music/spin.aspx?iIDDisque=1854 link]
* "NME" (4/10) [http://www.nme.com/reviews/pet-shop-boys/6244 link]
* "NOW" (Unfavourable) [http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2002-04-04/music_discs6.php link]
* PlayLouder (4/5) [http://www.playlouder.com/review/+506petshopboys/ link]
* "Rolling Stone" Rating|3.5|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/petshopboys/albums/album/113462/rid/6067733/ 04/23/2004]
* "The Village Voice" [http://www.villagevoice.com/music/0219,lim,34563,22.html link]
Last album = "Nightlife"
(1999)
This album = "Release"
(2002)
Next album = "Disco 3"
(2003)

"Release" is the twelfth album, the eighth of entirely new music, by the UK electronic music duo Pet Shop Boys. It was first released in 2002.

After the release of their previous studio album, "Nightlife", it was originally planned that they would release a greatest hits collection in the autumn of 2000 with the two new tracks "Positive Role Model" and "Somebody Else's Business" [http://www.petshopboys.net/html/literallys/literally_25/literally_25_page1.shtml] Whilst recording the new songs for the hits collection it was decided to produce a full studio album instead.

"Release" has been the least commercially successful of all Pet Shop Boys albums to date, though still managed to sell 800,000 copies worldwide. On its first release, a limited run of metallic effect embossed sleeves were available in a choice of four colours: grey, blue, pink or red. In the USA, this limited run also came with a bonus CD including remixes and new tracks.

The album marked a significant departure from previous work, being guitar and piano-driven with little evidence of synthesisers present. The emerging material was emotional and guitar-influenced. They worked with Michael Brauer (who had previously worked with artists such as Coldplay) and Johnny Marr.

The original version of the album had 15 tracks including the b-sides "Between two islands", "Searching for the face of Jesus", "Always", "I didn't get where I am today" and a piano version of "London" entitled London (Genuine Piano Mix) which later ended up on "Disco 3". [http://www.petshopboys.net/html/literallys/literally_25/literally_25_page1.shtml]

The directors for all three music videos for the album's singles are photographers by trade: Wolfgang Tillmans directed "Home and dry", Bruce Weber directed "I get along" (following his previous work on the "Being boring" and "Se a vida é" videos), and Martin Parr directed "London". The Tillmans video, consisting almost entirely of footage of mice filmed at Tottenham Court Road tube station in the London Underground, is considered to have significantly undermined the commercial potential of the lead single, due to being deemed nearly unplayable by MTV and other music video channels.

Perhaps partly because of the modest commercial success of this album, and perhaps partly because of the habit of distancing themselves musically from their most recent work, Tennant and Lowe have since returned to their dance roots. One year after the release of "Release", Pet Shop Boys released "Disco 3" which included remixes of some of the songs from "Release" along with new material that they were working on at the time of writing/producing material for "Release".

Track listing

Release

#"Home and dry" – 4:21
#"I get along" – 5:50
#"Birthday boy" – 6:27
#"London" – 3:47
#"E-mail" – 3:55
#"The Samurai in autumn" – 4:18
#"Love is a catastrophe" – 4:50
#"Here" – 3:16
#"The night I fell in love" – 5:50
#"You choose" – 3:11cite web |url=http://www.psb-discography.com/ |title=Pet Shop Boys discography |accessdate=2007-10-01 ]

USA Bonus Disc

#"Home and dry" (ambient mix) – 5:29
#"Sexy northerner" – 3:40
#"Always" – 5:06
#"Closer to heaven" (Slow version) – 6:30
#"Nightlife" – 3:56
#"Friendly fire" (studio version) – 3:26
#"Break 4 love" (uk radio mix) (with Peter Rauhofer) – 3:29
#"Home and dry" (Blank & Jones mix) – 6:38

CD-ROM content: "Home and Dry" (Video)

Personnel

*Neil Tennant - Vocals, guitar, keyboards
*Chris Lowe - Keyboards, drum programming, additional vocals on track 1

;Guest musicians

*Pete Gleadall - Programming and engineering on all tracks except 4
*Johnny Marr - Guitar on tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9 & 10
*Jody Linscott - Percussion on tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9 & 10
*Steve Walters - Bass guitar on tracks 2, 3 & 9
*Chris Zippel - Keyboards on track 4
*"Little Mike" - Guitar & bass on track 4

References