New Order & Pet Shop Boys - Grandads of Electro - Seniors of Synthpop

We loved them in the 80's.
Over 30 years on, New Order and Pet Shop Boys have still got it.
In September 2015 New Order released their latest album "Music Complete" (though without Peter Hook). There is not a dud track on the album. My favourite at the moment is in the link below.
"Tutti Frutti" Official video via You Tube


In April 2016 Pet Shop Boys released their 13th album "Super". Also a terrific album. "The Pop Kids" (about 30 secs in, it'll knock yer socks off), "Burn" (shades of Hot Chip), "Happiness" (the closest the boys have come to C&W), "Undertow" and "Say it to Me" are also boppy highlights.

 My partner and I first saw Pet Shop Boys perform the single "The Pop Kids" on "The Graham Norton Show"(our brand of 'old fart' TV). The clip is on You Tube too. Later in the year PSB are performing at the London Royal Opera House. Classy venue, but it is an 'old fart' venue?
Click for You Tube: "The Pop Kids" (sound only)

Bernard Sumner is 60 (my age).
Neil Tennant is 61, Chris Lowe is 57.


P.S. "Blur" doesn't qualify in the synthpop category, but "Magic Whip" in 2015 was brilliant and a great way to go out.
Damon Albarn is 48.

Ten great Pet Shop Boys songs

• Was It Worth It? (anthemic)
• Left To My Own Devices (How can you resist: "Che Guevara and Debussy to a disco beat"?)
• Dreaming of the Queen 
• Decadence
• Heart (Sir Ian McKellen plays a randy vampire in the video)
• Love Comes Quickly
• Paninaro
• Opportunity (Let's Make Lots of Money)
• Love, etc.
• Two Divided by Zero

Odd Musical Collaborations, that worked (last century), from an old fart's point of view

Shirley Bassey + Propeller Heads "History Repeating Itself" (1997)
Run-DMC + Aerosmith "Walk This Way" (1986)
Dusty Springfield + Pet Shop Boys "Nothing Has Been Proved" (1989)
Tammy Wynette + KLF "Justified & Ancient" (1991)
Liza Minnelli + Pet Shop Boys "Results" album (1989). I think I was the only one who bought it in Australia (found it in a bargain bin of cassettes).
Bing Crosby + David Bowie "Little Drummer Boy" (1977)
David Bowie + Pet Shop Boys "Hallo Space Boy" (1996)

Any suggestions?

The battle of the i-pod playlists

On a road trip at the moment, travelling from Melbourne, north to Sunshine Coast, around 4000 km round trip.  It is the battle of the i-pod playlists in the car.

My wife’s playlist is a lot broader than mine and a lot more hard core:

The Beat, House of Pain, Cypress Hill, Sex Pistols, Stranglers, Joy Division, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, The Models, Hunters And Collectors, The Clash, Ian Dury, Roxy Music, UB 40, Simple Minds, Echo and the Bunnymen,  The Smiths, Sigue Sigue Sputnik, Nick Cave, Butthole Surfers, Wall of Voodoo, Nina Hagen, Malcolm McLaren, The Cure,  Souxie and the Banshees , Rammstein - mainly 70’s and 80’s alternative (like being stuck in a John Hughes movie),  with a smattering of 90’s and newer stuff.  Some opera, “Ride of the Valkeries” and “Madam Butterfly” is in the mix too.

My playlist sounds very gay in comparison – some musical soundtracks (mainly Sondheim), Pet Shop Boys, The Presets, Scritti Politti, Heaven 17, New Order, Culture Club (“Time”), Mental As Anything (“Berserk Warriors”), EMF (“Unbelievable”) Hurts, Blur, Kate Bush, The Police,

We have some overlaps:

U.K. Squeeze “Kool  for Kats”, Lou Reed “Walk on the Wild Side”, New Order “Bizarre Love Triangle”, “World in Motion”, The Clash “Rock the Casbah”, The Church “Under the Milky Way”, Amy Whitehouse “Back in Black”, Violent Femmes  “Blister in the Sun”, Duran Duran “Planet Earth”, The Verve's "Bitter Sweet Symphony"

Anyway, it made the kilometres pass.

The A-Z of pop culture (a 56 year old's version)

A  The Armstrong Miller Show, funniest sketch show in the last 10 years.
B  Beautiful People, TV series, another gem.
C   Countdown, Sunday 6pm required viewing for baby boomers in 70's and 80's.
D  Django Unchained, just perfect movie - the KKK scene with Jonah Hill will become a classic.
E   E! channel, home to the best 22 minutes on US TV: Chelsea Lately.
F   Fashion Police (see E).  Also the stylish and funny singer F is for Paloma Faith.
G  Ghost - punchy sea shanty-like song by The Presets.
H  Hitchcock, patchy movie from 2012, a better bio is HBO's The Girl.
 I   IMDB, now what do I do with my old Leonard Maltin MovieGuide?
J   Joy FM, always interesting, less crap commercials, good chat, fun music, an alternative to Triple J. Not only for gay listeners.
K  keepvid.com
L   The Late Show, God I miss it, my daughter can quote sketches from the DVD. Thanks Tony Martin, Mick Molloy, Jason Stephens, Judith Lucy and the Working Dog powerhouse (Tom, Santo, Jane and Rob). 
M  Margaret and David ... best movie couple after "Two on the aisle" with Ivan Hutchinson and Jim Murphy in the 1970's.
N   Nesbo, Jo - Harry Hole series.
O  Off colour and non-PC humour in Family Guy. Seth MacFarlane is an encyclopaedia of media kitsch from last century. Naughty genius.
P   The Project, underrated in more ways than one. Charlie Pickering for PM. Panel has great chemistry - I won't mention S. Price. 
Q  Q, the new one, Ben Whishaw. He is also great in BBC's The Hour.
R   RRR 102.7 FM broadcast a great show on Sunday evening in the mid 80's called EEEK! Thanks Philip Brophy and Bruce Milne.
S      Skyfall, the scene with the old DB5 brought a lump in my throat. (Watch that red button on the gearshift, M).
T   Tennant, Neil (half of The Pet Shop Boys), still going strong.
U  Upside down jet in Flight, fabulous fifteen minute sequence - never to be shown on inflight entertainment.
V  Vampires - Let the right one in, great book, two good movies.
W  wotif.com -but use in conjunction with tripadvisor reviews.
X   pirateproXy.net
Y   Youtube - thanks theblackholebowl and nickfulham for your hard work.
Z   Zero Dark Thirty, okay I was desperate for a "z"