Track Listing

1. Can You Forgive Her?
2. I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind Of Thing
3. Liberation
4. A Different Point Of View
5. Dreaming Of The Queen
6. Yesterday, When I Was Mad
7. The Theatre
8. One And One Make Five
9. To Speak Is A Sin
10. Young Offender
11. One In A Million
12. Go West

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #79944 in Music
• Released on: 2000-01-11
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Limited Edition, Original recording reissued

Amazon.com
Ask people what their favorite Pet Shop Boys album is, and their answers will vary--but ask people what the most important Pet Shop Boys album is, and 9 out of 10 West End girls will say Very. The snide ambiguities that churned behind prior PSB posturings were ripped away on this release, with Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe finally pulling more than punches. Self-awareness is one of the major themes on Very, with "Yesterday When I Was Mad," showing the band could send up themselves as well as their friends and lovers; meanwhile, "I Wouldn't Normally Do This Type of Thing" both carries one of the Boys' best melody lines and serves as one of their most literal confessions. There's also a more threatening, foreboding tone to the record as set by the opening "Can You Forgive Her" and the closing Village People cover, "Go West." Originally an anthem leading gay men to San Francisco's promised land, the Pet Shop Boys' version is delivered from the beleaguered trenches in the war against AIDS. The results are as ominous as they are brilliant. --Steve Gdula

Customer Reviews

Very Brilliant
In 1993, gay music had hit a watershed point. Elton John had hit the charts with "The Last Song" (from The One), both kd lang (Ingénue) and Melissa Etheridge (Yes I Am) were out of their closets, Bruce Springsteen stepped up to the plate and contributed the theme to Philadelphia: Music From The Motion Picture and even Garth Brooks, arguably the biggest music star in the world at the time, socked it to the homophobic country music establishment with his song "We Shall be Free."

In the middle of this was The Pet Shop Boys' "Very." Shaking off the chill of Behavior and the often guarded veil their music was often accused of, "Very" was as personal and as out an album as Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant had ever made. From the sneering, sinister opener "Can You For Forgive Her" to the subtle altering of the Village People's Go West, this CD was out and danceable, as well as inspired. The music moved between optimistic ("Liberation") and melancholic ("Dreaming of The Queen"), striking a perfect balance throughout.

Yet it was the blatantly open sexuality of the record that made it so triumphant. "Can You Forgive Her" goads a closet case for sticking with the undercover girlfriend who mocks his secret.

"She's made you some kind of laughing stock
because you dance to disco and you don't like rock.
She made fun of you and even in your bed
said she's going to go and get herself a real man instead."

But instead of shying away from the consequence, they ask "do you want revenge?" Seems that coming out is the best revenge in the PSB playbook. From there, "Very" jumps to the openly giddy "I Wouldn't Normally do This Sort of Thing" and the affirming "Liberation." As a 1-2-3 set of punches, it thoroughly sets the album up for greatness. A little later, they even take a poke at their own image on "Yesterday When I Was Mad," plotting their tongue-in-cheek vengeance on all the folks who refused to recognize their brilliance.

However, the thoughtfulness that washes through "Dreaming Of the Queen" echoes "Being Boring," but in a more sorrowful way. Told in dream-like language, Neil addressed The Queen and Lady Diana over England's lack of response to the AIDS crisis.

"The queen said 'I'm aghast
Love never seems to last.
However hard you try.'
And Di replied,
'That there are no more lovers left alive
No one has survived.'"

Soon after is "The Theatre," which is rich and textured in the manner of "It's a Sin" (Actually) or "Left To My Own Devices" (Introspective). Taking a theatrical approach to the class distinctions makes for a distinctive song, along with Anne Dudley's orchestration.

The final stoke of genius, however, comes from a cover. Much in the way they reclaimed "Always On My Mind" from country or took the wind out of U2's "Where The Streets Have No Name," Pet Shop Boy's fairly reverent version of "Go West" transforms the song entirely. When Village People recorded it in the 70's as an anthem to liberation and the freedom of San Francisco as an escape from mundane life in backwaters, it felt like a time of limitless possibility. Twelve years later, it struck a note of lost opportunities and the leveling effect of too many lost minds and stolen friends. Even with the bellowing He-Man chorus, there was no way to escape the subtext...that was then, this is now.

As such, "Very" was the high-water mark of Chris and Neil's creative output. Granted, latter albums like Fundamental are still pretty good, but this was a moment captured. Not just by the Pet Shop Boys, but by a configuration in time that led to creative works like this one.

a highlight
Luis Mejia (son) - This album is one of the greatest works Pet Shop Boys has ever done, just about the perfect time (1992) and with the perfect catchy and juvenile dance rythms, very alike to the sounds of the 80's, if it would have been released in that time it would have been a much more famous work, but at any time is completely enjoyable. When I bought this album it was for me a risk, because everyone I know had told me that Pet Shop Boys was terrible, but even when I played the record to these people they changed their minds completely, of course, who wouldn't?

This album assimilates a structure of techno dance rythms VERY enjoyable and terrific. Every song fits perfectly together, with its dance, electronical, joyful, comfortable moods displayed in the whole album. It's the most famous album of Pet Shop Boys and their most recognizable and completely comprehensible work, a great experience for anyone.

Among the songs you can find any type of moods and rythms you may want to search for, like the famous songs Go West, wich is an interpretation (much better than the original) of the Village People song of the same titled album, I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind Of Thing, the second track, which is an electropop joyful theme being also a key song in this album, and Can You Forgive Her? one of the best tracks in the album being stunning, rythmical but joyful, also a thematic song, typical from Tenant, inspired by the Anthony Trollope's novel with the same name. Electronical ballads with romantic flavour (also typical from the band) like Liberation, one of the most popular songs in the album, also very soft and comfortable, A Different Point Of View, which is one of my favorites, being a strong and focused song similar to Can You Forgive Her? and Dreaming Of The Queen, not too much of a ballad but an extraordinary, mature and thematic song. Thematical, society overview songs like To Speak Is A Sin, Yesterday When I Was Mad, and Young Offender can also be found in the record. One In A Million, The Theatre and One And One Make Five are also catchy songs with a more serious mood in its lyrics. Certainly the best of this album is concentrated in the first three tracks.

In conclussion the album is a stunning and very well done work for getting out of the 80's, with familiar sounds though, but completely enjoyable and unforgetable, a majestic work by the Pet Shop Boys.

Very Very Good!!
This is an unusual Pet Shop Boys album... if u compare with others, you won't find anything so energetic and electronic.
Very is VERY good! it's minimalistic, it's in a higher level, it's pop!
My favorite albums are Very and Bilingual. I really recommend them to be bought, they're pet shop boy's best!

The songs are great, even more the non-singles, like Different Point Of View, Dreaming of the Queen, and Young Offender (one of my favorites). I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind Of Thing and Yesterday, When I Was Mad are in different versions from those released, which are great, and Go West has a hidden track in the end.

Very is known to be the hits album! it was made to recover the high charts after Behavior. so, it's a mix of everything commercial and pop. that's the reason it has to be considered so PetShopBoys!

if you want to begin PetShop, begin with PopArt of course!!!! After that, come to Very! you won't regret it!