| Concrete | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Live album by | ||||
| Released | 23 October 2006 | |||
| Recorded | 8 May 2006 | |||
| Venue | Mermaid Theatre (London) | |||
| Length | 86:55 | |||
| Label | Parlophone | |||
| Producer | Trevor Horn | |||
| Pet Shop Boys chronology | ||||
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Concrete is a live album by Englishsynth-pop duoPet Shop Boys, released on 23 October 2006[1] as adouble CD. It was the duo's first live album.[2] The concert was recorded for broadcast onBBC Radio 2 in May 2006, with accompaniment by theBBC Concert Orchestra and special guests includingFrances Barber,Rufus Wainwright, andRobbie Williams.[3]
The performance recorded for the album took place at theMermaid Theatre in London on 8 May 2006, as an exclusive for broadcast onBBC Radio 2'sSold on Song programme on 27 May. Attendance, totalling 600, was by invitation or through competitions held by Radio 2 and the band's official website.[3] The event was hosted by the BBC'sStuart Maconie.[4]
The 27 May Radio 2 broadcast included an interview conducted by Maconie, but excluded four songs from the running order ("You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk", "After All", "Numb", and "Dreaming of the Queen"). The full concert was later broadcast onBBC 6 Music on 28 August.[4]
The concert was a launch event for the Pet Shop Boys' new studio album,Fundamental, released on 22 May 2006.Trevor Horn, the producer ofFundamental, was the music director for the concert and also producedConcrete.[5]
Due to the presence of the orchestra, the setlist was composed to consist of songs originally recorded with an orchestra. Consequently, in addition to an extensive selection of songs fromFundamental, various non-studio album tracks were chosen, including the arrangement of "Rent" from theLiza Minnelli albumResults, originally arranged byAngelo Badalamenti; "After All", the portion of the band'sBattleship Potemkin soundtrack that accompaniesthe Odessa Steps sequence from the film (performed with the scene projected on a screen in the background); "Friendly Fire", from theCloser to Heaven musical; and "Nothing Has Been Proved", the theme song fromScandal, also arranged by Badalamenti. "West End Girls" and "It's a Sin" were the only exceptions to the rule, and were reworked to integrate the orchestra.[6]
Neil Tennant introduced the songs with anecdotes, which appear on the album.[7] Special guests sang lead vocals on three of the songs.Rufus Wainwright performed "Casanova in Hell" fromFundamental.Frances Barber, who had played the lead role inCloser to Heaven, sang "Friendly Fire". On "Jealousy", the earliest song written by Pet Shop Boys, Tennant recited the opening quote fromShakespeare'sOthello, andRobbie Williams sang the rest.[6]
Opera singerSally Bradshaw reprised her vocals from the 1988 hit, "Left to My Own Devices". Other guest musicians includedAnne Dudley on piano,Steve Lipson andPhil Palmer on guitar, andLol Creme andSylvia Mason-James on backing vocals.[6][8]
Pet Shop Boys agreed to release a live album to pay for the concert.[5] The album was initially announced under the nameConcert, but it was changed toConcrete, which was the duo's original preferred title.[9] It debuted at its peak position of 61 on theUK Albums Chart.[10] In the United States,Concrete was released as a digital download byAstralwerks on 17 May 2011.[11]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [12] |
| MusicOMH | [7] |
In a four-star review forMusicOMH, Michael Hubbard stated that Pet Shop Boys "have redefined what "live album" means" and added, "What's also clear from hearing this record is that to dismiss Pet Shop Boys merely as an '80s electropop duo would be to give them scant justice.Concrete feels like a contemporary classical cultural study".[7] Cam Lindsay ofExclaim! commented, "the first live album by pop music's most stylish duo is an extraordinary achievement in capturing the artist in their element".[13] In a review published onBlogcritics following the US release in 2011, Michael Melchor wrote: "Much of the recording — due in part to [Trevor] Horn's trademark pristine production and in part to the fact that the Pet Shop Boys sound already lends itself well to that — sounds wonderful. This makes a strong case for one of the best-sounding live albums ever, as every note, instrument and nuance are loud and crystal clear".[14]
David Jeffries ofAllMusic gave the album three stars, noting: "With a generally deadpan singer and another guy behind a bank of synthesizers, the Pet Shop Boys just aren't built for live albums, even if the songs are exquisite, there's an orchestra behind them, and some very special guests appear. While the duo can deliver in a live setting, the experience relies heavily on the visual". He concluded, "While that's probably not enough to keep everyone occupied, fans and fetishists will embrace this curio".[12]
All tracks are written byNeil Tennant andChris Lowe except "Numb" byDiane Warren and "It's Alright" bySterling Void,Marshall Jefferson, and Paris Brightledge.
| No. | Title | Original orchestral arrangement | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Left to My Own Devices" (featuringSally Bradshaw) | Richard Niles | 8:37 |
| 2. | "Rent" | Angelo Badalamenti | 3:56 |
| 3. | "You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk" | Craig Armstrong | 3:31 |
| 4. | "The Sodom and Gomorrah Show" | Anne Dudley | 5:33 |
| 5. | "Casanova in Hell" (sung byRufus Wainwright) | Nick Ingman | 3:40 |
| 6. | "After All" | Torsten Rasch | 7:56 |
| 7. | "Friendly Fire" (sung byFrances Barber) | Armstrong | 3:57 |
| 8. | "Integral" | Ingman | 4:01 |
| Total length: | 41:11 | ||
| No. | Title | Original orchestral arrangement | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Numb" | Steve Sidwell | 5:03 |
| 2. | "It's Alright" (featuring Sally Bradshaw) | Ingman | 5:03 |
| 3. | "Luna Park" | Ingman | 6:21 |
| 4. | "Nothing Has Been Proved" | Badalamenti | 4:40 |
| 5. | "Jealousy" (sung byRobbie Williams) | Harold Faltermeyer | 5:57 |
| 6. | "Dreaming of the Queen" | Dudley | 5:28 |
| 7. | "It's a Sin" | Ingman | 5:18 |
| 8. | "Indefinite Leave to Remain" | Ingman | 2:59 |
| 9. | "West End Girls" | Ingman | 4:55 |
| Total length: | 45:44 | ||
Pet Shop Boys
Orchestra
Guest singers
Additional musicians
Technical personnel
Artwork
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[15] | 76 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[16] | 61 |
