PET SHOP BOYS
"PopArtMix"
Parlophone (5950932)
Release Date: December 2, 2003

The Pet Shop Boys released a new greatest hits package in 2003, entitled PopArt. This 2CD set contains most (if not all - I haven't really checked) of their singles from "West End Girls" through "I Get Along", plus two new tracks - "Miracles" and "Flamboyant". The three CD box set version, PopArtMix, adds in a third disc of remixes, heavily slanted to the 1990's material and new remixes of old favorites. One thing that always frustrates me with a greatest hits package is if the disc is not presented in the order that the songs were originally released. I like to be able to hear the progression in the material from early years to the present to see how the group has changed and evolved over time when listening to a hits collection. Unfortunately, this set jumbles up the tracks extensively. "West End Girls" gets sandwiched inbetween "Can You Forgive Her?" and "I Get Along", totally disrupting the perception of the band's evolution. The remix disc simply tends toward the worst. With the exception of an excellent remix of "What Have I Done To Deserve This" by Shep Pettibone and passable remixes of "Before" (by Love To Infinity, though it got credited to Danny Tenaglia) and "Love Comes Quickly" (by Blank & Jones), the rest of this set is pretty dismal. Many of the Boys' remixes in the 1990s were utter tripe, and some of the most annoying ones are the ones that have been selected for us here. In general, I'd say it's mostly worth avoiding this set and just going for the regular edition, though it means missing out on the Blank & Jones mix of "Love Comes Quickly," a mix that is otherwise unreleased.

(originally reviewed by Daniel Aeschliman on November 20, 2004, updated on May 1, 2005)