Concrete (Pet Shop Boys album)

2006 live album by Pet Shop Boys

Concrete

Live album by

Pet Shop Boys

Released| 23 October 2006
Recorded| 8 May 2006
Venue| Mermaid Theatre (London)
Length| 86:55
Label| Parlophone
Producer| Trevor Horn
Pet Shop Boys chronology
| Fundamental
(2006)  | Concrete
(2006)  | Disco 4
(2007)

|
|

Concrete is a live album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 23 October 2006[1] as a double CD. It was the duo's first live album.[2] The concert was recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in May 2006, with accompaniment by the BBC Concert Orchestra and special guests including Frances Barber, Rufus Wainwright, and Robbie Williams.[3]

## Background and recording

[edit]

The performance recorded for the album took place at the Mermaid Theatre in London on 8 May 2006, as an exclusive for broadcast on BBC Radio 2's Sold 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's Stuart 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 on BBC 6 Music on 28 August.

The concert was a launch event for the Pet Shop Boys' new studio album, Fundamental, released on 22 May 2006. Trevor Horn, the producer of Fundamental, was the music director for the concert and also produced Concrete.[5]

### Song selection and performance

[edit]

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 from Fundamental, various non-studio album tracks were chosen, including the arrangement of "Rent" from the Liza Minnelli album Results, originally arranged by Angelo Badalamenti; "After All", the portion of the band's Battleship Potemkin soundtrack that accompanies the Odessa Steps sequence from the film (performed with the scene projected on a screen in the background); "Friendly Fire", from the Closer to Heaven musical; and "Nothing Has Been Proved", the theme song from Scandal, 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 Love" from Fundamental. Frances Barber, who had played the lead role in Closer to Heaven, sang "Friendly Fire". On "Jealousy", the earliest song written by Pet Shop Boys, Tennant recited the opening quote from Shakespeare's Othello, and Robbie Williams sang the rest.[6]

Opera singer Sally Bradshaw reprised her vocals from the 1988 hit, "Left to My Own Devices". Other guest musicians included Anne Dudley on piano, Steve Lipson and Phil Palmer on guitar, and Lol Creme and Sylvia Mason-James on backing vocals.[6][8]

## Release

[edit]

Pet Shop Boys agreed to release a live album to pay for the concert.[5] The album was initially announced under the name Concert, but it was changed to Concrete, which was the duo's original preferred title.[9] It debuted at its peak position of 61 on the UK Albums Chart.[10] In the United States, Concrete was released by Astralwerks on 17 May 2011.[11]

## Critical reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [12]
MusicOMH| [7]

In a four-star review for MusicOMH, 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 of Exclaim! 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 on Blogcritics 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 of AllMusic 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]

## Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe except "Numb" by Diane Warren and "It's Alright" by Sterling Void, Marshall Jefferson, and Paris Brightledge.

Disc OneNo.| Title| Original orchestral arrangement| Length

|
|
|

1.| "Left to My Own Devices" (featuring Sally 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 by Rufus Wainwright)| Nick Ingman| 3:40
6.| "After All"| Torsten Rasch| 7:56
7.| "Friendly Fire" (sung by Frances Barber)| Armstrong| 3:57
8.| "Integral"| Ingman| 4:01
Total length:| 41:11

Disc TwoNo.| 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 by Robbie 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

## Personnel

[edit]

Pet Shop Boys

* Neil Tennant
* Chris Lowe

Orchestra

* The BBC Concert Orchestra
* Nick Ingman – conductor

Guest singers

* Rufus Wainwright
* Frances Barber
* Robbie Williams
* Sally Bradshaw

Additional musicians

* Trevor Horn – music director, bass, backing vocals
* Pete Gleadall – programming
* Anne Dudley – piano, keyboards
* Phil Palmer – guitar
* Steve Lipson – guitar
* Paul Robinson – drums
* Lol Creme – backing vocals
* Andy Caine – backing vocals
* Lucinda Barry – backing vocals
* Sylvia Mason-James – backing vocals

Technical personnel

* Trevor Horn – production
* Tim Weidner – engineering, mixing at Sarm Studios
* Rob Orton – engineering, editing
* Rob Smith – pre-production engineering
* Metropolis – mastering
* Ruth Beazley – production for BBC Radio 2
* Paul Long – engineering for BBC Radio 2

Artwork

* Farrow/PSB – design
* John Ross – architectural photography
* Elliott Franks – concert photography

## Chart performance

[edit]

Chart performance for Concrete Chart (2006)  | Peak
position

|

German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[15] | 76
UK Albums (OCC)[16] | 61

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Rufus Wainwright joins the Pet Shop Boys". NME. London. 6 October 2006. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
2. ^ "Pet Shop Boys vuelven a la carga con su primer álbum en directo, "Concrete"" [Pet Shop Boys are back with their first live album, "Concrete"]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Madrid. 29 October 2006. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
3. ^ a b "PSB and BBC Concert Orchestra concert". petshopboys.co.uk. London. 9 May 2006. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
4. ^ "Sold on Song - Pet Shop Boys live in concert: The directors cut". BBC Radio 2. London. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
5. ^ a b Heath, Chris (2017). Fundamental: Further Listening 2005–2007 (booklet). Pet Shop Boys. Parlophone Records. p. 4\. 0190295921170.
6. ^ a b c "Radio 2 Concert". Literally (Pet Shop Boys fanclub magazine). July 2006. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 10 September 2006.
7. ^ a b c Hubbard, Michael (23 October 2006). "Pet Shop Boys - Concrete (Parlophone)". MusicOMH. London. Archived from the original on 14 November 2006. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
8. ^ Pet Shop Boys (2006). Concrete (liner notes). Parlophone. 00946 377460 2 8.
9. ^ "Concert is Concrete". petshopboys.co.uk. London. 20 September 2006. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
10. ^ "Concrete by Pet Shop Boys". Official Charts. London. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
11. ^ "Pet Shop Boys' CDs out May 17". Windy City Times. Chicago. 11 May 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
12. ^ a b Jeffries, David (21 November 2006). "AllMusic Review: Concrete Pet Shop Boys". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
13. ^ Lindsay, Cam (15 February 2007). "Pet Shop Boys Concrete". Exclaim!. Toronto. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
14. ^ Melchor, Michael (23 May 2011). "Music Review: Pet Shop Boys - Concrete and Battleship Potemkin". Blogcritics. Archived from the original on 28 May 2011. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
15. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Pet Shop Boys – Concrete - In Concert at the Mermaid Theatre" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
16. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 June 2025.

## External links

[edit]

* Pet Shop Boys official site All official announcements
* BBC Radio 2 - Sold on Song Concert page, with photos
* "Radio 2 Concert". Literally (Pet Shop Boys fanclub magazine). July 2006. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 10 September 2006.
* Boywatch Fan review

* v
* t
* e

Pet Shop Boys

* Chris Lowe
* Neil Tennant

Studio albums|

* Please
* Actually
* Introspective
* Behaviour
* Very
* Bilingual
* Nightlife
* Release
* Fundamental
* Yes
* Elysium
* Electric
* Super
* Hotspot
* Nonetheless

Compilation albums|

* Discography: The Complete Singles Collection
* Alternative
* Essential
* PopArt: The Hits
* Story: 25 Years of Hits
* Party
* Ultimate
* Format
* Smash: The Singles 1985–2020

Remix albums|

* Disco
* Disco 2
* Disco 3
* Disco 4

Live albums|

* Concrete
* Pandemonium
* Inner Sanctum
* Discovery: Live in Rio 1994

Extended plays|

* Christmas
* Agenda
* Lost

Singles|

* "West End Girls"
* "One More Chance"
* "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)"
* "Love Comes Quickly"
* "Suburbia"
* "Paninaro"
* "It's a Sin"
* "What Have I Done to Deserve This?"
* "Rent"
* "Heart"
* "Always on My Mind"
* "Domino Dancing"
* "Left to My Own Devices"
* "It's Alright"
* "So Hard"
* "Being Boring"
* "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)" / "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?"
* "Jealousy"
* "DJ Culture"
* "Was It Worth It?"
* "Can You Forgive Her?"
* "Go West"
* "I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing"
* "Liberation"
* "Absolutely Fabulous"
* "Yesterday, When I Was Mad"
* "Paninaro '95"
* "Before"
* "Se a vida é (That's the Way Life Is)" / "To Step Aside"
* "Single-Bilingual"
* "A Red Letter Day"
* "Somewhere"
* "I Don't Know What You Want but I Can't Give It Any More"
* "New York City Boy"
* "You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk"
* "Home and Dry"
* "I Get Along"
* "London"
* "Miracles"
* "Flamboyant"
* "I'm with Stupid"
* "Minimal"
* "Numb"
* "Integral"
* "Love Etc."
* "Did You See Me Coming?"
* "Beautiful People"
* "Love Life"
* "Together"
* "Winner"
* "Leaving"
* "Memory of the Future"
* "Axis"
* "Vocal"
* "Love Is a Bourgeois Construct"
* "Thursday"
* "The Pop Kids"
* "Say It to Me"
* "Dreamland"
* "Dancing Star"

Featured singles|

* "Hallo Spaceboy"
* "Break 4 Love"
* "She's Madonna"

Other songs|

* "King's Cross"
* "The Loving Kind"
* "The Night I Fell in Love"
* "I'm Not Scared"
* "In Private"
* "Nothing Has Been Proved"
* "So Sorry, I Said"
* "Don't Drop Bombs"
* "Losing My Mind"

Video albums|

* Cubism

Soundtracks and scores|

* The Crying Game
* Closer to Heaven
* Battleship Potemkin
* The Most Incredible Thing

Film, stage and television|

* It Couldn't Happen Here
* Closer to Heaven
* Pet Shop Boys: A Life in Pop

Tours and concerts|

* Fundamental Tour
* Pandemonium Tour
* Electric Tour
* Super Tour
* Dreamworld: The Greatest Hits Live

Related articles|

* CyberWorld
* Discography
* Songs
* x2
* Reputation
* Results
* Electronic
* Back to Mine: Pet Shop Boys
* West End Girls

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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