Yes (Pet Shop Boys album)

Yes
Studio album by Pet Shop Boys
Released 18 March 2009 (2009-03-18)
Recorded 2008; Abbey Road Studios, London
Genre Synthpop
Length 48:39
Label Parlophone
Producer Brian Higgins, Xenomania
Pet Shop Boys chronology
Disco 4
(2007)		 Yes
(2009)		 Party
(2009)
Pet Shop Boys studio album chronology
Fundamental
(2006)		 Yes
(2009)		 Elysium
(2012)
Singles from Yes
  1. "Love etc."
    Released: 16 March 2009
  2. "Did You See Me Coming?"
    Released: 1 June 2009
  3. "Beautiful People"
    Released: 2 October 2009
  4. "All Over the World"
    Released: 14 December 2009
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic71/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
Robert Christgau[3]
Drowned in Sound5/10[4]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[5]
The Guardian[6]
The Independent[7]
NME8/10[8]
PopMatters7/10[9]
Rolling Stone[10]
Spin8/10[11]

Yes is the tenth studio album by English synthpop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 18 March 2009 by Parlophone. The album was recorded throughout 2008 and is produced by Brian Higgins and his production team Xenomania.[12] Xenomania also co-wrote three of the tracks. Guitarist Johnny Marr and string arranger Owen Pallett appear as well.[13] "Love etc." was released on 16 March 2009 as the album's lead single.[12]

Background and release

Yes debuted at number four on the UK Albums Chart on sales of 27,639 copies, the duo's highest-placing album since Bilingual (1996).[14] Early sales figures predicted that the album would enter at number one,[15] but its release was beset by distribution problems and Yes proved unable to hold onto its midweek position. The download version erroneously went on sale through iTunes three days before its official release date, rendering 2,500 sales ineligible for the chart, while, the following week, a number of suppliers of the physical album reported stock level problems.[16] The album was hit by a minor manufacturing error as well: some booklets included with initial copies of the Yes etc. double CD set were stapled in the wrong order. EMI set up a website for anyone affected by this to claim a new booklet.[17]

The album was released in multiple formats, including a digital version that included a 48-minute track-by-track commentary on the album, and an 11-disc vinyl version limited to 300 copies, with each disc containing a different album track on the first side and a corresponding instrumental version on the second.[18] The double CD edition of the album incorporated a bonus disc titled Etc., which featured mostly instrumental dub mixes of six album tracks, as well as a new song called "This Used to Be the Future", to which Philip Oakey of The Human League contributed some vocals. A standard, single-disc vinyl LP was also issued, but did not coincide with the international CD and download release.

Yes spawned three further singles. On 1 June 2009, "Did You See Me Coming?" was released worldwide on a number of physical and digital formats, backed with three new B-sides.[12] A limited German-only "Beautiful People" CD and download followed in October. The five-track Christmas, Pet Shop Boys' first EP release (listed under "Singles" on their official website),[19] was released on 14 December 2009, with "All Over the World" acting as the principal radio promo and gaining a music video.

The album was nominated for Best Electronic/Dance Album at the 2010 Grammy Awards.

Yes was supported by a comprehensive world tour that stretched across 2009–2012. A recording of the tour made in London in December 2009 was released in a CD/DVD package on 15 February 2010 as Pandemonium.

Album cover

The album sleeve was designed by Mark Farrow and Pet Shop Boys. The tick on the cover is made up of eleven coloured squares.[20] It was inspired by German artist Gerhard Richter (who is referenced in the album's opening track, "Love etc."), specifically his 4900 exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery and the stained glass window in Cologne Cathedral.[21]

The album's cover was nominated in the 2010 Brit Insurance Design Awards shortlist in the Graphics category.[22]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, except where noted. 

No. Title Length
1. "Love etc." (Tennant, Lowe, Brian Higgins, Miranda Cooper, Tim Powell, Owen Parker) 3:32
2. "All Over the World" (Tennant, Lowe, with an uncredited sample by Tchaikovsky) 3:51
3. "Beautiful People"   3:42
4. "Did You See Me Coming?"   3:41
5. "Vulnerable"   4:47
6. "More Than a Dream" (Tennant, Lowe, Cooper, Higgins, Jason Resch, Kieran Jones) 4:57
7. "Building a Wall"   3:50
8. "King of Rome"   5:31
9. "Pandemonium"   3:43
10. "The Way It Used to Be" (Tennant, Lowe, Cooper, Higgins, Nick Coler) 4:44
11. "Legacy"   6:21

Personnel

Credits for Yes adapted from album liner notes.[25]

Pet Shop Boys
Additional

  • Angela Becker – management
  • Dick Beetham – mastering
  • Andy Brown – brass arrangement and conduction (2); London Metropolitan Orchestra conduction (3, 11)
  • Nick Coler – keyboards, programming (3–5, 7, 9–11); guitar (3, 4, 10)
  • Sacha Collisson – keyboards, programming (1, 6); guitar (6, 10)
  • Miranda Cooper – backing vocals (6)
  • Andy Dudman – London Metropolitan Orchestra engineer (2, 3, 11)
  • Fred Falke – keyboards, programming (1, 5)
  • Farrow – art direction, design
  • Alex Gardner – backing vocals (3, 6)
  • Pete Gleadall – keyboards, programming (3–5, 7–9, 11, "This Used to Be the Future")
  • Matt Gray – keyboards, programming (1–3, 6–8, 10, 11)
  • Steve Hamilton – brass (8, 9)
  • Brian Higgins – producer (all tracks); keyboards, programming (1, 2, 4, 5); backing vocals (6)
  • Kieran Jones – keyboards, programming (3, 6–8, 10, 11); guitar (3, 6)
  • Mike Kearsey – brass (8, 9)
  • London Metropolitan Orchestra – brass (2)
  • Jessie Malakouti – backing vocals (3)
  • Johnny Marr – guitar (3, 4, 7, 9); harmonica (3, 9)
  • Alasdair McLellan – photography
  • Philip Oakey – guest vocals ("This Used to Be the Future")
  • Owen Pallett – orchestral arrangement (3, 11)
  • Owen Parker – keyboards, programming (1–3, 9, 10); guitar (1, 3, 4, 9); backing vocals (3)
  • Mark Parnell – drums (9)
  • Tim Powell – keyboards, programming (all tracks); backing vocals (3, 6)
  • Jason Resch – keyboards, programming (3, 6–8, 10, 11); guitar (3, 6–10)
  • Toby Scott – keyboards, programming (10)
  • Cathy Thompson – London Metropolitan Orchestra leader (3, 11)
  • Jeremy Wheatley – mixing
  • Carla Marie Williams – backing vocals (3); guest vocals (10)
  • Xenomania – producers (all tracks); backing vocals (1, 9)

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2009) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[26] 32
Austrian Albums Chart[27] 5
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[28] 69
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[29] 49
Croatian Albums Chart[30] 16
Czech Albums Chart[31] 6
Danish Albums Chart[32] 9
Dutch Albums Chart[33] 34
European Top 100 Albums[34] 3
Finnish Albums Chart[35] 28
French Albums Chart[36] 64
German Albums Chart[37] 3
Greek Foreign Albums Chart[38] 3
Hungarian Albums Chart[39] 24
Irish Albums Chart[40] 34
Italian Albums Chart[41] 40
Japanese Albums Chart[42] 32
Mexican Albums Chart[43] 40
Norwegian Albums Chart[44] 16
Spanish Albums Chart[45] 10
Swedish Albums Chart[46] 12
Swiss Albums Chart[47] 7
UK Albums Chart[48] 4
US Billboard 200[49] 32
US Dance/Electronic Albums[49] 3

Year-end charts

Chart (2009) Position
German Albums Chart[50] 65
US Dance/Electronic Albums[51] 21

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Germany (BVMI)[52] Gold 100,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[53] Silver 60,000

^shipments figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region Date Label Format
Japan[23] 18 March 2009 EMI CD, digital download, 2CD
Australia[54] 20 March 2009 CD, digital download
Germany[55] CD, digital download, 2CD
Italy[56]
France[57] 23 March 2009 CD, digital download
United Kingdom[12] Parlophone CD, digital download, 2CD
United States[58] 21 April 2009 Astralwerks
Germany[59] 24 April 2009 EMI LP
United Kingdom[60] 11 May 2009 Parlophone

References

  1. ↑ "Yes – Pet Shop Boys". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  2. ↑ Allmusic review
  3. ↑ Robert Christgau review
  4. ↑ Drowned in Sound review
  5. ↑ Entertainment Weekly
  6. ↑ The Guardian review
  7. ↑ The Independent review
  8. ↑ NME review
  9. ↑ PopMatters review
  10. ↑ Rolling Stone review at the Wayback Machine (archived April 15, 2009)
  11. ↑ Spin review
  12. 1 2 3 4 ""Yes" is released". petshopboys.co.uk. 24 March 2009. Retrieved 26 July 2009.
  13. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys announce Johnny Marr-featuring album". NME. IPC Media. 12 January 2009. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
  14. ↑ Jones, Alan (30 March 2012). "Yes men lose out on the top spot". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  15. ↑ Williams, Paul (24 March 2009). "Pet Shop Boys eye first chart topper since 1993". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 26 July 2009.
  16. ↑ "Album sales aren't right, Pet". The Sun. News Group Newspapers. 25 March 2009. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
  17. ↑ "Please fill out your details to receive your corrected Yes, Special Edition album booklet.". Google Docs. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
  18. ↑ "nice package". The Rewind. Direct Holdings Americas. 31 March 2009. Retrieved 1 April 2009.
  19. ↑ http://www.petshopboys.co.uk/product/singles/christmas
  20. ↑ "Yes, Pet Shop Boys by Mark Farrow". Design Indaba. 3 September 2009. Retrieved 29 May 2010.
  21. ↑ Ash (13 April 2009). "Pet Shop Boys: Yes". Sleevage. Retrieved 29 May 2010.
  22. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys and Bjork album covers nominated in 2010 Design Awards". NME. IPC Media. 18 January 2010. Retrieved 29 May 2010.
  23. 1 2 イエス [Yes] (in Japanese). EMI Music Japan. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  24. ↑ "Yes by Pet Shop Boys". iTunes Store UK. Apple Inc. Retrieved 26 July 2009.
  25. ↑ Yes (CD liner notes). Pet Shop Boys. Parlophone. 2009. 6953472.
  26. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys – Yes". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  27. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys – Yes" (in German). austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  28. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys – Yes" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  29. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys – Yes" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  30. ↑ "Top Kombiniranih – Tjedan 14. 2009." (in Croatian). Hrvatska Diskografska Udruga. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
  31. ↑ "TOP50 Prodejní: PET SHOP BOYS – Yes" (in Czech). IFPI Czech Republic. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  32. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys – Yes". danishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  33. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys – Yes" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  34. ↑ "Hits of the World". Billboard 121 (14): 46. 11 April 2009. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  35. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys – Yes". finnishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  36. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys – Yes" (in French). lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  37. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys: Yes Special Edition" (in German). Musicline.de. PHONONET GmbH. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  38. ↑ "Top 50 Ξένων Aλμπουμ – Εβδομάδα 16/2009" [Top 50 Foreign Albums – Week 16/2009] (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on 8 May 2009. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
  39. ↑ "Top 40 album- és válogatáslemez-lista – 2009. 13. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
  40. ↑ "Top 75 Artist Album, Week Ending 26 March 2009". Chart-Track. Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  41. ↑ "Artisti – Classifica settimanale dal 20/03/2009 al 26/03/2009" (in Italian). Federation of the Italian Music Industry. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  42. ↑ ペット・ショップ・ボーイズのアルバム売り上げランキング [Pet Shop Boys album sales ranking] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  43. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys – Yes". mexicancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  44. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys – Yes". norwegiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  45. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys – Yes". Productores de Música de España. Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  46. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys – Yes". swedishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  47. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys – Yes". swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 July 2009.
  48. ↑ "The Official Charts Company – Yes by Pet Shop Boys Search". The Official Charts Company. 6 May 2013.
  49. 1 2 "Yes – Pet Shop Boys". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  50. ↑ "VIVA Album Jahrescharts 2009" (in German). VIVA. Viacom International Media Networks. 20 January 2011. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  51. ↑ "Dance/Electronic Albums – 2009 Year End Charts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  52. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Pet Shop Boys; 'Yes')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
  53. ↑ "British album certifications – Pet Shop Boys – Yes". British Phonographic Industry. 17 April 2009. Retrieved 10 April 2016. Enter Yes in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search
  54. ↑ "YES – Pet Shop Boys". JB Hi-Fi. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  55. ↑ "PET SHOP BOYS // Yes" (in German). EMI Music Germany. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  56. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys – Yes" (in Italian). Internet Bookshop Italia. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  57. ↑ "Yes : Pet Shop Boys" (in French). Fnac. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  58. ↑ "Yes: Pet Shop Boys". Amazon.com. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  59. ↑ "PET SHOP BOYS // Yes (LP-Vinyl)" (in German). EMI Music Germany. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  60. ↑ "Pet Shop Boys – Yes". esounds. EMI Music UK and Ireland. Retrieved 26 July 2009.

External links

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