PET SHOP BOYS - HOME AND DRY

This is the second disc in the "Home And Dry" single release.  This would be the one normally reserved for mixes and additional music.  Oddly enough, there are only three tracks on this disc.  The first is a mix of 'Home And Dry'.  It's an ambient mix.  Normally, I'd find this type of mix a little boring but I think it suits the song well.  I alternate between this mix and the original version depending on my mood.  But I like it enough to be happy it's on this release.

The next two tracks are versions of 'Break 4 Love'.  This is a collaboration between the Pet Shop Boys and Peter Rauhofer.  Rauhofer was a popular DJ and mixer.  He famously mixed music for artists like Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Elton John, Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Cher and Alicia Keys.  The song was originally recorded by techno pop dance band, Raze.

The first cut is an edit of the song while the second is an actual mix.  The song is OK and they do an excellent job interpreting it.  If I had one complaint, it would be the extreme start and stop of the beat throughout the track.  It feels like they're dropping the bottom out and just leaving you hanging.  The song doesn't have enough substance to maintain a flowing narrative one can listen to without a solid beat happening underneath.  Neil does his best with the vocals, but they're just not strong enough to carry the track all the way through.

Sadly enough, they do the same thing on the mix.  They keep dropping the beat out or strip out all rhythm tracks with the exception of the bass drum.  That just creates a dull throb instead of momentum.  Still, it's nice to have these tracks on the single as they don't appear on any of the Pet Shop Boys albums except as bonus tracks on deluxe editions.

Like its counterpart, CD1, this disc comes in a slim case.  My final words:  A NICE COMPANION PIECE TO CD1 WITH AN EXCELLENT MIX AND MORE B-SIDES!

PET SHOP BOYS - HOME AND DRY
01. Home And Dry (Ambient Mix)
02. Break 4 Love (UK Radio Edit)
03. Break 4 Love (Friburn & Urik Hi Pass Mix)