Wow, how was that for a mouthful??? Despite the endless title, this disc holds a prized place in my Wendy & Lisa collection. It's an import, (the song was never released in the US as a single), and it's one of their lesser known achievements. Probably because they didn't write the song. For now, I want to focus on the reason for disc existing in the first place... "Toys" was a complicated, ambitious film that literally imploded on itself because of the scope of the film-makers vision. And I mean imploded because it never sparked that inner child so many of us feel when we watch "Charlie And The Chocolate Factory" or other such films. It just crushes you with sights, sounds and colors. "Toys" was full of wide open empty spaces that engulfed the viewer rather than embraced them. You felt lost and exposed half the time. Robin Williams and Joan Cusack's characters were both too weird to truly love. You could never find a place in your heart for either one of them. Robin Williams was a complicated man. And this role allowed him to complicate his humor in order to complicate this character. I love him in dramatic roles, but this one was confusing. I'm not trying to bash the film because I intend to like it every time I watch it. I want to like it. I want to love it. I respond to the innocence of childhood it tries to invoke. But I never really find that footing in the film. However... The soundtrack is one surprise after another. And this track is the best example. As far as modern Christmas carols go, I think Trevor Horn did an OK job. On its own, the song is a bit disorganized and free flowing to ever find a place in popular Christmas culture. But that's where Wendy & Lisa work their magic best. Under their guidance, the song transforms from a partially developed idea into a virtual masterpiece. The life of the song erupts through their performance and delivery. Wendy's voice is fragile and just delicate enough to sound like an Angel calling to you through the snow. She has that lilting bell quality to draw you in and hold you tightly. Seal's golden bravado steals the show when he steps in and adds yet another dimension to this already layered cake of Christmas caroling and in the background, the famous harmony Wendy & Lisa so naturally achieve, swells like breakers rushing toward the northern shores of Santa's home. And the bells... The bells burst forth - like Christmas morning! - in glory and wonder! But it's not over... If you can get your hands on an extended version of the song, the girls take you on a snippet of jazz rock that's more satisfying and exciting than the actual tune itself. Sadly, even the extended portion fades out leaving you breathless for more. Wondering to yourself... What would've happened next??? What if we could hear the whole song? In that instance, the song achieves what "Toys" the movie fails to deliver. And once again, Wendy & Lisa take a mediocre piece of work from another musician and turn it into gold. There are 3 edits of the song on this single. And my final words are: 3 AREN'T ENOUGH...! THE MUSICAL CAST OF TOYS FEATURING WENDY & LISA - THE CLOSING OF THE YEAR (MAIN THEME FROM TOYS) 01. The Closing Of The Year (Main Theme From Toys) (Edit) 02. The Closing Of The Year (Main Theme From Toys) (Instrumental) 03. The Closing Of The Year (Main Theme From Toys) (Smooth Variation Featuring Wendy & Lisa & Chris Bruce)
There's something to be said for these older Pet Shop Boys singles. Back in the day, they understood the value of providing content for their fans. And they did it for quite some time until they discovered the money making process of releasing multiple singles. One for the title track and the b-side and another for the mixes. Double the money. I personally think it's a horrible way to rake over your fans for more money and I've always respected artists who try to provide value in their releases without resorting to cheap tactics to generate additional income. Granted, this can be more of a record company ploy rather than something the artist is doing. Regardless, I think a band has some control over what their label does. Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails controls the single releases from his albums and I have to believe others have some say as well. When you're wealthy, you don't consider how expensive it can be for your fans to buy what you're releasing.
Ok, now that I've ranted, I'll make my point... This single has everything. It's got mixes of album tracks, b-side and it's all wrapped up in one release. Perfect. This single has great value. The first three tracks are versions of the title track. 'How Can You Expect To Be Taken Seriously?' is a clever tune about how ridiculous famous people can be. How their excessive exploits can destroy their credibility. Interesting subject matter and I suspect it's inspired by someone in particular, but I have no clue who it is. The first track is the album version. The second is a nice mix. It's not as exciting as the original version, but it's enjoyable and easy to listen to. The third is an instrumental version of the song focusing mainly on the piano. It's followed by Trevor Horn's mix of 'It's Alright'. I'm not sure I can hear a major difference between this and the official album release other than the length. I believe this track is an edit. 'We All Feel Better In The Dark' is a b-side and one of the better ones they've done. It features some deep sounds and a rushed vocal by Chris Lowe (one of his few vocal performances) with Neil singing the calming chorus over the top.
The final track is a rather nice mix of 'Being Boring'. So here you have great mixes of album tracks, not just the title song and a b-side to boot. All in all, a well rounded release and by far one of the best the group have done. My final word: VALUE! PET SHOP BOYS - HOW CAN YOU EXPECT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY? 01. How Can You Expect To Be Taken Seriously? (Album Version) 02. How Can You Expect To Be Taken Seriously? (7" Perfect Attitude Mix) 03. How Can You Expect To Be Taken Seriously? (Classical Reprise) 04. It's Alright (Trevor Horn Mix) 05. We All Feel Better In The Dark 06. Being Boring (Marshall Jefferson 12" Mix)
I was living in Switzerland when this disc came out. About the only thing I really knew about the disc was that Wendy & Lisa had worked with him on it. To this day, I'm still not sure to what extent their involvement on the disc was. I can hear them very distinctly on different tracks, but the actual contribution seems mired in mystery. Still, with that in mind, you can understand how excited I was to see this disc take off and be so popular in Europe. It was everywhere. In every store window, on everyone's bookshelf and all over the radio. I heard the tunes everywhere I went. I didn't actually pick the disc up until I was back in the states. But I'm glad I did. It really is a remarkable effort by a new artist.
These days, Seal's old hat. Everyone knows the guy and his appearance has mellowed somewhat. He's not nearly as shocking and you come to realize, he's actually a really nice guy. But even before then, his call to love and vision of world peace recalled the 60s even if his music was more modern and progressive. The three singles from this disc... 'Crazy', 'Killer' and 'Future Love Paradise' were huge hits and seemed to be manufactured specifically for radio airplay. Although it's easy to accept Lisa & Wendy playing on these tracks, their influence is more prominent on 'Deep Water', 'Whirlpool', 'Show Me', 'Wild' and I suspect 'Violet'.
My favorite songs are 'Show Me', 'Whirlpool' and 'Violet'. However, the entire album is an enjoyable mix from start to finish. It's easy to see why Lisa & Wendy wanted to work with him. Well, aside from the mutual association with producer Trevor Horn... This is one of those discs everyone should own. Like the "Star Wars" dvds or Charmen toilet paper. It's the creamy middle of an Oreo cookie. Sit back, twist the chocolate cookie off and enjoy the sweet goodness of tasteful pop. My final words: YUM. SEAL - SEAL 01. The Beginning 02. Deep Water 03. Crazy 04. Killer 05. Whirlpool 06. Future Love Paradise 07. Wild 08. Show Me 09. Violet
