Yes (Pet Shop Boys album)

Yes is the tenth studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. It was released on 18 March 2009 by Parlophone. The album was recorded throughout 2008 and was produced by Brian Higgins and his production team Xenomania.[13] Xenomania also co-wrote three of the tracks. Guitarist Johnny Marr and string arranger Owen Pallett appear as well.[14] "Love Etc." was released on 16 March 2009 as the album's lead single.[13]

Yes
Studio album by
Pet Shop Boys
Released18 March 2009 (2009-03-18)
Recorded2008
StudioAbbey Road, London
GenreSynth-pop
Length48:39
LabelParlophone
Producer
Pet Shop Boys chronology
Story: 25 Years of Hits
(2009)		 Yes
(2009)		 Party
(2009)
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
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?6.5/10[1]
Metacritic71/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Robert Christgau[4]
musicOMH[5]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[6]
The Guardian[7]
The Independent[8]
NME8/10[9]
PopMatters7/10[10]
Rolling Stone[11]
Spin8/10[12]

Background and release

Yes debuted at number four on the UK Albums Chart with first-week sales of 27,639 copies, the duo's highest-placing album since Bilingual (1996).[15] Early sales figures predicted that the album would enter at number one,[16] 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 the iTunes Store 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.[17]

The closing track "Legacy" was subject to censorship in China for political sensitivity reasons, as it contains the lyric "governments fall". The song was changed to an instrumental.[18]

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.[19] 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", which features guest vocals by Philip Oakey of The Human League. 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.[13] A limited German-only "Beautiful People" CD and download followed in October. The five-track Christmas, Pet Shop Boys' first EP release,[20] 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.

Yes was re-released on 20 October 2017 (along with Elysium) as Yes/Further Listening 2008-2010. This reissue was digitally remastered and contained two bonus discs of B-sides, demos, remixes and rarities from the era.

Artwork

The album sleeve was designed by Mark Farrow and Pet Shop Boys. The tick on the cover consists of 11 coloured squares, each one representing a track.[21] 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.[22]

The album's cover was nominated in the 2010 Brit Insurance Design Awards shortlist in the Graphics category.[23]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Love Etc."
3:32
2."All Over the World" 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
Japanese edition bonus track[24]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Love Etc." (Pet Shop Boys Sex Mix)
  • Tennant
  • Lowe
  • Higgins
  • Cooper
  • Powell
  • Parker
6:18
iTunes Store bonus tracks[25]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Love Etc." (Pet Shop Boys Dub)
  • Tennant
  • Lowe
  • Higgins
  • Cooper
  • Powell
  • Parker
6:18
13."Yes" (track by track commentary by Neil & Chris) 48:40
Special edition bonus disc: Etc.[26]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."This Used to Be the Future" (featuring Philip Oakey) 5:14
2."More Than a Dream" (Magical Dub)
  • Tennant
  • Lowe
  • Cooper
  • Higgins
  • Resch
  • Jones
6:10
3."Pandemonium" (The Stars and the Sun Dub) 5:50
4."The Way It Used to Be" (Left of Love Dub)
  • Tennant
  • Lowe
  • Cooper
  • Higgins
  • Coler
5:16
5."All Over the World" (This Is a Dub) 5:21
6."Vulnerable" (Public Eye Dub) 5:17
7."Love Etc." (Beautiful Dub)
  • Tennant
  • Lowe
  • Higgins
  • Cooper
  • Powell
  • Parker
6:24
Total length:39:32

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Yes.[27]

Pet Shop Boys

  • Neil Tennant – lead vocals (all tracks); keyboards, programming (tracks 3–5, 7–11)
  • Chris Lowe – keyboards, programming (all tracks)

Additional musicians

  • Tim Powell – keyboards, programming (all tracks); backing vocals (tracks 3, 6)
  • Fred Falke – keyboards, programming (tracks 1, 5)
  • Matt Gray – keyboards, programming (tracks 1–3, 6–8, 10, 11)
  • Brian Higgins – keyboards, programming (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5); backing vocals (track 6)
  • Owen Parker – keyboards, programming (tracks 1–3, 9, 10); guitar (tracks 1, 3, 4, 9); backing vocals (track 3)
  • Sacha Collisson – keyboards, programming (tracks 1, 6); guitar (tracks 6, 10)
  • Xenomania – backing vocals (tracks 1, 9)
  • Andy Brown – brass arrangement, brass conducting (track 2); London Metropolitan Orchestra conducting (tracks 3, 11)
  • London Metropolitan Orchestra – brass (track 2)
  • Pete Gleadall – keyboards, programming (tracks 3–5, 7–9, 11)
  • Kieran Jones – keyboards, programming (tracks 3, 6–8, 10, 11); guitar (tracks 3, 6)
  • Nick Coler – keyboards, programming (tracks 3–5, 7, 9–11); guitar (tracks 3, 4, 10)
  • Jason Resch – keyboards, programming (tracks 3, 6–8, 10, 11); guitar (tracks 3, 6–10)
  • Johnny Marr – guitar (tracks 3, 4, 7, 9); harmonica (tracks 3, 9)
  • Carla Marie Williams – backing vocals (track 3); guest vocals (track 10)
  • Jessie Malakouti – backing vocals (track 3)
  • Alex Gardner – backing vocals (tracks 3, 6)
  • Owen Pallett – orchestral arrangement (tracks 3, 11)
  • Cathy Thompson – London Metropolitan Orchestra leader (tracks 3, 11)
  • Miranda Cooper – backing vocals (track 6)
  • Mike Kearsey – brass (tracks 8, 9)
  • Steve Hamilton – brass (tracks 8, 9)
  • Mark Parnell – drums (track 9)
  • Toby Scott – keyboards, programming (track 10)

Technical

  • Brian Higgins – production
  • Xenomania – production
  • Jeremy Wheatley – mixing
  • Andy Dudman – London Metropolitan Orchestra recording (tracks 2, 3, 11)
  • Dick Beetham – mastering

Artwork

  • Farrow – design, art direction
  • Pet Shop Boys – design, art direction
  • Alasdair McLellan – photography

Etc. bonus disc

Credits adapted from the liner notes of the special edition of Yes.[28]

Charts

Certifications and sales
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Germany (BVMI)[57] Gold 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[58] Silver 60,000^
United States — 49,000[59]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Japan 18 March 2009
EMI [24]
Australia 20 March 2009
  • CD
  • digital download
 [60]
Germany
  • CD
  • 2-CD
  • digital download
 [61]
Italy [62]
France 23 March 2009
  • CD
  • digital download
 [63]
United Kingdom
  • CD
  • 2-CD
  • digital download
 Parlophone [13]
United States 21 April 2009 Astralwerks [64]
Germany 24 April 2009 LP EMI [65]
United Kingdom 11 May 2009 Parlophone [66]

References
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  5. musicOMH review
  6. Entertainment Weekly
  7. The Guardian review
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  10. PopMatters review
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  12. Spin review
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