Peter Hook pilferage for the new Pet Shop Boys album...

About three quarters of the way through "Minimal" on the new Pet Shop Boys' album I heard the beautiful and distinctive heavily chorused bass of Peter Hook.

I thought wow... kind of a cool spill over that Bernard did Electronic with Neil Tennant and now Peter Hook is helping out the Petshop Boys...

But replayed the section twice because I liked it so much but when I searched the liner notes I found out it's not actually Hooky. Producer Trever Horn is playing bass on the track.

I know imitation is the most sincere form of flattery but this almost amounts to forgery...

Although it does make me think that perhaps Trevor Horn might not be a bad producer for dance related New Order tracks since he obviously likes their sound...

Anyone else heard the track and the bassline?

I can live with Tatu long as he's not responsible for Mitsu...

I actually thought he did a brilliant job on ABC's The Lexicon of Love and his work on the new Pet Shop Boys album is excellent as well...

I just looked at the man's credits and he really has worked with everyone... Simple Minds, Propaganda, Seal, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Tina Turner, Rod Stewart, Paul McCarney, Marc Almond and he produced Yes's "Owner of a Loney Heart" and co-founded Art of Noise as you mentioned...

It do would be interesting to see what he'd do with a new NO track as he did a great job of bringing the Pet Shop Boys back to their roots with this new album while still having it feel contemporary...

i didnt realise Horn produced the new album but that makes sense.It does sound like Hooky on Minimal but you hear that everywhere these days

Spotnick wrote: Each time I hear Trevor Horn, I hear "Video killed the radio star" in my head

Not sure.. after all the guy is reponsible for Tatu... ;)

One thing though, I read Trevor Horn was also behind The Art of Noise, here's your link to New Order since Ann Dudley were "part" of Electronic for GAWI.. and I finally managed to find who's Paul Morley

Has trevor really got the horn ? I mean buggles indeedy!

Top gadji tho,did some good tunes in them days!

Yeah I like the "Hooky monster" bass on MINIMAL.Also on the limited CD FUNDAMENTALISM,there's a remix of Sodom & Gomorrah Show just called SODOM which has got a lot of Blue Monday samples.

Spotnick wrote: Each time I hear Trevor Horn, I hear "Video killed the radio star" in my head

Not sure.. after all the guy is reponsible for Tatu... ;)

One thing though, I read Trevor Horn was also behind The Art of Noise, here's your link to New Order since Ann Dudley were "part" of Electronic for GAWI.. and I finally managed to find who's Paul Morley

Morley was technically a member of Art of Noise back in the day. he is now a REAL (ish) member, doing some live rantrapping and filling in for John Hurt on the tracks off "The Seduction of Claude Debussy" at gigs.

It's ODD, ZTT was my first "label of love", and all the bands had SUCH a cohesive thread through them with the Horn/Lipson/Jeczalik/Dudely team doing all the clevers for everyone. (trivia point...."The Look of Love" by ABC was originall meant to have a middle 8 featuring a solo using specially recorded tennis samples, which later ended up being all over "who's afraid of AON" (thirty fifteen, quiet please, and numerous grunts and balls strikes) )

Oh and Hannet really coveted Trev's Fairlights...which is the only thing I have in common with Hannet :D

I must listen to this track some time, because if I try and imagine it, I just hear Trevor making wrrgggg wrrggg chorussy noises on a fretless or wire-fretted bass.

Funky bugger he is too i might add.

Later I fell in Love with Factory through NO, and the cohesive element (aside from many of the bands trying(?) to sound like NO at times), was just the abject madness of the whole label. Warped my brain it did, I tell you it's all their fault!!!

Aye, the eighties -- Factory ,4AD and ZTT

Never really got into Rough Trade

Kerry Harris wrote: I just looked at the man's credits and he really has worked with everyone... Simple Minds, Propaganda, Seal, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Tina Turner, Rod Stewart, Paul McCarney, Marc Almond and he produced Yes's "Owner of a Loney Heart" and co-founded Art of Noise as you mentioned...

Fucking hell, that really is everybody isn't it - it's like you've listed my record collection - not.

They also had a go at being "Hooky" way back on 'Shopping' in 1987. The Futher Listening booklet has this quote from Tennant:

"The keyboard which sounds like a guitar is a tribute to Hooky from New Order."

Not the most convincing Hooky emulation, but it does sound similar to his efforts in 'A Perfect Kiss' a bit.

Interestingly, in their current live sets, PSB are segueing 'Minimal' into 'Shopping'. Probably because of the "spelling" style choruses: "M I N I M A L, minimal"/"We're S H O P P I N G, we're shopping". I think a screen behind 'em on stage spells all the letters out as they sing it. An idea so simple, it can't not be genius of some form.

Going to be seing PSB at Isle of Wight Bestival in September, then New Order at Wembley in October. Should be a good end of summer/beginning of autumn!

Andy

On a related note, I hope Trevor's wife (Jill - boss of ZTT) recovers from the shooting accident last week...

Never even heard of it. yeah, let's hope she gets better.

Yep, I've heard the aformentioned track, and yes I was amazed at the similarities. Minimal is the best track on their current album.

The PSBs have been long term admirers of all things NO so, having discovered guitars in recent years it should come as no surprise that they've finally got round to stealing the Hookster's sound.

Kerry Harris wrote:

Although it does make me think that perhaps Trevor Horn might not be a bad producer for dance related New Order tracks since he obviously likes their sound...

Anyone else heard the track and the bassline?

For Trevor Horn read Stephen Hague. They're the same guy aren't they?!

Mr Discography wrote:

Interestingly, in their current live sets, PSB are segueing 'Minimal' into 'Shopping'. Probably because of the "spelling" style choruses: "M I N I M A L, minimal"/"We're S H O P P I N G, we're shopping". I think a screen behind 'em on stage spells all the letters out as they sing it. An idea so simple, it can't not be genius of some form.

true, the first people who thought of it probably were....

trevor horn, from what I remember,is responible for the long dance version of frankie's RELAX....a true classic, up there with Blue Monday as far a pure sound goes

[black]I've noticed it and I've really appreciated[/black]

I know it's not Peter Hook playing on the song, but I read on a Japanese PSB/NO website that PSB deliberately wanted the song to sound NO-ish, hence, they put the bass sound in there. "Minimal" is one of my favourite songs off the album, though.