FFWD Weekly
Copyright © 1998 All Rights Reserved.
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| CD REVIEW VARIOUS ARTISTS · Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant's collection of Noël Coward songs performed by the likes of Paul McCartney, Michael Nyman, Marianne Faithfull, Bryan Ferry, Sting and Elton John. · Proceeds from the album to be donated to the Red Hot AIDS Charitable Trust. Noël Coward would have loved the script for this gathering. Set in a tasteful, modern British home, the guest list is a delightful mess of establishment and underground. The host, Neil Tennant, whose Pet Shop Boys perform a dreamy "Sail Away," is prepared to celebrate the songs of one of the century's wittiest. A knight, Sir Paul McCartney, coos his best honey pie ("A Room With A View"), while the timid young newcomer to the scene, Shola Ama, finds security with an old hat in the corner, Craig Armstrong ("Someday I'll Find You"). The suave playboy floats through the room (Bryan Ferry's "I'll See You Again"), while the sultry chanteuse stares him down (Marianne Faithfull's "Mad About The Boy"). And when there's a lull - where is that monkey? - Space liven things up with a bouncy rendition of "Mad Dogs and Englishmen." However, like any party this diverse, this risqué, there are some problem guests. The Divine Comedy - oh so underground - get caught up with being something they're not (if only they'd relax). Sting was found sleeping in the corner ("I'll Follow My Secret Heart") and Elton John showed up - who invited him? The sun rises, the guests trip out the door, the monkey is nowhere to be seen. Wasn't that a marvelous party? 4/5 |
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