Fundamental (2017 Remaster)
Pet Shop Boys
Fundamental is the ninth studio album by Pet Shop Boys, originally released on 22 May 2006 via Parlophone, and reissued as a digitally remastered edition on 28 July 2017 as part of the duo's Catalogue: 1985–2012 reissue series. The album runs 12 tracks at approximately 48 minutes and marks the first collaboration between Neil Tennant, Chris Lowe, and producer Trevor Horn since the 1988 single "Left to My Own Devices," with orchestral arrangements by Anne Dudley lending the record an expansive, cinematic texture. The 2017 remaster is also available as an expanded two-disc edition, Further Listening: 2005–2007, featuring 22 tracks of demos, unreleased songs, and previously unavailable mixes — including a version of "In Private," originally written for Dusty Springfield, performed here as a duet with Elton John — packaged with a Farrow-designed booklet in which Tennant and Lowe discuss each track.
Politically charged and unambiguous in its targets, Fundamental channels the disillusionment of the Blair-era Bush alliance into tightly crafted synth-pop. Tennant's lyrics address surveillance culture on the closing "Integral," the relationship between Blair and Bush on lead single "I'm with Stupid," and a broader atmosphere of paranoia and regret, while the music moves between high-energy club cuts and more sombre orchestral ballads. Standout tracks include the New Order-influenced "Minimal," the biting "The Sodom and Gomorrah Show," and "I Made My Excuses and Left," which Andy Gill of The Independent called the best track on the album, describing Fundamental overall as "a mature and considered work which satisfies head, heart and feet simultaneously." The album peaked at number five on the UK Albums Chart and earned two Grammy nominations at the 2007 Grammy Awards — Best Electronic/Dance Album and Best Dance Recording for "I'm with Stupid."
Fundamental (2017 Remaster)
Pet Shop Boys
Fundamental is the ninth studio album by Pet Shop Boys, originally released on 22 May 2006 via Parlophone, and reissued as a digitally remastered edition on 28 July 2017 as part of the duo's Catalogue: 1985–2012 reissue series. The album runs 12 tracks at approximately 48 minutes and marks the first collaboration between Neil Tennant, Chris Lowe, and producer Trevor Horn since the 1988 single "Left to My Own Devices," with orchestral arrangements by Anne Dudley lending the record an expansive, cinematic texture. The 2017 remaster is also available as an expanded two-disc edition, Further Listening: 2005–2007, featuring 22 tracks of demos, unreleased songs, and previously unavailable mixes — including a version of "In Private," originally written for Dusty Springfield, performed here as a duet with Elton John — packaged with a Farrow-designed booklet in which Tennant and Lowe discuss each track.
Politically charged and unambiguous in its targets, Fundamental channels the disillusionment of the Blair-era Bush alliance into tightly crafted synth-pop. Tennant's lyrics address surveillance culture on the closing "Integral," the relationship between Blair and Bush on lead single "I'm with Stupid," and a broader atmosphere of paranoia and regret, while the music moves between high-energy club cuts and more sombre orchestral ballads. Standout tracks include the New Order-influenced "Minimal," the biting "The Sodom and Gomorrah Show," and "I Made My Excuses and Left," which Andy Gill of The Independent called the best track on the album, describing Fundamental overall as "a mature and considered work which satisfies head, heart and feet simultaneously." The album peaked at number five on the UK Albums Chart and earned two Grammy nominations at the 2007 Grammy Awards — Best Electronic/Dance Album and Best Dance Recording for "I'm with Stupid."