If there is one thing the UK excells at doing, that's exporting "camp" to the rest of the world that just might not 'get' it.

It's music is no different.

Depeche Mode has one of the catchiest, super gheyest songs ever, What's Your Name?, from Speak & Spell, and the Pet Shop Boys are incapable of not putting at least one song like The Night I Fell In Love (a hilarious proclamation of lewd, homsexual encounters with none other than Eminem) on their records.



Sure, a Pet Shop Boys vs. Depeche Mode thread might not be as heated
as Morrissey vs. Robert Smith, but certain both bands are simliar enough
to be compared, but different enough to be contrasted.

Depeche Mode courted the post modern crowd with songs like Blasphemous
Rumors, Lilian, etc. while Pet Shop Boys discoed the fuck out with
songs remakes like Try it (I'm in Love With A Married Man), and Go West , a Village People remake.



So who wins and why?


.
[Edited 12/30/09 14:34pm]

I prefer Depeche Mode purely through the brilliance of Violator. That album towers above anything I've heard by Pet Shop Boys (which is admittedly quite little).

Both groups are far too different to declare a "winner." Better comparisons would be DM v. U2 or PSB v Erasure. DM and PSB make music that is distinctly different in style, and both have volumes of great music to stand on.

I will say that psb have shown more "range" in terms of arrangements. But both Martin Gore and Tenant/Lowe have written songs that will stand the test of time.

Pet Shop Boys by a wide margin. Apart from Violator and perhaps Music for the Masses, DM is more a singles band for me. Pet Shop Boys have been making consistently amazing pop records (albums and singles) without pause for 20+ years. Incredible songwriting and production. They also have literally dozens of absolutely killer b-sides.

From a chart perspective they are comparable.

The PSB have had an incredible 44 top 40 hits in the UK, all but a couple making the Top 20. That includes 22 Top 10 hits and 4 #1 singles. All 10 of their studio albums have made at least #7 on the UK album charts. They've also had wide success around the world, and continue to have wildly successful tours.


Depeche Mode... 12 albums, all Top 10s in the UK, with 2 #1 albums. They've had 43 Top 40 hits in the UK, only 1 fewer than the PSB. They've had 14 Top 10s (8 fewer than the PSB) and no #1 singles. DM has 5 top 40 hits in the US, to the PSB's 6.

So I'd say from a chart perspective, PSB might have a slight edge, but very comparable overall. But in my personal opinion, PSB's music is superior - - but I do enjoy both.
[Edited 12/30/09 6:55am]

Are you being serious here? How insulting that you'd even compare the two.

Violator is a wonderful album, but for me it is PSB's by the length of Macdaddy's. There is an intelligence and pathos at play in the best of their work which tugs even at my cold, frozen organ.

And if you don't want that, there is loads of great camp pop singles to dance around with your rent to.

On top of that, Neil is a very decent guy.

I like them too much along with New Order to even think about going there.....

Moonbeam said:

I think the Pet Shop Boy's release is much better than violator


I also think their songs are much better pop songs than Pet Shop Boys. I can't think of anything by Depeche Mode that touches me like 'Home & Dry' or 'Positive Role Model' and I even love the Disco 3 versions of these songs.


Don't get me wrong, I love albums like Speak & Spell, Black Celebration, Violator, and even Ultra---I just think the Pet Shop Boys material edges them out.

Depeche Mode does 'dark' better where Pet Shop Boys do melody better. Albeit I would LOVE to hear the PSB do Blasphemous Rumors and Depeche Mode do a cover of Home & Dry.

Ultimately I think Pink could do an awesome compilation album of covers from both bands--perhaps a triple CD set, and take that shit to a whole new level of perfection.

Imago said:

Glad to see the love for "Release" - one of the PSB's best albums in my opinion. Some incredibly strong work on that album - especially "Home and Dry" and "Birthday Boy.

DM does dark well, but there is something about the PSB's work that rings more true to me. The "Very" album is a great example... it's all gloss and shine on the outside, but scratch under the surface and it tends to be very melancholy, reflecting the time it was recorded at the height of the AIDS epidemic. Same with things like "Being Boring" and "It Couldn't Happen Here." There are many layers to the PSB's music, and casual fans or folks who haven't had the chance to dig into their stuff too deeply sometimes miss it.

I don't like Neil Tennant's voice.

Depeche Mode wins.

I'm gay - and have nothing more to say.

Psb by a few thousand miles. DM were cute pop airheads with some great hooks. Some of those psb songs are like Brecht-Weil

There is so much pain and emotional larceny on this thread. You have NO idea.

As much as I'd like to say I like PSB, I just can't get into them. They have those slew of hits that are recognizable, and fun to listen to, but eh. The rest of it is bland to me. I have a UK friend who just loves everything they do (he's also a huge Prince fan). I have most of their albums via mp3, and I've given them a listen from time to time, but gheezus. I can only take so much.

I was never a huge Depeche Mode fan, but I oddly know more of their songs probably than I do of PSB. Back in the day, they always came across as dreary and moody to me. They were "emo" before it was a word. However, looking at both groups (which are night and day really), I'd have to say that while PSB possibly put out more material, DM seems to have a stronger song writing ability as a group, and a stronger sound.

A million times DM.

being that i consider Dave Gahan's album "Hourglass" one of the greatest albums ever, i'm going to have to give this one to Depeche Mode. their cataloguie is more impressive and perhpas richer (for lack of a better word), to me.
but the Pet Shop Boys definitely deserve their credit as well. love them.

Depeche Mode

DM by a landslide.

So far what I'm sensing from this thread is that the Pet Shop Boys PWN DM.

Am I getting that correct?

Pet Shop Boys are a classic British pop band, one of the best of the last twenty years. Behavior & Very are great albums, not one bad song on them - none of their other albums meet that level imo but every one of them has a handful of tracks that are pure pop bliss.

I personally regard Depeche Mode as the worst commercially successful band of all time. To each their own, but I'd rather listen to anything else.

Both are great. Depeche Mode are better

sextonseven said:

I can only take it in small doses.

Depeche Mode all the way.

What if we threw YAZ, Erasure, and Book of Love into the mix?

Pet Shop Boys ALWAYS

TheVoid said:

Although Yaz only last 2 albums, the production skills of Vince Clarke were THE hardest on those synth classics (IMHO).