Pet Shop Boys – Smash (The Singles 1985-2020)

Oh no! I got the box with the Made in Germany sticker. An instant return!

What a piece of crap this collection is. I have tried to buy no less than three box sets. Every single one of them were sent back. The streets have no name skipped on every single one I purchased. There appears to be something wrong with the pressing plate. It’s no wonder none of my friends want this.

To my bad luck too, on track B2 of disc 2 Where the Streets Have No Name the needle jumps in a loop in the middle of the song.

So you might think just by reading the reviews that there possibly might be 2 different pressings and I’m here to tell you there are. I haven’t gone through both boxes to see all the differences yet but I can say…
My first box arrived. It had a sticker underneath the shrink directly on the box on the bottom right that says Made In Germany. This copy skipped on two of my technics 1200 mk2s one with a DJ cart and the other with an ortofon blue. Skip was on Where the Streets Have No Name. Ultra sonic cleaned, no apparent marks on the record.
Luckily I ordered from Amazon so I ordered a replacement, judging from the reviews I was certain I’d get another box that had a skip in the same place. But this time I got a box with no Made in Germany sticker. This was a good sign, it was different… then I opened the plastic and I could also tell that the shrink wrap was different as I’d just opened the other one the night before and could remember the first was more elastic plastic and thinner. The new box had harder more brittle shrink and less stretchy, it felt totally different.
I put the record on right at that track and amazingly, NO SKIPS! I feel very fortunate, I was going to grab an old copy of Discography to have to replace that skipping track but it looks like I don’t have to do that.
I’m no audiophile, and have major tinnitus so I’m not a great judge on the sound but it’s ok, nothing spectacular. Anyway… just be warned. Made in Germany sticker on the box is not a good sign.

Sounds fantastic! Was worried about B2 Disc 2(where the street have no name) as others stated there’s a problem. My Copy is fine and sounds amazing! Great box set! 5 Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I have all the albums on vinyl, and I bought this boxset to have on vinyl the songs not included in the albums. To my bad luck, on track B2 of disc 2 Where the Streets Have No Name the needle jumps in a loop in the middle of the song, and you have to lift the needle to the next track.
I have washed the disc several times and the problem is still there.

second box I bought and with the same problem on the same track of disc 2, track B2

I was really looking forward to having all the singles in one collection. The music is great of course, what an incredible body of work this is.
I am however, very disappointed with this physical product. The box set is manufactured on a budget. The sleeves a thin uncoated cardboard and inner sleeves are really thin as well. The LPs are generally flat and reasonably well pressed.
The mastering is what is really disappointing in this set. Like many other owners who reviewed this set here, I found the mastering to be poor. The music has been compressed to within an inch of it's life, making listening very tiring. Many tracks distort due to the brick walled mastering.
I thought maybe it's me, so I played Discography vinyl for comparison, and I couldn't believe that a 30+ year old record could sound so much warmer and pleasant to the ear. Even PopArt vinyl mastering is easier on the ear.
Such a shame. This could have been a perfect Pet Shop Boys singles set to own.

Vinyl is super quiet. Overall sound on the early tracks could be punchier. Packaging is fine. The covers are normal, the paper inner sleeves aren't cheap and flimsy as has been mentioned, they're pretty much the same as any colored inner sleeve you'd get in the '80s (actually a little nicer). No polylined inners but really, you can't expect everything to have them. That's why I buy them separately in bulk. The booklet is nice, has all of the covers to the singles which is what I want.

So here’s the deal - this release is a piece of junk. Packaging is ok, but it’s definitely not first class - record outer jackets look cheap, low res & washed-out. They should have been gloss covers. Inner sleeves are super-thin, but the records can be easily removed, so no risk of scratching the records. Booklet - again, too minimal - yes PSB tend to lean towards minimal designs, but this is just lacklustre. Records are clean and flat, and the vinyl pressings are very quiet. Now the mastering - just awful. Brick-walled to the hilt ! I can only echo other comments here - dull / lifeless, and a poor attempt to make everything sound the same. Bass is boosted at the expense of definition. The 2018 album reissues mastered by Tim Young, are WAY superior to this piss-poor effort. Unless you are a major fan, this is a definitive pass, and a waste of money.

Reference gear:

Luxman 509X
Luxnan EQ500
Technics SL1210GAE
Koetsu Urushi Black MC
Spendor D9.2