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PopArt Music
''PopArt: The Hits'' is a greatest hits album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. It was released on 24 November 2003 by Parlophone. The album consists of Pet Shop Boys' top 20 UK singles along with two new tracks, "Miracles" and "Flamboyant", which were also released as singles. History The most notable exclusion was "Was It Worth It?" (which was included as a brand new song on '' Discography: The Complete Singles Collection)'' because it only peaked at number 24, while "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?" (part of a double A-side with a cover of "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes off You)" by U2 cover) was also omitted. The album reached number 30 in the UK Albums Chart on original release and re-entered the UK charts in 2009 at number 18. It kept on selling steadily, and proved a strong seller in other countries (with its best chart position in Norway, peaking at #2). Pet Shop Boys stated on their website they were happy with sales. The weeken ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pet Shop Boys
The Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of primary vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, and were listed as the most successful duo in UK music history in the 1999 edition of ''The Guinness Book of Records''. Three-time Brit Award winners and six-time Grammy nominees, since 1984 they have achieved 42 top 30 singles, 22 of these being top 10 hits on the UK Singles Chart, including four UK number ones: "West End Girls" (also number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100), "It's a Sin", a synth-pop version of " Always on My Mind", and "Heart". Other hit songs include a cover of " Go West", and their own "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)", and " What Have I Done to Deserve This?" in a duet with Dusty Springfield. With five US top ten singles in the 1980s, they are associated with the Second British Invasion. At the 2009 Brit Awards in London, the Pet Shop Boys recei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind Of Thing
"I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their fifth studio album, '' Very'' (1993). The song describes a person normally hesitant to unwind and show his feelings, who—because of some event in his life—suddenly becomes willing to loosen up. It was released in the United Kingdom on 29 November 1993 as the album's third single, reaching number 13 on the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, where it was released in January 1994, it reached number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Play chart. Critical reception Larry Flick from ''Billboard'' wrote, "PSB's lauded '' Very'' project spawns another club winner as they combine their patented pop/disco electro-grooves with sharp, clever lyrics. The hook is quite memorable, while a plethora of trance-ish remixes is right in the pocket of current dance trends. Lively album version also is a total joy, and deserves more than a just cursory push from EMI's pop promotion de ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Actually
''Actually'' (stylised as ''Pet Shop Boys, actually.'') is the second studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 7 September 1987 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom and by EMI Manhattan in North America. According to Neil Tennant and music historian Wayne Studer, ''Actually'' loosely critiques Thatcherism, the political zeitgeist of the 1980s, and was recorded in anticipation of Margaret Thatcher's re-election. ''Actually'' is featured in the 2005 musical reference book ''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die'', and has been recognised in various other 'must-listen' lists. In 2006, '' Q'' magazine placed the album at number 22 in its list of the "40 Best Albums of the '80s". In 2012, ''Slant Magazine'' listed the album at number 88 on its list of the "Best Albums of the 1980s". In 2020, ''Rolling Stone'' placed it at number 435 on its list of the " 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Release and promotion ''Actually'' was released on 7 September 1987 b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
What Have I Done To Deserve This? (song)
"What Have I Done to Deserve This?" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys and soul singer Dusty Springfield, taken from the duo's second studio album, ''Actually'' (1987). The song was released as the second single from the album on 10 August 1987. A commercial success in both the United Kingdom and United States, the song helped revive Springfield's career and led to a resurgence of interest in her music. Following the single, the Pet Shop Boys wrote and produced the singles "Nothing Has Been Proved" and "In Private" for Springfield, both included on her album ''Reputation'' (1990). Background "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" marked Pet Shop Boys' first major collaboration with another recording artist. The song was originally written and demoed around Christmas 1984 with the assistance of notable American songwriter Allee Willis It was originally intended for use on ''Please'', but the problem was to decide who’d sing the other half of the duet. Various conte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bilingual (album)
''Bilingual'' is the sixth studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released in the United Kingdom on 2 September 1996 by Parlophone and in the United States on 10 September 1996 by Atlantic Records. The album reached number four on the UK Albums Chart, lower than their previous five studio albums which had all reached the top three. It yielded five successful singles, with three of them—"Before", " Se a vida é (That's the Way Life Is)" and " A Red Letter Day"—reaching the UK top 10; the fourth one, the English/Spanish-language composition " Single-Bilingual", peaked within the top 20. Background and recording ''Bilingual'' continues the heavily instrumented arrangements and backing vocals Pet Shop Boys began adding to their music with the album ''Very''. As the title suggests, the songs on the album have worldwide influences, particularly from Latin America. After the release of their ''Very'' album, Pet Shop Boys toured South America and were influenced by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Se A Vida é (That's The Way Life Is)
"Se a vida é (That's the Way Life Is)" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 12 August 1996 as the second single from their sixth studio album, '' Bilingual'' (1996). The single was one of the most widely played records on UK radio in 1996 and stayed on the UK Singles Chart for almost two months peaking at number eight. It also reached the top five in Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary and Spain, and the top 10 in Denmark. Curiously, despite the Portuguese title, it was not a hit in Portugal, nor in the other major Lusophone country, Brazil. In the United States, the single was released on 1 April 1997 by Atlantic Records as a double A-side with "To Step Aside". Thirteen mixes of the track were commissioned and spread over various formats, several of them promotional-only. "To Step Aside" reached number one on '' Billboard''s Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart and number eight on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart. The song is based on "Estrada ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Please (Pet Shop Boys Album)
''Please'' is the debut studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 24 March 1986 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom and by EMI America Records in the United States. According to the duo, the album's title was chosen so that people had to go into a record shop and say "Can I have the Pet Shop Boys album, 'Please'?". ''Please'' spawned four singles: " West End Girls", " Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)", " Suburbia", and "Love Comes Quickly"; "West End Girls" reached number one in both the UK and the US. Background and composition ''Please'' is musically simpler than, but lyrically just as rich as, Pet Shop Boys' later work. The instrumentals are comparable to other techno pop of this period. As with many early PSB albums, the lyrics were considered androgynous. The stories they contain being equally applicable to gay and heterosexual relationships. Tennant, in particular, enjoyed this ambiguity and refused to comment on his own sexuality until ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Very (Pet Shop Boys Album)
''Very'' is the fifth studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 27 September 1993 by Parlophone, nearly three years after the duo's previous studio album, ''Behaviour'', and following the compilation album '' Discography: The Complete Singles Collection''. ''Very'' exhibits one of many turning points the Pet Shop Boys would make to their music, shifting from the subdued electronic pop of ''Behaviour'' to richly instrumented dance arrangements. The content and lyrics led to ''Very'' being called their "coming-out" album, since it was during this time that Neil Tennant had publicly discussed his long-rumoured homosexuality. Background and release The album ''Behaviour'', released in 1990, although critically well-received, was commercially not as successful as their previous releases. In particular, the second single released, "Being Boring", which the duo had considered one of their strongest tracks, did not perform well on the UK charts, peaking at number ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Go West (song)
"Go West" is a song by American disco group Village People, released as the lead single from their fourth studio album of the same name (1979). It was written by Jacques Morali, Henri Belolo and the group's lead singer Victor Willis. The song was successful in the disco scene during the late 1970s. "Go West" found further success when it was covered in 1993 by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. Village People version The song's title is attributed to the 19th-century quote "Go West, young man" commonly attributed to Horace Greeley, a rallying cry for the colonization of the American West, but also an invitation to pursue one's own dreams and individuality. The melody resembles that of the State Anthem of the Soviet Union (and later National anthem of Russia) composed by Alexander Alexandrov. Both the 7″ and 12″ versions of the song were subsequently collected on various greatest hits albums, including a 1997 radio remix which was made in the wake of the success of Pet S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sanctuary Records
Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and is as of 2013 a subsidiary of BMG Rights Management solely for reissues. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest music management company in the world. It was also the world's largest independent owner of music intellectual property rights, with over 160,000 songs. History The company was formed in 1979 by Rod Smallwood and Andy Taylor, who met as undergraduates at Trinity College, Cambridge. In 1979, they discovered Iron Maiden in a London pub and went on to manage the group. They named the record company after the band's song "Sanctuary," which was released as a single in 1980, and later included on American pressings as well as the reissued CD version of their 1980 eponymous debut album. Sanctuary Records has historically signed artists with long-term appeal that have had a long career and steady fan base. Between 1989 and 1991, Sanctuary was c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sire Records
Sire Records (formerly Sire Records Company) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Records. History Beginnings The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases, in 1968, were distributed in the US by London Records. From the beginning, Sire introduced underground, progressive British bands to the American market. Early releases included the Climax Blues Band, Barclay James Harvest, Tomorrow, Matthews Southern Comfort and proto-punks The Deviants. When distribution by London ended after two years, US distribution was handled by various companies: Polydor Records in 1970 and 1971, during which time Sire's famous logo was introduced; by Famous Music from 1972 to 1974, during which time the progressive rock band Focus charted with their 1972 hit " Hocus Pocus"; and by ABC Records, which inherited Sire's distributio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
