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Alternative (album)
''Alternative'' is a compilation album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. It was released on 7 August 1995 by Parlophone. ''Alternative'' is a two-disc set, consisting of 30 B-sides in chronological order. The title ''Alternative'' was a last-minute change from the title that had been long saved for such an album, ''Besides'', but that title was taken by American rock band Sugar, who released their own B-sides compilation two months prior. A remake of the original 7-inch "Paninaro", titled "Paninaro '95", was released as a single (which was included on the later '' PopArt: The Hits'' set) to promote the two-disc compilation which reached number two in the UK Albums Chart. The cover of ''Alternative'' features photographs of Tennant and Lowe in fencing masks. The first copies of the CD have a lenticular image on the cover which shifts between the two photographs. Neil Tennant revealed in a radio interview with Absolute Radio that a second B-side album may be released in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 100 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''. Pet Shop Boys have achieved 42 top 30 singles, including 22 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, ''Billboard'' Hot 100), "It's a Sin", a synth-pop version of "Always on My Mind#Pet Shop Boys version, Always on My Mind", and "Heart (Pet Shop Boys song), Heart". Other hit songs include a cover of "Go West (song)#Pet Shop Boys version, Go West", and their own "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)", and "What Have I Done to Deserve This? (song), What Have I Done to Deserve This?" in a duet with Dusty Springfield. With five US top 10 singles in the 1980s, they are associated with the S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neil Tennant
Neil Francis Tennant (born 10 July 1954) is an English singer, songwriter and music journalist, and co-founder of the synth-pop duo the Pet Shop Boys, which he formed with Chris Lowe in 1981. He was a journalist for '' Smash Hits'', and assistant editor for the magazine in the mid-1980s. Tennant coined the phrase imperial phase to describe the period in which a musical artist is regarded to be at their commercial and creative peak simultaneously. This observation was initially self-referential, made as the Pet Shop Boys had achieved commercial success with four British number one hits (" West End Girls", " It's a Sin", "Heart", and "Always on My Mind"), had received critical praise for their first three albums and had expanded their creative horizons through innovative collaborations in the visual and performing arts. Biography Early life Neil Francis Tennant was born in the town of North Shields, approximately 8 miles east of Newcastle upon Tyne, to William W. Tennant (1923� ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rent (song)
"Rent" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their second studio album, ''Actually'' (1987). It was released as the album's third single on 12 October 1987. Background and recording "Rent" was written in 1984. The song is about a transactional relationship between two people. According to lyricist Neil Tennant, the title was chosen for its association with rent boys with the intention of being provocative, but the story he envisioned for the song was about a mistress of a powerful man. The original inspiration for the music was the Italo disco song "I Like Chopin" by Gazebo (musician), Gazebo. According to Chris Lowe, an earlier version of "Rent" was a Hi-NRG track, which they recorded with Bobby Orlando. For the album version, producer Julian Mendelsohn decided that they already had enough uptempo songs for ''Actually'', so keyboard programming (music), programmer Andy Richards reduced the tempo by half. Release "Rent" was remixed in a shortened version by p ... [...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 North America, 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 inclusion on '' Please'', but the problem was to decide who would sing the other half of the due ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Helena Springs
Helena Lisandrello, known professionally as Helena Springs (born 1961), is an American singer. The singer was first a backup vocalist for Bob Dylan, starting in 1978 aged 17, and co-wrote 19 songs with him, more than any of his other collaborators. She was a vocalist for Dylan's 1978 World Tour, and the following year on his Gospel Tour. Springs appeared on his albums '' Street-Legal'' (1978), ''Bob Dylan at Budokan'' (1978), and '' Slow Train Coming'' (1979), as well as the compilation '' The Bootleg Series Vol. 13: Trouble No More 1979–1981'' (2017). She stopped working with Dylan in either late 1979 or early 1980. As a solo artist signed to Arista Records, Springs released the albums ''Helena'' in 1986 and ''New Love'' in 1987, and several singles. She has been a backup singer for other artists, including David Bowie and Mick Jagger, Bette Midler, Pet Shop Boys, and Elton John. Springs later worked in cabaret, and launched a line of toy dolls. She had personal relations ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
It's A Sin
"It's a Sin" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their second studio album, '' Actually'' (1987). Written by Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant, the song was released on 15 June 1987 as the album's lead single. It became the duo's second number-one single on the UK Singles Chart, spending three weeks atop the chart. Additionally, the single topped the charts in Austria, Denmark, Finland, West Germany, Ireland, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Zimbabwe, while reaching number nine on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It remains one of Pet Shop Boys' most popular songs with 40 million streams in the UK. Background "It's a Sin" was written in 1982 at Ray Roberts' studio in Camden, where Lowe and Tennant worked on songs in their early years. Their original demo was one of the songs Tennant brought to his meeting with New York record producer Bobby Orlando. Pet Shop Boys made another demo with Orlando in 1984, but it was never released. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Suburbia (song)
"Suburbia" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their debut album, '' Please'' (1986). It was re-recorded with producer Julian Mendelsohn for release as the fourth single from the album. Peaking at number eight on the UK Singles Chart, "Suburbia" was the band's second top 10 hit after "West End Girls", and in their view it saved them from becoming a one-hit wonder. Background and recording The song's primary inspiration was the 1983 Penelope Spheeris film ''Suburbia'', and its depiction of violence and squalor in the suburbs of Los Angeles. The recent events of the Brixton riots of 1981 and of 1985 were another influence. The lyrics convey the boredom of suburbia ("I only wanted something else to do but hang around") and the underlying tension among disaffected youth. The music is punctuated by sounds of suburban violence, riots, and smashing glass, along with barking dogs—a motif derived from scenes in Spheeris's film. "Suburbia" was written in 1985 at T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paninaro (song)
"Paninaro" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, originally a B-side to the 1986 single "Suburbia". In 1995, a re-recording titled "Paninaro '95" was released to a wider market, to promote the duo's B-side compilation album ''Alternative'', though only the original version was included on the compilation. Background The song is about the 1980s Italian youth subculture known as the '' paninari''; derived from the word ''panino'', they were known for congregating in restaurants serving sandwiches and in the first US-style fast food restaurants, as well as their preference for designer clothing and 1980s pop music, such as New Romantic music and Italo disco. Neil Tennant has said that they were drawn to the concept due to having shared those preferences. Lyrics "Paninaro" is one of the few Pet Shop Boys songs in which Chris Lowe provides the majority of the vocals. Tennant, meanwhile, only sings the title repeatedly in intervals. The main lyrical motif consists of eigh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Love Comes Quickly
"Love Comes Quickly" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released as the second single from their debut studio album, '' Please'' (1986). It peaked at number 19 on the UK Singles Chart in March 1986. Composition and recording "Love Comes Quickly" was written by Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant in early 1985, near the end of their time at Ray Roberts' Camden studio where they'd done much of their work. The duo considered it one of their most mature compositions at that point. During the recording sessions for ''Please'', producer Stephen Hague used a Roland MSQ-700 sequencer, which accidentally shifted the bassline off the beat, and he incorporated that into the track. Hague suggested adding a middle eight and received a co-writing credit for its first two chords. "Love Comes Quickly" features handclaps, inspired by Sharon Redd's "Never Give You Up" (1982), and the first appearance of a high string line, which became a trademark of their songs. Andy Mackay of Roxy Mu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
West End Girls
"West End Girls" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. Written by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, the song was released twice as a single. The song's lyrics are concerned with class and the pressures of inner-city life in London which were inspired partly by T. S. Eliot's poem ''The Waste Land''. It was generally well received by contemporary music critics and has been frequently cited as a highlight in the duo's career. The first version of the song was produced by Bobby Orlando and was released on Columbia Records' Bobcat Records imprint in April 1984, becoming a club hit in the United States and some European countries. After the duo signed with EMI, the song was re-recorded with producer Stephen Hague for their first studio album, ''Please (Pet Shop Boys album), Please''. In October 1985, the new version was released, reaching number one in the United Kingdom and the United States in 1986. In 1987, the song won Best Single at the Brit Awards, and Best Internat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bobby Orlando
Robert Philip Orlando also known as Bobby Orlando or just Bobby O, is an American record producer, indie record label owner, songwriter, and musician. He is regarded as an innovator in the hi-NRG genre for developing his signature sound, using a "powerful beat" and " new wave-style" vocals with the help of synthesizers, piano, guitars, cowbells and a "heavy ynthesizerbass". Early life The son of a suburban New York schoolteacher, Orlando declined a classical music scholarship to pursue his then current musical interest, glam rock. In the late 1970s, his professional interests turned to disco and shortly thereafter, he established his own record label, "O" Records. Music career Bobby Orlando has been active as music producer, songwriter, musician, and record label impresario. Orlando is credited as one of the founding fathers of Hi-NRG dance music. His productions are easily identifiable by their dense synthesizers, rolling bass lines, and resounding percussion. He has playe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money)
"Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their debut studio album, '' Please'' (1986). It was released as a single in 1985 and re-recorded and reissued in 1986, gaining greater popularity in both the United Kingdom and United States with its second release, reaching number 11 on the UK Singles Chart and number 10 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. After the song was featured in a Super Bowl ad in February 2021, it re-entered the charts, claiming the number one spot on ''Billboard's'' Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales. Background The song was written during the Pet Shop Boys' formative years, in 1983. According to Neil Tennant, the main lyrical concept came while in a recording studio in Camden Town when Chris Lowe asked him to make up a lyric based around the line "Let's make lots of money". Composition The lyrics describe, in Tennant's words, "two losers". The song is written from the perspective of a man who describes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
