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Popart
''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
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 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''. 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, Pet Shop Boys received an a ... [...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 ... [...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] |
Suburbia (song)
"Suburbia" is a song by English synthpop duo Pet Shop Boys. It was remixed and released as the fourth single from the duo's debut studio album, '' Please'' (1986), and became the band's second UK top-10 entry, peaking at number 8. "Suburbia" has drawn comparisons to the theme from ALF, which coincidentally premiered the day that the song was released. Background and music video The song's primary inspiration is the 1983 Penelope Spheeris film ''Suburbia'', and its depiction of violence and squalor in the suburbs of Los Angeles; in addition, the tension of the Brixton riots of 1981 and of 1985 hanging in recent memory led Neil Tennant of the duo to thinking about the boredom of suburbia and the underlying tension among disaffected youth that sparked off the riots at the least provocation. The various versions of the song are punctuated by sounds of suburban violence, riots and smashing glass, as well as snarling dogs on the re-recorded single version (extended even further o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miracles (Pet Shop Boys Song)
"Miracles" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their greatest hits album, '' PopArt: The Hits'' (2003). It was released on 17 November 2003 as the album's lead single. The song was co-written by drum and bass musicians Adam F and Fresh. "Miracles" achieved moderate airplay on the radio and peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart. Orchestration was conducted by Anne Dudley, who would later work on Pet Shop Boys' 2006 album ''Fundamental'' alongside past musical collaborator Trevor Horn. Remixes were produced by Lemon Jelly and Eric Prydz. The B-side track "We're the Pet Shop Boys" is a cover of a 2002 song recorded by New York band My Robot Friend, in tribute to the Pet Shop Boys themselves; one part of the lyrics is an extended sequence of Pet Shop Boys song titles. It was covered again by Robbie Williams, with production by the Pet Shop Boys, on his 2006 album '' Rudebox''. The music video, directed by Howard Greenhalgh, reportedly cost nearly £1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flamboyant (Pet Shop Boys Song)
"Flamboyant" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their greatest hits album, '' PopArt: The Hits'' (2003). It was released on 29 March 2004 as the album's second and final single, reaching number nine in Spain, number 12 in the United Kingdom, and number 13 in Denmark. The song was remixed for single release, and an extended mix of the original album version—dubbed the "Tomcraft Extended Mix"—was issued as one of the single's B-sides. The other B-side, "I Didn't Get Where I Am Today", features Johnny Marr on guitars. The single cover art contains the song title and the duo's name in katakana: . The single cover features Chris Lowe with long hair, which he sported for a short time. Music video The music video for "Flamboyant" was directed by Nico Beyer. Heavily based on aspects of Japanese popular culture, it tells the story of a Japanese office worker who aspires to appear on the television variety show ''Kasou Taishou'', where guests perform silly stunts ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heart (Pet Shop Boys Song)
"Heart" 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 fourth and final single on 21 March 1988. The song topped the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in April 1988, becoming the duo's fourth and final chart-topper to date in the United Kingdom. The group had initially written the song for Madonna, though they never asked her to record it, instead keeping it for themselves. Background Written by Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant, "Heart" was the fourth and final single from the duo's second studio album, '' Actually''. A new mix different to the album version was released as a single in March 1988, ascending to the top of the charts to become the duo's fourth—and, to date, last—UK number-one single. It was also successful across Europe. The genesis of the song goes back to the sessions for the duo's first album '' Please'' in early 1986 with Shep Pettibone. Originally, the duo had planned to of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Disco 3
''Disco 3'' is the third remix album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 3 February 2003 by Parlophone. The album consists of five remixes of songs and B-sides from their previous album, ''Release'', three new tracks, a new recording of "Positive Role Model" from their 2001 musical '' Closer to Heaven'', and a cover version of "Try It (I'm in Love with a Married Man)", originally by Oh Romeo, the band of former Pet Shop Boys producer Bobby Orlando. "Positive Role Model" also appeared on the Germany-only single "London" in 2002 as a B-side. "If Looks Could Kill" and "Try It..." debuted during a 2002 Peel Session, along with "A Powerful Friend", a song that remained unreleased until it was uploaded to the "Exclusives Tracks" section of the band's official website. It was also released as the b-side to their 2010 single "Love Life". As of May 2006, the album had sold 42,000 copies in the United States. Track listing Notes * signifies a remixer and additional p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Encyclopedia Of Popular Music
''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music'' is an encyclopedia created in 1989 by Colin Larkin. It is the "modern man's" equivalent of the ''Grove Dictionary of Music'', which Larkin describes in less than flattering terms.''The Times'', ''The Knowledge'', Christmas edition, 22 December 2007- 4 January 2008. It was described by '' The Times'' as "the standard against which all others must be judged". History of the encyclopedia Larkin believed that rock music and popular music were at least as significant historically as classical music, and as such, should be given definitive treatment and properly documented. ''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music'' is the result. In 1989, Larkin sold his half of the publishing company Scorpion Books to finance his ambition to publish an encyclopedia of popular music. Aided by a team of initially 70 contributors, he set about compiling the data in a pre- internet age, "relying instead on information gleaned from music magazines, individual experti ... [...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 distribu ... [...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 Manhattan Records, 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 1987 United Kingdom general election, 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), 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 "Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
