Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe met in a London electronics shop in 1981. They both had a keen interest in dance club style music and quickly decided to collaborate. It was during these early years that several songs that would later appear on future albums were created .. "It's a Sin", "West End Girls", "Rent" and "Jealousy".
The original name of the duo was 'West End', because of their love of London's West End. They eventually changed their group's name to 'Pet Shop Boys' which was actually derived from the fact that one of their good friends who worked in a local pet shop.
Their big break came when Tennant was in New York City in 1983 where he met Bobby Orlando, a well-known music producer whom Tennant and Lowe both admired. Orlando liked what he heard of the Pet Shop Boys and soon both Tennant and Lowe were in New York recording a version of "West End Girls" for Orlando. The single would initially achieve only minor success in Europe... but would later reach #1 in the US. This success catapulted The Pet Shop Boys to fame and paved the way for other tunes like "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)", "What Have I Done to Deserve This?", "It's a Sin", and "Always on My Mind" to name a few..
[ 11. November 2010, 15:15: Message edited by: Valley ]
Posted by Muffy Tepperman (Member # 1551) on :
I always kind of knew their hits........but recently have gotten into more or their music i'm looking into more. Bought Introspective used and I like it.
Posted by Earth Angel (Member # 3301) on :
I saw them at Glastonbury...they were good. Posted by Veronica Sawyer (Member # 2221) on :
I remember riding in the car with my Mom when I was a little kid and whenever "West End Girls" came on the radio she would turn it way up. I always liked the song too In high school, I bought their greatest hits CD and one of their newer albums called "Nightlife" and have liked pretty much everything I've heard by them.
I love their song "Heart." It says in the booklet of the greatest hits cd that they originally wrote it for Madonna Posted by Valley (Member # 1322) on :
Veronica.. they wrote "Heart" for Madonna, but fearing disappointment they never presented it to her.
Posted by Valley (Member # 1322) on :
Oh and I heard that the tune "Heart" was originally planned for the movie "Innerspace".
Posted by logan5 (Member # 1467) on :
Neil Tennant used to edit the most popular music magazine in Britain - 'Smash Hits'. It was more than a little bizarre when he left to form a pop group, and within a few years was appearing inside the mag every week as a pop star! Only in the amazing 80's.
Posted by Secret Admirer (Member # 3574) on :
Best duo ever. Still making brilliant music today. I hope they never stop.
Posted by Veronica Sawyer (Member # 2221) on :
Logan, didn't he bash depeche mode's early music?
[ 12. November 2010, 07:34: Message edited by: Veronica Sawyer ]
Posted by logan5 (Member # 1467) on :
quote:Logan, didn't he bash depeche mode's early music?
Probably. He was very dismissive towards most of the pop music at the time. Then he became the pop music of the time!
When he left the magazine, it lost an acerbic streak that had kept it both mainstream and credible. After that it was just 'Tiger Beat' for the UK.
Posted by StevenHW (Member # 509) on :
quote:Originally posted by logan5: Neil Tennant used to edit the most popular music magazine in Britain - 'Smash Hits'. It was more than a little bizarre when he left to form a pop group, and within a few years was appearing inside the mag every week as a pop star! Only in the amazing 80's.
IIRC, Neil went to New York to interview The Police (who were on tour then), even though Neil never particularly liked the group. Neil then decided that after the interview, he would also meet up with a New York dance-music producer named Bobby Orlando (stage name: "Bobby O"). It was then he decided to work with Bobby and Chris Lowe to record some tracks at a later time. And the rest is history!
Tennant is one of the few performers to have been a former music journalist. Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders) is another one that comes to mind.
Posted by StevenHW (Member # 509) on :
quote:Originally posted by logan5: Probably. He was very dismissive towards most of the pop music at the time. Then he became the pop music of the time!...[snip]
Tennant did not like U2 either. Yet, The Pet Shop Boys did a cover version of the group's "Where the Streets Have No Name" by incorporating into a medley with Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons 1964 pop song, "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You"! As I recall, Neil did that to "humiliate" U2 and the overblown status of the song.
Posted by Jakey V (Member # 37348) on :
The new Pet Shop Boys album is great! "Monkey Business" is one of the singles I love, but the entire album is top notch. Check it out.
Posted by Pittsburghgirl (Member # 7514) on :
I had no idea they released new music. I will check it out. Thanks Jamey V
Posted by Devolution (Member # 1731) on :
Devolution here,
Thanks Pitts... I took care of it.
We are Devo
Posted by aTomiK (Member # 6575) on :
Just watched the Pet Shop Boys movie It Couldnīt Happen Here (1987), i have this excellent BFI blu-ray release.
Itīs very artsy like these band movies tend to be but not bad at all. We get to hear lots of PSB tunes and i love their 80s albums so that was great.
The extras include director Jack Bond and dance choreographer Arlene Phillips interviews. Phillips led the infamous Hot Gossip dance Troupe back in the 70s
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
