March 1985
They sign to Parlophone Records after long negotiations with Bobby O’, who relinquished his contractual rights over them in return for a substantial royalty on future record sales.
History
April 1985
On April 5th, Neil leaves Smash Hits. In the next issue an ‘obituary’ is written, bidding him a sad adieu and predicting that in a matter of weeks Neil’s pop duo, the Pet Shop Boys “will be down the dumper and he’ll come crawling back on bended knees, ha ha ha”. “I spoke to my mum on the telephone and said how we’d signed with EMI and she said “But you’re not going to give up your job, are you?” and I said, actually I did last week”.
July 1985
On July 1st, the first version of ‘Opportunities’ is released. It reached #116 in the UK.
August 1985
They play a short set as part of the ICA Rock Week in London, Chris showing off his skills on the trombone. Neil and Chris are interviewed on stage by Max Headroom. They re-record ‘West End girls’ with producer Stephen Hague the same month.
October 1985
‘West End girls’ is released on October 28th and goes to #1 in the UK in January. It is subsequently #1 in USA, Canada, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, New Zealand and Norway, selling 1.5 million copies. “People endlessly ask us what it’s like having a #1” says Neil at the time. “But what it feels like is vaguely nothing. It feels like having a cup of tea”.
On this day
1991
‘How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?’ debuts on the U.S. singles chart, where it will peak at #93.
1992
The Pet Shop Boys are profiled on the British television series The South Bank Show.
2006
Neil presents Madonna with the award for ‘Best International Female Artist’ at this year’s BRITS Awards.
2010
The recent PSB ‘living room gig’ sponsored by Mastercard airs this evening during the BRITS Awards telecast and also debuts online.
2011
The Boys start writing a new song titled ‘Heads Will Roll.’
2012
Chris and Neil are still in Los Angeles, having been there now for more than a month working on their next album. Today, as they listen to playbacks of music they’ve recently recorded, they enjoy watching Elizabeth Taylor’s 1963 film Cleopatra on a television in the studio. Neil also records additional vocals for ‘Memory of the Future.’ On this same day, a ‘Singbox’ app featuring music of the Pet Shop Boys is released for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. It permits users to sing along, karaoke-like, to tracks and to compete with other users.
2016
The new PSB single ‘The Pop Kids’ has its official world premiere today on Ken Bruce’s BBC Radio 2 show. It also becomes available on iTunes to those who have pre-ordered the still-unreleased new album Super. Meanwhile, Chris and Neil are in the studio completing work on a track titled ‘The White Dress.’
2023
Neil and Chris attend a performance of the new musical ‘Standing at the Sky’s Edge’ at London’s National Theatre. (The following day they note on their website that the show’s choreography is by Lynne Page, with whom they’ve worked on some of their own stage shows and videos.)
- Facts collated by geowayne.com