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
1987
Chris and Neil are winding up a three-week stint in South London and Clacton filming It Couldn’t Happen Here.
1994
The Pet Shop Boys perform in Mexico City for a second night.
2006
Continuing their post-touring vacation, Neil and Chris enjoy an evening as spectators at a Mexican wrestling match at the Monterrey Coliseo.
2009
The Boys perform in Thessaloniki, Greece.
2010
Neil and Chris are interviewed on Matthew Rudd’s Q Radio show, during which records by other artists selected by them are also played. The most delightful surprise to this writer? — Bob Lind’s big 1966 folk-pop hit ‘Elusive Butterfly.’
2011
London department store Fortnum & Mason unveils their 2011 Christmas window decorations. The store’s creative director, Paul Symes, tells an interviewer that this year’s display is inspired by the Pet Shop Boys’ music video for ‘What Have I Done to Deserve This?’ He points out, ‘We’ve been very careful to stay on the glamorous side and not stray into anything seedy.’
2014
The Boys are in Punta Del Este, Uruguay in preparation for their concert there the following evening.
2015
As noted a few days later on their official Facebook page, Chris and Neil pay a backstage ‘surprise visit’ this evening ‘before the final curtain call’ to the cast of the revival of their musical Closer to Heaven at London’s Union Theatre.
2017
The Boys are in Berlin. Today they work on a new song, ‘Only the Dark,’ after which they visit an electrical shop called Saturn.
- Facts collated by geowayne.com