February 1986
On February 24th, ‘Love comes quickly’, which will remain one of their favourite songs, is released, reaching a disappointing #19 in the UK.
History
March 1986
On March 24th, their first LP ‘Please’ is released. “It’s so people can go into the record shop and say can I have the Pet Shop Boys album, please?”.
April 1986
‘West End girls’ reaches #1 in USA.
May 1986
On May 19th a new version of ‘Opportunities’ is released. “The point of that song is that the humour is black, it’s like a joke. The impression is that the people in it are not going to make any money”.
June 1986
The Pet Shop Boys announce, then cancel, a tour of Europe and America; the cost of using a theatre designer and playing fairly small venues proves prohibitive.
September 1986
On September 22nd, a re-recorded version of ‘Suburbia’, a song inspired by the Penelope Spheeris film of the same name about a group of disenchanted rebellious youths in suburban Los Angeles, is released. “It’s about a riot happening in some decaying suburb. It’s just the description of the riot happening and then the aftermath”. On the B‑side is the first version of ‘Paninaro’, named after an Italian youth cult and featuring a quote they both liked that Chris had said on a TV show: “I don’t like country and western, I don’t like rock music, I don’t like rockabilly… I don’t like much really, do I? But what I do like, I love passionately”.
November 1986
On November 17th ‘Disco’, an LP of disco remixes, is released.
On this day
1991
The Pet Shop Boys appear in Yokohama, Japan, as part of the Japanese leg of their Performance world tour.
2005
The Boys finish ‘Indefinite Leave to Remain.’ That evening—after first meeting and having dinner with him—they attend a Sondre Lerche concert at Naples’ Theatro Nuevo.
2007
After an extended break, they launch the South American leg of their Fundamental Tour with a concert in Rio de Janeiro.
2009
Chris and Neil are interviewed on Jonathan Ross’s BBC Radio 2 show.
2011
The two-CD score of the Tennant/Lowe ballet The Most Incredible Thing is released today in the U.K.
2013
Big announcements today on the official PSB website: that the Boys have left their longtime record label Parlophone and that their next album, titled Electric, would be released in June on Kobalt Label Services.
2019
The Pet Shop Boys are among the artists who perform this evening with Trevor Horn’s band at a charity gala for disadvantaged youth at the Roundhouse in London.
- Facts collated by geowayne.com