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
1983
New Order releases ‘Blue Monday.’ Neil has denied the rumor that he cried the first time he heard it, allegedly because it had stylistically ‘beat them to the punch.’
2005
Still in Naples, Neil and Chris begin work on a new song, ‘The Sodom and Gomorrah Show.’
2011
An interview with the Boys and their collaborator on the ballet The Most Incredible Thing, dancer and choreographer Javier De Frutos, airs this evening on BBC Radio 4’s Front Row program.
2013
Neil writes on the official PSB website that he and Chris have been rehearsing all week in preparation for their upcoming ‘Electric’ tour, the first date of which will be later this month in Veracruz, Mexico.
- Facts collated by geowayne.com