Shameless 02: Pet Shop Boys

For more than two decades now, the Pet Shop Boys have been at the forefront of pop music, putting out slick, sophisticated albums full of classic pop singles. In America, they fell out of the limelight long ago, disappearing into obscurity along with a handful of other acts that gained popularity in the 80s. Their early hits, including the unforgettable "West End girls", "It's a sin," and "What have I done to deserve this?", were years ahead of their time when they topped the charts in the late 1980s, but somehow didn't translate to long-term US popularity. Outside these shores, though, they've remained vital to modern pop music for much longer, and their output continues to satisfy countless fans, if no longer the public at large. From their camp cover of "Go West" to later albums like Release and Fundamental, they've maintained their status as cutting-edge pop artists. As a purely pop act, with a taste for the flamboyant at times, they've become something of a hidden pleasure for many Americans. I first got into them about four years ago, and have since been hooked on their particular brand of clever dance music. Check out some of the tracks below and you'll see why I still can't get enough of them. (A witty bit of trivia: They named their first album Please so that customers at record stores could ask the clerk, "Can I have the Pet Shop Boys album, please?")

"Suburbia" (video mix) (from the album Please)
"What have I done to deserve this?" (with Dusty Springfield) (from the album Actually)
"Left to my own devices" (7" mix) (from the album Introspective)
"Go West" (from the album Very)
"I wouldn't normally do this kind of thing" (Beatmasters 7" version) (original version on the album Very)
"Minimal" (from the album Fundamental; watch the video below)


If you enjoy these selections, definitely get a copy of their double-disc greatest hits compilation PopArt: The Hits. It's truly an essential addition to any collection.

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