Pet Shop Boys
Biography
Postmodern ironists cloaked behind a veil of buoyantly melodic and lushly romantic synth pop confections, the Pet Shop Boys' cheeky, smart, and utterly danceable music established them among the most commercially and critically successful groups of their era. Always remaining one step ahead of their contemporaries, the British duo navigated the constantly shifting landscape of modern dance-pop with rare grace and intelligence, moving easily from disco to house to techno with their own distinctive image remaining completely intact. Satiric and irreverent -- yet somehow strangely affecting -- the Pet Shop Boys transcended the seeming disposability of their craft, offering wry and thoughtful cultural commentary communicated by the Morse code of au courant synth washes and drum-machine rhythms.
Pet Shop Boys formed in London in August 1981 when vocalist Neil Tennant (a former editor at Marvel Comics who later gained some notoriety as a journalist for Smash Hits magazine) first met keyboardist Chris Lowe (a onetime architecture student) at an electronics shop. Discovering a shared passion for dance music and synthesizers, they immediately decided to start a band. Dubbing themselves the Pet Shop Boys in honor of friends who worked in such an establishment -- while also obliquely nodding to the sort of names prevalent among the New York City hip-hop culture of the early 1980s -- the duo's career first took flight in 1983, when Tennant met producer Bobby "O" Orlando while on a writing assignment.
Selected Discography
Refreshing and lasting. Clean and crisp. Still ticking after all these years -Twenty years from now The PSB'S will still get people off thier seat and onto the dance floor - Made to last forever.
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Hey Matt...being around when they used to get a LOT of heavy club play I can definitely say there was nothing like the natural high that washed through my body as I heard their music pouring out of those incredible club systems! I have worn through several tapes and am now working on the CD's. Pet Shop Boys definitely are part of the soundtrack to my life!
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I have been listening to The Pet Shop Boys since they first came out and absolutely LOVE their style and attitude!
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how many times in the 80's did we dance to this song at the club and dusty springfield was good in it to
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Got to love the PSB! I have seen them in concert twice and both times it was great! Their stage setup is so plain and basic and they just wale out their music.
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Hauntingly beautiful synth-pop with intelligent, meaningful lyrics? Sign me up! I stumbled across them through IAMX radio and I must say it's a refreshing change from all other electronic music that I dabble in. The sound is surprisingly fresh for the artificial-8 0 ' s - a time when so much of the music reused the same samples - I wish I was around to hear them in the clubs..
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being boring is was could be a great work of art-first group that saw thru the greatest con-artist-k a b b a l l a swallowing african baby gobbling-mad o n n a - t h a t dumb chick from jersey or wherever-wha t e v e r whomever-ver y , v e r y boring.
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It's sad that thir album for Battleship Potemkin isnt listed here. It has some AMAZING music on it...
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The Pet Shop Boys have created an outstanding body of work, and I hope they never retire. "Being Boring" is one of the most beautiful songs ever written.
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this band was the best for me....and i like the 80's sounds i mean the music... especially all the new wave....than k you so much..and more power.. god bless...
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What do other PSB-ophiles on this site think of the 3 groups that Pandora recommends, as Similar Artists? My usual list is Erasure, DepMode, Beloved, OMD, NewOrder, Enigma, Olive, Electronic, and Elton John. Yeah. from Peter in San Diego CA USA.
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Hey, their music must be good if even I like it! I definitely allow their music into my ipod and, who knows, if they remove their shoes and enter humbly, I might even allow them to dine in my house as well. A+++
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I definitely agree they must be aliens of a higher intelligence or fallen angels.. or both? They have been there for me like two good friends. A perfect combo. From their first album to Fundamental they are all master pieces. I can find a song by the PSB to fit just about any mood or situation. All their albums can be found with a further listening limited edition extra disk.
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The PSB are not from this universe. I get butterflies in my stomach every time I listen to them.
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I want to hear them in Heaven. Play at my memorial. I can't believe how both looked at me on a front row seat in NYC's Radio Music Hall concert in 2007. I had sent a note that I became Deaf and missed their music. Reading their lips, what a sight seeing them sing their music. It was a great birthday gift from my lover as it is what he remembers I played when we first met. Actually, Inropective, Behaviour, Discography and Very. Later Bilengual and Alternative. I missed Disco 3 and Fundam
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"I never dreamt that I would get to be the creature that I always meant to be." One of the most perfect lyrics from one of the most beautifully lyrical bands.
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I love the music of PSB. I have the albums Very and Discography. Everytime I listen to one or the other, it is like listening for the first time!
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West End girls and all the other songs on Opportunitie s and Disco were the beats into my coming of age. Loved it then, still appreciate it but just not as giddy about it as I used to be.
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These guys are an awsome and timeless band. I have been listening to them since I was 3 and have seen them 3 times in concert; each time they get better and better. Very is a good cd and if you like more techno music, disco 2 is the best. Great group!
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Unique and Wonderful music. My favorite song is A Different Point of View.
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