Essential | ||||
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Compilation album by | ||||
Released | 31 March 1998 | |||
Recorded | 1985–1990 | |||
Genre | Electropop | |||
Label | EMI/Capitol | |||
Producer | Harold Faltermeyer Nicholas Froome Stephen Hague Trevor Horn David Jacobs J. J. Jeczalik Lewis Martineé Pet Shop Boys | |||
Pet Shop Boys chronology | ||||
|
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
Pitchfork | 4.2/10 [2] |
Essential is a 1998 compilation album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released as a limited edition in the United States by EMI/Capitol and in Japan by Toshiba/EMI. [3] Produced for only six months, early promotional versions of the album had the title Early, as the tracks featured were part of Pet Shop Boys' early catalogue. [4] The album contained remixes as well as album tracks and B-sides. The CD booklet contains an essay written by music journalist and Pet Shop Boys biographer Chris Heath.
While several of the selections had not been available on compact disc prior to its original release, as of 2018, it remains the only official CD appearance of the 7" version of "That's My Impression" (all other reissues and compilations using the "Disco" mix.)
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Domino Dancing" (Alternative version) | Neil Tennant, Chris Lowe | Lewis Martineé, Pet Shop Boys | 4:42 |
2. | "West End Girls" (Dance Mix) | Neil Tennant, Chris Lowe | Stephen Hague | 6:29 |
3. | "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)" (1985 7" version) | Neil Tennant, Chris Lowe | J. J. Jeczalik, Nicholas Froome | 3:48 |
4. | "Paninaro" (1986 7" version) | Neil Tennant, Chris Lowe | Pet Shop Boys | 4:40 |
5. | "That's My Impression" (7" version) | Neil Tennant, Chris Lowe | Pet Shop Boys | 4:48 |
6. | "We All Feel Better in the Dark" (Extended Mix) | Neil Tennant, Chris Lowe | Pet Shop Boys | 6:47 |
7. | "It Couldn't Happen Here" (LP version) | Neil Tennant, Chris Lowe, Ennio Morricone | Pet Shop Boys, David Jacobs | 5:20 |
8. | "It's Alright" (7" version) | Sterling Void | Trevor Horn | 4:20 |
9. | "Left to My Own Devices" (7" version) | Neil Tennant, Chris Lowe | Trevor Horn, Stephen Lipson | 4:46 |
10. | "In the Night" (Remix) | Neil Tennant, Chris Lowe | Pet Shop Boys | 6:28 |
11. | "Two Divided by Zero" (LP version) | Neil Tennant, Bobby Orlando | Stephen Hague | 3:36 |
12. | "Love Comes Quickly" (Dance Mix) | Neil Tennant, Chris Lowe, Stephen Hague | Stephen Hague | 6:48 |
13. | "Being Boring" (Extended version) | Neil Tennant, Chris Lowe | Pet Shop Boys, Harold Faltermeyer | 10:40 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States | — | 39,000 [5] |
The Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of primary vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, and were listed as the most successful duo in UK music history in the 1999 edition of The Guinness Book of Records.
Very is the fifth studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 27 September 1993 by Parlophone, nearly three years after the duo's previous studio album, Behaviour, and following the compilation album Discography: The Complete Singles Collection. Very exhibits one of many turning points the Pet Shop Boys would make to their music, shifting from the subdued electronic pop of Behaviour to richly instrumented dance arrangements. The content and lyrics led to Very being called their "coming-out" album, since it was during this time that Neil Tennant had publicly discussed his long-rumoured homosexuality.
Bilingual is the sixth studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released in the United Kingdom on 2 September 1996 by Parlophone and in the United States on 10 September 1996 by Atlantic Records. The album reached number four on the UK Albums Chart, lower than their previous five studio albums which had all reached the top three. It yielded five successful singles, with three of them—"Before", "Se a vida é " and "A Red Letter Day"—reaching the UK top 10; the fourth one, the English/Spanish-language composition "Single-Bilingual", peaked within the top 20.
Nightlife is the seventh studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 8 October 1999 by Parlophone. After the release and promotion of their previous album, Bilingual (1996), Pet Shop Boys started work with playwright Jonathan Harvey on the stage musical that eventually became Closer to Heaven. Pet Shop Boys soon had an album's worth of tracks and decided to release the album Nightlife as a concept album and in order to showcase some of the songs that would eventually make it into the musical.
Please is the debut studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 24 March 1986 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom and by EMI America Records in the United States. According to the duo, the album's title was chosen so that people had to go into a record shop and say "Can I have the Pet Shop Boys album, 'Please'?". Please spawned four singles: "West End Girls", "Opportunities ", "Suburbia", and "Love Comes Quickly"; "West End Girls" reached number one in both the UK and the US.
Disco is the first remix album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 17 November 1986 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom and by EMI America Records in the United States. Disco consists of remixes of tracks from the band's debut album Please and its respective B-sides. The album includes remixes by Arthur Baker, Shep Pettibone and the Pet Shop Boys themselves.
Behaviour is the fourth studio album by the English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 22 October 1990 by Parlophone. A Japanese special edition included a bonus mini CD, exclusive artwork and printed lyrics in a white velvet-like box.
Discography: The Complete Singles Collection is the first greatest hits album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 4 November 1991 by Parlophone.
PopArt: The Hits is a greatest hits album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. It was released on 24 November 2003 by Parlophone. The album consists of Pet Shop Boys' top 20 UK singles along with two new tracks, "Miracles" and "Flamboyant", which were also released as singles.
English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys have released 14 studio albums, five live albums, nine compilation albums, four remix albums, five soundtrack albums, four extended plays and over seventy singles. The duo's debut single, "West End Girls", was first released in 1984 but failed to chart in most regions. However, the song was entirely re-recorded in late 1985, and this newly recorded version became their first number-one single, topping the UK Singles Chart, Billboard Hot 100 and Canadian Singles Chart. Parlophone released the duo's debut album, Please, in the United Kingdom in March 1986. The album peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart and was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). It also peaked at number seven on the Billboard 200 in the United States and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The following summer they released "It's a Sin", the lead single from their second album, Actually. The single became another UK number one and also reached number nine in the US. This was followed by "What Have I Done to Deserve This?", with Dusty Springfield, which peaked at number two in both the UK and US. In the summer of 1987, the Pet Shop Boys recorded a cover of Brenda Lee's song "Always on My Mind", which became their third UK number-one single over Christmas 1987. This was followed by another UK number one, "Heart", in spring 1988. The album Actually was released in September 1987, peaked at number two in the UK and was certified three-times platinum by the BPI.
"Go West" is a song by American disco group Village People, released in June 1979 as the second single from their fourth studio album of the same name (1979). The song was written by Jacques Morali, Henri Belolo and lead singer Victor Willis. It was successful in the disco scene during the late 1970s. "Go West" found further success when it was covered in 1993 by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys.
"Getting Away with It" is the first single by the English band Electronic, which comprised Bernard Sumner of New Order, ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, and guesting vocalist Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys. It was first released in 1989.
"Paninaro" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, originally a B-side to the 1986 single "Suburbia". In 1995, a re-recording titled "Paninaro '95" was released to a wider market, to promote the duo's B-side compilation album Alternative, though only the original version was included on the compilation.
"How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their fourth studio album, Behaviour (1990). It was released in the United Kingdom on 11 March 1991 as a double A-side with "Where the Streets Have No Name ", serving as the third single from Behaviour. For the single, Brothers in Rhythm remixed the track. The track was subsequently released as a solo single in the United States and France; it peaked at number 93 on the US Billboard Hot 100. As "Being Boring" and "It's Alright" were not released in the US, tracks from these releases were used on a number of US releases. The accompanying music video received heavy rotation on MTV Europe.
"I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their fifth studio album, Very (1993). The song describes a person normally hesitant to unwind and show his feelings, who—because of some event in his life—suddenly becomes willing to loosen up. It was released in the United Kingdom on 29 November 1993 by Parlophone as the album's third single, reaching number 13 on the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, where it was released in January 1994, it reached number two on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. The song's accompanying music video was directed by Howard Greenhalgh.
Yes is the tenth studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 18 March 2009 by Parlophone. The album was recorded throughout 2008 and was produced by Brian Higgins and his production team Xenomania. Xenomania also co-wrote three of the tracks. Guitarist Johnny Marr and string arranger Owen Pallett appear as well. "Love Etc." was released on 16 March 2009 as the album's lead single.
Elysium is the eleventh studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. Released on 5 September 2012, it is the duo's final album with Parlophone. The album was recorded in 2012 in Los Angeles and produced by Andrew Dawson and Pet Shop Boys.
"Vocal" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their twelfth studio album, Electric (2013). It was released on 3 June 2013 as the album's second single.
Super is the thirteenth studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. It was released on 1 April 2016 on the band's own label, x2, through Kobalt Label Services. It was released digitally and on physical formats including vinyl and compact disc. The album debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart. Lead single "The Pop Kids" reached number one on the UK Physical Singles Chart and narrowly missed out on the top 100 of the main chart.
Smash: The Singles 1985–2020 is a compilation album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 16 June 2023 through Parlophone. It includes 55 tracks, comprising most of the duo's singles from 1985 to 2020 in chronological order, across three discs or six LPs. A compilation of the duo's videos on Blu-ray was also released alongside the album. The duo supported the album with the Dreamworld: The Greatest Hits Live tour, with dates in the UK and Europe from May to July 2023.
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