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.
Introspective is the third studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 10 October 1988 by Parlophone. It received generally positive reviews from critics.
"Always on My Mind" is a ballad written by Wayne Carson, Johnny Christopher, and Mark James, first recorded by Brenda Lee, and first released by Gwen McCrae in March 1972. Lee's version was released three months later in June 1972. The song has been a crossover hit, charting in both the country and western and pop categories. Elvis Presley's recording was the first commercially successful version of the song.
"Especially for You" is a song performed by Australian recording artists Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan from Donovan's debut album, Ten Good Reasons (1989). The song was released as his album's second single on 28 November 1988 and was written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW).
"Never Gonna Give You Up" is the debut single recorded by English singer and songwriter Rick Astley, released on 27 July 1987. It was written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, and was released by RCA, PWL and BMG as the first single from Astley's debut album, Whenever You Need Somebody (1987). The song was a worldwide number-one hit, initially in the United Kingdom in 1987, where it stayed at the top of the chart for five weeks and was the best-selling single of that year. It eventually topped the charts in 25 countries, including the United States and West Germany, and winning Best British Single at the 1988 Brit Awards. The song is considered to be Astley's signature song and it is often played at the end of his live concerts.
London Boys were a German-based British dance-pop duo composed of Edem Ephraim and Dennis Fuller. They are best remembered for the UK Top 5 hits "Requiem" and "London Nights".
"Heart" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys from their second studio album, Actually (1987). It was released as the album's fourth and final single on 21 March 1988 by Parlophone. The song topped the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in April 1988, becoming the duo's fourth and final chart-topper to date in the United Kingdom. Its music video was directed by Jack Bond and filmed in Yugoslavia. The group had initially written the song for Madonna, though they never asked her to record it, instead keeping it for themselves.
"If I Say Yes" is a 1986 single by British pop group Five Star, and was the follow-up to their biggest-ever UK single, the #2 ranked "Rain or Shine". It was the fourth release from the group's Silk & Steel album. A 3:43 remixed version of the song, which was the version released in the U.S., appeared on the group's 1989 Greatest Hits album.
"Left to My Own Devices" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released in November 1988 as the second single from their third studio album, Introspective (1988). It was also the first track of the album. The song fared better than the album's lead single, "Domino Dancing", charting three positions higher on the UK Singles Chart, at number four. It became the first track that Pet Shop Boys recorded with an orchestra, arranged by Richard Niles. Since its release, it has become a staple of Pet Shop Boys live performances.
"Can't Shake the Feeling" is a pop-dance song written by Stock Aitken Waterman for British boys band Big Fun. It was the second single from their 1990 debut studio album A Pocketful of Dreams on which it is the third track. Released in November 1989 with two different covers, it enjoyed decent chart trajectories in European countries, although it was unable to meet the same success than Big Fun's previous hit "Blame It on the Boogie". It became a top ten hit in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain and Finland, and a top 50 hit in Belgium, France and Germany.
Ten Good Reasons is the debut studio album by Australian pop star and actor Jason Donovan. It was released on 1 May 1989 by PWL (UK) and Mushroom Records (Australia). It became the biggest selling album in the UK that year, and yielded three number-one singles, "Too Many Broken Hearts", "Sealed with a Kiss" and a duet with Kylie Minogue, "Especially for You". The album was reissued in 2010 as an expanded deluxe edition featuring B-sides and remixes. In 2016, the first CD of the 2010 reissue was reissued again as part of promotion for Donovan's Ten Good Reasons live shows. The album's title comes from a line in "Too Many Broken Hearts".
Everybody Knows is the debut album by English dance-pop singer Sonia, released in April 1990. The album was predominantly written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman and includes the UK and Irish number one single "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" and the UK top 20 hits "Can't Forget You", "Listen to Your Heart", "Counting Every Minute", and "End of the World". At the time of release, Sonia became the first female UK artist to achieve five top 20 hit singles from one album. Everybody Knows was re-issued by Cherry Red Records in October 2010 in remastered and expanded form.
"Toy Boy" is a song by American-British singer Sinitta. Written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, it was released on 25 July 1987 and became the fourth single in her self-titled debut album, which came out on 26 December of the same year. It became a hit in the UK and in other European countries where it reached the top ten.
"Cross My Broken Heart" is a song by American-born pop singer Sinitta. It was released in March 1988 as the sixth and final single from her self-titled debut album (1987). The song was written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, and was successful in the UK where it was a top 10 hit, peaking at number six. It was certified silver by the BPI. The B-side contains a remix of her 1987 hit, "Toy Boy".
"Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now" is a song performed by British singer Samantha Fox and written and produced by Mike Stock, Matt Aitken, and Pete Waterman (SAW). It was released as the first single from Samantha’s eponymous second album, Samantha Fox, in the spring of 1987. The single became Fox's third and final top ten single in the United Kingdom, peaking at number eight in June. In the United States, the single was released in the fall of 1987 and reached only number 80 that October. It was a top 10 hit in continental Europe and also reached number 22 in Australia.
Sweet Soul Music is the second studio album by the London Boys, a British dance pop duo. It was released in 1991 and reached number 22 in Austria. It did not chart in the UK, unlike the previous album The Twelve Commandments Of Dance. Five singles were released from this album: "Chapel of Love", "Freedom", "Is This Love?", "Sweet Soul Music", and "Tonight! Tonight!"
"London Nights" is a song by British Europop duo London Boys, released in 1989 from their debut album, The Twelve Commandments of Dance. The single was written and produced by Ralf René Maué, and its cover artwork features photography from Andy Knight. It was a hit in the United Kingdom, Finland and Ireland where it was a top five hit, thus becoming the band's biggest hit single. Several formats of the single include an instrumental version of "London Nights", titled "London Days".
"Requiem" is British Europop duo London Boys' first hit single, released on 28 November 1988 from their debut album, The Twelve Commandments of Dance (1989). The single was written and produced by Ralf René Maué. The single peaked at No. 4 in the United Kingdom, No. 8 in Ireland, and No. 11 in Austria.
"Harlem Desire" is a single by Europop duo London Boys. It was originally released in 1987 to limited success. As a result of the success of "Requiem" and "London Nights", the single was released again in 1989 and featured on the album The Twelve Commandments of Dance. It was written and produced by Ralf René Maué, and its cover artwork features photography from Julian Barton. The single peaked at number 17 in the UK.
"My Love" is a song by Europop duo London Boys, originally released in 1987 as a single in Germany. It was given another single release in the UK and Germany in 1989, following the song's inclusion on the duo's 1988 debut album The Twelve Commandments of Dance. "My Love" was written and produced by Ralf René Maué. The song reached number 46 in the UK, but was a bigger success in Ireland where it reached number 15.
