Put The Needle On The Record - Week #46

Put The Needle On The Record Week #46 Pet Shop Boys - Actually

For this weeks feature we go back to September 1987 and the Pet Shop Boys album "Actually".

Pet Shop Boys are one of my favourite bands of all time and have been a massive fan from the day they released "West End Girls" as a single. The album "Actually" was the 2nd album they released and a follow up to their huge debut album "Please". Quite a few songs were recorded around the same time they recorded "Please", they had so much material tracks were held over for "Actually", one of those tracks was It's A Sin"!

It is a very impressive album from start to finish, with 4 top ten singles released from it, including 2 number 1 hits, aside from the singles, the album contains one of my favourite Pet Shop Boys tracks ever, "Kings Cross". It is an album that was on repeat play on my car stereo....on cassette!

On this album the duo used an assortment or produces, including Julian Mendelsohn and Stephen Hague (who produced their album "Please")

Four singles were released from the album, "It's A Sin" (which reached number 1 in the UK charts and was a success in America too, where it reached number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart), "What Have I Done To Deserve This?", which featured Dusty Springfield (which reached number 2 in the UK singles chart...it should have made number 1 and it did well again in the states, reaching number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100), "Rent" (which reached number 8 in the UK singles chart) and "Heart" (which reached number 1 in the UK singles chart).

The album peaked at number 2 in the UK album chart and number 25 on the Billboard 200 chart in the states.

Track Listing

One More Chance
What Have I Done To Deserve This?
Shopping
Rent
Hit Music
It Couldn't Happen Here
It's A Sin
I Want To Wake Up
Heart
King's Cross

If you have this album in your collection, dig it out and give it a spin!