983 Pet Shop Boys - Actually (1987)

983 Pet Shop Boys - Actually (1987)

Studio Album - Synth-Pop




About the Act:

The Pet Shop Boys are a synth-pop duo from London who have been active since 1981. They hit success with their single "West End Girls" in 1985. They are best known for their core success years of the late 80s/early 90s, but have had a consistent career since.  They are Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, and are remarkable in having had no changes in personnel at all.

They are the most successful British duo in music history, and one of the foremost proponents of synth-pop. Their lyrics are often critical social commentary, and they are not afraid to express political opinions.

About the Album:

This was the Pet Shop Boys second studio album, and marked their breakthrough to mega-stardom. Songs are written by the boys with some collaboration, and mostly the music is performed by them with a few guests - notably Dusty Springfield as a guest vocalist on "What Have I Done To Deserve This?". That track was one of the three successful singles from the album, the others being "It's A Sin" and "Rent".

My History with this Album:

I think I had a cassette copy for a while, but I don't think I played it very often. The non-single tracks are not that familiar to me.

Review:

I have long respected the Pet Shop Boys and enjoyed their singles, or at least some of them. "It's A Sin" from this album is a classic, of course. The music is as described, synth-pop, with heavy use of early samplers, and the resulting electronic sound is mostly beat- and dance- related. The songs are about various things, including some anti-Thatcher sentiment. "Rent" is interesting, about a relationship dependent on financial dependency. "It's A Sin" is an attack on views of morality, with hints that this is mostly about sexual mores. "Shopping" is fun, although apparently it's about privatisation rather than actually shopping.

Unfortunately, the album did not delight me as I hoped it would. "It's A Sin" is good. I find both "Rent" and "What have I done to deserve this" as being mediocre, and the latter especially repetitive. OF the rest of the tracks "Shopping" stands out but the rest fade into the background. Actually, the first track "One More Chance" is better, a nice showcase of sampling. The overall result, then, was one of being somewhat underwhelmed.

5.8/10






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