Pet Shop Boys

Pet Shop Boys are the top selling British duo of all time. A primary example of synthpop, Pet Shop Boys continue to have success today. Although their popularity in the U.S. has waned since the late 80s, they are still exceedingly popular in not only the U.K., but also much of Europe.

 
The 1980s:

            Pet Shop Boys consist of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe who just happened to meet in Chelsea in 1981. Love of electronic music brought them together and they began writing and recording a variety of songs, several of which would later end up on future albums. “West End Girls” was their first single released. Although a club hit in L.A. and San Francisco, it did not garner much attention in the U.K. A follow-up single and a re-recording of “West End Girls” (which would go on to number 1 in the U.S. and remains their most well known song) led to their first album, Please, in 1986. 1987 saw the release of Pet Shop Boys’ Actually, one of their top selling albums, particularly in the U.S. The album featured a duet with Dusty Springfield (“What Have I Done Do Deserve This”) which not only resurrected her career, it also led to many other collaborations these past 20 years. Pet Shop Boys released their last (to date) Top 40 single in the U.S., “Domino Dancing”, in 1988 as well as their third studio album, Introspective.

 
The 1990s and beyond:

            1989 saw Pet Shop Boys' first tour and Behaviour was released the next year. This album was more subdued and downcast than their previous works. While the singles were still reaching the Top 20 and Top 10 in the U.K., Pet Shop Boys were failing to have the same success in the U.S. During this time, they continued collaborating with other artists, not only writing material, but also producing (half of Dusty Springfield's 1990 album, Reputation, was produced by Pet Shop Boys). One of their most critically acclaimed albums, Very, was released in 1993 and is their only album to reach number 1 in the U.K. thanks to the hit single “Can You Forgive Her?”. Pet Shop Boys have continued releasing albums in the ensuing years as well as their various collaborations. They also put together a musical, Closer to Heaven, which opened to mixed reviews in 2001.

 
Discography:

Please (1986)
Disco(1986)
Actually(1987)
Introspective(1988)
Behavior(1990)
Discography: The Complete Singles Collection (1991)
Very(1993)
Disco 2 (1994)
Alternative(1995)
Bilingual(1996)
Essential (1998)
Nightlife(1999)
Release(2002)
Disco 3 (2003)
Pop Art: The Hits (2003)
Fundamental(2006)
Concrete(2006)
Disco 4 (2007)