Pet Shop Boys discography

For the Pet Shop Boys album, see Discography: The Complete Singles Collection.

Pet Shop Boys discography
Chris Lowe (left) and Neil Tennant (right) at the stage
Pet Shop Boys performing in Boston, October 2006
Studio albums15
EPs4
Soundtrack albums5
Live albums5
Compilation albums9
Singles79
Video albums16
Music videos60
Remix albums4

English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys have released 15 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.[1][2][3] Parlophone released the duo's debut album, Please, in the United Kingdom in March 1986. It peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart and was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).[1][4] 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).[5][6] 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.[1][2] 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.[1] The album Actually was released in September 1987, peaked at number two in the UK and was certified three-times platinum by the BPI.

The duo's third album, Introspective, was released in October 1988 and peaked at number two in the UK and Germany and was certified two-times platinum by the BPI. Their next album, Behaviour, arrived in 1990 and became their third album in a row to debut and peak at number two in the UK. The duo then released their first hits compilation, Discography, which included all of their single releases as well as two new tracks. In 1993 they released a cover of the Village People single "Go West", which reached number two in the UK. The duo's fifth album, Very, followed and is the only Pet Shop Boys album, so far, to reach number one in the UK. In 1994 they recorded the Comic Relief charity single, "Absolutely Fabulous", under the pseudonym of Absolutely Fabulous. The duo do not consider it as a Pet Shop Boys single release and it was not included on any of their "best-of" albums. The duo then released a B-side collection album, Alternative, in 1995. "Se a vida é (That's the Way Life Is)", was released in the summer of 1996, a Latin American music-inspired track, featuring a drum sample, which preceded the sixth Pet Shop Boys album, Bilingual.

Nightlife, the duo's seventh album came in 1999, followed by the modestly successful album Release in 2002. In November 2003, Pet Shop Boys released a second greatest hits album, PopArt: The Hits. The ninth Pet Shop Boys studio album, Fundamental, came in May 2006, reaching number five in the UK. Also in 2006, Concrete was released, a live album recorded at the Mermaid Theatre, London. Released in UK in March 2009, Yes, was a critical success and hit number four, their highest album chart peak in more than a decade. The Pet Shop Boys also received the BPI's award for "Outstanding Contribution to British Music", at the 2009 Brit Awards ceremony.[7] In December 2009, they released an EP of covers, remixes, and new material, titled Christmas.

Ultimate, the one-disc compilation, was released on 1 November 2010 to celebrate 25 years since the band's first single release. The special version included a DVD with over three hours of BBC TV performances of 27 singles by Pet Shop Boys, released by arrangement with BBC Music, as well as the complete Glastonbury Festival performance from June 2010. Ultimate peaked at 27 on the UK charts. The second B-side compilation album, Format, was released on 6 February 2012, reaching number 26 in the UK. The duo released their eleventh studio album, Elysium, in late 2012, reaching number 9 in the UK. Elysium spawned the singles "Winner", "Leaving" and "Memory of the Future".

In March 2013, the Pet Shop Boys started a new chapter in their career when they left their long-term label, Parlophone, and signed with Kobalt Label Services. A new album, Electric, was released in July 2013, reaching number three in the UK and number 26 in the United States, their highest-peaking album for nearly 20 years in both countries. The singles from this album were "Axis", "Vocal", "Love is a Bourgeois Construct", "Thursday" (featuring Example) and "Fluorescent". The duo undertook a worldwide tour to support the album. In November 2014, they returned to the studio to begin working on their next album with Electric producer Stuart Price. Super was released on 1 April 2016. The first single was "The Pop Kids", made available on 16 February 2016.[8] Super debuted at number three in the UK[9] and at number 58 on the Billboard 200, and it topped Billboard's Dance/Electronic Albums chart as the duo's first number one since Disco 3 in 2003.[10] The live album Inner Sanctum was recorded at the Royal Opera House during the Super Tour. The 2020 release Hotspot completed the Berlin trilogy of albums produced by Stuart Price.[11] Like its predecessors, Hotspot reached number three in the UK.[12]

The compilation album Smash: The Singles 1985–2020 was released by Parlophone in 2023 and entered the UK charts at number four.[13] Pet Shop Boys returned to Parlophone in 2024 for their fifteenth album Nonetheless, produced by James Ford.[14] Debuting at number two in the UK, Nonetheless was their highest-charting studio album since Very 31 years earlier and their nineteenth album overall to reach the top ten.[15]

  1. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference UK singles was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b "Pet Shop Boys Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference CAN singles was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference bpi was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference US albums was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference riaa was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Woods, Adam (14 February 2008). "Pet Shop Boys, naturally..." Music Week. Archived from the original on 12 August 2011. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  8. ^ "The Pop Kids". petshopboys.co.uk. 12 February 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  9. ^ "Official Album Chart 7 April 2016 – 13 April 2016". officialcharts.com. 8 April 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  10. ^ Murray, Gordon (14 April 2016). "Pet Shop Boys Make 'Super' Start at No. 1 on Top Dance/Electronic Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  11. ^ Lambert, Christina (1 February 2020). "New Pet Shop Boys album brings Berlin trilogy to satisfying close". Washington Blade. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  12. ^ "Official Album Chart 30 January 2020 – 5 February 2020". officialcharts.com. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  13. ^ "Official Album Chart 22 June 2023 – 28 June 2023". officialcharts.com. 23 June 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  14. ^ Best, Steve (26 April 2024). "Pet Shop Boys nonetheless (Parlophone Records)". Music Republic Magazine. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  15. ^ Brandle, Lars (6 May 2024). "Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department' Holds at No. 1 In the U.K." Billboard. Retrieved 28 September 2024.