March 1985
They sign to Parlophone Records after long negotiations with Bobby O’, who relinquished his contractual rights over them in return for a substantial royalty on future record sales.
History
April 1985
On April 5th, Neil leaves Smash Hits. In the next issue an ‘obituary’ is written, bidding him a sad adieu and predicting that in a matter of weeks Neil’s pop duo, the Pet Shop Boys “will be down the dumper and he’ll come crawling back on bended knees, ha ha ha”. “I spoke to my mum on the telephone and said how we’d signed with EMI and she said “But you’re not going to give up your job, are you?” and I said, actually I did last week”.
July 1985
On July 1st, the first version of ‘Opportunities’ is released. It reached #116 in the UK.
August 1985
They play a short set as part of the ICA Rock Week in London, Chris showing off his skills on the trombone. Neil and Chris are interviewed on stage by Max Headroom. They re-record ‘West End girls’ with producer Stephen Hague the same month.
October 1985
‘West End girls’ is released on October 28th and goes to #1 in the UK in January. It is subsequently #1 in USA, Canada, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, New Zealand and Norway, selling 1.5 million copies. “People endlessly ask us what it’s like having a #1” says Neil at the time. “But what it feels like is vaguely nothing. It feels like having a cup of tea”.
On this day
2001
The Boys are in Neil’s home studio, where they resume work on an old track that will ultimately evolve into ‘The Night I Fell in Love.’
2010
The Pet Shop Boys are among the artists who have donated items for an online charity auction to raise money for the victims of the devastating earthquake in Haiti ten days before. Chris and Neil have donated a copy of their highly collectible (and very expensive) special 11-disc vinyl edition of Yes.
2011
The Pet Shop Boys make a surprise appearance performing at the Prada ‘Spring/Summer 2011 Fashion Show and Special Event’ at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing.
2013
They’re spending much of the month planning and working on their upcoming Electric Tour. Today they develop a new version of their old song ‘I Get Excited (You Get Excited Too)’ for the show.
2021
The limited series It’s a Sin debuts on U.K. television this evening. Not only does it borrow its title from the PSB hit, but it also stars Olly Alexander, whose band Years & Years had collaborated with PSB on the song ‘Dreamland.’ To coincide with the debut of the series, a new remake of ‘It’s a Sin’ by Years & Years is released today.
- Facts collated by geowayne.com