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Please (Pet Shop Boys album)

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Please
Original CD cover
Cover art for the original CD release.
Studio album by
Pet Shop Boys
Released24 March 1986
Recorded
  • August 1985[a]
  • November 1985 – January 1986
StudioAdvision (London)
Genre
Length42:50
LabelParlophone
ProducerStephen Hague
Pet Shop Boys chronology
Please
(1986) 		Disco
(1986)
Singles from Please
  1. "West End Girls"
    Released: 28 October 1985
  2. "Love Comes Quickly"
    Released: 24 February 1986
  3. "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)"
    Released: 19 May 1986
  4. "Suburbia"
    Released: 22 September 1986
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Record GuideA−[3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[5]
Smash Hits9/10[6]
Spin Alternative Record Guide8/10[7]
Uncut8/10[8]

Please is the debut studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 24 March 1986 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom and by EMI America Records in the United States. According to the duo, the album's title was chosen so that people could go into a record shop and say "Can I have the Pet Shop Boys album, please?"[9] Please featured the number one hit "West End Girls" and nine other songs, including the singles "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)", "Love Comes Quickly", and "Suburbia".

Background and composition

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Pet Shop Boys signed with Parlophone, a subsidiary of EMI Records, in March 1985.[10] By that time, Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant had been writing songs together for over three years. Their music was influenced by Italian disco, the emerging American hip-hop scene, and American producer Bobby Orlando's lo-fi electronic dance music. The duo had recorded of some of their material with Orlando, including "West End Girls", which had been released as an unsuccessful single in 1984. Lyrically, the songs were inspired by their life in London at the time, with lyricist Tennant assuming different characters and occasionally writing satirical songs, such as "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)".[11]

Recording

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"Opportunities" was the first single for their Parlophone deal. They had written the song in 1983 and had subsequently worked on it with Orlando but never released it. Pet Shop Boys picked J. J. Jeczalik of Art of Noise as producer. The recording session took three weeks and cost £40,000. When the single was released in July 1985, it only reached 116 on the UK Singles Chart.[12]

For their debut album, Pet Shop Boys wanted to work with Stephen Hague, the producer of Malcolm McLaren's "Madame Butterfly" and The World's Famous Supreme Team's "Hey DJ". Their record company initially wanted them to use Stock Aitken Waterman,[11] but Pet Shop Boys were allowed to record "West End Girls" with Hague as a trial. Hague suggested slowing the song down and making it moodier, with more focus on the story and a filmic intro of street sounds.[13] "West End Girls" was released in October, and the single climbed to the top of charts as they went on to record the rest of the album.

Please was made in 10 weeks, between November 1985 and January 1986, at Advision Studios in London. They sequenced the songs to form a loose storyline: "They run away in the first song ["Two Divided by Zero"], they arrive in the city ("West End Girls"), they want to make money ("Opportunities"), they fall in love ("Love Comes Quickly"), move to suburbia ("Suburbia"), go out clubbing ("Tonight Is Forever"), there's violence in the city ("Violence") and casual sex ("I Want a Lover"), someone tries to pick up a boy ("Later Tonight")".[12] The sequence ends with "Why Don't We Live Together?"

"Two Divided by Zero", dating back to 1983, was co-written by Tennant and Bobby Orlando, who wrote the backing track; it is the only Pet Shop Boys song, excluding cover versions, for which Lowe does not share a songwriting credit.[b] For the album version, Hague used a similar arrangement but gave it a bigger sound that conveys the sense of excitement of running away. The track features the voice of a talking calculator that Tennant bought in New York as a Christmas present for his father.[12]

Hague shares a songwriting credit with the duo on "Love Comes Quickly" for coming up with the chord changes of the middle eight.[11] The song was released as a single in February 1986 and just made the top 20 at number 19.[16] "Opportunities" was reworked following the disappointing chart performance of its initial release. They did not have time to record a new version, but Hague used elements from the single as well as the 12-inch mix by Ron Dean Miller, and re-recorded the vocals.[12] A portion of the original single, featuring a party scene, was used as the sixth track on the album, titled "Opportunities (reprise)". "Opportunities" was re-released as a single in May 1986, and reached number 11 on the UK Singles Chart and number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[16][17]

Hague decided to record "Later Tonight" live in the studio, with Tennant singing accompanied by Lowe on the piano. Lowe played trombone on "I Want a Lover", originally recorded with Blue Weaver prior to the album sessions. "Why Don't We Live Together?" was also recorded earlier in 1985 with Ron Dean Miller and was reworked by Hague with new drum programming. "Suburbia" was the last song completed for Please; due to time constraints, the album version is a polished version of the Pet Shop Boys' demo. When it was released as a single in September 1986, "Suburbia" was redone with producer Julian Mendelsohn and became the Pet Shop Boys' second top 10 hit in the UK.[12][16]

Release

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Please was released on 24 March 1986 and debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart.[18] In the United States, Please is Pet Shop Boys' highest charting album, reaching number seven on the Billboard 200,[19] and it is their only record to be certified platinum by the RIAA with over one million sales.[20]

Please was re-released in 2001 (as were most of the duo's studio albums up to that point) as Please: Further Listening 1984–1986. The re-released version was digitally remastered and came with a second disc of B-sides and previously unreleased material from around the time of the album's original release.[21] A remastered single-disc edition of Please, containing only the 11 original tracks, was released in 2009.[22] In 2018, a newly remastered edition of Please: Further Listening 1984–1986 was released, with the same contents as the 2001 edition.[21]

"Violence" was later re-recorded by the Pet Shop Boys for a charity concert at The Haçienda nightclub in 1992. This version, known as the 'Haçienda version', was released as one of the B-sides to "I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing" and was then made available on the B-sides album Alternative and on Very: Further Listening 1992-1994.[23]

"Tonight Is Forever" was later covered by Liza Minnelli on the Pet Shop Boys-produced album Results.[24]

Artwork

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For their first album cover, Pet Shop Boys manager Tom Watkins presented them with a fold-out latticework model, but they thought it was too complicated. In reaction, Mark Farrow created a minimalist white cover with a tiny photo of the duo in the center with their name and the title in small type underneath. The photo, taken by Eric Watson, shows Lowe and Tennant with white towels on their shoulders and was chosen from existing images for the way it blended into the background. The inner sleeve had 98 more small images by Eric Watson, Paul Rider, John Stoddard, Joe Shutter, Ian Hooton, Chris Burscough, and Chris Lowe.[25] Some international distributors made changes to the cover: EMI America redid the cover with the name on the top,[26] and in France a cover with a larger picture was made.[27]

Critical reception

[edit]

Please has received critical acclaim. Upon its release in March 1986, Smash Hits reviewer Chris Heath gave the album a 9 out of 10 rating describing the content as "ten thoroughly catchy songs".[6]

Writing in 1986 for Billboard's "Dance Trax" column, Brian Chin described the album as an "amusingly complete compendium of recent dance music styles. It should be a long-running hit for clubs if the remixes keep coming."[28]

Retrospectively, in a 2009 review for the BBC, Ian Wade wrote: "Please really hasn't dated at all and should be the textbook example of how brilliant a pop debut could be."[29]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, except where noted

Side A
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Two Divided by Zero"
3:35
2."West End Girls" 4:46
3."Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)" 3:44
4."Love Comes Quickly"
4:19
5."Suburbia" 5:10
6."Opportunities" (reprise) 0:34
Total length:22:08
Side B
No.TitleLength
7."Tonight Is Forever"4:33
8."Violence"4:30
9."I Want a Lover"4:06
10."Later Tonight"2:49
11."Why Don't We Live Together?"4:45
Total length:20:42 (42:50)
Further Listening 1984–1986 (bonus disc)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."A Man Could Get Arrested" (12-inch B-side;
previously unreleased)		 4:11
2."Opportunities" (full-length original 7-inch; previously unreleased) 4:36
3."In the Night" 4:51
4."Opportunities" (original 12-inch mix; previously unreleased on CD) 7:00
5."Why Don't We Live Together?" (original New York mix;
previously unreleased)		 5:14
6."West End Girls" (dance mix; previously unreleased on CD) 6:39
7."A Man Could Get Arrested" (7-inch B-side;
previously unreleased on CD)		 4:51
8."Love Comes Quickly" (dance mix)
  • Tennant
  • Lowe
  • Hague
6:50
9."That's My Impression" (disco mix) 5:19
10."Was That What It Was?" 5:17
11."Suburbia" (The Full Horror) 8:58
12."Jack the Lad" 4:32
13."Paninaro" (Italian remix) 8:38
Total length:76:56

Notes

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  • On LP and cassette copies, "Opportunities" (Reprise) is sequenced as a hidden track at the end of side A, acting as the outro to "Suburbia".[30]
  • Track 4 on the Further Listening 1984–1986 bonus disc is a previously unreleased mix, different from the actual 12" version released in 1985 (dance mix) and which reappeared in 1986 (original dance mix).

Personnel

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Credits adapted from the liner notes of Please[31] and Please: Further Listening 1984–1986[32]

Pet Shop Boys

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  • Chris Lowe – keyboards, programming, trombone (track 9), piano (track 10), lead vocals (Further Listening track 13)
  • Neil Tennant – vocals, keyboards

Additional musicians

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Technical

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  • Stephen Hague – production
  • David Jacob – engineering
  • J. J. Jeczalik – production (original recording) (track 3, 6)
  • Nicholas Froome – production (original recording) (track 3, 6)
  • Ron Dean Miller – New York overdubs (track 3); production (original recording) (track 11)
  • Pet Shop Boys – production (original recording) (track 9)
  • Blue Weaver – production (original recording) (track 9)

Artwork

[edit]
  • Eric Watson – cover photograph, inner sleeve photographs
  • Paul Rider, John Stoddart, Brian Aris, Joe Shutter, Ian Hooton, Chris Burscough – inner sleeve photographs
  • Mark Farrow – sleeve design
  • Pet Shop Boys – sleeve design

Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Certifications and sales for Please
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Brazil — 75,000[53]
Canada (Music Canada)[54] Platinum 100,000^
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[55] Gold 10,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[56] Platinum 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[57] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[58] Platinum 1,000,000^
Summaries
Worldwide — 3,000,000[59]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes

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  1. ^ "West End Girls"
  2. ^ "Later Tonight" was credited solely to Tennant on the original release of Please,[14] but Lowe is co-credited on subsequent releases.[12] Lowe was also not originally credited on the Bobby Orlando single of "One More Chance", but he added material to the album version and is credited on Actually.[15]

References

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  1. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Please – Pet Shop Boys". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  2. ^ Hunt, Dennis (4 May 1986). "These Boys Aren't the Critics' Pets". Los Angeles Times. 4 May 1986. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  3. ^ Christgau, Robert (1990). "Pet Shop Boys: Please". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. Pantheon Books. p. 313. ISBN 0-679-73015-X. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  4. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Pet Shop Boys". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  5. ^ Hull, Tom (2004). "Pet Shop Boys". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 630–31. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  6. ^ a b Heath, Chris. "Albums". Smash Hits March 26-April 8 1986. p. 57.
  7. ^ Sheffield, Rob (1995). "Pet Shop Boys". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 294–95. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  8. ^ Dalton, Stephen (March 2018). "Pet Shop Boys: Please / Actually / Introspective". Uncut. No. 250. p. 43.
  9. ^ "Pet Shop Boys – History (1986)". PetShopBoys.co.uk. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  10. ^ Koranteng, Juliana (12 July 2007). "Parlophone Re-signs Pet Shop Boys". Billboard. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  11. ^ a b c A.D. Amorosi (8 July 2016). "The making of Pet Shop Boys' Please". Magnet Music.
  12. ^ a b c d e f Heath, Chris (2018). Please: Further Listening 1984-1986 (booklet). Pet Shop Boys. Parlophone Records. 0190295831745.
  13. ^ Hague, Stephen (interviewee) (1 September 2021). My 80sography: Stephen Hague (producer) (Pt 2, 1986–87) (Pet Shop Boys, OMD, The Communards) (podcast). 80sography: 80s music interviews. Event occurs at 1:20 minutes.
  14. ^ "Pet Shop Boys - Please (PCS 7303)". Discogs. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  15. ^ Heath, Chris (2018). Actually: Further Listening 1987–1988 (booklet). Pet Shop Boys. Parlophone Records. 0190295826222.
  16. ^ a b c "Pet Shop Boys Songs and Albums: Full Official Chart History". Official Charts. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  17. ^ "Pet Shop Boys: Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  18. ^ "Please - Pet Shop Boys". Official Charts. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  19. ^ "Pet Shop Boys: Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  20. ^ "Gold & Platinum: Pet Shop Boys". RIAA. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
  21. ^ a b "Pet Shop Boys Catalogue 1985-2012 Series Continues With Third Batch Of Releases Available March 2". Rhino. 2 March 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  22. ^ "Pet Shop Boys - Please (5099926828923)". Discogs. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  23. ^ Heath, Chris (2018). Very: Further Listening 1992-1994 (booklet). Pet Shop Boys. Parlophone Records. 0190295809164.
  24. ^ Soto, Alfred (31 August 2017). "Liza Minnelli: Results Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  25. ^ "The best Pet Shop Boys cover art". Classic Pop. 21 September 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  26. ^ "Pet Shop Boys - Please (PW-1719303)". Discogs. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  27. ^ "Pet Shop Boys - Please (2405201)". Discogs. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  28. ^ Chin, Brian (19 April 1986). "Dance Trax". Billboard.
  29. ^ Wade, Ian (2009). "The textbook example of how brilliant a pop debut could be". BBC.
  30. ^ saborinja. "▶️ PET SHOP BOYS – Please (Vinyl Rip)". Retrieved 16 June 2024 – via YouTube.
  31. ^ Pet Shop Boys (1986). Please (liner notes). Parlophone. CDP 7 46271 2.
  32. ^ Pet Shop Boys (2018). Please: Further Listening 1984–1986 (liner notes). Parlophone. 0190295831745.
  33. ^ Kent 1993, p. 232
  34. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0678". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  35. ^ "European Hot 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 21. 31 May 1986. p. 17. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  36. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 233. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  37. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Pet Shop Boys – Please" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  38. ^ "Ísland (LP-plötur)". DV (in Icelandic). 23 May 1986. p. 43. ISSN 1021-8254 – via Timarit.is.
  39. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 3 June 2022. Select "Album" in the "Tipo" field, type "Pet Shop Boys" in the "Artista" field and press "cerca".
  40. ^ "Charts.nz – Pet Shop Boys – Please". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  41. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Pet Shop Boys – Please". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
  42. ^ Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  43. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Pet Shop Boys – Please". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
  44. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Pet Shop Boys – Please". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  45. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  46. ^ "Pet Shop Boys Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  47. ^ Kent 1993, p. 438
  48. ^ "Top 100 Albums of '86". RPM. Vol. 45, no. 14. 27 December 1986. p. 9. ISSN 0033-7064 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  49. ^ "European Hot 100 Albums – Hot 100 of the Year 1986" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 51/52. 27 December 1986. p. 35. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  50. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1986". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  51. ^ "Top 100 Albums (January to December 1986)" (PDF). Music Week. 24 January 1987. p. 25. ISSN 0265-1548 – via World Radio History.
  52. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1986". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2 July 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  53. ^ Fucuta, Brenda (9 December 1994). "Discografia marcada pela 'dance music'". Jornal do Brasil (in Portuguese). No. 245. p. 38 – via National Library of Brazil.
  54. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Pet Shop Boys – Please". Music Canada. 23 July 1986.
  55. ^ "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1988". IFPI Hong Kong.
  56. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Pet Shop Boys – Please". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  57. ^ "British album certifications – Pet Shop Boys – Please". British Phonographic Industry. 12 January 1987. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  58. ^ "American album certifications – Pet Shop Boys – Please". Recording Industry Association of America. 29 September 1986. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
  59. ^ Freeman, Josh (19 May 2011). "A Lot of Opportunities: Pet Shop Boys' Please Revisited". The Quietus. Retrieved 24 November 2019.

Bibliography

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