Twenty months later they were No 1 with the statelier Stephen Hague mix. Since then, Pet Shop Boys have become the biggest-selling UK duo in pop music history. And they're still purveying their own unique line of euphoric/melancholic electronic dance music, as evinced by their brand-new album, Nonetheless. Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe talk Pete Paphides through their brilliant 40-year career while, on p. 73, John Earls rates all 15 of their albums and, on p. 77, John Coleman compiles a hefty discography. On pages 58 and 64 you will have already read about Einstürzende Neubauten and Bananarama, who both had a good 1984. There is more '84-related goodness here: on p80, we celebrate the ruby anniversary of PSBs' emergence by reliving 1984's format wars, when for the first time vinyl went into battle with the CD, before finally, on p. 86, naming The Best Records Of 1984.
Two hours?!" gasps Chris Lowe. The idea that the next couple of hours of his life might be spent talking about his past and present life as a Pet Shop Boy momentarily throws him. With Neil Tennant T yet to arrive, it falls upon him to tell the group's publicist when the tea should be served. "Bring it in halfway," he decides. And then, half-jokingly, he suggests we should get AI to do the whole thing. Lowe promptly pulls his phone from the pocket of his black Adidas top and issues the command for his AI app to "write an interview with Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe of the Pet Shop Boys for Record Collector." Then, addressing your correspondent, he adds, "I'll send it to you if you want, then you can use it. Save us both a job!"
Bu hikaye Record Collector dergisinin May 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye Record Collector dergisinin May 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
WINDOWS ON THE WORLD
At the peak of their powers in the early 70s, by 1975 there were signs that Led Zeppelin were burning out, and their legendary appetite for excess, not to mention stadium-straddling, mythically charged, epically inclined hard rock, might be waning.
HI-FIDELITY?
Running a record shop is a dream for many music aficionados. Steve Burniston investigates how to run a successful one
THE ENGINE ROOM
The unsung heroes who helped forge modern music
UNDER THE RADAR
Artists, bands, and labels meriting more attention
45 SHEFFIELD 45s
Continuing our celebrations of RC's 45th birthday and following on from our look at the best 45s to come out of Manchester, Liverpool, Bristol and Glasgow, we focus on the urbanisation formerly known as Steel City: Sheffield. Close to the (Nether) Edge: Jeremy Allen
Finished Symphonies
In the late 80s, Shelleyan Orphan made rarefied, ravishing, precious (both meanings) baroque pop, all chamber quartet accompaniment and literary reference points, like an 18th century Cocteau Twins.
"BLACK BRITISH PEOPLE HAD SOMETHING TO SHOUT ABOUT"
Breaking new ground for black music in Britain from his teenage years in Matumbi in the early 70s, Dennis Bovell went on to become one of reggae's most highly regarded producers, helping popularise lovers rock. He also played a pivotal role in post-punk's experimental incorporation of dub influences on records like The Slits' Cut and The Pop Group's Y. As new compilation, Sufferer Sounds, reaches back to his early days to compile some of his best early dub plates, Lois Wilson gets the full backstory from one of British music's most enduring forces.
FRENZY REUNITED
Swindon's finest musical export, XTC were also one of the most quietly influential British bands, setting a template for Britpop while pioneering a brand of left-field guitar pop – from herky-jerky invention to consummate craftsmanship – that has spawned many imitators.
Paperback Blighters - The books every record collector should read.
The books every record collector should read. Vinyl, you may have heard, has made a big comeback. In 2022, sales of vinyl albums surpassed compact discs (CDs) for the first time in more than three decades in terms of global revenue, racking up more than $1.2bn.
"Beware the Savage Lure/of 1984..." - David Bowie is one of the most venerated musicians ever. But even he had his bad periods.
David Bowie is one of the most venerated musicians ever. But even he had his bad periods. For many, 1984 remains the nadir of his Phil Collins” phase; an artistic/sartonial/tonsorial disaster area. But was it really that awful? Forty years on, Matt Phillips explores Bowie's so-called annus horribilis.
