Editor’s Note: From Albumism’s inception back in 2016, we’ve remained unabashedly and unequivocally passionate about our mission of celebrating the world's love affairs with albums past, present and future.
But while our devotion to the album as an art form has remained steadfast, as evidenced by our deepening repository of individual album tributes and reviews, we’ve admittedly seldom taken the opportunity to explicitly articulate our reverence for the virtues of artists’ complete album repertoires as a whole.
Hence why we’ve decided to showcase what we believe to be the most dynamic discographies of all time in this recurring series. In doing so, we hope to better understand the broader creative context within which our most beloved individual albums exist, while acknowledging the full breadth of their creators’ artistry, career arcs, and overall contributions to the ever-evolving musical landscape.
We hope you enjoy this series and be sure to check here periodically for the latest installments.
PET SHOP BOYS
Studio Albums: Please (1986) | Actually (1987) | Introspective (1988) | Behaviour (1990) | Very (1993) | Bilingual (1996) | Nightlife (1999) | Release (2002) | Fundamental (2006) | Yes (2009) | Elysium (2012) | Electric (2013) | Super (2016) | Hotspot (2020) | Readers’ Poll Results
Over the course of fourteen studio albums Pet Shop Boys have released, starting with their 1986 debut Please, they’ve written an unparalleled and dense collection of impeccable songs. In myopic assessments focusing mainly on their early hits like “West End Girls,” “(Opportunities) Let’s Make Lots of Money” or “Suburbia,” they’re often tagged as purveyors of “ironic” or “satirical” dance-pop.
But take a deeper dive into the album cuts within their entire catalog and what’s revealed is Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe’s vibrant songwriting craftsmanship, which continues to flourish on ballads and bangers within genres like house music, Euro-disco or electronic pop where lyrical content, song structure and instrumental arrangement are often overlooked.
“Requiem in Denim and Leopardskin” from 2012’s soberly themed Elysium, “Indefinite Leave to Remain” from 2006’s Fundamental and “Sad Robot World” from 2016’s Super showcase Tennant’s intelligent, thought-provoking lyrics that pas de deux beautifully with Lowe’s elegantly melancholic or glamorously euphoric arrangements. Once you travel through the deeper cuts on their studio albums, you’ll get a clearer picture of Tennant and Lowe’s unique creative partnership that shows no signs of shifting down into retirement.
If they were working within other genres like rock, R&B or contemporary pop through the years, they’d probably be rightly feted today as a luminary songwriting duo along the lines of Ashford & Simpson, Lennon & McCartney, or Goffin & King. Perhaps later in this decade, when the Pet Shop Boys’ fortieth anniversary approaches, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will finally give Tennant and Lowe their overdue flowers.
Mark’s 3 Favorite Pet Shop Boys Albums of All Time:
1. Very (1993)
2. Behaviour (1990)
3. Nightlife (1999)
VISIT Pet Shop Boys’ Official Store
LISTEN & WATCH: