608. Pet Shop Boys - Actually (1987)
















Track Listing

1. One More Chance
2. What Have I Done to Deserve This?
3. Shopping
4. Rent
5. Hit Music
6. It Couldn't Happen Here
7. It's a Sin
8. I Want to Wake Up
9. Heart
10. King's Cross

Review

The best thing about the Pet Shop Boys is the fact that they ironically put deep lyrics in the most disposable kind of music possible, dance-pop. The worse thing about the Pet Shop Boys is the fact that their music, albeit with interesting lyrics, is disposable dance-pop.

This is not to say that the album does not have its share of memorable moments, and as disposable dance-pop goes this is probably one of the most interesting albums of the type. But it sounds incredibly dated, unfortunately.

Even though it is very much of its time a couple of tracks have become bona fide classics, It's A Sin is the foremost example of this, and if it wasn't for this album we probably would not have had the Dusty Springfield albums we did on this list, they single-handedly brought her back into the limelight sparking interest in her back catalogue, and for that they deserve my respect. For this album they deserve a rotund "meh".

Track Highlights

1. It's A Sin
2. What Have I Done To Deserve This
3. Shopping
4. King's Cross

Final Grade

7/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

Actually spawned four UK Top 10 singles: the number one lead-off single "It's a Sin," "Rent," "What Have I Done to Deserve This?," a duet with fellow Parlophone artist Dusty Springfield which peaked at #2 in both the UK and US and led to a major resurgence of interest in Springfield's earlier work; and the duo scored another UK number one in April 1988 with a remixed version of the album's fourth and last single, "Heart."

During this period, the Pet Shop Boys also completed a full-length motion picture called It Couldn't Happen Here. Featuring songs by the duo, it was most famous for containing the video for "Always on My Mind" (starring Joss Ackland as a blind priest), which - while not on Actually - was released as a single during this period.

It's A Sin: