For the first time on television, in imagine, Pet Shop Boys: Then and Now for BBC One and iPlayer, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe reveal some of their earliest demo tapes of songs.
The most successful duo in British Music history, the Pet Shop Boys have sold more than 50,000,000 records, produced over forty Top 40 singles (including four UK #1 charters,) performed in several world tours, as they continue to making new music together.
40 years after the original release of their classic debut single ‘West End Girls,’ Tennant and Lowe will release imagine their latest LP late-April produced by Arctic Monkeys/Blur producer James Ford.
The BBC piece gives the viewer a sneak preview of the album as Neil and Chris talk about its creation and their evolution over the past four decades: pioneering, original, highly influential but always maintaining the integrity and quality of their inimitable style, sound and song-writing. Alongside the interview, for the first time on TV the British-born pair share what record producer Stuart Price refers to as ‘the holy grail of pop music’ – some of Pet Shop Boy original and revelatory 1980s demo tapes including ‘West End Girls.’
Throughout their musical reign, Pet Shop Boys songs have oft times commented on England and the world around them with wit, sensitivity and intelligence, driving the stories they want to share through some of the most memorable electronic-pop music ever created. And for their tours they’ve worked with the most innovative theatre personnel to create original and thrilling performances.
Now for the first time they the iconic duo allowed backstage access as imagine accompanies them on their global Dreamworld tour, filming rehearsals in London and backstage in Helsinki. Contributors include fellow musicians Brandon Flowers, Jake Shears, Olly Alexander, Marc Almond; music journalist Miranda Sawyer, and creative collaborators Stuart Price, James Ford, Es Devlin, Javier De Frutos, Tom Scutt and Mark Farrow.
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Author: Saul Goode
Photo: Paul Hudson from United Kingdom