please empty your brain below
I assume that the sole surviving shop is Fopp. I'm surprised that HMV in Westfield is no longer around!

Jamesthegill | 24.01.20 - 7:09 a.m. | #

Blimey, our musical tastes are somewhat aligned!

Peter | 24.01.20 - 7:16 a.m. | #

Pay on the way, not all the way!

Also I'm fairly sure NYC boy was a single.

/Pet shop boys pedantry

dg writes: fixed, ta

Ian | 24.01.20 - 7:23 a.m. | #

We have seen the PSB at Newmarket and at the ROH. Simply stunning. The sound, the visuals, the music, the staging. Glorious music.

Lynn | 24.01.20 - 7:27 a.m. | #

I agree with you about that second Röyksopp album, not a patch on their first!

Joe | 24.01.20 - 7:41 a.m. | #

I've seen quite a few bands over a long period, but PSB are one of my fave acts to see perform "live" - always a superb visual and aural experience.

Frank F | 24.01.20 - 7:51 a.m. | #

What about Disco 4, Ultimate and others?

I bought Disco 3 on the day, started listening to it on the slam door train and then left the album gatefold on the train. I also had one of the copies that had a glitch on track 1 so had to send it in and get it replaced. At some point I must have bought the album again to get the box back too! Grrr etc.

daveid76 | 24.01.20 - 8:14 a.m. | #

I may be obsessive but I am not a hardwired completist.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 24.01.20 - 8:19 a.m. | #

Sounds like one of their b-sides.

Ian | 24.01.20 - 8:41 a.m. | #

Boots in Windsor is still there.

martin | 24.01.20 - 8:57 a.m. | #

I think the happiest I've ever been in my life was watching PSB headline the Primavera Sound festvial in Barcelona a few years back. So this post was a great way to start a dismal looking Friday!

Josh | 24.01.20 - 9:13 a.m. | #

Sadly, it’s as bad as Elysium. I predict you also won’t have a favourite or be able to hum a single one when you look back at your diary in a few years time ...

Geofftech | 24.01.20 - 9:40 a.m. | #

Can't claim to be a huge fan of the PSB although everyone loved their early hits. My favourite non-single tune is October Symphony on the Behaviour album, I actually heard it being played loudly at Fopp in Earlham St. and got the album on the strength of that.

Haven't bought any PSB since, but they have my admiration for their consistent quality control and their very British camp 'outness' in the US market, at a time when that would get you bottled off stage at most American venues.

Arlu | 24.01.20 - 9:59 a.m. | #

Opinions vary.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 24.01.20 - 10:13 a.m. | #

As a fellow PSB obsessive I loved reading this.

Elysium is indeed as forgettable as you note.

Thankfully Hotspot is pretty decent - I've only listened once through so far, on the way to work this morning, but I'm on board (and relieved).

Carlbob | Homepage | 24.01.20 - 10:20 a.m. | #

Red Box's first album was one of the best music buys I ever made - 'Chenko' still runs through my mind.

Joel | 24.01.20 - 10:23 a.m. | #

Thanks to DG for inserting the link to the song! It's a very fine tune, melancholic and delicate but also catchy. I have always assumed it's about the collapse of the USSR but I await to be corrected.

Arlu | 24.01.20 - 10:24 a.m. | #

If its as bad as Elysium then I can't wait to hear it. Elysium is a gorgeous album. Leaving and Memory of the future are two of their finest songs.

daveid76 | 24.01.20 - 10:59 a.m. | #

I prefer "Happiness" as sung by Ken Dodd.

John | 24.01.20 - 11:46 a.m. | #

Great band

Not a fan of Elysium either. Electric is good, but not so keen on Super

Not bought a CD (or DVD) from a physical shop for years though. Unlike LPs shrink wrapped CDs are soulless items, I like to have the physical medium, but happy to buy online.

Mikey C | 24.01.20 - 12:12 p.m. | #

Wow, £12.49 back in 1990 and only £10 26 years later (even at £15, not bad). Shows how the CD was ridiculously overpriced in the early years of the format. I think it was about double the price of vinyl and tape at it's launch.

Showing my age now - 200+ Vinyl albums, 150+ tapes and about 35 CD's (most of the CD's being compilations!)

Dave | 24.01.20 - 12:17 p.m. | #

A Pet Shop Boys greatest hits album was my favourite listen when alone driving driving up and down taking my kids to or from university.
The Pandemonium tour set is just incredible for the dancing and visuals as well as the music. Catch it on You Tube if you can.
Also went to see their ballet The Most Incredible Thing at Sadlers Wells. Very enjoyable, and Neil and Chris came on-stage at the end.

MikeK | 24.01.20 - 12:18 p.m. | #

No no! Elys**m is the album that-must-never-be-named, in reality.

Hotspot may not be AS BAD as it, but it is not far off, and my 35 year obession with the PSB's probably ends today. Oh well.

But it's nice that opinions vary, yes.

Geofftech | 24.01.20 - 12:34 p.m. | #

Someone once said you were a completist. A serial completist even.

Messiah | 24.01.20 - 1:03 p.m. | #

Do you still have a cassette player?!

Seen them live three times now; best show was the intimate one at the Savoy Theatre in what must have been 1995. Magic.

Big fan of Behaviour, Very, Fundamental and Yes. Kinda lost interest lately, though loved "The Dictator Decides". May give this new one (of which I was unaware - so, thanks) a go.

David | 24.01.20 - 2:12 p.m. | #

Ah,Bedford! Made me all nostalgic.
Had to go back there last week for a hospital appointment. The town centre is a desert. M&S gone, Woolworths gone of course but at least their store is a Wilko. Beales is tottering and Debenhams depressing. Even Golding's, the last specialist ironmonger, now but a memory. Can't think of where I might buy a record now. I'm excluding the outlying retail parks.

Baldrick | 24.01.20 - 2:58 p.m. | #

Thanks for this DG, now you've got me listening to New York City Boy on Spotify.

TheLupineOne | 24.01.20 - 3:37 p.m. | #

The queue for the popup at BoxPark fascinated me. I walked past not knowing what it was for, and was completely unable to imagine what might have brought the queuees together. It stuck in my mind for a long time. And now I'm drawing a Venn diagram of PSB / Brookside / Dr Who devotees..

JustinP | 24.01.20 - 4:32 p.m. | #

According to tonight's ES this is PSB's 14th album. I ran out of fingers and toes counting your list. Are there seven best of, or is there another explanation, or might one of the links at the top of the post have the answer?

Ken | 24.01.20 - 5:09 p.m. | #

Thank you for the reminder that the new album was coming out today. I popped into HMVCoventry this morning and bought the 2 cd version (£12.99) with the instrumental versions. I’ve seen the pet shop boys 5 times, 3 in Birmingham, once at the Savoy and once at Wolverhampton Civic. Best regards Pete S

Peter S | 24.01.20 - 6:18 p.m. | #

Just seen them on tonight's One show. The bloke with the silly hat only played three notes all the way through.

kev | 24.01.20 - 7:35 p.m. | #

A thoroughly enjoyable post, thanks. I found the couple of Hotspot tracks on YouTube very decent.

I still have my 63 cassettes, including an unopened blank. They have too many direct connections with people, events and places to consider chucking - though the favourites have made it to digital thanks to good old Audacity. Sadly I can't remember when I last bought something from a record shop, though charity shops provide a sometimes interesting local supply of oldies.

NickW | Homepage | 24.01.20 - 9:59 p.m. | #

Lovely list of wonderful record stores that have fallen by the wayside.
How times have changed.

Scrumpy | 24.01.20 - 10:26 p.m. | #

Hotspot's not a great album but it is a fine album, and has merited several repeat plays.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 24.01.20 - 11:18 p.m. | #

The Gilbert & George of electronic pop. Not to my taste by and large, but they have undoubtedly made a contribution.

I did rather like their line in the Guardian interview - that they are looking forward to running out of ideas, as that's when you get to do a record with Eno...that made me chuckle.

Burntweenie | 25.01.20 - 5:47 a.m. | #

Loved the Tyree Cooper mix of Alright.

Matt | 25.01.20 - 8:06 a.m. | #

Never thought I'd see Tyree Cooper's name pop up here!

Josh | 25.01.20 - 8:56 a.m. | #

It's only £8 at Amazon today, which really explains the death of bricks and mortar stores selling CDs.

J. | 25.01.20 - 1:02 p.m. | #

It was £9.99 on Amazon before the day of release, then reduced to £8.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 25.01.20 - 5:36 p.m. | #

Baldrick - Bedford Woolworths isn't Wilko, it's Next. There's an Independent Record Store in the Arcade but that's it.

Darren | 25.01.20 - 9:53 p.m. | #

What a fab post! I’m amazed that you remembered the details of each purchase, a great trip down memory lane. I don’t really buy music any more ( just listen on YouTube) but I’m really pleased that they still have a following. My absolute favourite is Later Tonight; their performance on the Old Grey Whistle Test was spine tingling ( I think it’s still on YouTube) and reminds me of the boy in my class I was obsessed with. I also thought the music they did for the Alan Turing Proms tribute was phenomenal. I wish they’d release it.

I remember that Savoy theatre gig, it was incredible, as were the two Royal Opera House shows I went to. Having been lucky enough to see those, the stadium tour doesn’t interest me at all. As to Monkey Business, I didn’t love it on first listen, but now I can’t get it out of my head. I just wish Chris would give the dance moves a bit more welly in the video. Love your blog DG.

Disneyrollergirl | Homepage | 26.01.20 - 1:43 a.m. | #

Boots in Windsor is no longer in the same place; I think Daniels snapped up the old Boots store when it expanded.

Ironically, Boots has moved to where Woolworths used to be. Was there on Saturday and subconsciously veered towards where the new release CDs used to be (on the left hand side as you go in the front door).

Our Price (where I bought my first ever CD - Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm by Crash Test Dummies) is now a Jones The Bootmaker.

Tim Abbott | 27.01.20 - 12:59 p.m. | #











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