Search - Pet Shop Boys :: Actually

A defining moment, for me as well as the Boys

J. Derek Reardon | KC, MO, USA | 06/03/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was introduced to the Pet Shop Boys in 1987, just in time to experience Actually. This was a defining release for me, both as a teenager and for my passion for music. I played the tape constantly while out on school sponsored functions, letting it psyche me up for whatever the competition. Today, Actually still has the same power it did then. When I want to get excited, singing and moving, yet keep my brain engaged, this is always toward the top of the list. Not just for PSB fans, Actually is well crafted euro-pop that features 80s classics you'll remember from summers by the pool as well as classics that never made it to the airwaves. The release revs up appropriately with "One More Chance" and its car chase intro. It gets your blood pumping and your attitude primed, although it really isn't a dance floor classic. Released as a single, "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" is and absolute classic PSB and dance tune (featuring Dusty Springfield) with great lyrics for everyone who has ever been dumped. Find the remix for this one if you can -- it's great! While not released as a single, "Shopping" is one of my favorite PSB songs ever. The lyrics are clever, the beat and programming hook you, and the refrain is great to yell along with a sneer; it's perfect fodder for the cynics (or realists) out there. "Rent" is a beautiful, classic PSB ballad that really touches one's heart and soul if you let it; this song set a definite standard of excellence. [PSB later allowed Liza Minnelli to record a version for her collaboration with the Boys (on Results) that, while good, didn't quite hit this high standard.] "Hit Music" is a driving dance floor tune that should hit home for the clubbers and music hounds, taking a PSB patented side-stab at "popular" music and the club scene. The slow atmospheric ending is a nice touch -- almost hypnotic. Back to ballad mode, "It Couldn't Happen Here" is dark, haunting, and plaintive for the soul lost and searching for love and meaning in this crazy life. "It's a Sin" is a definite PSB anthem that dominated the airways back in its day. Auto-biographical for many, this one will move you, if not for the poignant lyrics, then the beat will surely get you -- or perhaps its both! A huge single, the remixes of this one are awesome. With its plaintive cry, "I Want to Wake Up" has a great dance beat, but the lyrics stop you short and make you reflect -- do you dance, or do give the song a serious listen? There the boys go again, making you think when you wanna be dancing. Yet another single (with great remixes), I love "Heart" and would really enjoy hearing it as an industrial dance tune. With it's computerized vocal effects and striking strings, Heart is a sure dance floor filler and upbeat love song for the ages -- dance closely with your loved one of choice as you sing along. While I commented that "Rent" is a classic ballad for many, the closing song "King's Cross" for me is THE defining PSB ballad piece. This one weighs heavily on my heart and makes me ponder and almost cry as I sing along. An emotional triumph, I feel cleansed after all the sweat and tears that have been shed while enjoying monumental release. Having said all that, it is obvious why I give Actually a strong 5 star rating, and I place it easily within my top 50 releases of all time. Whether I compare this release to other PSB releases or simply examine it as a single piece of euro-pop, Actually stands the test of time as a standard of excellence, beauty, and sheer enjoyment of music. As a recommendation, I would say almost everyone should have this release. Admittedly, you have to have some propensity for euro-pop, dance music, and a desire to actually engage oneself in the music and lyrics would help as well. Whether an angst-ridden teenager or a corporate-ladder-climbing yuppie, Actually contains a lot of classics you'll remember and introduce you to classics you've never heard. No "Actually" jokes here. This release is the real thing for those who really enjoy quality music."

When New York becomes London

Mars Velvet | Green Tree, Blue Earth...Deep Space | 05/04/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When the Pet Shop Boys were working on the second album their original working title was JEALOUSY but then they changed to the
strangely adverbal "actually". Such a subtle title for a brilliant album."One More Chance" was one of the first songs Chris and Neil ever wrote. It was one of their first singles too. But here it gets a high production rework with sound effects of screaching cars and city sounds. Brilliant hi-NRG!"What Have I Done to Deserve This" a mouthful of a title that sounds like a Smiths song! But indeed it is PSB with Dusty Springfield on this top 10 hit where Neil and Dusty's voices melt beautifully! "Shopping" is a statement on buying and selling, on society and influence. "We're buying and selling your history...we're shopping"."Rent" seems so simple at first. The confessions of a kept perosn in a relationship where love is calculated by money and presents. So wonderful Neil really delivers a wonderful vocal on this with the line "i love you, you pay my rent". But further sinsister is Neil chanting at the end the refraim from a Buddy Holly classic "it's easy it's so easy..." The effect is haunting and beautiful."Hit Music" brings you back to the dancefloor with the sounds of late 70s eurodisco. So roll up the rug and play this tune and turn your bedroom into discoland."It Couldn't Happen Here" was also the title of the movie the PSBoys made. Everyone sees horrors happening in other places and say it couldn't happen here. Moody and atmospheric this song, a very underated song!"It's a Sin" was an over the top video with the seven deadly sins personified with Neil getting excommunicated! He sings about how growing up in the church he was taught that sin was unescapable. "everywhere I'm going to...it's a sin!"."I Want to Wake Up" is a personal fave of mine! Just because of the line "i stood at the kitchen sink radio playing, songs like 'Tainted Love' and 'Love is Strange'"!"Heart" uses a special vocal sampling of vowel sounds mixed and arranged into a rhythm pattern which creates the back beat of this number 1 single in the UK! "King's Cross" brings us feelings of loss and regret. Unusal way to end an album on a down note but the PSBoys knew what they were doing as this song will stay with you long after hearing.So have a Heart! It's a Sin not to give this CD One More Chance!
For extra credit look into the limited double CD version with the mixes and bsides added. Either way this album is perfect, actually!"

Timeless 'Hit Music'

Elizabeth Reams | Los Angeles, CA | 01/20/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is definately the album that was a catalyst for their career. With the popularity of their first album PLEASE, this album exceeded everyone's expectations and since then they have been known as the band that always has a hit every couple of years. Bands come and go, some flourish for years and then eventually disappear.Pet Shop Boys are quoted as one of the first bands that continually keep going regardless of the era or fads that pass through. Their music is original for any decade. This album ACTUALLY is a perfect example of their creative intelligence and wit just beginning.What makes this album marked as a favorite among fans is not just that half the songs were radio hits, it's more that every song is unique and sounds completely different from the next track. They experiment with numerous types of styles, and often go from electronic to a sudden orchestra of strings and trumpets.This kind of strange and sudden diversity is their trademark. ACTUALLY is the album that states that this was just the beginning; bringing popular tunes in a more intelligent and sensual manner that goes deep into the soul, and with each new album since they continued to touch listeners through classical, electronic, rock, and even operatic pieces. An example is the track "Hit Music"--very typical 80's, fun and simple to listen to. In their own blunt way, Pet Shop Boys will go to a slow and romantic pace of action, that lasts for only a few seconds, if not a full minute. But always knowing to bring audiences back to the original sound, they tempt our hearts with quite beautiful, flirtatious chords that wink at you, and stop...and then begin again. This could be why they are known for their live concerts seeming like "stories performed", actors playing out roles as they sing to the side of the stage. It's no wonder why they are asked to write hip musicals. And why not? It's hip music.Great album to start off with; and just a preview of albums to come in the 90's and into the 21st century."