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Actually

This article is about the Pet Shop Boys album. For the film, see Actually (film). For the Nogizaka46 song, see Actually...

Actually
The duo wearing tuxedos, with one person on the right side yawning and the other staring at the viewer. The words "Pet Shop Boys, actually." appear on top.
Studio album by
Pet Shop Boys
Released7 September 1987 (1987-09-07)[1]
Recorded1986–1987
StudioSarm West and Advision (London)
Genre
Length47:52
LabelParlophone
Producer
Pet Shop Boys chronology
Disco
(1986) 		Actually
(1987) 		Introspective
(1988)
Singles from Actually
  1. "It's a Sin"
    Released: 15 June 1987
  2. "What Have I Done to Deserve This?"
    Released: 10 August 1987
  3. "Rent"
    Released: 12 October 1987
  4. "Heart"
    Released: 21 March 1988

Actually (stylised as Pet Shop Boys, actually.) is the second studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 7 September 1987 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom and by EMI Manhattan in North America.

Recording

Actually was recorded at Sarm Studios. On the album Pet Shop Boys worked with several producers, including Julian Mendelsohn and Stephen Hague. Mendelsohn produced and engineered half of the album's ten tracks, including the lead single and UK number one "It's a Sin" , while Hague who had produced the duo's previous album Please this time only produced a few tracks, including "What Have I Done to Deserve This?", and mixed "It's a Sin". "Heart", which went on to became a UK number one single, was produced by Andy Richards and mixed by Mendelsohn. Wanting to keep everything fresh and not lose perspective, the production method was usually to work only a few hours at the time on each track and then switch to another.[3]

Album cover

The album cover was originally going to feature a painting by Scottish artist Alison Watt, who had just won the National Portrait Gallery-supported John Player Portrait Award.[4] The group traveled to Glasgow, along with photographer Eric Watson and designer Mark Farrow, to meet her. Sittings for the painting would have taken three weeks, so instead photos were taken of the duo in different poses. After a few weeks, Watt submitted the painting, but Lowe was unhappy with how he looked in it. The painting was reworked and although Tennant was pleased with it, Lowe still had reservations.[4] It was decided that the painting wasn’t right for the album and it was shelved. The painting was bought by Tennant.[4]

While shooting the video for What Have I Done to Deserve This?, photographer Cindy Palmano was commissioned to take photographs of them for a Smash Hits cover. She placed them in front of a waist-high piece of reflective metal, with a similar sheet behind them.[4] The photo where Neil is yawning was the favourite and Smash Hits were keen to use it as a front cover. Eric Watson then took some photos. However, it was thought these weren’t strong enough for the album cover, band so they were used for the inner sleeve.[4] The group then decided that Palmano’s photo for Smash Hits was the best choice. The edition of Smash Hits was due to go to press the following day. They persuaded Smash Hits to release Palmano’s photograph and agreed to do a hastily arranged photo session for them. [5]

Inspired by Jean-Paul Goude’s design for Grace Jones album Slave to the Rhythm, Mark Farrow tightly cropped the photo to remove the reflective background and just have the duo on a plain white background.[5] Chris Lowe was, and remains, unhappy with the cover. However it has come to be seen as the defining image of them.[5]

Release and promotion

Actually was released on 7 September 1987 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom and by EMI Manhattan in the United States and Canada. In television commercials for the release, Lowe and Tennant were shown in black tie, blank-faced against a white background. The former seems unimpressed by a radio DJ-style Alan 'Fluff' Freeman voiceover listing their previous hits and new singles from Actually, while the latter eventually "gets bored" and yawns, with the image then freezing to create, roughly, the album's cover shot. Actually has one of only two Pet Shop Boys album covers (the other being Please) where Lowe's face is shown completely unobscured—and not wearing either his trademark baseball cap or sunglasses.

Actually spawned four UK top 10 singles: the number-one single "It's a Sin", "Rent", "What Have I Done to Deserve This?"—a duet with fellow Parlophone artist Dusty Springfield, which peaked at number two in both the UK and US and led to a resurgence of interest in Springfield's earlier work—and another UK number one in April 1988 with a remixed version of the song "Heart".[6]

During this period Pet Shop Boys also completed a full-length motion picture called It Couldn't Happen Here.[6] 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.

Actually was re-released in 2001 (as were most of the duo's albums up to that point) as Actually/Further Listening 1987–1988.[7] The reissue was digitally remastered and included a second disc of B-sides, remixes done by Pet Shop Boys and previously unreleased material from around the time of the album's original release. Another re-release followed on 9 February 2009 under the title of Actually: Remastered, containing only the 10 tracks of the original release. With the 2009 re-release, the 2001 two-disc reissue was discontinued. On 2 March 2018, a new remastered two-disc Actually/Further Listening edition was released; the content remains the same as the 2001 edition.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Los Angeles Times[9]
Mojo[10]
Q[11]
Record Mirror3/5[12]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[13]
Sounds[14]
Spin Alternative Record Guide9/10[15]
Uncut8/10[16]
The Village VoiceA−[17]

Actually was well received by critics. In December 1987, Robert Christgau of The Village Voice praised it as "actual pop music with something actual to say—pure commodity, and proud of it."[17] In his retrospective review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic said that Actually is the album where "the Pet Shop Boys perfected their melodic, detached dance-pop."[8]

Actually is featured in the 2005 musical reference book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die,[18] and has been recognised in various other "must-listen" lists. In 2006, Q magazine included Actually in its list of the "40 Best Albums of the '80s" at number 22.[19] In 2012, Slant Magazine ranked the record at number 88 on its list of the "100 Best Albums of the 1980s".[20] In 2020, Rolling Stone placed Actually at number 435 on its list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".[21]

According to Tennant[22][23][24] and music historian Wayne Studer,[25] Actually loosely critiques Thatcherism,[22][25] the political zeitgeist of the 1980s, and was recorded in anticipation of Margaret Thatcher's re-election.[26]

Although not released as a single, the track "Shopping" is frequently featured as background music in British television news and current affairs programmes dealing with retail business issues and as bumper music on home shopping shows. This is despite the fact that the song is actually a critique of privatisation in 1980s Britain, and has little to do with actual shopping.[27] "Shopping" was also used in a season 1 episode of the Disney Channel television series Lizzie McGuire. "King's Cross" served in the Japanese media as a commercial song to the Aurex's (owned by Toshiba) cassette tape recorder model XDR. This album is featured in the preview of Naughty Dogs new game Intergalactic.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, except where noted

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."One More Chance"
5:30
2."What Have I Done to Deserve This?" (with Dusty Springfield)
4:18
3."Shopping" 3:37
4."Rent" 5:08
5."Hit Music" 4:44
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."It Couldn't Happen Here"
5:20
7."It's a Sin" 4:59
8."I Want to Wake Up" 5:08
9."Heart" 3:58
10."King's Cross" 5:10
Further Listening 1987–1988 (bonus disc)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Want to Wake Up" (breakdown mix) (previously unreleased) 6:00
2."Heart" (Shep Pettibone version) (previously unreleased) 4:12
3."You Know Where You Went Wrong" 5:50
4."One More Chance" (seven-inch mix) (previously unreleased) 3:50
5."It's a Sin" (disco mix) 7:41
6."What Have I Done to Deserve This?" (extended mix)
  • Lowe
  • Tennant
  • Willis
6:47
7."Heart" (disco mix) 8:40
8."A New Life"
4:55
9."Always on My Mind" (demo version) (previously unreleased on CD)
4:03
10."Rent" (seven-inch mix) 3:33
11."I Want a Dog" 4:58
12."Always on My Mind" (extended dance mix)
  • Thompson
  • James
  • Christopher
8:15
13."Do I Have To?" 5:15
14."Always on My Mind" (dub mix) (previously unreleased on CD)
  • Thompson
  • James
  • Christopher
2:15

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Actually.[28]

Pet Shop Boys

Additional musicians

Technical

  • Julian Mendelsohn – production, engineering (tracks 1, 3–5, 7); mixing (tracks 2, 9)
  • Stephen Hague – production (tracks 2, 10); mixing (track 7)
  • David Jacob – engineering (tracks 2, 6, 10); production (track 6); mix engineering (track 7)
  • Pet Shop Boys – production (tracks 6, 8, 9)
  • Shep Pettibone – production (track 8)
  • Dave Meegan – engineering (track 8)
  • Andy Richards – production (track 9)
  • Tony Phillips – engineering (track 9)

Artwork

  • Mark Farrow – design
  • Pet Shop Boys – design
  • Cindy Palmano – cover photograph
  • Eric Watson – inner sleeve photograph

Charts

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for Actually
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[58] Gold 25,000*
Brazil — 160,000[59]
Canada (Music Canada)[60] Platinum 100,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[61] Platinum 68,416[61]
Germany (BVMI)[62] Platinum 500,000^
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[63] Platinum 20,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[64] Platinum 15,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[65] Platinum 100,000^
Sweden (GLF)[66] Gold 50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[67] Platinum 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[69] 3× Platinum 1,000,000[68]
United States (RIAA)[71] Gold 700,000[70]
Summaries
Worldwide — 4,000,000[72]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Index". Record Mirror. 5 September 1987. p. 2. ISSN 0144-5804.
  2. ^ "Top 15 Electropop Albums". Classic Pop. 25 August 2021.
  3. ^ Buskin, Richard (December 2010). "Pet Shop Boys 'It's A Sin'". Sound on Sound. Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e Annually. World Distributors. 1988. pp. 14–15. ISBN 978-0723568421.
  5. ^ a b c Catalogue. Thames & Hudson. 2006. pp. 74–75. ISBN 978-0500513071.
  6. ^ a b Levine, Nick (2 February 2012). "25 Reasons To Love Pet Shop Boys' Actually'". nme.com. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  7. ^ "Pet Shop Boys To Release New Batch of Remastered Albums". Hot Press. 4 July 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  8. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Actually – Pet Shop Boys". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  9. ^ Johnson, Connie (20 September 1987). "Pet Shop Pop". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  10. ^ Harrison, Ian (August 2013). "Pop Art Revolutions". Mojo. No. 237. p. 43. ISSN 1351-0193.
  11. ^ Snow, Mat (October 1987). "Pet Shop Boys: Pet Shop Boys, Actually". Q. No. 13. ISSN 0955-4955. Archived from the original on 6 December 2000. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  12. ^ Morton, Roger (12 September 1987). "Pet Shop Boys: Actually". Record Mirror. p. 12. ISSN 0144-5804.
  13. ^ Hull, Tom (2004). "Pet Shop Boys". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 630–631. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  14. ^ Snow, Mat (12 September 1987). "Face the Muzak". Sounds. p. 35. ISSN 0144-5774.
  15. ^ Sheffield, Rob (1995). "Pet Shop Boys". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 294–295. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  16. ^ Dalton, Stephen (March 2018). "Pet Shop Boys: Please / Actually / Introspective". Uncut. No. 250. p. 43. ISSN 1368-0722.
  17. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (29 December 1987). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. ISSN 0042-6180. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  18. ^ Harris, Sophie (2006). "Pet Shop Boys: Actually". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Universe Publishing. p. 581. ISBN 978-0-7893-1371-3.
  19. ^ "40 Best Albums of the '80s". Q. No. 241. August 2006. pp. 84–89. ISSN 0955-4955. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  20. ^ "The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s". Slant Magazine. 5 March 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  21. ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 22 September 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  22. ^ a b Tennant, Neil. "Between the lines – Actually". Pet Shop Boys at Dead of Night (Interview). Interviewed by Tomas Mosler. Retrieved 14 January 2017. When this album came out many people, including ourselves, took the whole album to be loosely about Thatcherism
  23. ^ Tennant, Neil. "Explication". Pet Shop Boys Catalogue (Interview). Retrieved 14 January 2017. The first line sets up the song. It's an angry song about Thatcherism. Mrs Thatcher came in on the promise of firm government and I'm interpreting 'the smack of firm government' literally as hitting someone.
  24. ^ Studer, Wayne. "King's Cross". Retrieved 29 April 2017. As Neil has described it, the song is 'a hymn to the people getting left out of Thatcherism' (the economic policies of the government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher).
  25. ^ a b Studer, Wayne. "Twenty-something". Retrieved 2 May 2017. Thematically, this song could have sat comfortably alongside "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)" from the dawn of their career, or had a place on their subsequent classic Thatcherism-critiquing album Actually.
  26. ^ "I'm with stupid". Absolutely Pet Shop Boys. 2 April 2006. p. 4. Retrieved 3 February 2017. Just like we were terrified Margaret Thatcher was going to lose the 1987 election just before Actually came out, ruining our album about Thatcherism, even while voting Labour.
  27. ^ Marszalek, Julian (19 March 2009). "Pet Shop Boys: Our Back Catalogue is 25 Years of Social Commentary". The Quietus.
  28. ^ Actually (liner notes). Pet Shop Boys. Parlophone. 1987. CDPCSD 104.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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  66. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. 10 November 1987. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011.
  67. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Actually')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  68. ^ Bakker, Machgiel (17 September 1988). "EMI Music – The Freedom To Fail" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 5, no. 38. p. 34. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
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  72. ^ Levine, Nick (2 February 2012). "25 Reasons To Love Pet Shop Boys' 'Actually'". NME. Retrieved 6 April 2018.

Bibliography

  • Studer, Wayne. "Actually". Retrieved 9 February 2018.
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