The duo's third album, Introspective, was released in October 1988 and peaked at number two in the UK and Germany and was certified two-times platinum by the BPI. Their next album, Behaviour, arrived in 1990 and became their third album in a row to debut and peak at number two in the UK. The duo then released their first hits compilation, Discography, which included all of their single releases as well as two new tracks. In 1993 they released a cover of the Village People single "Go West", which reached number two in the UK. The duo's fifth album, Very, followed and is the only Pet Shop Boys album, so far, to reach number one in the UK. In 1994 they recorded the Comic Relief charity single, "Absolutely Fabulous", under the pseudonym of Absolutely Fabulous. The duo do not consider it as a Pet Shop Boys single release and it was not included on any of their "best-of" albums. The duo then released a B-side collection album, Alternative, in 1995. "Se a vida é (That's the Way Life Is)", was released in the summer of 1996, a Latin American music-inspired track, featuring a drum sample, which preceded the sixth Pet Shop Boys album, Bilingual.
Nightlife, the duo's seventh album came in 1999, followed by the modestly successful album Release in 2002. In November 2003, Pet Shop Boys released a second greatest hits album, PopArt: The Hits. The ninth Pet Shop Boys studio album, Fundamental, came in May 2006, reaching number five in the UK. Also in 2006, Concrete was released, a live album recorded at the Mermaid Theatre, London. Released in UK in March 2009, Yes, was a critical success and hit number four, their highest album chart peak in more than a decade. The Pet Shop Boys also received the BPI's award for "Outstanding Contribution to British Music", at the 2009 Brit Awards ceremony.[7] In December 2009, they released an EP of covers, remixes, and new material, titled Christmas.
Ultimate, the one-disc compilation, was released on 1 November 2010 to celebrate 25 years since the band's first single release. The special version included a DVD with over three hours of BBC TV performances of 27 singles by Pet Shop Boys, released by arrangement with BBC Music, as well as the complete Glastonbury Festival performance from June 2010. Ultimate peaked at 27 on the UK charts. The second B-side compilation album, Format, was released on 6 February 2012, reaching number 26 in the UK. The duo released their eleventh studio album, Elysium, in late 2012, reaching number 9 in the UK. Elysium spawned the singles "Winner", "Leaving" and "Memory of the Future".
In March 2013, the Pet Shop Boys started a new chapter in their career when they left their long-term label, Parlophone, and signed with Kobalt Label Services. A new album, Electric, was released in July 2013, reaching number three in the UK and number 26 in the United States, their highest-peaking album for nearly 20 years in both countries. The singles from this album were "Axis", "Vocal", "Love is a Bourgeois Construct", "Thursday" (featuring Example) and "Fluorescent". The duo undertook a worldwide tour to support the album. In November 2014, they returned to the studio to begin working on their next album with Electric producer Stuart Price. Super was released on 1 April 2016. The first single was "The Pop Kids", made available on 16 February 2016.[8]Super debuted at number three in the UK[9] and at number 58 on the Billboard 200, and it topped Billboard'sDance/Electronic Albums chart as the duo's first number one since Disco 3 in 2003.[10] The live album Inner Sanctum was recorded at the Royal Opera House during the Super Tour. The 2020 release Hotspot completed the Berlin trilogy of albums produced by Stuart Price.[11] Like its predecessors, Hotspot reached number three in the UK.[12]
The compilation album Smash: The Singles 1985–2020 was released by Parlophone in 2023 and entered the UK charts at number four.[13] Pet Shop Boys returned to Parlophone in 2024 for their fifteenth album Nonetheless, produced by James Ford.[14] Debuting at number two in the UK, Nonetheless was their highest-charting studio album since Very 31 years earlier and their nineteenth album overall to reach the top ten.[15]
Albums
Studio albums
List of studio albums, with selected chart positions and certifications
^The soundtrack album was initially released as a limited-edition CD single exclusively available through the Pet Shop Boys website with a wider release to streaming platforms and downloads in May 2021.[46]
^"Can You Forgive Her?" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number nine on the BillboardBubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.[53]
^"Go West" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number six on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.[53]
^"Before" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number seven on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.[53]
^"Somewhere" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.[53]
^"I Don't Know What You Want but I Can't Give It Any More" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 66 on the BillboardHot Singles Sales chart.[54]
^"New York City Boy" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 53 on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales chart.[54]
^"Beautiful People" did not enter the UK Singles Chart, but peaked at number 9 on the UK Physical Singles Chart.[56]
^"Love Life" was released in the United Kingdom as a limited-edition seven-inch vinyl single for Record Store Day.[57]
^"Love Life" did not enter the UK Singles Chart, but peaked at number 26 on the UK Physical Singles Chart.[58]
^"Vocal" was ineligible to chart in the United Kingdom.
^"Fluorescent" was released in the United Kingdom as a limited-edition 12-inch vinyl single for Record Store Day.[59]
^"Fluorescent" did not enter the UK Singles Chart, but peaked at number 19 on the UK Physical Singles Chart.[60]
^"Twenty-Something" did not enter the UK Singles Chart, but peaked at number 1 on the UK Physical Singles Chart, at number 46 on the Independent Singles Chart, and at number 80 on the UK Singles Sales Chart.[62]
^"Say It to Me" did not enter the UK Singles Chart, but peaked at number 1 on the UK Physical Singles Chart.[64]
^"Monkey Business" did not enter the UK Singles Chart, but peaked at number 6 on the UK Singles Sales Chart, at number 1 on the UK Physical Singles and Vinyl Singles charts, and at number 47 on the Independent Singles Chart.[68]
^"Monkey Business" did not enter the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart, but peaked at number 28 on the BillboardHot Dance/Electronic Songs chart.[69]
^"I Don't Wanna" did not enter the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart, but peaked at number 38 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart.[69]
^"Cricket Wife" was released as a limited-edition CD single exclusively available through the Pet Shop Boys website.[70]
^"Loneliness" did not enter the UK Singles Chart Top 100 but debuted and peaked at number 23 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart Top 100.[72]
^"Dancing Star" did not enter the UK Singles Chart Top 100 but debuted and peaked at number 34 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart Top 100.[74]
^"A New Bohemia" did not enter the UK Singles Chart, but debuted and peaked at number 3 on the UK Singles Sales Chart and at number 36 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart.[75]
^"Feel" did not enter the UK Singles Chart, but debuted at number 44 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart on 23 August 2024.[76]
References
^ abcdefghijPeak chart positions for singles in the United Kingdom:
"I Don't Know What You Want but I Can't Give It Any More", "Home and Dry" and "I Get Along": "Pet Shop Boys | Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
Top 100 (Kent Music Report) singles and albums peaks to 12 June 1988: Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 232. ISBN0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid-1983 and 12 June 1988.
Top 50 (ARIA) peaks since 13 June 1988: "Discography Pet Shop Boys". australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 1 December 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015. N.B. "Always on My Mind" and "Heart" peaked before the commencement of the ARIA-produced chart, archived on this site.
Top 100 (ARIA) peaks from January 1990 to December 2010: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. pp. 216–217.
"Hallo Spaceboy" (ARIA) peak: "David Bowie – Hallo Spaceboy". australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 12 October 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
All ARIA-era chart peaks up to 29 May 2018: "Response from ARIA re: Pet Shop Boys ARIA chart history, received 29 May 2018". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 22 October 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2018 – via Imgur. N.B. The NAT column displays the release's peak on the national chart. The Christmas EP is listed as "All Over the World".
Up to 1994: Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 233. ISBN978-951-1-21053-5.
