Category: Pet Shop Boys

Pet Shop Boys and Dusty Springfield – What Have I Done To Deserve This? (US 12″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1988

“What Have I Done to Deserve This?” is a song by English synthpop duo Pet Shop Boys, featuring singer Dusty Springfield.

When released as a single in late 1987, it peaked at number 2 in the UK and also at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the fourth top ten hit for Pet Shop Boys as well as the biggest hit of Springfield’s career in the US. It was kept from the top spot by “Seasons Change” by Expose and “Father Figure” by their fellow British singer George Michael on that chart. The single made it to number 1 on the Irish singles chart, where it was Pet Shop Boys’ second number 1 hit in the space of just six weeks.

The song’s success helped revive Springfield’s career and led to a resurgence of interest in her music. Pet Shop Boys and Dusty Springfield performed the song for the 1988 BRIT Awards. Following the duet the Pet Shop Boys wrote and produced the singles “Nothing Has Been Proved” and “In Private” for Springfield, both included on her 1990 album Reputation.

The music video was filmed in a music hall, featuring a female chorus line and male members of the pit orchestra. It made significant use of the theater drapes and stage curtains for dramatic effect. Like all of the singles taken from the Actually album, the song also appears on the film It Couldn’t Happen Here, where it is briefly played in instrumental form, without vocals.

In North America the 12″ single included alternate Shep Pettibone remixes with “Rent” and “I Want A Dog” as the b-side tracks.

SIDE A:
What Have I Done To Deserve This? (The Shep Pettibone Remix) 8:30
Edited By – Junior Vasquez, Shep Pettibone
Engineer [Remix] – Bob Rosa
Producer – Stephen Hague
Remix, Producer [Additional Production] – Stephen Hague
Written-By – Allee Willis, Chris Lowe, Neil Tennant*

What Have I Done To Deserve This? (Dub Mix) 6:50
Edited By – Junior Vasquez, Shep Pettibone
Engineer [Remix] – Bob Rosa
Producer – Stephen Hague
Remix, Producer [Additional Production] – Stephen Hague
Written-By – Allee Willis, Chris Lowe, Neil Tennant*

SIDE B:
Rent (The François Kevorkian Remix) 7:02
Keyboards [Fairlight] – Andy Richards
Producer, Engineer – Julian Mendelsohn
Remix – François Kevorkian, Michael Hutchinson
Written-By – Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe*

I Want A Dog 4:57
Engineer – David Jacob, Mike Nielson*
Producer – Pet Shop Boys
ysWritten-By – Neil Tennant Chris Lowe*

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

Year Single Chart Position
1988 What Have I Done To Deserve This? U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #2
1988 What Have I Done To Deserve This? U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary #14
1988 What Have I Done To Deserve This? U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play #1

 

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: EMI-Manhattan Records ‎– V-56080
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: 1988
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Composed By – Willis* (tracks: A1, A2), Tennant/Lowe*
Design [Sleeve] – Mark Farrow At (3)*, Pet Shop Boys
Photography By – Eric Watson (3)
Photography By [Dusty Springfield] – Val Wilmer*

NOTES:
Printed in the U.S.A

Find the 12″ on DISCOGS

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M
Stylus: Ortofon 2M Bronze
Isolation: Auralex Acoustics ISO-Tone Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck 
Phono Pre-amp:
Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube:
Tung-Sol 12AX7ECC803-S Gold Electron Tube
Soundcard:
ESI Juli@
Record Cleaning:
VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans:
Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner

SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

Pet Shop Boys – Paninaro (Italy 12″ Ltd. Edition)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1986

Originally posted September 25, 2012

Limited Edition Italy-only 12″. 5000 copies exist.

“Paninaro” is a song by English synthpop duo Pet Shop Boys. Originally a B-side to the 1986 single “Suburbia”, it was released as a limited-edition single in Italy during the same year. “Paninaro” was produced by the band themselves, and is the first track which features Chris Lowe on lead vocals, although he speaks the lyrics, rather than sings them.

While all 7″ and 12″ releases of “Suburbia” contained only the 7″ version of “Paninaro”, the 12″ version was featured on “Disco: The Remix Album”. Another remix by Ian Levine was done, but only appears as the second track from the Italian 12″ single.

“Paninaro” was written entirely by Chris Lowe, and was originally based on an idea brought forth by Tom Watkins, who later removed himself from the project. The Paninari is the name of a 1980s Italian youth subculture known as the paninari; derived from the word panino, Italian for sandwich, they were known for congregating in restaurants serving sandwiches and in the first US-style fast food restaurants, as well as their preference for designer clothing and 1980s pop music such as the New Romantic music of Duran Duran. Neil Tennant has said that they were drawn to the concept due to having shared those preferences.

The band wanted to remove Versace from the lyrics because Vercase was not really a designer favoured by the Paninari, but it was edited out of every version except the 12″

There was in fact a video shot for ‘Paninaro’, even though it wasn’t a bonafide single. It featured shots taken around Milan and fed through a digital imaging processor to give it a pixelated feel. It was released originally on the “Television” video compilation and again on the “Pop Art” DVD.

“Paninaro” was remixed and released a second time in 1995 as “Paninaro 95” in conjunction with the b-sides compilation “Alternative”.

SIDE A:
Paninaro (Italian Remix) 8:36
Remix – David Jacobs*, Pet Shop Boys

SIDE B:
Paninaro (Ian Levine Mix) 9:54
Remix –  Ian Levine

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Parlophone ‎– 14 2015626
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Limited Edition
Country: Italy
Released: 1986
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Producer – Pet Shop Boys
Written-By – Tennant/Lowe*

NOTES:
Italy-only single. 5000 copies exist.
Track 1 Listed as “The Pet Shop Boys Mix” on sleeve.

Made in Italy by EMI Italiana S.p.A.

Find the 12″ on DISCOGS

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M
Stylus: Ortofon 2M Bronze
Isolation: Auralex Acoustics ISO-Tone Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck 
Phono Pre-amp:
Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube:
Tung-Sol 12AX7ECC803-S Gold Electron Tube
Soundcard:
ESI Juli@
Record Cleaning:
VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans:
Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner

SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

Pet Shop Boys – It’s Alright (The Alternatives) (UK 10″)

BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1989

A. Front

C. Poster

“It’s Alright” is the 13th single from Pet Shop Boys and was released in the UK by Parlophone Records on 26 June 1989. It reached number 5 in the UK and, as of February 2009, it is the Pet Shop Boys’ 8th best-selling single. The song was originally written and performed by Sterling Void & Paris Brightledge and came to the attention of Pet Shop Boys on a house compilation.

The lyrics list a wide variety of serious political issues in the headlines at the time (“Dictation enforced in Afghanistan, revolution in South Africa taking a stand…”), and then offers the positive message of the title—that on its “timeless wavelength”, “music is our life’s foundation”, it “shall last” and ultimately “succeed all the nations to come”.

On the 10″ single there are additional lyrics with Neil Tennant speaking: “there’s a boy standing by a river, there’s a girl lying with her lover, there’s a statesman standing at a crossroads, there’s a soldier polishing his gun”.

SIDE A:
It’s Alright 4:44

SIDE B:
It’s Alright (Extended Dance Mix) 10:30

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Parlophone ‎– 10R 6220
Format: Vinyl, 10″, Single, Limited Edition, 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: Jun 1989
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: House, Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Design [Sleeve Designed By] – Mark Farrow
Engineer – Julian Mendelsohn, Stephen Lipson
Mixed By – Julian Mendelsohn
Percussion – Danny Cummings
Producer – Pet Shop Boys, Stephen Lipson, Trevor Horn
Vocals [Additional] – Tessa Niles
Written-By – Sterling Void

NOTES:
“Limited edition contains free poster”

“These two alternative versions of It’s Alright were recorded in January, 1989 and are available only on this limited edition ten-inch disc.”

Designed at 3a.

Find the 10″ on DISCOGS

B. Back

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck 
Phono Pre-amp:
Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube:
Tung-Sol 12AX7ECC803-S Gold Electron Tube
Soundcard:
ESI Juli@
Record Cleaning:
VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans:
Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner

SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi