Pet Shop Boys – West End Girls ’86 (Germany 12″)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1986

“West End Girls” was the first Pet Shop Boys song released on a label, and is arguably the song most commonly associated with the band.

The original version of the song was released in 1984 produced by famed Hi-NRG mogul Bobby Orlando, the single was released on his Bobcat Records label. It was not a huge hit in the Boys’ home country, but it did fairly well in the States and in Italy. Under the Bobby O umbrella, ‘West End Girls’ was remixed and repackaged several times, saturating the world’s record stores with multiple formats of this single.

In 1986 after the band signed with Parlophone Records the song was remixed, and titled “Remix ’86” this was to capitolize off of the re-recorded hit version that had been released in 1985.

SIDE A:
West End Girls (Remix ’86) 5:03
Arranged By, Performer [Played By] – Elvine*
Producer – B. Orlando*
Recorded By [Remix] – Franke*
Remix – Tess (2)
Written-By – Tennant – Lowe*

SIDE B:
Theme For The Pet Shop Boys (Part 1/Remix ’86) 5:04
Arranged By, Performer [Played By] – Elvine*, Hurricanes*
Remix –Tess (2)
Written-By –  Elvine*Tess (2)

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: ZYX Records – 5391, ZYX Records – ZYX 5391
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Maxi-Single
Country: Germany
Released: 1986
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Lacquer Cut By – SST Brüggemann GmbH

NOTES:
Remixed at Hurrican Studio Munich
℗ 1986

Find the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

THE GEAR:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon 2M Black
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp:
Pro-Jec Tube Box DS2
DAC:
Alpha Design Labs GT40a USB DAC
Record Cleaning
: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans
: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner

SOFTWARE:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: 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)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

**24bit FLAC only available for seven days!


Password: burningtheground

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Muff Diver
Muff Diver
March 31, 2022 2:56 pm

Hello, Paul! I’m more than a week late but thanks all the same 🙂

dugn
dugn
March 27, 2022 3:45 pm

Wonderful Mix! Sorry I’m late to the party!
So many memories in this one. Thanks, Paul!

Joey
Joey
March 24, 2022 2:45 am

I remember buying this, my best friend had just gotten his drivers license and we went into the city to buy records, There was a store that was essentially a house that had been converted into a record store, that specialized in imports. I was excited to find a new mix of this song, but almost as soon as the needle hit the record, the excitement was replaced with the semi horror I felt when I heard this re-tread of the Bobby O Version. and who can forget that opener, “Pet Shop Boys, Pet Shop Boys Badabadubadumbumbum….” To me it… Read more »

Martika
Martika
March 23, 2022 7:42 pm

I love that the remixers here were trying to (unsuccessfully) emulate DEPECHE MODE’s Master & Servant (the “it’s a lot” intro). This remix may sound quirky now, but I bet people in the 80s Discos went nuts over it!

Thank you for another fantastic RARE share!

Volt
Volt
March 23, 2022 7:02 pm

Many thanks. This version is quite strange and yes, quite awful, too. This is a great example of the early years of the PSB and a valuable memorabilia. Again, thanks a lot.

Jeff
Jeff
March 23, 2022 1:59 pm

You Paul astounds me with what you have and then post!! Thanks so much for another cool find!

I love how you posted this after yesterday’s debut of the awesome Soft Cell and Pet Shop Boys collaboration for “Purple Zone” of which I hope will become a HUGE hit all over the world. And thank you Paul for bringing it to my attention in the first place. It’s a real masterpiece!!!

Jeff

Martika
Martika
Reply to  DjPaulT
March 23, 2022 7:36 pm

I thought the PSB/Soft Cell collab was surprisingly good! It’s a catchy song that would have definitely charted in the 80s!! I also just listened to the new Men Without Hats album and it’s another surprisingly good record!

negative1
March 23, 2022 1:53 pm

Hi paul, as much as like the pet shop boys, i’ve never liked this song, not even the remixes. although there was a electro techno version remixed by sasha much later on that i was ok with. its tempo is a little too slow, and i don’t like the talk rap that he does. but of course i love ‘opportunities’ which you have already posted several mixes of. i wonder, they released this 3 times before it became a huge hit, if they would have kept going with opportunities (which they also re-released), would they have become such a big… Read more »

Martika
Martika
March 23, 2022 1:19 pm

FANTASTIC FIND!!! I can never get enough versions of this track … and I love that you pointed out WHY there are soooo many different versions of that song. I’m glad to finally add this version in superb quality to my collection thanks to you!

Keep up the great work!

Arnaud
Arnaud
March 23, 2022 10:21 am

For some strange reasons, I like very much this remix.
It’s actually awful, but the “Pet shop boys, Pet shop boys” jingle at the beginning is funny and make me thing of a kind of radio station extract0.
Far far from the very artistic and smart care and way PSB have recorded each of their singles.