BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1986
“West End Girls” is a song by the British pop duo Pet Shop Boys. Written by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, the song was released twice as a single. The song is influenced by hip hop music, with lyrics concerned with class and the pressures of inner-city life which were inspired partly by T. S. Eliot’s poem The Waste Land. It was generally well received by contemporary music critics and has been frequently cited as a highlight in the duo’s career.
The first version of the song was produced by Bobby Orlando and was released on Columbia Records’ Bobcat Records imprint in April 1984, becoming a club hit in the United States and some European countries. After the duo signed with EMI, the song was re-recorded with producer Stephen Hague for their first studio album, Please. In October 1985, the new version was released, reaching number one in the United Kingdom and the United States in 1986.
SIDE A:
West End Girls (Dance Mix) 6:30
Engineer – David Jacob
Producer – Stephen Hague
Remix – Frank Roszak, Pet Shop Boys
Vocals [Additional] – Helena Springs
SIDE B:
A Man Could Get Arrested 4:18
Producer – Bobby Orlando, Pet Shop Boys
Remix – Frank Roszak, Pet Shop Boys
West End Girls 3:57
Engineer – David Jacob
Producer – Stephen Hague
Vocals [Additional] – Helena Springs
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
OBI Strip: Near Mint
Insert: Near Mint
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | West End Girls | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #1 |
| 1986 | West End Girls | U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | #26 |
| 1986 | West End Girls | U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs | #1 |
| 1986 | West End Girls | U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | #36 |
| 1986 | West End Girls | U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock | #37 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: EMI – S14-133
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Single
Country: Japan
Released: 20 Mar 1986
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop
CREDITS:
Design – C.S. Lowe*, XL*
Photography By – Eric Watson (3)
Written-By – Tennant/Lowe*
NOTES:
Comes with obi strip and lyric sheet.
Made In Japan.
Manufactured By Toshiba EMI
Find the 12″ at DISCOGS
VINYL RESTORATION BY:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net
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: Schiit Mani
Soundcard: Novation Audiohub 2×4 Audio Interface
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner
SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2, ocenaudio
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
Username: btg
Password: burningtheground
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This is the only song I know by (The) Pet Shop Boys, since I wasn’t listening to pop music when they were popular. I recall hearing it a couple of times on FM radio, but that’s all.
Thanks Paul, for keeping their music and links alive for future fans to enjoy in perpetuity!
Christmas has come early! When I opened my e-mails and saw this was your latest post with the new pre amp, my heart leaped for joy. My favorite song from my favorite band. Thankyou so much. I can’t wait to play this out over the Christmas period at my bookings and see the people’s faces when they hear the quality. I was wondering if in your amazing collection you have a couple of DJ “Holy Grail” items, namely the Raul A. Rodriguez Disconet remix of “Lay All Your Love On Me” and the Hot Tracks remix of Lipps Inc. “Funkytown”… Read more »
hi paul,
glad to see you have the new equipment working out.
nice to test it out on the pet shop boys first major hit,
‘west end girls’. not my favorite from their first album.
i like opportunities and in the night better.
this song had a long history, and so many releases,its
hard to keep track of it, and the zillions of remixes
and bootlegs of it.
but hey, it’s a classic, and people still remember it.
here’s to a long list of new rips from you and
continued success.
later
-1
Thank you as always -1 🙂
Yesss, this song is in my top 10 80’s list, definitely!
And with the new preamp… I can’t ask for more!
Thank you so much Paul!
Best wishes from Argentina.
You’re welcome 🙂
Hello Paul .
Only one word to say . Thanks
You’re welcome Hug 🙂
Decided the only way to assess any difference in the two preamps was to listen to the same track from rips done with each preamp. Well as of today the only track available was ‘A Man Could Get Arrested”. First thoughts are that the high end sounds are stronger and clearer but I wonder if the feel of the rip is more clinical and lacking a bit of the warmth of the analogue preamp? But as the track is the same but the source vinyl is different (old one is from West End Girls (The Shep Pettibone Mastermix) 12″) it… Read more »
Thanks for taking the time to give your feedback Ian. I knew going in that this amp would not sound as warm like a tube. It’s a trade-off I guess. I think I am pretty happy with it. Hopefully once i do a re-rip we can compare 🙂
Christmas came early! Thank you so much Paul! This is my favorite song. It’s actually the ring tone on my iPhone as well.
Two years ago, the Saturday after election day, I saw The Pet Shop Boys at Madison Square Garden, and they performed “West End Girls” in the style of Bobby Orlando. Their music does something special to me.
Very cool Blair 🙂
Though I have the US release of this 12 the fact this song is still a staple in today’s music scene of enjoyable tracks from the 80’s says that it has stood the test of time to this point.
Thanks Paul for this rip.
You’re welcome DJ Veteran 🙂
Thank you
I’ve needed a decent copy of this for ages
The version on the ‘please’ reissue is slow and they didn’d fix it on the re re issue earlier this year.
Yes, the version on “Please: Further Listening 1984-1986” is 10 seconds longer @ 6:39.
However, the Dance Mix version found on the 1998 compilation “Essential” is the same (@ 6:29) as DjPaulT’s excellent transfer here…
I always preferred this Dance Mix.
Thanks Paul 🙂
Me too Mark 🙂
Thanks for all the Pet Shop Boys posts.
I’d like to hear the quality.
Do you have the US promo 12” of “How can you expect to be ?
It has 3 exclusive remixes by David Morales.
I think I have it Marko will check 🙂
Thanks Paul. What a way to start of with your new turntable! Love PSB.
You’re welcome Omar 🙂
Thanks my Vinyl Master 🙂
You’re welcome pjanus 🙂
Another marvelous gift from you.
Thank you very much.
You’re welcome Alberto 🙂
Hey Paul, this is a very special post because of your new equipment. I can’t wait to hear the clarity of it later on today. I want to download the thing and then burn it on to a CD and then listen to it through our Bose system at home. I’m really excited for you and your enthusiasm over the new item. You care so much about fidelity and you’re like a kid proudly displaying a prized possession. And we benefit so much from your labors. Thanks so much Paul, you’re the absolute best!
Jeff
Thank you, Jeff. I am pretty excited to hear the verdict 🙂
PAUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Exquisite!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn’t respond last night, but I just had to first thing this morning. I love the way this song sounds. Karen and I were blown away by the clarity of the thing. We love the crispness of the sonics and the mid-range and bass. I was especially blown away with the “A Man Could Get Arrested” because it boarded on hard industrial electro. Those machine gun/jackhammer beats really bowled me over. And yes, comparing it to the rip of the song you did earlier gave me a new point-of-view about the new pre-amp. I really feel that… Read more »
Way cool Jeff thank you for your input 🙂
Another beautiful example of your quality work! That pre-amp really makes a difference (I’m guessing that’s what it is, or maybe the high quality Japanese vinyl, or your skill at perfectly transferring vinyl to digital!) What I’m trying to say is, THANK YOU! 🙂
Thank you, David. I am guessing it’s probably the preamp 🙂