POPART US Release: Press Release inside.

[17days]

Finally!

PET SHOP BOYS 2-CD HITS COLLECTION TO BE RELEASED OCTOBER 3 BY CAPITOL/EMI

PopArt: The Hits Spans Two Decades With 35 Tracks, Including Five Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 Hits And Two Tracks Never Before Released In The U.S.

Pet Shop Boys Touring To Major U.S. Cities This Fall



Hollywood, California – August 30, 2006 – On October 3, Capitol/EMI Music Catalog Marketing will release PopArt: The Hits, a 2-CD Pet Shop Boys collection. The 35-track set features the #1 smashes “West End Girls” and “It’s A Sin,” and three more Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 chart hits, including the #2 hit duet with Dusty Springfield “What Have I Done To Deserve This?,” “Always On My Mind” and “Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots Of Money).” The duo’s 2003 U.K. singles, “Miracles” and “Flamboyant,” never before released in the U.S., are also included in the two decade-spanning set. PopArt will also be available digitally on October 3 from all major digital service providers. The Pet Shop Boys will tour to major U.S. cities this October and November.

Released internationally in 2003, the Pet Shop Boys’ PopArt now makes its Stateside debut. The collection’s songs are split between its two discs, “Pop” and “Art”, a decision made by the Pet Shop Boys, singer Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe. According to Tennant, the singles on “Pop” are “direct, euphoric pop songs in the main” while those on “Art” are “more unusual songs, often involving comment and role-playing rather than straightforward lyrics.”

The Pet Shop Boys first met in 1981 at a London electronics store, and quickly forged a musical partnership that continues today. “West End Girls” became an international #1 smash in 1986, followed by “Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots Of Money),” a Top 10 single from that year’s Top 10 debut LP, Please. 1987 brought three Top 5 hits on Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles chart, all from their second album, Actually: “It’s A Sin” (#1), “What Have I Done To Deserve This?” (the duet with Dusty Springfield reached #2) and their sensitive, thoroughly modern version of “Always On My Mind” (#4). “Domino Dancing” from 1988’s Introspective album peaked at #18 on the Hot 100.

For more information, visit the Pet Shop Boys’ official Website: www.petshopboys.co.uk.

* * *


Media Contact:
EMI Music Catalog Marketing – Publicity:
Jennifer Ballantyne – 323-871-5494 / jennifer.ballantyne@emicap.com


PopArt: The Hits
(DISC 1: POP)
1. Go West
2. Suburbia
3. Se A Vide A (That's The Way Life Is)
4. What Have I Done To Deserve This?
5. Always On My Mind
6. I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind Of Thing
7. Home & Dry
8. Heart
9. Miracles – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED IN THE U.S.
10. Love Comes Quickly
11. It's A Sin
12. Domino Dancing
13. Before
14. New York City Boy
15. It's Alright
16. Where The Streets Have No Name / I Can't Take My Eyes Off You
17. A Red Letter Day

(DISC 2: ART)
1. Left To My Own Devices
2. I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Anymore
3. Flamboyant – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED IN THE U.S.
4. Being Boring
5. Can You Forgive Her?
6. West End Girls
7. I Get Along
8. So Hard
9. Rent
10. Jealousy
11. DJ Culture
12. You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk
13. Liberation
14. Paninaro '95
15. Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money)
16. Yesterday When I Was Mad
17. Single-Bilingual
18. Somewhere

Pet Shop Boys – Confirmed U.S. Tour Dates
10/13/06 Boston, MA The Opera House
10/14/06 New York, NY Radio City Music Hall
10/15/06 Washington, DC DAR Constitution Hall
10/17/06 Miami Beach, FL Jackie Gleason Theatre
10/18/06 Orlando, FL Hard Rock Café
10/19/06 Atlanta, GA The Tabernacle
10/21/06 Austin, TX The Backyard
10/22/06 Dallas, TX Nokia Theatre
10/24/06 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
10/26/06 Detroit, MI State Theatre
10/28/06 Minneapolis, MN The Orpheum
10/30/06 Denver, CO Paramount Theatre
11/1/06 Phoenix, AZ Arizona State Fair
11/3/06 West Valley, UT Ford Theatre
11/5/06 Seattle, WA Paramount Theatre
11/7/06 San Francisco, CA Bill Graham Auditorium
11/8/06 Los Angeles, CA Wiltern Theatre
11/9/06 Los Angeles, CA Wiltern Theatre

[psbfannyc]

Better late than never.........I guess the team of lawyers from all parties finally got their act together.....

[Pet Shop Girl]

That is so ridiculous! I bought 'Popart' a long time ago! That is so sad.

[Danimal]

If they correct the wrong single versions (i.e.: Heart, Suburbia, New York, and I wouldn't...) in remastered quality, I'll buy it. If not, who cares, I already own it. Damn shame they didn't include Seriously, Was it worth it?, and London (which would all fit as I've made my own CD-Rs...

[patrick]

This would be great, if they corrected the mistakes of the previous version:

• add How can you expect to be taken seriously
• add Was it worth it
• add Absolutely fabulous
• add London
• correct version of Suburbia
• correct version of Heart
• correct version of I wouldn't normally do this kind of thing
• correct version of Flamboyant

...and at this point they might as well add I'm with Stupid, Minimal and Numb as well. But of course they won't. And then wonder why it doesn't sell.

[Dreamcatcher2003]

" their sensitive, thoroughly modern version of “Always On My Mind” (#4)
mmmmm Ah those sweet times...

[MD]

Yes we all have The Pop Art best of, but this is not a bad thing. In fact it’s a good one.

Why you ask? Because it is not aimed at you or me ( die hard fans) but at the general ( read less fanatic ) Pet Shop Boys fan-base in the States. These people don’t spend time on the net keeping up to date with everything the band does. I know it’s hard to believe but many people go days, weeks, even years without looking up this or that artist or group they listened to “back in the day”.

They will know the boys have a new CD when they see it on the shelf. Frankly most of this group will not even have heard of the Pop Art set. They have seen only the 1990 1 disc set. Even worse, if they don’t have a local independent record store, they are unlikely to have seen anything but that set.

It is very rare to see any of the boys studio CDs on a Wal-Mart or Sam goodies or best buy shelf. The one exception to this is Discography and, as you and I know, the boys have put out some of there best work on CDs that have been released after that set was pressed in 90.

For this group of people Pop Art will be an intro to much of the great work the band has done since then. I would guess that this set will be promoted during the tour of the states and will shortly thereafter be fallowed by the re-issue of all the boys CDs so that these people can catch up with a band many probably thought had broke up after the 80s. This will also help sell more units of Fundamental in the states. All of which is great news.

[Rusty]

"It's a Sin" wasn't a US #1 was it? I thought it only made it to about #9.

[dVTB]

This would be great, if they corrected the mistakes of the previous version:

• add How can you expect to be taken seriously
• add Was it worth it
• add Absolutely fabulous
• add London
• correct version of Suburbia
• correct version of Heart
• correct version of I wouldn't normally do this kind of thing
• correct version of Flamboyant

...and at this point they might as well add I'm with Stupid, Minimal and Numb as well. But of course they won't. And then wonder why it doesn't sell.

It's a clever move, to release this CD right ahead of their American tour. I'm sure it will sell very well when it's offered for sale at merchandise stands during concerts.

Neil already said earlier (some 1-2 years ago) that the versions of Heart and I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind Of Thing would be corrected for the US-edition. It would make sense to include the single version of Flamboyant as well. I'm afraid Suburbia and New York city boy will not be corrected.

London was only a single in Germany. It makes no sense to include it on a US compilation. Seriously *would* have made sense, since it was a seperate single in the USA. Another possibility would have been to include To Step Aside, which was a double A-side in the USA. - Was It Worth It was also a US single, so it could have been on this collection. Ab Fab was never a PSB single.

[Eldritch]

This would be great, if they corrected the mistakes of the previous version:

• add How can you expect to be taken seriously
• add Was it worth it
• add Absolutely fabulous
• add London


...and at this point they might as well add I'm with Stupid, Minimal and Numb as well. But of course they won't. And then wonder why it doesn't sell.

And make it a 3-cd compilation? How could you cram all these songs on a 2 cd compilation?

[bookshopboy]

It would have made more sense for them to release a version of PopArt specifically targetted at their acheivements on, say, the US Dance chart. Therefore including "...seriously?", "To step aside", "Break 4 love" and "Sexy Northerner".

[Hillbilly]

This would be great, if they corrected the mistakes of the previous version:

• add How can you expect to be taken seriously
• add Was it worth it
• add Absolutely fabulous
• add London
• correct version of Suburbia
• correct version of Heart
• correct version of I wouldn't normally do this kind of thing
• correct version of Flamboyant

...and at this point they might as well add I'm with Stupid, Minimal and Numb as well. But of course they won't. And then wonder why it doesn't sell.

I've never listened to the PopArt compilation on cd, but I have read that the album versions of "Heart" and "...normally..." are included instead of the single mixes - but what about "Suburbia"? Is it the 'Please' album version?
And what is a "correct" version of "Flamboyant"? It was a new song. Where else should this version be released?

[CBA]

This would be great, if they corrected the mistakes of the previous version:

• add How can you expect to be taken seriously
• add Was it worth it
• add Absolutely fabulous
• add London
• correct version of Suburbia
• correct version of Heart
• correct version of I wouldn't normally do this kind of thing
• correct version of Flamboyant

...and at this point they might as well add I'm with Stupid, Minimal and Numb as well. But of course they won't. And then wonder why it doesn't sell.

I've never listened to the PopArt compilation on cd, but I have read that the album versions of "Heart" and "...normally..." are included instead of the single mixes - but what about "Suburbia"? Is it the 'Please' album version?
And what is a "correct" version of "Flamboyant"? It was a new song. Where else should this version be released?

"...normally..." is almost the single version, but a slightly different mix.

"Suburbia" is the video version; same as the single version, but with the "Full Horror" intro.

"Flamboyant" was remixed for single release.

[patrick]

it is not aimed at you or me ( die hard fans) but at the general ( read less fanatic ) Pet Shop Boys fan-base in the States

One of the (many) problems with PopArt is that it doesn't really sell itself as a Greatest Hits package. It's very poorly designed as a physical product, which might account for the lack of UK sales.

London was only a single in Germany. It makes no sense to include it on a US compilation.

The majority of the tracks on PopArt weren't singles in the US. Why does it make sense to include those?

Ab Fab was never a PSB single.

Yes, of course it was. It even shows up on the AU version of Yesterday, when I was mad and the video appeared on Various at the time. I don't buy into the George Lucas "special edition PSB history" revision.

nd make it a 3-cd compilation?

I would have made it a chronological 3xCD compilation from the beginning. Either that or gone for the savage precision of a single disc. What we got just sort of misses the mark.

"...normally..." is almost the single version, but a slightly different mix.

"Suburbia" is the video version; same as the single version, but with the "Full Horror" intro.

"Flamboyant" was remixed for single release.

...which means none of the versions on PopArt are the single versions.

[DominoDancing]

With other words, you don't want PopArt but something completely different. Which is pretty stupid if one considers that this is simply the release of an album in a country where it wasn't availaby previously.