Pet Shop Boys Community

...as the second highest new entry at number 24.

Angels and Airways enter at 23.

Drico.

To compare, can you say where were the previous LPs?

I think Release made about 33 and Nightlife something similar. The Irish charts aren't worth making a comparison with as they change the method of compilation every few years.

Drico.

Back in 2002 i collected all the release positions I could get all around the world and I have # 53 for Release in Ireland.

53? That will have been my purchase then.

Drico.

Fundamental enters the DUTCH album Top 100 at #42 this week. Given the situation in the Netherlands (no promotion and media attention at all, no effort from EMI nor Pet Shop Boys), this is not a bad result.

Bilingual made #39 in 1996. I don't have the chart positions for Nightlife and Release available, but I think Fundamental did better than these two albums.

stats-freak wrote:Fundamental enters the DUTCH album Top 100 at #42 this week. Given the situation in the Netherlands (no promotion and media attention at all, no effort from EMI nor Pet Shop Boys), this is not a bad result.

Bilingual made #39 in 1996. I don't have the chart positions for Nightlife and Release available, but I think Fundamental did better than these two albums.

It is really quite strange. Netherlands is sandwiched between Germany and England, two countries where Boys are highly popular. A country is generally more exposed to its neighbours. I would expect Boys would be highly popular in Dutch country but I see it is not the case. Why is this disinterested approach?

Dreamcatcher2003 wrote:It is really quite strange. Netherlands is sandwiched between Germany and England, two countries where Boys are highly popular. A country is generally more exposed to its neighbours. I would expect Boys would be highly popular in Dutch country but I see it is not the case. Why is this disinterested approach?

The subject is actually worthy enough to be a topic on its own (also see: PSB on cover of Dutch newspaper). I wouldn't use the word disinterested to describe the Dutch attitude towards PSB. I wouldn't use the word unaware. Quite a few people like PSB, but the most-heard remark is: Do they still exist?

I blame the low popularity of PSB in the Netherlands for at least 80 percent to poor promotion. EMI does *not* promote Pet Shop Boys here in any way. The last time I noticed some promotion was in 1996, when they did some ads and radio commercials for Before and Bilingual. I initiated some e-mail contact with EMI, but as soon as I asked about PSB promotion, they never replied anymore... As Neil answered a few years ago: perhaps EMI screw up. - Yes, perhaps they do, but it should be noted that Neil and Chris also don't bother at all.

As said before, their last purely promotional visit to the Netherlands was in 1988. As if the Netherlands is the neighbour country of Australia, rather than Germany where they appear regularly. As if the Netherlands is not next to Belgium, where they perform on a small, hardly-known festival this summer...

It frustrates me deeply, certainly because there's a lot of commercial potential left here, and also because PSB don't care at all. I have to respect their strategy, where they focus on some key countries. But why promote PopArt in Norway then? Why not appear in a Dutch TV programme, or get a Dutch remixer (Tiesto, JunkieXL ?) to remix the next single.

So far for the lack of effort by EMI and PSB. I blame the other 20 percent to negativity among influential DJ's. For instance: an anti PSB-DJ influenced the 3FM playlist for years. But that situation has changed a lot. 3FM already has 2 PSB fans among their DJ team. Some good promotion can beat those criticasters. But I gave up my hope, sorry.

Last time I met Neil he said 'You're Irish? They don't like us over there'.

No, actually, they don't know that ye exist anymore because EMI do nothing to promote ye over here either.

No Muscle Mary wrote:Last time I met Neil he said 'You're Irish? They don't like us over there'. No, actually, they don't know that ye exist anymore because EMI do nothing to promote ye over here either.

I moved my answer to this remark to a NEW topic: viewtopic.php?t=12896