Pet Shop Boys Community

Inspired by the Bananarama thread I set out to list the 25 best S/A/W singles (for simplicity no album tracks were allowed, although there are plenty that would qualify). I have not included any stuff done by parts of S/A/W after they parted ways in the early 1990's. So excellent tracks like "No Surrender" by Deuce and "For Sure" by Scooch are not included here. Furthermore I have tried to limit the number of singles any individual artist can have on the list to TWO (except Kylie who has three due to her duet with Jason).

1. Hazell Dean: They Say It’s Gonna Rain
2. Mel & Kim: That’s The Way It Is
3. Kylie Minogue: Better The Devil You Know
4. Bananarama: Love, Truth & Honesty
5. Donna Summer: This Time I Know It’s For Real
6. Bananarama: I Heard A Rumour
7. Rick Astley: Whenever You Need Somebody
8. Sinitta: I Don’t Believe In Miracles
9. Lonnie Gordon: If I Have To Stand Alone
10. Jason Donovan: Nothing Can Divide Us
11. Dead Or Alive: You Spin Me Round Like A Record
12. Boy Krazy: That's What Love Can Do
13. Kylie Minogue: Got To Be Certain
14. Sigue Sigue Sputnik: Success
15. Kylie & Jason: Especially For You
16. Sonia: Counting Every Minute
17. Hazell Dean: Always Doesn’t Mean Forever
18. Mel & Kim: Respectable
19. Samantha Fox: Nothing’s Gonna Stop Me Now
20. Sonia: You’ll Never Stop Me Loving You
21. Brother Beyond: The Harder I Try
22. Jason Donovan: Every Day
23. Big Fun & Sonia: You've Got A Friend
24. Donna Summer: I Don’t Wanna Get Hurt
25. Rick Astley: Never Gonna Give You Up

Say what you want about them: those guys knew how to write and produce a pop song!

I'm speechless

EXCELLENT thread BlueSwan - you are a man of good taste my friend ! We agree on quite a few of these (you have BRILLIANT taste), imagine what a fantastic time we would have had if we had gone clubbing in our teens together !!!! have you got the majority of these on cd / mp3 ? I do, but am still searching for the Sonia/Big Fun duet...

1.What Do I Have To Do - Kylie
2.I Can't Help It - Bananarama
3.Showing Out (get fresh at the weekend) - Mel & Kim
4.Take Me To Your Heart - Rick Astley
5.Say I'm Your Number One - Princess
6.Nothings Gonna Stop Me Now - Samantha Fox
7.You Think Your A Man - Divine
8.Who's Leaving Who - Hazell Dean
9.Everyday (I Love You More) - Jason Donovan
10.This Time I Know Its For Real - Donna Summer
11.Listen To Your Heart - Sonia
12.All Of Me - Sabrina
13.If I Have To Stand Alone - Lonnie Gordon
14.When I'm Good And Ready - Sybil
15.Get Ready - Carol Hitchcock
16.Venus - Bananarama
17.Thats What Love Can Do - Boykrazy
18.Hitchin' A Ride - Sinitta
19.Ain't Nobody Loves You (like I Do) - LaToya Jackson
20.Last Thing On My Mind - Bananarama
21.What Kind Of Fool - Kylie
22.After The Love Has Gone - Princess
23.Thats The Way It Is - Mel & Kim
24.What A Night - The Dolly Dots
25.I Don't Wanna Get Hurt - Donna Summer

SAW were fantastic producers, and have such a great catalogue of hits under their belts. They wrote catchy, fun pop tunes, which I still cherish and love today - as these were the songs from my teenager years...ahhh, memories.

Steve Fett wrote:have you got the majority of these on cd / mp3 ? I do, but am still searching for the Sonia/Big Fun duet...

Nope, but I think I have every single one on vinyl! I have the Sonia/Big Fun one on 12".

1.What Do I Have To Do - Kylie
2.I Can't Help It - Bananarama
3.Showing Out (get fresh at the weekend) - Mel & Kim
4.Take Me To Your Heart - Rick Astley
5.Say I'm Your Number One - Princess

Interestingly, I have none of those on my top 25, although I agree they're all great. God, they've made lots of great tracks!

24.What A Night - The Dolly Dots

I don't think I know this one!! I'm shocked!

You don't know the Dolly Dots???? SHAME ON YOU!!!!

these songs bring a big nostalgic feeling inside my heart...

Of course, I should try hard not to lose my credibility in the eyes of those I care about the most - but on the other hand, I too find this thread simply charming! And considering I once walked around a whole day in an overall that read StockAitkenWaterman on one leg and FarinaSerraCrivellente on the other it may be true that I never had any credibility at all...

I'm not gonna give a list of twenty songs though, because they're really not THAT good. Except Hazell Dean of course.

Anyway, my point was, nice hobby you've got there BlueSwan

Compared to you I know nothing about S/A/W, but my top 5 would be:

01 Kylie, Better the devil you know
02 Mel & Kim, Respectable
03 Dead Or Alive, You spin me round
04 Kylie, I should be so lucky
05 Steps, Last thing on my mind

Blueswan, the Dolly Dots were very tacky - in an 80's way of course - lots of spandex and denim, big, big hair and colourful painted faces. They were 5 white women (similar a bit to BoyKrazy), and the song "What a night" was very catchy indeed - classic 80's. think Sinitta crossed with BoyKrazy and you have the Dolly Dots sound. This is the only track I like by them, but apparently they have had a greatest hits, and are still around !

It was a big shame that Mel Appleby (from Mel & Kim) died at such a young age of 21, cos they had heaps of potential - and back in 1987 were one of my favourite groups !

I thought Sonia, Hazell Dean, Sybil and Lonnie Gordon all had fantastic strong voices, but their images were all wrong

What are your top 10 SAW produced albums ?

1.WOW! - Bananarama
2.Kylie - Kylie Minogue
3.Whenever you need somebody - Rick Astley
4.Always - Hazell Dean
5.F.L.M - Mel & Kim
6.Another place and time - Donna Summer
7.Wicked ! - Sinitta
8.Please Yourself - Bananarama
9.Everybody Knows - Sonia
10.Rhythm of love - Kylie Minogue

There are so many songs I like and I could say. Some of them are:

1.Mandy "I just can´t wait"
2.Jason Donovan "Too many broken hearts"
3.Kylie"I should be so lucky"
4.Brother Beyond"Be my twin"
5.Rick Astley"Whenever you need somebody"...

and I´ve found a complete list of these wonderful songs: http://www.cafe80s.freeserve.co.uk/discogs/saw-sing.htm

Many memories come back when running over songs that made us happy.

My SAW Top 10 (singles)

I - SOMETHING IN MY HOUSE - Dead Or Alive
II - VENUS – Bananarama
III - BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW - Kylie Minogue
IV - LET IT BE - Ferry Aid
V - YOU SPIN ME ROUND (LIKE A RECORD) - Dead Or Alive
VI - TOGETHER FOREVER - Rick Astley
VII - SAY I'M YOUR NUMBER ONE - Princess
VIII - FERRY 'CROSS THE MERSEY – Various
IX - BRAND NEW LOVER - Dead Or Alive
X - THAT'S THE WAY IT IS - Mel & Kim

I like Dead or Alive... did you notice it?

shamelessbehave wrote: 4.Brother Beyond"Be my twin"

Not a SAW track, actually. They only did "The Harder I Try" and "He Ain't No Competition" for Brother Beyond. Nice track, though!

SAW albums:

1. Kylie Minogue: Enjoy Yourself
2. Hazell Dean: Always
3. Dead Or Alive: Mad, Bad & Dangerous To Know
4. Donna Summer: Another Place And Time
5. Jason Donovan: Ten Good Reasons
6. Bananarama: Please Yourself (only Stock/Waterman, though!)
7. Sonia: Everybody Knows
8. Rick Astley: Whenever You Need Somebody
9. Jason Donovan: Between The Lines
10. Bananarama: WOW

God, I have absolutely LOADS of SAW albums on vinyl. There are tons more than the ones listed here.

My top 20:


1. Whatever I Do (Wherever I Go) - Hazell Dean
2. It's A Fine Day - Opus III
3. Enjoy Yourself - Kylie Minogue
4. Happenin' All Over Again - Lonnie Gordon
5. Don't Worry - Kim Appleby
6. Step Back In Time - Kylie
7. You Spin Me Round.. - Dead Or Alive
8. Too Many Broken Hearts - Jason Donovan
9. Venus - Bananarama
10. Wouldn't It Be Good - Nik Kershaw
11. Blame It On The Boogie - Big Fun
12. Who's Leaving Who - Hazell Dean
13. Never Let Her Slip Away - Undercover
14. No Limit - 2 Unlimited
15. Never Gonna Give You Up - Rick Astley
16. The Harder I Try - Brother Beyond
17. Hand On Your Heart - Kylie
18. Help - Bananarama Feat. Lananeeneenoo
19. For Sure - Scooch
20. Evergreen - Hazell Dean


Hazell Dean did some bloody fabulous tracks..

Has anyone mentioned their own superb track "Roadblock"?