Album 16 - and the ghosts of producers past, present and future

[Dog]

I’m sure Neil and Chris haven’t yet even begun thinking about their next album, but I’m clearly already winding down for Christmas and I can’t help wondering where they’ll turn next. We know for sure that there’s no Electric-style fast-follower album ready to go - Neil ruled out as much at the Manchester album launch Q&A, and said instead we could expect a whole stack of b-sides. He also confirmed that we’re likely looking at a three-year gap before any next record, meaning 2027 must be our current best guess.

Back in 2020, on the release of Hotspot, Chris referred to it in Annually as “a transitioning album… moving towards where we might be going next, in terms of a more reflective [record].” That reflective record certainly came to pass, in the form of Nonetheless, meaning their vision was at least semi-formed at an early stage. So, if Hotspot was “transitioning” towards something more “reflective” - most evident, presumably, in the track Burning the heather - are they now done with this line of enquiry, or is there more reflection still to come? And musically, is the next record likely to again feature prominent strings and brass, or might we see a pivot more firmly back to dancefloor electronics?

Throughout their career, Neil and Chris have continually left us a breadcrumb trail to suggest where they might go next. Following Please, the re-recorded single version of Suburbia introduced Julian Mendelsohn and Andy Richards, key figures that would go on to further make their mark on follow up Actually. Stop-gap Discography single Was it worth it? was a clear pop signpost towards the gay abandon of next album Very, while PopArt’s equivalent Miracles reunited them with Art of Noise’s Anne Dudley as a precursor to Fundamental’s complete re immersion into her musical partner Trevor Horn’s world. Even Elysium’s Parlophone swan-song single Memory of the future saw them employ Stuart Price on additional production and remix duties - mere months away from the unveiling of Axis, the first fruits of what would evolve to become one of their most enduring collaborations.

Present

So what breadcrumbs might already have been laid? What might some of their most recent recordings mean for any future direction? The two brand new covers from the expanded edition of Nonetheless - All the young dudes, and The dark end of the streets - are the closest we have to a Was it worth it? or a Miracles. Putting to one side the fact that Dark end would have fit neatly onto Nightlife - both lyrically and musically - we know from Neil’s diaries that these two tracks weren’t recorded at the same time as the 11 they recorded with James Ford for Nonetheless. So the very fact they saw fit to go back and work with Ford again must be a sign they could consider working together once more. They described the Nonetheless sessions as being “easy” - easiness being a quality they also appreciated from working with Price, and was likely key to the enduring nature of their relationship. So Ford album number two must be a real possibility, particularly given their obvious pride in Nonetheless and its critical if not commercial success.

Past

Other names from the credits of these two cover recordings include Anne Dudley, who arranged both tracks for orchestra. Could their reunion with Dudley once again lead them back to Trevor Horn? Amazingly, it’s now been 18 years since Fundamental - the same gap as between Left to my own devices and Fundamental. We know Trevor would gladly work with them again, and that they’ve remained good friends. Might Parlophone budgets mean another Trevor album could be a possibility? His lavish production values understandably don’t come cheap. We know their current willingness to tap into their heritage and even occasionally play the nostalgia card means another outing for Trevor shouldn’t be ruled out. He certainly knows his way around an orchestra.

Richard X remixed All the young dudes, reinforcing his position as perpetual bridesmaid to the likes of Price and Xenomania when it comes to PSB pop production. He got his paws on Fundamental off-cut Fugitive (Horn wouldn’t touch the track, given it’s working title Suicide bomber), earning a co-production credit, and he’s also since remixed The way it used to be. But is his latest work for them a sign that he could at last be in contention for pole position for album 16? Many fans would be excited at the prospect.

Future

Of course all of this is just unfounded conjecture, and for the next record Neil and Chris are just as likely to take a leap into the unknown as they are to side with a name from their past or present. Yes was their “shiny pop record with the producers du jour” - in this case Xenomania - but it’s a tack they might well take again. For me they could do a whole lot worse than pick through the credits of Charli xcx’s Brat, in the same way they did with Kanye’s 808s & Heartbreak until they hit upon Andrew Dawson. There’s a raw excitement and energy there which I would love to hear underpinning PSB voice and melody. But I’m sure anyone still reading this will equally have their own future facing favourites.

[Gabby]

I'd be down for something quite retro but radical and get Ian Broudie to produce. He just did production duties for Paul Heaton.

[dylanww73]

Get Boy Harsher in

[Ghost within this house]

A bit of a curveball here, but I'd like them to record the Naked soundtrack and release it as their own album. It's a one word title, after all... It might be a 'learning' from the Closer to Heaven experience, where the OST didn't get much exposure.

[daveid]

It'd be great if they could get the Horn again...

But a collaboration with Brian Eno would be interesting too.

[Too Many Shadows]

It'd be great if they could get the Horn again...

But a collaboration with Brian Eno would be interesting too.

Yes to Brian Eno; additionally, I’d like to hear a contribution from his pal Laurie Anderson.

[y3potential]

It'd be great if they could get the Horn again...

But a collaboration with Brian Eno would be interesting too.

I believe they did do something very informal with Eno. Maybe a day or so, but for whatever reason it didn't work out. I can't recall where I read it now. Maybe an old literally or something..

[One of the crowd]

It'd be great if they could get the Horn again...

But a collaboration with Brian Eno would be interesting too.

I believe they did do something very informal with Eno. Maybe a day or so, but for whatever reason it didn't work out. I can't recall where I read it now. Maybe an old literally or something..

https://thequietus.com/news/pet-shop-bo ... brian-eno/

[daveid]

Yep, they tried but I think he was on a different page to them.

[Drico One]

I'd hope for younger producers, in general.

Over the years, Hague, Mendelsohn, Price, and, er, X, have struck me as those most in sync with them (though the latter is working off a very small sample size). I suspect Ford will go the way of Dawson and Higgins, interesting diversions that refresh the palate.

Production choices seem very swayed by fashion. Would that make Richard X an unlikely choice? I'd hope not, becaúse his overall body of work strikes me as being well-aligned with their sound - but he's not exactly new himself (if that matters). What are they trying to achieve with a producer at this point? A commercial hit, a contemporary sound, elegance? Ford and Dawson made sense in terms of the latter. Price gave them a more modern sheen. I tend to prefer a contemporary sound - if only because I see them as a pop group and pop groups should always strive to be new and current. Even if the singer is 70.

But maybe there is too much emphasis put on the producer by fans. Speaking for myself, I seem to hold James Ford responsible for what I suspect are iffy production choices given some of the omissions on Nonetheless that elevated the demos. Yet, wasn't Ford on the decks when Chris Lowe found his inner mojo on the last two minutes of the Dark end of the street? That was magical. Chris is also notorious for favouring a homogenous sound on an album. Get that right, and it's glorious. But if the chosen "sound" is not to one's taste, well the homogenous record will hold fewer delights than something with a little more diversity...

Drico.

[zukunft]

I don‘t think we“ll get a proper studio album as the next step. They will concentrate on finishing „Naked“ and putting the production on a London theatre stage.

[TwizzleUK]

Not the first time I've said it, but I'd love to hear Ulrich Schnauss producing PSB for a proper lush electronic and acoustic soundscape.

[jasonjohn]

Nice topic and OP!

Hotspot and Nonetheless both feel like slower/ballad albums - the slow songs seem to be the weight of the albums (to me anyway).

No idea how you measure it, but these are the albums that spin up as "high energy" for the first three tracks: Super, Electric, Nightife, Bilingual

Will they manage to do that again?

[tottenhammattspurs]

From hearing what Boy Harsher did with NLB, they get my vote.

[Dog]

Get Boy Harsher in

I love their New London boy remix… but are they producers of note? What else of theirs should I listen to?