SOFT CELL / PET SHOP BOYS - PURPLE ZONE

Soft Cell is an electronic music duo that came to prominence in the early 80s. They consist of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball. The duo is most widely known for their 1981 worldwide hit version of "Tainted Love" and influential multi-platinum debut ''Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret''. In the UK, they had five Top 5 hits, including "Bedsitter", "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye", "Torch" and "What!", and also had four Top 20 albums between 1981 and 1984. The duo split in 1984, but reformed in the early 2000s to tour and released a new album in 2002. Their songs have been covered by various artists including David Gray, Marilyn Manson, Nouvelle Vague and A-ha. Both Marc Almond and Dave Ball grew up in seaside towns (the former, Southport, and the latter, Blackpool), and later met while students at the Leeds Polytechnic Fine Arts University (now Leeds Metropolitan University). Almond, a performance artist, collaborated with Ball on a few avant-garde multi-media performances at the university. Although Ball's musical background consisted of guitar, he had access to the university studio and was experimenting with the nascent synthesizer technology at the time. The two students became the prototypical synth duo and were initially associated with other New Wave scenesters dubbed "New Romantics" by the British Press. Other bands associated with this scene included Visage, Duran Duran, and Spandau Ballet. Marc Almond had a productive career as a solo artist later in the 80s and 90s and with Marc & the Mambas and other collaborations. Dave Ball has done a few solo productions with other British new wave acts in the early 80s. He also later was involved in the electronic dance act The Grid with Richard Norris. Almond and Ball's reunion as Soft Cell became official with well-received initial concerts - they performed at the opening of the Ocean nightclub in London in March 2001 to strong reviews, and a mini tour followed later in the year. The track "God Shaped Hole" featured on the Some Bizzare compilation titled "I'd Rather Shout at a Returning Echo than Kid Someone's Listening", released in 2001. The album Cruelty Without Beauty was released in late 2002, followed by a European tour and a partial US tour in early 2003. The new album featured their first new songs together in almost twenty years. One of those songs was their 2003 single "The Night" (UK #39). Interestingly, Soft Cell had considered recording "The Night" in place of "Tainted Love" back in 1981 as their last-ditch attempt to score a chart hit. In a 2003 interview with BBC's Top of the Pops, keyboardist David Ball asserted, "I think history has kind of shown that we did make the right choice [in 1981]." In August 2007, the band announced they were working on a remix album, "Heat - The Remixes". The remix album is expected to be released in May 2008 and will include classic Soft Cell tracks remixed by such acts as Manhattan Clique, Cicada, Richard X, Ladytron, MHC, Mark Moore, Kinky Roland, Spektrum, George Demure, Yer Man and many more. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. The group consists of vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe. They are among the most commercially successful acts in British popular music, having sold more than 100 million records worldwide. In the 1999 edition of "The Guinness Book of Records", they were listed as the most successful duo in UK music history. The duo achieved 42 top-30 singles in the United Kingdom, including 22 top-10 hits and four number-one singles: "West End Girls", "It's a Sin", "Always on My Mind", and "Heart". "West End Girls" also reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Other notable songs include "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)", "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" featuring Dusty Springfield, and a cover version of "Go West". During the 1980s, the duo achieved five US top-10 singles and became associated with the "Second British Invasion" of American pop music. Pet Shop Boys have received multiple awards and nominations, including four Grammy Award nominations in dance and electronic categories and three Brit Awards. In 2009, they received the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In 2016, Billboard named them the most successful dance duo or group in the history of the Hot Dance Club Play chart. In 2017, they received the NME Godlike Genius Award, and in 2024 they were honored with the MTV Europe Music Awards Pop Pioneers award. Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe met on 19 August 1981 at the Chelsea Record Centre on King's Road in London. Tennant had visited the shop to purchase equipment for a Korg synthesizer, leading to a conversation with Lowe about electronic and disco music. Both musicians were influenced by synth-pop acts such as Soft Cell, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Kraftwerk, the Human League, and Depeche Mode, as well as New York disco producers including Patrick Cowley and Bobby Orlando. The pair began recording material together in the early 1980s, initially using the temporary name West End before adopting the name Pet Shop Boys. According to the duo, the name originated from friends who worked in a pet shop in Ealing and were nicknamed the "pet shop boys". In 1983, Tennant traveled to New York as part of his work for "Smash Hits" magazine and met producer Bobby Orlando, who recorded several early Pet Shop Boys tracks, including "West End Girls", "It's a Sin", and "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)". The first release of "West End Girls" in 1984 became a club success in parts of the United States and Europe. After ending their collaboration with Orlando, Pet Shop Boys signed with Parlophone and worked with producer Stephen Hague on a new version of the song. Released in late 1985, it reached number one in several countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States. Their debut album, "Please", was released in 1986 and included the singles "West End Girls", "Love Comes Quickly", "Suburbia", and a re-recorded version of "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)". The duo developed a reputation for sophisticated electronic pop music and stylized visual presentation. Their first remix album, "Disco", was released later that year. In 1987, Pet Shop Boys released the single "It's a Sin", which became their second UK number-one single. A legal dispute followed after broadcaster Jonathan King alleged similarities between the song and Cat Stevens' "Wild World"; Pet Shop Boys successfully sued for defamation. Later that year, they released "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" with Dusty Springfield, reviving Springfield's commercial profile and beginning a long-term collaboration. Their second studio album, "Actually", included additional hits such as "Rent" and "Heart". The duo's 1988 album "Introspective" consisted largely of extended-length tracks and included the singles "Domino Dancing", "Left to My Own Devices", and "It's Alright". In 1989, Pet Shop Boys undertook their first concert tour. Their fourth studio album, "Behaviour", released in 1990, adopted a more subdued style and featured the singles "So Hard", "Being Boring", and a medley of "Where the Streets Have No Name" and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You". During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Pet Shop Boys collaborated extensively with other artists. They produced tracks for Dusty Springfield, Patsy Kensit's group Eighth Wonder, and Liza Minnelli, whose album "Results" was largely written and produced by the duo. Tennant and Lowe also contributed to projects involving Electronic, Boy George, and other artists through their label Spaghetti Records. In 1993, Pet Shop Boys released "Very", their only studio album to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart. The album featured the singles "Can You Forgive Her?", "Go West", "I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing", and "Liberation". Its visual style emphasized computer-generated imagery and elaborate costumes. The album was accompanied by the limited-edition companion release "Relentless". The 1996 album "Bilingual" incorporated Latin American musical influences and included the singles "Before" and "Se a vida é (That's the Way Life Is)". In 1997, Pet Shop Boys staged a residency at London's Savoy Theatre. They later collaborated with playwright Jonathan Harvey on the musical "Closer to Heaven", which premiered in 2001. Their 1999 album "Nightlife" included the singles "I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Any More", "You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk", and "New York City Boy". The album also featured a duet with Kylie Minogue titled "In Denial". During this period, the duo continued international touring and festival appearances, including performances at Glastonbury and Roskilde. In 2002, Pet Shop Boys released "Release", a guitar-oriented album featuring contributions from Johnny Marr. It was followed by the remix compilation "Disco 3" and the greatest hits collection "PopArt: The Hits". In 2004 and 2005, the duo collaborated with the Dresdner Sinfoniker on a new score for the silent film "Battleship Potemkin". The 2006 album "Fundamental", produced by Trevor Horn, included the singles "I'm with Stupid", "Minimal", and "Numb". The duo also released the documentary "Pet Shop Boys: A Life in Pop" and undertook another international tour. During this period, they worked with artists including Madonna, Robbie Williams, Rufus Wainwright, and Rammstein. In 2009, Pet Shop Boys released the album "Yes", produced with Xenomania. The album became their highest-charting release in the UK in more than a decade. They subsequently toured internationally with the "Pandemonium" tour and performed at major festivals, including Glastonbury. In 2011, the duo composed the ballet "The Most Incredible Thing", based on the Hans Christian Andersen story. Their 2012 album "Elysium" was recorded in Los Angeles, and in 2013 they released "Electric", their first album on their own x2 label in partnership with Kobalt Label Services. The album marked a return to electronic dance-oriented music and was produced by Stuart Price. Their 2016 album "Super" continued their collaboration with Price and reached the top three in the UK Albums Chart. The duo also reissued expanded editions of their back catalogue under the "Catalogue: 1985-2012" series. In 2020, Pet Shop Boys released "Hotspot". The accompanying "Dreamworld" tour was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic and eventually began in 2022. The tour included performances at Glastonbury and a co-headlining North American tour with New Order. The duo released their fifteenth studio album, "Nonetheless", in 2024, marking a return to Parlophone. Singles from the album included "Loneliness", "Dancing Star", "A New Bohemia", and "Feel". The continuing "Dreamworld" tour included performances at the Royal Opera House and the MTV Europe Music Awards. In 2026, Pet Shop Boys continued touring internationally and staged a residency titled "Obscure" at the Electric Ballroom in Camden Town. The performances focused on lesser-known songs, B-sides, and fan favorites, and introduced new material connected to a planned musical adaptation of "The Emperor's New Clothes". Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet_Shop_Boys Studio albums Please (1986) Actually (1987) Introspective (1988) Behaviour (1990) Very (1993) Bilingual (1996) Nightlife (1999) Release (2002) Fundamental (2006) Yes (2009) Elysium (2012) Electric (2013) Super (2016) Hotspot (2020) Nonetheless (2024) Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.