On August 19th, Neil and Chris meet by chance in an electronics shop on the Kings Road. Realizing they have a common interest in dance music, they begin to write together. Initially they call themselves West End; later they come up with the name Pet Shop Boys, a name derived from some friends who work in a pet shop in Ealing. “We thought it sounded like an English rap group”.
‘Always on My Mind’ peaks at #4 on the U.S. charts.
The Pet Shop Boys appear on the cover of NME.
Friends star David Schwimmer gets a nasty gash on his forehead at a party thrown for the Boys in New York City.
They perform at the Grand Rex Theatre in Paris. The concert starts late, however, because one of the trucks carrying their equipment had crashed en route from their previous venue in Stuttgart. Fortunately the driver wasn’t hurt, but the accident causes a major delay in construction of the staging and setup for the concert. Aside from the late start, the show goes well.
Chris and Neil work on ‘A Certain Je Ne Sais Quoi’ in Pete Gleadall’s studio.
My Beautiful Laundrette and ‘Cricket Wife,’ both previously available as special bonus CDs accompanying editions of Annually, are officially released today in downloadable digital format.