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”.
A Rolling Stone article by Steve Hochman quotes Neil (speaking with regard to Freddie Mercury’s AIDS-related death) as regretfully saying that ‘a lot of people think that gays deserve to have this disease.’
Yes debuts on Billboard magazine’s U.S. album chart at #32—the highest showing for any PSB album since Very back in 1993.
A big day for PSB fans: the Boys’ official website announces the tracklist for their upcoming album Electric, reveals its front-cover artwork, announces the dates and venues for the North American leg of the Electric Tour, and debuts the video for ‘Axis,’ the album’s first single. ‘Axis’ also goes on sale as a digital download at iTunes on this, the last day of April in the U.S. (though when it becomes available it’s actually the first day of May in the U.K.).
More than 25 years after its original release on VHS, the Pet Shop Boys’ DiscoVery: Live in Rio concert is released in a new DVD/CD package.