March 1985
They sign to Parlophone Records after long negotiations with Bobby O’, who relinquished his contractual rights over them in return for a substantial royalty on future record sales.
They sign to Parlophone Records after long negotiations with Bobby O’, who relinquished his contractual rights over them in return for a substantial royalty on future record sales.
On April 5th, Neil leaves Smash Hits. In the next issue an ‘obituary’ is written, bidding him a sad adieu and predicting that in a matter of weeks Neil’s pop duo, the Pet Shop Boys “will be down the dumper and he’ll come crawling back on bended knees, ha ha ha”. “I spoke to my mum on the telephone and said how we’d signed with EMI and she said “But you’re not going to give up your job, are you?” and I said, actually I did last week”.
On July 1st, the first version of ‘Opportunities’ is released. It reached #116 in the UK.
They play a short set as part of the ICA Rock Week in London, Chris showing off his skills on the trombone. Neil and Chris are interviewed on stage by Max Headroom. They re-record ‘West End girls’ with producer Stephen Hague the same month.
‘West End girls’ is released on October 28th and goes to #1 in the UK in January. It is subsequently #1 in USA, Canada, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, New Zealand and Norway, selling 1.5 million copies. “People endlessly ask us what it’s like having a #1” says Neil at the time. “But what it feels like is vaguely nothing. It feels like having a cup of tea”.
Neil records the vocals for ‘Screaming.’
An early-morning automobile accident in Moscow takes the life of PSB bodyguard, personal assistant, and good friend Dainton Connell. Known among friends as ‘The Bear,’ Connell had accompanied Chris to Moscow for a DJ’ing gig. (Chris was not involved in the accident.) Neil and Chris are, in their own words, ‘devastated’ by the news.
Still in Chile enjoying a brief break from the South American leg of their Pandemonium Tour, the Boys take an afternoon drive up into the Andes.
Continuing from the previous day, the Boys resume work on their demo of the song ‘Winner,’ changing its rhythm track to (as Neil states in his diary) ‘make it more electro.’
For the fourth day in a row, they work on ‘Natural Wonders Every Child Should Know’ for A Man from the Future.
The Pet Shop Boys perform the first of two shows at the Fox Theater in Oakland, California.
Neil appears onstage ‘in conversation’ with poet Andrew McMillan at RNCM Theatre, an event that’s part of this year’s Manchester Literature Festival.