collaboration
Here you will find information about PSB collaboration with other people and groups
[ discography of collaboration ]
colourly inverted are only the songs, singles and albums, that the collaboration concerns
Dusty Springfield
The first result of collaboration between the Pet Shop Boys and Dusty Springfield was a duet What Have I Done To Deserve This?, which appeared in 1987 on the album Actually. The collaboration carried on in 1989, when the Pet Shop Boys recorded songs In Private and Nothing Has Been Proved (this song was played in the movie Scandal), later that year then Daydreaming and Occupy Your Mind with Dusty. Pet Shop Boys produced these four tracks together with Julian Mendelsohn and a song I Want To Stay Here, a coverversion of Steve and Eydie's hit from 1963; all five mentioned tracks were released in 1990 on the album Reputation, the first two as a single as well (Pet Shop Boys collaborated on design of the Nothing Has Been Proved single sleeve). The album reached number 15 in the UK. In 1997, the album Reputation & Rarities was released. Twelve-inch version of the song In Private appeared there among other tracks.
Dusty Springfield died in 1999.
Eighth Wonder
Pet Shop Boys wrote a song I'm Not Scared for a singer Patsy Kensit from the group Eight Wonder. The song was released in 1988 as a single and became a hit. Except the single it appeared also on the first album by Eighth Wonder called Fearless. French version of the song was recorded as well (under the name J'ai Pas Peur). Pet Shop Boys also recorded their own version of the song, that appeared on the album Introspective (1988).
Liza Minnelli
In April 1989, Liza Minnelli's album Results, that co-produced the Pet Shop Boys with Julian Mendelsohn, was released. Pet Shop Boys also wrote most of the songs. Except for songs known from Pet Shop Boys' albums (Tonight Is Forever, Rent), also other tracks by the Pet Shop Boys appeared on the album - I Want You Now, If There Was Love, So Sorry, I Said (this song played the Pet Shop Boys during the Performance tour), Don't Drop Bombs and I Can't Say Goodnight (written in 1982). The album also contains a coverversion of the song Losing My Mind, that PSB later released as a b-side to their Jealousy single, and two other songs. Neil sung some backing vocals.
Except for the Pet Shop Boys, the following people collaborated on the album for example saxophonist Courtney Pine, who accompanied the Pet Shop Boys during their MCMLXXXIX tour, guitarist J. J. Belle, later known from the song Being Boring, or Angelo Badalamenti, who arranged the song Rent (he collaborated with PSB on the track It Couldn't Happen Here and later on This Must Be The Place I Waited Years To Leave; he is above all known as a movie music composer - for example for the movie Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me).
The album Results was released in October 1989 and reached number 6 in the UK chart.
Electronic
In December 1989, the single Getting Away With It by the group Electronic is released. Members of Electronic are Bernard Sumner (a member of the group New Order) and Johnny Marr (a guitarist from the group The Smiths; earlier a member of The The). Neil took part on the song as a co-writer and on vocals. In August 1990, Pet Shop Boys have as guests in two Electronic songs their premiere in front of American public in Los Angeles on Dodgers Stadium. Electronic appeared there before the main attraction, Depeche Mode. In May 1991, the album Electronic (sleeve on the left), where appears another result of the collaboration, the song Patience Of A Saint, on that except Neil collaborated also Chris (on the same album is released also the song Getting Away With It - but this song is missing on the UK release by Factory company). In June 1992, the song Disappointed - sung and co-written by Neil, is released as a single. It's the last fruit of the collaboration between the Pet Shop Boys and Electronic.
Cicero
In 1991, the Pet Shop Boys based their own record company Spaghetti. The first artist, who's record was released on this label, was a Scottish singer, synthesizers player and song-writter Dave Cicero. In 1989, during PSB concert, he gave a demo to their personal assistant. Pet Shop Boys listened to it later. They were impressed and after they saw Cicero at the concert in Livingstone, they decided to work with him.
In 1991, Cicero's single Heaven Must Have Sent You Back To Me was released, during the next year then Love Is Everywhere, That Loving Feeling and the album Future Boy (that contains ten tracks, Pet Shop Boys collaborated on That Loving Feeling and Love Is Everywhere, in that Neil also sings, and on Heaven Must Have Sent You Back To Me; album sleeve on picture). A videoclip for new remix of the last mentioned song (the remix was released in 1992) was directed by Chris and was shot on a beach in Blackpool.
In autumn 1991, the song Live For Today was released. It was produced by the Pet Shop and Sylvia Mason-James, known also fron PSB records and concerts, sings on it with Cicero. This song appeared also on the soundtrack for the movie The Crying Game by Neil Jordan. The soundtrack The Crying Game (sleeve on the next picture) was released - also on the Spaghetti label - in October 1992.
Boy George
Another person, with which Pet Shop Boys collaborated on the soundtrack The Crying Game, was Boy George. Pet Shop Boys produced for him a coverversion of the song The Crying Game, that was written by Geoff Stephens. The single was released in September 1992 and reached number 22 in the UK chart.
Caroll Thompson
Pet Shop Boys also produced for The Crying Game soundtrack the song Let The Music Play (by Chris Barbaros and Ed Chisholm) for Caroll Thompson.
Ian Wright
In 1993, Chris Lowe produced and remixed the single Do The Right Thing. The song was performed by a known English football player Ian Wright.
Absolutely Fabulous
In May 1994, the single Absolutely Fabulous was released. Pet Shop Boys, Jennifer Saunders (on the left side of the picture) and Joanna Lumley (on the right side of the picture), actresses from the BBC comedy series Absolutely Fabulous. Pet Shop Boys liked the programme and thought that a funny record could be created. They recorded a demo with snippets of dialogues from the series. Jennifer Saunders liked it and recorded other parts (Joanna Lumley was abroad at the time). Pet Shop Boys decided to release the song under the name Absolutely Fabulous as a 1994 record for the charity project Comic Relief. "I know some people are horrified we did a charity record, but it just seemed a way of dealing with it. It made it simple, because we did the record for fun, not as a major artistic statement." The videoclip was shot in six hours.
Blur
Almost at the same time as working on Absolutely Fabulous, PSB were also preparing a remix of the song Girls & Boys by Blur. It was the first time when they remixed someone else's record. At first they were asked if they weren't interested in producing the song, but they were busy with recording. Later they heard a finished version of the song and Chris decided that it would be fun to remix it. Two versions were released and a video to the remixed version exists as well.
Kylie Minogue
Pet Shop Boys wrote for Kylie Minogue a song Falling, which was released in 1994 on the album Kylie Minogue. Originally was Chris doing a remix of Go West and changed chords, but Neil thought it aws too good for a remix and so they decided to make a new song of it. The final version of the song, produced by Farley And Heller (who remixed Go West), differs quite a lot from the original version.
In 1999, Kylie Minogue was a guest vocalist in the duet In Denial, which appeared on the Nightlife album. In 2005, she performed the song during her world tour.
David Bowie
Neil met David Bowie for the first time in November 1995 after Bowie's concert. "He was very friendly and we were talking about his album Outside and I said that the track I liked best was Hello Spaceboy. I asked him why it hadn't been released as a single and he said - jokingly I thought - 'oh, you guys should remix it for a single'. And then a week later he phoned me at home," says Neil. The Pet Shop Boys effectively rerecorded the song, slowing it down, restructuring it to create a chrous and using only a Brian Eno synthesiser line and some of David Bowie's vocals. There weren't enough words for a second verse so Neil made one up by cutting up the lyrics to David Bowies's Space Oddity. "Then we phoned him up and told him we'd done that," Neil recalls, "and I think he thought it was a bit cheeky, but then he came into the studio and he really liked it. When he hears the song he seems to smile. What I liked about it is that it restates his major themes of a) space and b) sexual confusion. They seem somehow appropriate again. The single Hallo Spaceboy was released in February 1996 and reached number 12 in the UK chart. 12" remix was released on vinyl. Pet Shop Boys later performed the song during their concerts.
Tina Turner
Pet Shop Boys wrote for Tina Turner a song Confidential while they were working on their album Very. She recorded the song in modified form for her album Wildest Dreams, that was released in April 1996; it's possible to hear also Neil's voice in the song. The song wasn't released as a single, although originally it was planned to. Demoversion of the song was released on the PSB single Single-Bilingual in 1996.
Suede
On December 15, 1995, Neil appeared on the podium during the Suede concert in the Roundhouse and sung the song Saturday Night as a duet with Bret Andersson and then (solo with the band) a PSB song Rent. Record of both live tracks was released in 1997 on the Suede single Filmstar.
Elton John
Elton John asked Pet Shop Boys to perform in his show An Audience With Elton John, which was recorded in September 1997. Pet Shop Boys and Elton John performed Elton's song Believe, which they mixed with his older hit Song For Guy.
In 2006, a new version (remix by Stuart Crichton) of the song In Private (which PSB originally recorded with Dusty Springfield) is released on a bonus disc of PSB's Fundamental album. It is sung by Neil and Elton. 7" remix is later released on Minimal single.
Robbie Williams
On the album 20th Century Blues: The Songs Of Noël Coward (1998; executive producers were Neil Tennant and Tris Penna, it was an act in benefit of Red Hot AIDS Charitable Trust) appeared - among Sail Away (performed by Pet Shop Boys) and other songs - also the song There Are Bad Times Just Around The Corner, performed by Robbie Williams (on the picture). In credits of this song is stated that it was produced and played by Pete Gleadall, Tom Stephan and Neil Tennant.
In the same year, Neil sung backing vocals on a Robbie Williams' song No
Regrets, which appeared on the album I've Been Expecting You (later also on Williams' Greatest Hits compilation) and was released as a single.
In 2006, PSB collaborated on two songs which Robbie Williams released on Rudebox album. The tracks in question are She's Madonna and We're The Pet Shop Boys. For the former, PSB are credited as co-authors and producers, for the latter as co-producers; Neil also sings backing vocals there. (NB - We're The Pet Shop Boys was written and released by My Robot Friend, PSB themselvses released the track later as a b-side to their Miracles single.)
Sam Taylor-Wood
In 1998, PSB produced for Sam Taylor-Wood the song Je T'aime...Moi Non Plus, a coverversion of Gainsbourg & Birkin 1969 hit. The song appeared on a compilation CD, on sale together with a book - this collection is called Ambassadors: We Love You. A longer version of the song was then released in 1999 on Pet Shop Boys' single I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Any More.
In 2003, Sam Taylor-Wood performed (under the name Kiki Kokova) a coverversion of the song Love To Love You, Baby (written by Donna Summer), that was produced by the Pet Shop Boys.
Melissa Etheridge
During their performance at Equality Rocks in Washington in April 2000, Pet Shop Boys played among others also the song What Have I Done To Deserve This? Dusty Springfield's part sung Melissa Etheridge.
Fat Les
New version of the classic composition Jerusalem, which was recorded as the official anthem of the English football representation for European Championship 2000 by Fat Les, was among others remixed by Chris Lowe. Although 'Pet Shop Boys mix' is stated on the single, Neil didn't get involved: "I was happy to give my imprimatur." Pet Shop Boys had repeatedly discussed the possibility that they'd record the song Jerusalem themselves.
Cerys Matthews
During the Pet Shop Boys' performance at the Glastonbury festival in June 2000, Cerys Matthews from the group Catatonia sung with Neil the song What Have I Done To Deserve This?
Bloodhound Gang
Another song that have the Pet Shop Boys remixed in 2000 was the track Mope by the American group Bloodhound Gang. Pet Shop Boys got a letter through their record company, saying that the Bloodhound Gang were big PSB fans and and wanted them to remix their next single. Originally, Pet Shop Boys refused, but when they heard the songs The Bad Touch and The Ballad Of Chasey Lain, they decided to make a remix. The song Mope contains samples from songs Relax by Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Rock Me Amadeus by Falco and For Whom The Bell Tolls by Metallica. "Interestingly, we recorded our remix in the same studio that 'Relax' was recorded in, Sarm Studio 2," says Chris. Pet Shop Boys speeded the song up and made it more danceable.
Three remixes were released - 7" remix, extended remix and dub remix. Dub was released on the vinyl The Ballad Of Chasey Lain, 7" remix on the single Mope (sleeve on picture) and on the first CD of the single The Ballad Of Chasey Lain. Extended remix appeared on the mentioned vinyl and on the second CD of the single The Ballad Of Chasey Lain.
Miyuki Motegi
Japanese singer Miyuki Motegi (called Miu) released an album M. I. U. in April 2002. It contains a song All Or Nothing, co-written by the Pet Shop Boys. Neil also recorded backing vocals for the song.
Yoko Ono
In 2003, Pet Shop Boys made a few remixes (including the single version) of a newly released song Walking On Thin Ice by Yoko Ono.
Atomizer
The same year, Pet Shop Boys played PSB orange alert mix of the track Hooked On Radiation (by a British band Atomizer) during their DJ performance. "PSB orange alert mix" was later released on a CD single Hooked On Radiation and together with two other PSB remixes (PSB orange alert 7" mix and PSB superstar mix) also on a vinyl.
Alcazar
In 2003, Alcazar, a Swedish band, released a song Love Life on their album Alcazarized. This song was written by the Pet Shop Boys.
In the same year, 2003, the Pet Shop Boys wrote another song, Baby, which they gave to Alcazar then as well.
Rammstein
In 2004, the Pet Shop Boys have prepared a few remixes of the Rammstein's (German metal band) song Mein Teil (My Part). The remixes are called "PSB You are what you eat mix" (main mix and 7" mix) and "PSB There are no guitars on this mix" (electro mix) and were released on a single (various formats) in summer 2004.
Torsten Rasch / Dresdner Sinfoniker
In 2003, the Pet Shop Boys were asked to write a score for Sergei Eisenstein's Russian silent movie Battleship Potemkin (1925) and to perform it in 2004 along with the film on the Trafalgar Square. They asked the German composer Torsten Rasch to write orchestrations. The composition was performed on Trafalgar Square together with the Dresdner Sinfoniker and later a few times in Germany and once in the UK. The music was released on a CD in September 2005. See the PSB & film section - Battleship Potemkin for more information.
Superchumbo (Tom Stephan)
In June 2005, Superchumbo's album WowieZowie was released. One of the songs, Tranquilizer, was co-written by Neil. He also sings in the song.
Madonna (Madonna Louise Ciccone)
In February 2006, Madonna has released Sorry, the second single from her album Confessions On A Dance Floor. One of remixes of that song was done by Pet Shop Boys and Neil also sings briefly in the remix.
DJ Fresh (Dan Stein)
DJ Fresh released album Escape From Planet Monday in May 2006 (incidentally on the same day when PSB's Fundamental album was released). The last track is called Throw and it features Neil Tennant on vocals.