Pet Shop Boys: Actually 2018 Remaster 180g Vinyl

Why you'll love it

This 2018 remaster comes on 180g vinyl with a printed inner sleeve. Actually is the duo's biggest seller in the UK, triple platinum with more than a million copies, and it carries two UK No. 1 singles in "It's a Sin" and "Heart."

This edition

2018 remaster
180g vinyl
Printed inner sleeve
Pressed in the EU
Lyrics included

About the album

Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe went into their second album with a drawer full of songs from their early days, and they pulled out the good ones. "It's a Sin" dated back to 1982, "Rent" to 1984, and "One More Chance" to their sessions with Bobby Orlando, all rebuilt with the gleaming, widescreen synth-pop they'd perfected by 1987.

"What Have I Done to Deserve This?" finally got its duet partner when Dusty Springfield said yes, and it's a glorious meeting of two eras. "Heart" was nearly handed to Madonna before the duo wisely kept it, "Shopping" turns a spelling joke into sharp social comment, and "It Couldn't Happen Here" borrows a chorus melody Ennio Morricone sent them, with an arrangement by Angelo Badalamenti. Julian Mendelsohn produced half the record, with Stephen Hague and Andy Richards also at the desk.

The cover photo, Tennant mid-yawn beside a scowling Lowe, was shot for Smash Hits and borrowed back the night before the magazine went to press. Not many pop stars have yawned their way onto a classic sleeve, but then not many make yawning look this expensive.

Also at Kops: more Pet Shop Boys on vinyl · browse Pop