Pet Shop Boys chronology
Disco
(1986) Actually
(1987) Introspective
(1988)
Singles from Actually

1. "It's a Sin"
   Released: June 15, 1987
2. "What Have I Done to Deserve This?"
   Released: August 10, 1987
3. "Rent"
   Released: October 12, 1987
4. "Heart"
   Released: March 21, 1988

Actually is the third album, the second of entirely new music, by the UK electronic music group Pet Shop Boys. It was first released in 1987. This album is also the group's third best selling album with over 4 million copies sold. Actually is featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

History

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Actually is not much different from Pet Shop Boys' first album, Please in terms of musical style, although production values are noticeably higher.

Actually spawned four UK Top 10 singles: the number one lead-off single "It's a Sin", "Rent", "What Have I Done to Deserve This?", a duet with fellow Parlophone artist Dusty Springfield which peaked at #2 in both the UK and US and led to a major resurgence of interest in Springfield's earlier work; and the duo scored another UK number one in April 1988 with a remixed version of the album's fourth and last single, "Heart".

During this period, the Pet Shop Boys also completed a full-length motion picture called It Couldn't Happen Here. Featuring songs by the duo, it was most famous for containing the video for "Always on My Mind" (starring Joss Ackland as a blind priest), which - while not on Actually - was released as a single during this period.

The period from Actually to Introspective is considered the bands imperial phase, a term now in common usage, by both fans and the Pet Shop Boys themselves.^{[citation needed]}

Actually was re-released in 2001 (as were most of the group's albums up to that point) as Actually/Further Listening 1987-1988. The re-released version was not only digitally remastered but came with a second disc of B-sides, remixes done by the Pet Shop Boys and previously unreleased material from around the time of the album's original release. Yet another re-release followed on 9 February 2009, under the title of Actually: Remastered. This version contains only the 10 tracks on the original.

Reception

In 2006, Q magazine placed the album at #22 in its list of "40 Best Albums of the '80s". [1]

Track listing

1. "One More Chance" - 5:30
2. "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" (with Dusty Springfield) - 4:18
3. "Shopping" - 3:37
4. "Rent" - 5:08
5. "Hit Music" - 4:44
6. "It Couldn't Happen Here" - 5:20
7. "It's a Sin" - 4:59
8. "I Want to Wake Up" - 5:08
9. "Heart" - 3:58
10. "King's Cross" - 5:10

Further Listening 1987-1988

1. "I Want to Wake Up" (Breakdown mix) - 6:00
2. "Heart" (Shep Pettibone version) - 4:12
3. "You Know Where you Went Wrong - 5:50
4. "One More Chance" (seven-inch mix) - 3:50
5. "It's a Sin" (Disco mix) - 7:41
6. "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" (Extended mix) - 6:47
7. "Heart" (Disco mix) - 8:40
8. "A New Life" - 4:55
9. "Always on My Mind" (Demo version) 4:03
10. "Rent" (Seven-inch mix) - 3:33
11. "I Want a Dog" - 4:58
12. "Always on My Mind" (Extended dance mix) - 8:15
13. "Do I Have To?" - 5:15
14. "Always on My Mind" (Dub mix) - 2:15

Personnel

• Neil Tennant
• Chris Lowe

Guest musicians

• Andy Richards - Fairlight and keyboard programming on tracks 1, 4, 5, 7 & 9
• Dusty Springfield - Guest vocals on track 2
• J.J. Jeczalik - Fairlight programming on track 3
• Gary Maughan - Additional programming on track 3
• Angelo Badalamenti - Orchestra arrangement on track 6
• Blue Weaver - Fairlight programming on track 6
• Adrian Cook - Programming on track 8

Chart performance

Chart (1987) Peak
position
Germany 1
Switzerland 3
Austria 5
Norway 3
Sweden 2
Australia 16
UK 2
US 25

External links

• Music-Nerd track by track review

References

Pet Shop Boys
Chris Lowe · Neil Tennant
Studio albums
Compilation albums
"Disco" albums
Live albums
Extended Plays
Soundtracks and scores
Singles
Other Songs
Film, Stage and Television
Notable Tours & Concerts
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