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Behaviour (Pet Shop Boys album)

Behaviour
Studio album by
Pet Shop Boys
Released22 October 1990 (1990-10-22)
RecordedMay–June 1990
Studio
Genre
Length49:01
LabelParlophone
Producer
Pet Shop Boys chronology
Introspective
(1988) 		Behaviour
(1990) 		Discography: The Complete Singles Collection
(1991)
Singles from Behaviour
  1. "So Hard"
    Released: 24 September 1990
  2. "Being Boring"
    Released: 12 November 1990
  3. "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?"
    Released: 11 March 1991
  4. "Jealousy"
    Released: 28 May 1991[2]

Behaviour (released as Behavior in the United States) is the fourth studio album by the English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 22 October 1990 by Parlophone. A Japanese special edition included a bonus mini CD, exclusive artwork and printed lyrics in a white velvet-like box.

Background

Harold Faltermeyer produced Behaviour at his Red Deer studio in Munich, Germany (West Germany at the time of recording).[1] Because they were dissatisfied with the available digital synthesisers and samples, Pet Shop Boys wanted to use analogue synthesisers. Faltermeyer was chosen as a producer as he happened to be an expert on analogue equipment. The result was a Pet Shop Boys album that differed from both the previous album, Introspective, and the 1993 follow-up, Very. In places, the album expands upon the synth-pop genre with flavours of guitar pop ballads, as with "This Must Be the Place I Waited Years to Leave" and "My October Symphony" (a song about the decline of the Soviet Union) with the guitarist Johnny Marr; Marr and Neil Tennant previously worked together on the 1989 Electronic song "Getting Away with It". Later, singer Tennant reflected on the different style of Behaviour: "It was more reflective and more musical-sounding, and also it probably didn't have irritatingly crass ideas in it, like our songs often do." He said that the album was inspired by the fellow synth-pop group Depeche Mode's album Violator, released the same year.[3]

In a 1993 interview with NME, Chris Lowe recalled of Behaviour, "The funny thing was that album was written at a time when the whole rave scene was fantastically exciting and good, the music was really up. I can't understand what happened; we set out to write an uplifting album and we ended up with something which was the complete opposite." Tennant added, "There was an element of sadness to it, it's one of these things that sad songs are more interesting to write."[4]

Singles

  • "So Hard" (R 6269 – 24 September 1990)

The video was directed by Eric Watson. The B-side was "It Must Be Obvious", with the USA release also having the Italian Mix of "Paninaro", which was originally released on Disco. Remixes were by the Pet Shop Boys themselves, The KLF and David Morales. The KLF also remixed "It Must Be Obvious", which was only available on The KLF versus Pet Shop Boys CD and 12-inch of the single.

The video was directed by Bruce Weber. The B-side was "We All Feel Better in the Dark". There were Pet Shop Boys Extended Mixes of both A-side and B-side, and there was a remix of "Being Boring" by Marshall Jefferson and two remixes of the B-side by Brothers in Rhythm on a limited edition 12-inch and CD of the single.

The video was directed by Liam Kan. The single was radically remixed from the album version by Brothers in Rhythm, and this become the version on the double A-side released in the UK with "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)". This US release had the Techno Funk mix of "I Want a Dog", the Marshall Jefferson remix of "Being Boring" and the Trevor Horn 7-inch mix of "It's Alright". There were also remixes by David Morales, which were released on a limited edition 12-inch and CD. The single mix was not on any of the Pet Shop Boys' greatest hits or singles compilations (Discography: The Complete Singles Collection, Pop Art: Pet Shop Boys – The Hits and Smash: The Singles 1985-2020), although the video was on the Pop Art DVD, Videography and the Smash Blu-ray.

The videos for both songs were directed by Liam Kan, which drew on iconography from the Pet Shop Boys' then current tour with Tennant spoofing several 'rock' stars including U2, Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Presley and George Michael. There was an additional B-side, "Bet She's Not Your Girlfriend", and, in addition to some extended mixes of both singles, there were additional remixes of both songs by David Morales.

The video was directed by Eric Watson. The B-side was the Pet Shop Boys' tidied-up demo version of "Losing My Mind", which they produced for Liza Minnelli in 1989 for her album Results. The single mix was more electronic than the album version and there was an extended mix of "Jealousy" with Tennant reading excerpts of Shakespeare's Othello, which is a play about jealousy. There was also a Disco Mix of "Losing My Mind". On the limited edition CD, an edit of the Extended Mix of "This Must Be the Place I Waited Years to Leave" (which was originally available with the Japanese version of Behaviour) was included along with David Morales' Red Zone mix of "So Hard". "Jealousy" was later covered by Dubstar. It is known to be one of Robbie Williams' favourite Pet Shop Boys songs, and he sang it with the duo for their 2006 Radio 2 concert, which was later released on the 2006 Pet Shop Boys' live album Concrete.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Chicago Tribune[6]
Entertainment WeeklyA+[7]
Los Angeles Times[8]
NME6/10[9]
Pitchfork8.5/10[10]
Q[11]
Record Mirror4/5[12]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[13]
Vox6/10[14]

Behaviour was met with very good reviews in 1990 and has since gained excellent reviews in retrospective. Reviewing Behaviour for Entertainment Weekly, Jim Farber commented that the album contained the Pet Shop Boys' "best tunes yet" and "their most consistently beautiful melodies to date", noting "an easier way with the beats and greater vulnerability in the lyrics" compared to the duo's earlier material.[7] Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune wrote that Behaviour "may strike some listeners as even wimpier and blander than earlier releases, but its subtle brilliance emerges with repeated plays", calling it "a record that'll seduce dance clubs for a few months, and haunt the stay-at-home crowd for long after".[6] "Some of their dance fans may be a trifle disappointed," wrote Mark Cooper for Q, "but the best ballads here are as wry and touching as vintage Broadway. Frank Sinatra should be calling shortly."[11] The magazine named Behaviour one of the 50 best albums of 1990.[15] Robert Christgau selected "Being Boring" and "My October Symphony" as highlights in his Village Voice "Consumer Guide" column;[16] he later gave the album a "two-star honorable mention" grade,[17] indicating a "likable effort that consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well enjoy".[18]

In a mixed review, NME's Roger Morton conceded that Behaviour "is probably no more a disconsolate record than Introspective or Actually", but questioned its relative lack of "a defiant surge of rhythm".[9] Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times found that the album reaches "the emotional peaks" of the Pet Shop Boys' previous work on "peppy highlights" such as "So Hard" and "The End of the World", while "the occasional lapses and the forays into slower tempos" feel "flat by comparison".[8]

In 1999, Q listed Behaviour as one of the 90 best albums of the 1990s,[19] while the critic Ned Raggett ranked it ninth on his list of "The Top 136 or So Albums of the Nineties" for Freaky Trigger.[20] Behaviour is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[21]

Re-release

Along with the rest of the group's first six studio albums, Behaviour was re-released as Behaviour/Further Listening: 1990–1991 in 2001. The reissue was digitally remastered and accompanied with a second disc of B-sides, and some previously unreleased songs, recorded from 1990 to 1991. Notable songs on the second disc include "Miserablism", "DJ Culture", "Was It Worth It?" and the Ambient Mix of "Music for Boys". "Miserablism", a poignant satire of Morrissey,[22] was intended for inclusion on Behaviour until the day it was sent for mastering. It later became the B-side to "Was It Worth It?" and was remixed by Moby for the 12-inch single; it was also on the limited edition version of the duo's 2003 compilation album PopArt: The Hits, in a remixed form. "DJ Culture" and "Was It Worth It?" were the two singles recorded for the Pet Shop Boys' 1991 compilation album, Discography: The Complete Singles Collection. "Music for Boys" was originally credited as "Music for Boys Part 2" and was the B-side to "DJ Culture". The original B-side version can also be found on the 1995 compilation album Alternative. This reissue was re-released in 2018 along with the Further Listening editions of Very and Bilingual.

Another re-release followed on 9 February 2009, under the title of Behaviour: Remastered. This version contains only the 10 tracks on the original.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant, except where noted

No.TitleLength
1."Being Boring"6:49
2."This Must Be the Place I Waited Years to Leave"5:30
3."To Face the Truth"5:33
4."How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?"3:56
5."Only the Wind"4:20
6."My October Symphony"5:18
7."So Hard"3:58
8."Nervously"4:06
9."The End of the World"4:43
10."Jealousy"4:48
Total length:49:01
Japanese special edition (bonus mini disc)[23]
No.TitleLength
1."Miserablism"4:11
2."Bet She's Not Your Girlfriend"4:26
3."This Must Be the Place I Waited Years to Leave" (extended mix)9:30
Total length:18:07
Further Listening 1990–1991 (bonus disc)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."It Must Be Obvious" 4:26
2."So Hard" (extended dance mix) 6:38
3."Miserablism" 4:07
4."Being Boring" (extended mix) 10:40
5."Bet She's Not Your Girlfriend" 4:30
6."We All Feel Better in the Dark" (extended mix) 6:48
7."Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)" (extended mix) (previously unreleased on CD)
6:46
8."Jealousy" (extended version) 7:58
9."Generic Jingle" (previously unreleased) 0:14
10."DJ Culture" (extended mix) 6:53
11."Was It Worth It?" (twelve-inch mix) 7:15
12."Music for Boys" (part 2) (previously unreleased on CD) 6:13
13."DJ Culture" (seven-inch mix) 4:26
Total length:1:16:54

Notes

  • Track 12 on the Further Listening 1990–1991 bonus disc is incorrectly labelled as "Music for Boys" (ambient mix).

Personnel

Behaviour

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Behaviour.[24]

Pet Shop Boys

Additional musicians

Technical

Artwork

Further Listening 1990–1991

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Introspective/Further Listening 1990–1991.[25]

Pet Shop Boys

Additional musicians

  • Dominic Clarke – additional programming (tracks 1–3); programming (tracks 5, 6); sequencing (track 7)
  • Gary Maughan – additional keyboards (track 5)
  • Juliet Roberts – additional vocals (track 6)
  • J.J. Belle – guitars (track 7)
  • Tessa Niles – additional vocals (tracks 7, 11, 13)
  • Harold Faltermeyer – orchestral arrangement (track 8)
  • Scott Davidson – programming (tracks 10, 11, 13)
  • Greg Bone – guitar (tracks 10, 11, 13)
  • Pete Gleadall – programming (track 11)
  • Andy Duncan – percussion (track 11)
  • Carol Kenyon – additional vocals (track 11)
  • Guida de Palma – additional vocals (track 11)

Technical

  • Pet Shop Boys – production (tracks 1–11, 13); remix (tracks 6, 11); mixing (track 8); compilation
  • Pete Schwier – engineering (tracks 1, 5); mixing (track 1)
  • Harold Faltermeyer – production (tracks 2–4, 8)
  • Brian Reeves – engineering (tracks 2–4)
  • Julian Mendelsohn – mixing (tracks 2–5); production (track 7)
  • Bob Kraushaar – engineering (tracks 5, 6)
  • Paul Wright – engineering (tracks 6, 10, 11, 13)
  • David Jacob – remix (track 6); mixing (track 8)
  • Ren Swan – engineering (track 7)
  • Steve Fitzmaurice – engineering assistance (track 7)
  • Mike Jarratt – orchestra recording (track 8)
  • Brothers in Rhythm – production (tracks 10, 11, 13); mixing (track 10)
  • Stephen Hague – mix, additional production (track 13)
  • Chris Heath – compilation
  • Tim Young – remastering

Artwork

Charts

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for Behaviour
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Brazil — 120,000[46]
Canada (Music Canada)[47] Gold 50,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[48] Gold 41,480[48]
Germany (BVMI)[49] Gold 250,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[50] Gold 50,000^
Sweden (GLF)[51] Gold 50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[52] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[53] Platinum 300,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes

  1. ^ Orchestra and strings

References

  1. ^ a b Zuberi, Nabeel (May 2001). Sounds English: Transnational Popular Music. University of Illinois Press. p. 100. ISBN 9780252026201.
  2. ^ "Jealousy". petshopboys.co.uk. 28 May 1991. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  3. ^ "10 years of Being boring". Retrieved 18 January 2013.
  4. ^ Staunton, Terry (29 May 1993). "'The Smiths You Can Dunce To'". New Musical Express. pp. 28–30.
  5. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Behaviour – Pet Shop Boys". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  6. ^ a b Kot, Greg (22 November 1990). "Pet Shop Boys: Behavior (EMI)". Chicago Tribune. ISSN 1085-6706. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  7. ^ a b Farber, Jim (9 November 1990). "Behavior". Entertainment Weekly. No. 39. ISSN 1049-0434. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  8. ^ a b Hilburn, Robert (4 November 1990). "Pet Shop Boys 'Behavior' EMI". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  9. ^ a b Morton, Roger (27 October 1990). "Wet Pop, Boys". NME. p. 36. ISSN 0028-6362. Archived from the original on 22 November 1999. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  10. ^ Walters, Barry (29 January 2017). "Pet Shop Boys: Behaviour". Pitchfork. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  11. ^ a b Cooper, Mark (November 1990). "Pet Shop Boys: Behaviour". Q. No. 50. ISSN 0955-4955.
  12. ^ Nicholson, Tim (20 October 1990). "Pet Shop Boys: Behaviour". Record Mirror. p. 18. ISSN 0144-5804.
  13. ^ Hull, Tom (2004). "Pet Shop Boys". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 630–631. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  14. ^ Page, Betty (November 1990). "Pet Shop Boys: Behaviour". Vox. No. 2. ISSN 0960-300X.
  15. ^ "The Fifty Best Albums of 1990". Q. No. 52. January 1991. pp. 82–88. ISSN 0955-4955. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  16. ^ Christgau, Robert (7 May 1991). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. ISSN 0042-6180. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  17. ^ Christgau, Robert (2000). "Pet Shop Boys: Behavior". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 244. ISBN 0-312-24560-2. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  18. ^ Christgau, Robert (2000). "Key to Icons". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. St. Martin's Griffin. p. xvi. ISBN 0-312-24560-2. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  19. ^ "The 90 Best Albums of the 1990s". Q. No. 159. December 1999. p. 68. ISSN 0955-4955. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  20. ^ Raggett, Ned. "The Top 136 Or So Albums Of The Nineties". Freaky Trigger. Archived from the original on 20 January 2000. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  21. ^ Thompson, Gareth (2006). "Pet Shop Boys: Behaviour". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Universe Publishing. p. 643. ISBN 978-0-7893-1371-3.
  22. ^ "Neil Tennant on his songs about Morrissey in Behavior reissue liner notes". Talari.com. 9 May 2001. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  23. ^ "Pet Shop Boys discography". PSB discography. Retrieved 1 October 2007.
  24. ^ Behaviour (liner notes). Parlophone. 1990. CDPCSD 113.
  25. ^ Behaviour/Further Listening 1990–1991 (liner notes). Parlophone. 2001. 7243 5 30513 2 7.
  26. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Pet Shop Boys – Behaviour". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  27. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Pet Shop Boys – Behaviour" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
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  31. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 233. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
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  34. ^ "Ísland (LP-plötur)". DV (in Icelandic). 2 November 1990. p. 33. ISSN 1021-8254 – via Timarit.is.
  35. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 3 June 2022. Select "Album" in the "Tipo" field, type "Pet Shop Boys" in the "Artista" field and press "cerca".
  36. ^ ペット・ショップ・ボーイズのアルバム売り上げランキング [Pet Shop Boys album sales ranking] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 11 January 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
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  38. ^ Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: . ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
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  40. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Pet Shop Boys – Behaviour". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
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  46. ^ Fucuta, Brenda (9 December 1994). "Discografia marcada pela 'dance music'". Jornal do Brasil (in Portuguese). No. 245. p. 38 – via National Library of Brazil.
  47. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Pet Shop Boys – Behaviour". Music Canada. 30 April 1991. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  48. ^ a b "Pet Shop Boys" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  49. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Pet Shop Boys; 'Behaviour')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  50. ^ Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (PDF) (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. p. 929. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  51. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. 22 March 1991. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  52. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Behaviour')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
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