In Depth Pet Shop Boys Podcast

Episode 35 – Please (pt 2) Back to 1986 for the 2nd half of our Please deep dive. Track‑by‑track: talking calculators, misfiring sequencers, retsina, sax solos + lost demos, rare mixes and Neil’s early lyrical blueprints. S: tiny.cc/e0m0101 A: tiny.cc/g0m0101

Recreating the Please sleeve was lots of fun. But was Neil actually on the phone all along?

The first voice on Please wasn’t Neil — it was a Sharp EL‑620 talking calculator he bought for his dad in 1983. They built the chorus of Two Divided By Zero around its mournful robot voice. We tell the full story in ep 35: S: tiny.cc/e0m0101 A: tiny.cc/g0m0101

Tomorrow’s episode is an Obscure special - your perfect warm up for Pet Shop Boys’ most anticipated concerts in decades! 🧪 Scientific setlist predictions! 🔮 Show speculation! 📍 Camden connections! 📕 Obscure song stories! 🛍️ Listener merch ideas!

We’ve built the ULTIMATE Please playlist - the sounds that shaped Pet Shop Boys’ debut, alongside an extended version of the album itself: 🔥 Hi‑NRG blueprints 🎤 Early‑80s hip‑hop ⚡ Electronic pioneers 🕶️ Roxy & Bowie ✨ Bee Gees & Madonna Enjoy! tiny.cc/7cr0101

Happy birthday Please - 40 today! 🎂 🎈 🥳 🍾 To celebrate, here’s four decades of Pet Shop Boys iconic imagery, reimagined in the style of the album’s fantastic inner sleeve. Listen to our Please special now! Spotify: tiny.cc/e0m0101 Apple: tiny.cc/g0m0101

We’re joining PSB in supporting War Child — and their work has never been more vital. Huge thanks to this week’s supporters: Abbi Warburton Julie Lynch Peter Britton Junko Poole Please give your support and get your name in the credits: justgiving.com/page/pet-shop-…

⭐ Let’s Take A Ride… 🐶 After signing with EMI, Neil and Chris went to Terminal Studios to write new songs - and in one session they knocked out both Suburbia and Tonight Is Forever. There’s more on both songs in EP 35 S: tiny.cc/e0m0101 A: tiny.cc/g0m0101

Why I owe Graham £8

New T-shirt drop... All profits go towards running the podcast. Check out the full range here: Men’s T-shirts: in-depth.teemill.com/collection/men… Women’s T-shirts: in-depth.teemill.com/collec.../wome…

Spring is here! A time of renewal, colour, hope and possibility. “A bluer sky whenever you're around. You always bring a bluer sky, a brighter day.” Here’s an uplifting PSB spring playlist to put a seasonal bounce in your step. tiny.cc/nim0101

Ironically, Opportunities (let’s made lots of money) cost a fortune to make - and then still flopped. Fortunately Stephen Hague came to the rescue. Listen to our 2-part Please special - part 1 below; part 2 out tomorrow. S: tiny.cc/f4a0101 A: tiny.cc/g4a0101

We had lots of fun attempting our own version of the Please sleeve! Spotify: tiny.cc/f4a0101 Apple: tiny.cc/g4a0101

Five worlds shaped the West End Girls lyrics: James Cagney, Grandmaster Flash, T.S. Eliot, Vladimir Lenin, and the city of London. Hear the full story in Episode 34. 🎧 Listen now + enter our competition before Saturday! S: tiny.cc/f4a0101 A: tiny.cc/g4a0101

We’ve hidden loads of Pet Shop Boys song titles in the intro to our new Please podcast episode - count them up and enter our competition before midday Saturday! Full details are pinned to the top of Facebook our page. S: tiny.cc/f4a0101 A: tiny.cc/g4a0101

⭐ Tom Watkins: the manager who helped shape PSB’s imperial phase. Founder of XL Design, he defined 80s pop visuals and got PSB signed to EMI. They clashed, but that tension helped drive something special. More in Ep 34! S: tiny.cc/f4a0101 A: tiny.cc/g4a0101

Ray Roberts: the first “3rd Pet Shop Boy” In 1982 N&C recorded early demos at his tiny Camden 8 studio. Ray believed in them first —he gave them free studio time & was the first to hear their biggest hits. More in Ep 34! S: tiny.cc/f4a0101 A: tiny.cc/g4a0101

The Dive Bar in West End Girls was real — a 1930s gay bar hidden under Gerrard St, Soho. Bassey & Garland on the walls, Donna & Barbra on the stereo, and Neil & Chris sitting quietly at the back. Head “underground” with us… S: tiny.cc/f4a0101 A: tiny.cc/g4a0101

We’re joining PSB in supporting War Child — and their work has never been more vital. Huge thanks to this week’s supporters: Menno Van Thiel Sydne Pruonto Justin Grimwade Tobias Davidsson Please give your support and get your name in the credits: justgiving.com/page/pet-shop-…

In 2017 Neil shared a photo of a 1984 Bobby O–produced PSB album — containing future classics and 2 mysteries: Pet Shop Noise & Pet Shop Boys X! More on the Bobby O years in ep 34. Listen + enter our competition! Spotify: tiny.cc/f4a0101 Apple: tiny.cc/g4a0101