Nightlife (album)

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Nightlife
Nightlife cover
Studio album by Pet Shop Boys
Released October 11, 1999
Recorded 1998-1999
Genre Dance pop
Length 52:09
Label Parlophone
Producer(s) Pet Shop Boys
Craig Armstrong
David Morales
Rollo
Professional reviews
Pet Shop Boys chronology
Bilingual
(1996)		 Nightlife
(1999)		 Release
(2002)


Contents

[edit] Album Information

Nightlife is the eleventh album, the seventh of entirely new music, by the UK electronic music group Pet Shop Boys. It was released in 1999, going on to sell 1.2 million copies globally.

After the release and promotion of their previous album, Bilingual, Pet Shop Boys started work with playwright Jonathan Harvey on the stage musical that eventually became Closer to Heaven (At one stage during the writing process, the musical was given the name of Nightlife). Pet Shop Boys soon had an albums-worth of tracks and decided to release the album Nightlife as a concept album and in order to showcase some of the songs that would eventually make it into the musical. Nightlife has arguably the darkest sound of any Pet Shop Boys album, perhaps due to the fact it had a theme of human activity at night.

There is a considerable variety of musical influences present: hard trance in the Rollo produced "For your own good'" and "Radiophonic"; dance-pop in "Closer to Heaven" (which features a speech sample from the Frasier episode "The Matchmaker") and "I don't know what you want but I can't give it any more"; disco pastiche in "New York City boy"; and even country music in "You only tell me you love me when you're drunk".

[edit] "In Denial" - a collaboration with Kylie Minogue

"In Denial" is a duet featuring Kylie Minogue. It was seen as a risk by critics because this project came at a time when Minogue was experiencing low record sales and did not have her own record contract. The Pet Shop Boys had previously written a song, "Falling", for Minogue for her Deconstruction album Kylie Minogue. The year after Nightlife's release, Minogue also signed to Parlophone and released her hugely successful Light Years album. Minogue would later sing "In Denial" on her Showgirl - The Greatest Hits Tour, with Tennant's prerecorded vocals being played as part of the duet while Minogue sang live.

[edit] Nightlife/ Extra - the USA Release

In the USA, Nightlife was released as a limited edition 2 CD set called Nightlife/Extra. The second disc featured the b-sides and remixes that had been released in Europe on the singles for "I don't know what you want but I can't give it any more" and "New York City boy".

[edit] Future Rerelease

In 2004, Pet Shop Boys announced plans to rerelease Nightlife in the same format to their 2001 re-issues of their first six studio albums and Neil has recently stated it will be eventually released though. Their plans are to remaster the album and include a bonus CD of b-sides, demos and rare tracks.

[edit] Track listing

[edit] Nightlife

  1. "For your own good"
  2. "Closer to heaven"
  3. "I don't know what you want but I can't give it any more"
  4. "Happiness is an option"
  5. "You only tell me you love me when you're drunk"
  6. "Vampires"
  7. "Radiophonic"
  8. "The only one"
  9. "Boy strange"
  10. "In denial" (featuring Kylie Minogue)
  11. "New York City boy"
  12. "Footsteps"

[edit] Nightlife Extra (US limited edition bonus CD)

  1. "Ghost of myself"
  2. "Casting a shadow"
  3. "Je t'aime... moi non plus" (featuring Sam Taylor-Wood)
  4. "Silver age"
  5. "Screaming"
  6. "I don't know what you want but I can't give it any more" (The Morales Remix)
  7. "I don't know what you want but I can't give it any more" (Thee Maddkatt Courtship 80 Witness Mix)
  8. "New York City boy" (The Superchumbo Uptown Mix)
  9. "New York City boy" (The Almighty Definitive Mix)
  10. "New York City boy" (The Thunderpuss 2000 Club Mix)
  11. "New York City boy" (The Lange Mix)

[edit] Personnel

Pet Shop Boys are:

  • Neil Tennant
  • Chris Lowe

Other musicians:

  • Pete Gleadall - Programming on tracks 1, 4, 7 & 9. Additional programming on track 3
  • Mark Bates - Additional keyboards on tracks 1, 7 & 9
  • Pauline Taylor - Additional vocals on track 1
  • Stephen Hilton - Programming and additional keyboards on tracks 2, 5, 6, 8, 10 & 12
  • Richard T. Norris - Programming and additional keyboards on tracks 2, 6 & 12
  • Joey Mosk - Keyboard programming on track 11
  • Pete "Ski" Schwartz - Additional keyboards on tracks 2 & 12. Keyboards, programming and orchestra arrangement on track 3
  • Craig Armstrong - Orchestra arrangement on tracks 2, 5, 6, 8, 10 & 12. Choir arrangement on track 10 & 12. Additional keyboards on tracks 2, 5, 6 & 10. Piano on tracks 5, 6, 8 & 10. Additional Piano on track 12. Vocoder on track 8
  • Pete Lockett - Percussion on track 2, 6, 8 & 12
  • Kate St. John - Oboe on track 4
  • BJ Cole - Pedal steel guitar on track 5
  • Scott J Fraser - Bass guitar on tracks 5, 6, 8 & 12
  • Sylvia Mason-James - Additional vocals on track 4
  • Audrey Wheeler - Additional vocals on track 3
  • Ali MacLeod - Guitar on tracks 2, 5, 6 & 12
  • JB Henry - Additional vocals on tracks 8 & 12
  • Malcom Hyde-Smith - Percussion on track 9
  • Paul Herman - Guitar on track 9
  • Andy Ganagadeen - Drums on track 9
  • Kylie Minogue - Guest vocals on track 10
  • Vincent Montana Jr. - String and horn arrangement and conduction on track 11
  • Carlos Gomez - Percussion on track 11
  • Gene Perez - Bass guitar on track 11
  • Danny Madden - Backing vocal arrangement and conduction on track 11
  • Steve Abrams, Billy Cliff, Keith Flutt and John James - Backing vocals on track 11
  • Tessa Niles and Carol Kenyon - Additional vocals on track 12
  • The London Session Orchestra - Orchestra on tracks 2, 5, 6, 10, & 12
  • Metro Voices - Choir on tracks 10 & 12
Pet Shop Boys
Neil Tennant | Chris Lowe
Discography
Albums: Please | Actually | Introspective | Behaviour | Very | Bilingual | Nightlife | Release | Fundamental
Soundtracks and scores: Closer to Heaven (Original Cast Recording) | Battleship Potemkin
Remix albums: Disco | Disco 2 | Disco 3
Compilations: Discography: The Complete Singles Collection | Alternative | PopArt: The Hits
Live: Concrete
Related Articles
Other projects: It Couldn't Happen Here | Results | Spaghetti Records | Closer to Heaven | Back to Mine: Pet Shop Boys
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