The Boys were presented with the Outstanding Contribution to Music award at the Brits 2009 at Earls Court, London. We were there, and will write more later, but in the meantime enjoy these pics and YouTube videos.

The guest singers are Brandon Flowers (The Killers) and Lady GaGa.

Nice!

The Boys were asked to write the soundtrack to the film ‘Bronson’ based on the notorious prisoner, Michael Peterson aka Charles Bronson but declined due to their work on the new album, Yes.

The synopsis states:
In 1974, a misguided 19 year old named Michael Peterson decided he wanted to make a name for himself and so, with a homemade sawn-off shotgun and a head full of dreams he attempted to rob a post office. Swiftly apprehended and originally sentenced to 7 years in jail, Peterson has subsequently been behind bars for 34 years, 30 of which have been spent in solitary confinement.

The official Bronson trailer features “It’s a Sin”. The film is released in cinemas on March 13th 2009.

Related link:
Bronson website

So, next Wednesday 18th February 2009, our heroes are presented with the Outstanding Contribution to Music Award at the Brit Awards, televised live on ITV 1 (UK) from 8pm.

Neil was recently interviewed on an internet radio station, and confirmed that one male and one female will be making a ’surprise’ appearance during the ‘multimedia performance’ of a 9 AND A HALF(!) minute medley.

We’ll be at the awards next week, so check back for a report.

Uploaded by Parlophone for YouTube.

We’ve heard it. It’s fantastic!

For a very short time listen to the sample below:

You need more (9x)

Well it’s tough getting on in the world
When the sun doesn’t shine
And a boy needs a girl
It’s about getting out of a rut
You need luck
But you’re stuck and you don’t know how

(Don’t have to be)
A big bucks Hollywood star
(Don’t have to drive)
A super car to get far
(Don’t have to live)
A life of power and wealth
(Don’t have to be)
Beautiful but it helps
(Don’t have to buy)
A house in Beverly Hills
(Don’t have to have)
Your daddy paying the bills
(Don’t have to live)
A life of power and wealth
(Don’t have to be)
Beautiful but it helps

You need more
Than a big blank check to be a lover, or
A gulf stream jet to fly you door to door
Somewhere chic on another shore
You need more (6x)
You need love

You need love
You need love

Too much of anything is never enough
Too much of everything is never enough

Well it’s tough getting on in the world
When the sun doesn’t shine
And a boy needs a girl

It’s about getting out of a rut
You need luck but you’re stuck
and you don’t know how

(Don’t have to be)
A big bucks Hollywood star
(Don’t have to drive)
A super car to get far
(Don’t have to wear)
A smile much colder than ice
(Don’t have to be)
Beautiful, but it’s nice

You need more
Than the girl handwriting on your wall
A chauffeur driven limousine encore
To drive your wife and lover to a whiter ball
You need more (6x)
You need love

I believe that we can achieve the love that we need
I believe, call me naive, but love is for free

(Don’t have to be)
A big bucks Hollywood star
(Don’t have to drive)
A super car to go far
(Don’t have to live)
anekatips.com
A life of power and wealth
(Don’t have to be)
Beautiful but it helps

Beautiful but it helps
Beautiful but it helps

The official site have posted the cover for the new album “Yes”, due for release on March 23rd. Once again the artwork has been designed by Farrow.

We’ll upload a better quality image soon..

Promotional CD’s for “Love etc” have been sent out to radio stations across Europe. “Love etc” is the first single from the new album “Yes”. BBC Radio 2 will be first to play the track on the Ken Bruce Show, between 0930 and 1200 GMT on Monday 9th February 2009.

Remixes of the track have been completed by Gui Boratto and Pet Shop Boys. The radio edit is 3 minutes and 34 seconds long.

IN THE POP COLLABORATION OF THE YEAR, PET SHOP BOYS TEAM UP WITH PRODUCERS XENOMANIA FOR THEIR NEW STUDIO ALBUM “YES” WHICH WILL BE RELEASED ON PARLOPHONE ON MARCH 23.

THE SINGLE “LOVE ETC” IS RELEASED ON MARCH 16.

In what is surely the pop collaboration of 2009, PET SHOP BOYS have teamed up with the hit production team Xenomania (Girls Aloud, Sugababes, Gabriella Cilmi etc) for their new studio album, “Yes”, which will be released on March 23rd.

Pet Shop Boys, who will receive the Outstanding Contribution To Music award at this years Brit Awards on February 18th, co-wrote three of the eleven new tracks on the album with Xenomania. The other tracks were written by Tennant/Lowe with a little assistance from Tchaikovsky on “All Over the world”. The album was produced by Brian Higgins/Xenomania.

Chris Lowe comments: “This album is amazing and it was great working with Xenomania!” Neil Tennant says: “It’s a fantastic, wide-ranging, pop record.”

Johnny Marr plays guitar on several tracks and orchestral arrangements on “Beautiful people” and “Legacy” are by Owen Pallett (Last Shadow Puppets, Final Fantasy).

The album track listing is as follows (* written by Tennant/Lowe/Xenomania):

Love etc *
All over the world
Beautiful people
Did you see me coming?
Vulnerable
More than a dream *
Building a wall
King of Rome
Pandemonium
The way it used to be *
Legacy

The release of “Yes” will be preceded by the single “Love etc” on March 16. Pet Shop Boys describe the song as “a post-lifestyle anthem which sounds like nothing we’ve done before.”

Pet Shop Boys are currently planning a very special performance at the Brit Awards in February. They have also co-written with Xenomania the current Girls Aloud single “The Loving Kind”; the two groups met when both were recording at Xenomania’s studio in Kent.”

Pet Shop Boys today announced the tracklisting for the new studio album “Yes”, due for release on 23rd March 2009:

1. Love etc.
2. All over the world
3. Beautiful people
4. Did you see me coming?
5. Vulnerable
6. More than a dream
7. Building a wall
8. King of Rome
9. Pandemonium
10. The way it used to be
11. Legacy

The album has a running time of approximately 48 minutes. Tracks 1, 6 and 10 are Pet Shop Boys/Xenomania co-writes. All other songs are written by Pet Shop Boys (track 2 with a little help from Tchaikovsky).

Love etc. will be the first single released from the album.

2009 sees the Boys pick up the award for Outstanding Contribution to Music at the Brit Awards in February. Then, hopefully, in March the eagerly awaited new album, titled “Yes” is released.

It is rumoured that Pet Shop Boys will be playing at the Glastonbury Festival. However, no tour dates, if any, have been released.

Thanks for visiting Euphoric. See you next year.

The Sam Taylor-Wood / Pet Shop Boys collaboration entered the UK dance chart straight to the top, at number one, for the week ending 09/11/2008.

Related link:
BBC Dance Chart

From the press statement released today by the BPI:
The UK’s recorded music association, The BPI, today unveiled the recipient of the prestigious Outstanding Contribution to Music Award. Pioneering British Dance duo, Pet Shop Boys, will be awarded with the revered trophy at The BRIT Awards with MasterCard 2009 on Wednesday 18 February.

A packed audience at Earls Court plus millions of viewers watching live on ITV1 will witness an iconic performance from the Pet Shop Boys when they take to The BRITs stage.
Ged Doherty, Chairman of The BRITs Committee said, “Since their first BRIT Award over 20 years ago, Neil and Chris have produced a fantastic body of work with songs that truly were the soundtrack to a whole generation’s lives. The Pet Shop Boys have since become one of the most influential groups of the modern era and are deserving recipients of the award.”

Pet Shop Boys Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe have sold 50 million records since they signed to Parlophone in 1985 with four No 1 singles, 22 top 10 hits and a staggering 39 top 30 singles making them one of the most successful pop duos ever.

This is a welcome return to The BRITs for the Pet Shop Boys who were awarded their first BRIT in 1987 winning Best British Single for ‘West End Girls’. The duo went on to pick up the coveted Best British Group Award in 1988 and performed their hit single ‘Go West’ with the accompaniment of a 200 piece Welsh male choir in 1994 while being lowered onto the stage by two huge cranes.

Pet Shop Boys will receive the prestigious award, a gift from the Council of the BPI, and perform live at The BRITs 2009 with MasterCard. Previous recipients of the Outstanding Contribution To Music Award include Paul McCartney, Oasis, U2, Paul Weller, Tom Jones, Sting, David Bowie, Eurythmics, The Beatles and The Who.

Kompact Records press release: 

SAM TAYLOR-WOOD RELEASES HER COVER VERSION OF “I’M IN LOVE WITH A GERMAN FILM STAR”, PRODUCED BY PET SHOP BOYS, ON KOMPAKT RECORDS ON OCTOBER 27.

Highly-acclaimed artist and film-maker Sam Taylor-Wood releases the single “I’m In Love With A German Film Star” on Kompakt on October 27.

The single, a cover version of the post-punk classic by The Passions, was produced by Pet Shop Boys who also did a full length Symphonic mix. Other remixes will be available by Gui Boratto, Juergen Paape and Mark Reeder.

The single will be available through iTunes on October 28 and through other digital outlets on October 29. CD release will be on October 27 and the track will also be available on limited edition (500 numbered copies) 7″ and also 12″ vinyl.

Sam Taylor-Wood has sung on two previous collaborations with Pet Shop Boys: cover versions of Serge Gainsbourgʼs “Je tʼaime…moi non plus” and Donna Summer’s “Love To Love You Baby”, the latter under the pseudonym Kiki Kokova.

Previous to the above recordings, she first worked with Pet Shop Boys in 1997 when she created the visuals and staging for their live show Somewhere at the Savoy Theatre in London.

Kompakt is a Cologne-based electronic music label which has been described as “the label that’s contributed more than any other to Germany’s dominance of electronic dance music this decade.”

Vinyl track-listing and CD single track-listing:

7″ VINYL:
I’m In Love With A German Film Star (Original Radio edit) 3:47
I’m in Love With A German Film Star (Mark Reeder’s Rundfunk remix) 3:39

12” VINYL:
A1: I’m In Love With A German Film Star (Gui Boratto mix) 7:29
A2: I’m In Love With A German Film Star (PSB Symphonic XTD mix) 8:25
B1: I’m In Love With A German Film Star (Mark Reeder’s stuck in the 80’s remix) 9:15
B2: I’m In Love With A German Film Star (Jürgen Paape mix) 5:09

CD
1.I’m In Love With A German Film Star (Original Radio edit) 3:47
2. I’m In Love With A German Film Star (PSB Symphonic XTD mix) 8:25
4. I’m In Love With A German Film Star (PSB Symphonic XTD instrumental mix) 8:24
5. I’m In Love With A German Film Star (Mark Reeder’s stuck in the 80’s remix) 9:15
6. I’m In Love With A German Film Star (Gui Boratto mix) 7:29
7. I’m In Love With A German Film Star (Jürgen Paape mix) 5:09

artist: release information:
SAM TAYLOR-WOOD
PRODUCED BY THE PET SHOP BOYS
title:
I’M IN LOVE WITH A GERMAN FILM STAR
label:
KOMPAKT POP
format:
12“ VINYL MAXI-SINGLE
7“ VINYL MAXI-SINGLE (LTD. 500 COPIES)
CD SINGLE
DIGITAL
cat.no. + barcode:
KOM POP 13 - 880319037115 (12“)
KOM POP MAXI CD 03 – 880319037627 (CD)
KOM POP 13/7 – 880319037511 (7“)