Episode 200: Pet Shop Boys – Please (1986) (Featuring Andrew Dineley of "Art on Your Sleeve") – Part 1 and Colours of Ever announcement

The 200th "regular" episode of Permanent Record Podcast is here! ("Regular" excludes special episodes and the PRP 007 Mini-Broadcasts, which don't follow the same numbering scheme.) Brian and Sarah wanted to do something big and special for episode 200, so they chose to cover an album which recently celebrated its 40th anniversary: Please, the debut album from the Pet Shop Boys. And to make the episode even bigger and more special, they invited the charming and talented Andrew Dineley to join in on the conversation. Andrew, as you probably already know, is host of the excellent "Art on Your Sleeve" podcast, as well as proprietor of the fabulous Soft Octopus Design Studio and contributor to Classic Pop magazine.

This first episode in the Please series sets the stage for what's to come. Brian and Sarah look back to the pre-Pet Shop Boys days of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe and recount the story Neil and Chris's first meeting. Our hosts then follow the journey of the Boys' musical collaboration, which takes us from Chelsea, to Camden Town, to New York City, and back to London, and introduces us to characters such as Ray Roberts, Bobby Orlando, Tom Watkins, and Stephen Hague.

Andrew Dineley joins the conversation to provide insight on the design aspects of Please such as the original album cover concept, the final cover design done by Mark Farrow, as well as a few of the single covers. He also shares stories about and from Pet Shop Boys' first manager, Tom Watkins, and Andrew recalls his first exposure to Pet Shop Boys music-- on a children's show with eerily-animated pound notes! And, we even get to hear about a chance encounter recently Andrew Dineley had with OMD's Andy McCluskey!

As is usual with PRP album discussions, the release history, chart positions, and reviews of Please are covered in this episode, as well as Brian and Sarah's personal history with the album, which Brian feels slightly embarrassed to share.

And because it's the big 200th episode, several listeners sent in voicemails to mark the occasion, and our hosts happily share those messages as well.

Finally, as if that's not enough, Brian has exciting musical news of his own to share, about yet another synthpop duo. This duo, called Colours of Ever, consists of Brian and his longtime friend Jason, and they've released their first single on Bandcamp! Check them out at https://coloursofever.bandcamp.com/ .

There's so much good stuff in this episode, so don't delay-- Please download and listen to it today!

Video discussed in this episode: Pet Shop Boys performing "Opportunities" on Poparound, July 1985 https://youtu.be/rVxqEWt4Inc?si=XY6kZ9MHay9IwUUj

Listen to Andrew on his "Art of Your Sleeve" podcast: https://softoctopus.co.uk/podcast/ Get all the details on Andrew's design studio: https://softoctopus.co.uk/

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