Thu Sep 24 2020
4
Shockingly good. Had no idea PSB sounded like this at any point. Seems prescient of "chillwave" in many respects. Reminds me of later era Radio Dept. and Kaputt by Destroyer.
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From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
Behaviour
Pet Shop Boys
1990
- Album Summary
Behaviour (released as Behavior in the United States) is the fourth studio album by 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.
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Mon Jun 07 2021
2
wow that was meh as fuck.
Fri Feb 12 2021
4
Pet Shop Boys have weirdly popped up quite a bit for me this week, having just finished watching ‘It’s a Sin’ (which I thought was great) and choosing to put on some of their stuff as a result. I don’t think I’d ever actually listened to an album of theirs in full before but they’re one of those bands who I feel like I just absorbed by osmosis throughout my childhood. I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. There’s something quite Bowie-esque about it in places and although I could see that Neil Tennants nasal tones might not be everyone’s cup of tea I really like his voice. Apparently Jonny Marr plays on a couple of the tracks too.
Fri Jun 04 2021
4
Looking beyond the obvious, inherent kitchyness of the album, there are some aspects of it I find intriguing. For one, the chord progressions and melodies stick out to me. Also, the songs are very danceable. They function as anthems to an 80's (early 90's) night out. I think that the album accomplishes what it might've been intended to do fairly well. One thing I'm missing is repetition in the lyrics and hooks. The vocals seem to be stories that work in a linear fashion, never looking back at what's been before. Since the songs function as anthems, I find this contrast to be disrupting. The ending of Jealousy also feels like ELO on ecstacy, which might've been impressive in the 80's/90's, but now seem quite comical, laughable. It's not an album that has aged very well, but nevertheless serves as an anti-cool, danceable album full of anthems for a fun night out
Wed Feb 17 2021
1
One of the worst albums I've heard in my life.
Tue Aug 17 2021
1
This album is a good reminder that those crappy demo buttons on cheap Casio keyboards used to play something that sounded like popular music. Unfortunately for Pet Shop Boys, this album has aged exactly as well as those awful Casio demo tracks. Which is to say not at all. "Behaviour" is an absolute trash album that only serves as a monument to how truly terrible music was in the late 80s and early 90s.
Wed Apr 28 2021
5
Easy five. Possibly my favourite album so far. For some reason I was expecting hardcore gangster rap but what I got instead was way better. Biiig late MGMT vibes (almost questionably similar to Little Dark Age in places) and can hear where Client Liaison get some of their styles from too. This is a great album. No real highlights because there isn't a bad track on it but October Symphony was a stand out
Thu Aug 26 2021
5
A surprisingly mellow album. I remember the Pet Shop Boys of my youth being a lot more “disco” so this was a terrific album just to chill and listen to. I love the structure of the songs and the accompanying lyrics. Would like to make the time to revisit this in the near future.
Wed Apr 07 2021
5
Peak PSB. Begins with ‘Being Boring’, finishes with ‘jealousy’. Wonderful
Fri May 14 2021
5
I love me some new wave/synth-pop. A great album and I need to remember to listen to more Pet Shop Boyz
Tue Apr 13 2021
5
A friend introduced me to the Pet Shop Boys in college, and they have been one of my favorites ever since. I'm not sure I've ever listened to this whole album by itself, but Being Boring, So Hard and Jealousy are great tracks, so I'm sure the rest will be good too.
Wed Aug 23 2023
5
my third and final pet shop boys' album from this list. i've discovered my joy and interest in psb as part of this project. to exactly no one's surprise, this album's still synth heavy, but there's a change in their tone. while they do have their more energy intensive songs, the consistent tone throughout is much more melancholy. part of the tone change is due to lyrics. "jealousy" has a great beat and describes the emotions and thoughts of a lonely, hurt, jealous lover in a one-sided conversation: "you didn't phone when you said you would". "to face the truth" seems like a follow-up, of bitter acceptance of the end of a relationship after not knowing where their lover is at night. but we still have "nervously", which is an adorable, sickly-sweet song of young love, in contrast. "so hard" reveals a couple's compromising efforts, but the lyrics lead us to believe that it's too difficult: "why don't we try not to break our hearts and make it so hard for ourselves?" and of course there's a song with the title "the end of the world", though it's not so bleak or dramatic but about teenage heartbreak. "only the wind" uses weather imagery to show a relationship with difficulties, but at least one person is blind to the problems: "it's only the wind, they say it's getting worse" and "a storm blows itself out". "being boring," with a banger minute and a half instrumental to open the album, is anything but boring and is probably the album's song with the strongest significance. the world changed, particularly for the lgbtq+ community, through the 1970s to the 1990s, and our main character grows older and opens the "closing door". from the chorus, we hear a recollection of the carefree times: "and we were never holding back or worried that time would come to an end." but soon, within the third verse, we see the fierce changes the main character went through: "all the people i was kissing, some are here and some are missing, in the 1990s". an impactful song to start off an album named behaviour and a big reason for the album's somber tone. immediately following is "this must be the place i waited years to leave", a song reminiscing not-so-fondly of returning to school and likening school to a strict dictatorship without protest or free expression. psb went so far to include spoken russian by prosecutor andrei vyshinsky during a 1938 soviet treason trial as the outro. "my october symphony" seems to reference the october revolution and the soviet union--but also the disillusionment of its people. it's important to mention this album did release in 1990 when the ussr was going through major changes, leading to its demise. to edit the lyrics for the sake of space: "shall i [...] change the dedication [of my october symphony] from revolution to revelation?" "how can you expect to be taken seriously?" seems more of a personal number for the duo to poke fun at themselves, like the pet shop boys are using the second person pov to detail questions they receive but provide no answers. i couldn't help but love this line: "do you think they'll put you in the rock 'n' roll hall of fame?" while the rock hall inducts musicians of other genres, psb are not currently inducted. i heard more orchestral aspects on this album, too. "only the wind", "my october symphony", "jealousy". psb use synth mostly, which is why their orchestral music is noteworthy. the pairing together is chef's kiss. there are some more electronic elements than usual, too, ("the end of the world") so it isn't only synth by itself. to my ears, using an orchestra will allow music to become more emotional, which only adds to that melancholy tone.
Wed Apr 21 2021
4
One of the small blessings of lockdown is that it's randomly made me learn more about the Pet Shop Boys, and boy am I glad for it.
Mon May 17 2021
4
Introspective and melancholy, but musically and melodically beautiful, lyrically deeper and less bombastic than the PSB's first three albums.
Wed Jun 09 2021
4
Catchy and engaging synth.
Tue Aug 10 2021
4
This is not an album I expected to like as much as I did. "Actually" is the only other album I've heard from PSB, and this is a definite stand-out against it. The lyrics are very introspective and...vulnerable? Neil Tennant sounds like he is professing everything he says in this album, which adds to the cathartics tied with the beautiful music. Synth-pop can come off as slow, sad or boring to most ears, but they construct it with other instrumentation that makes the sound grandiose. And on top of all of it, you get beats that are danceable and fun but layered with melodic-ballad tones. It just further pushes the complexity of this album, and I really enjoy the diversity it brings in sound. Favorite Song: My October Symphony Honorable Mention: There's a badass remix/mash-up of Where The Streets Have No Name by U2 and Can't Take My Eyes Off of You by Franki Valli in the Further Listening Edition. Least Favorite: Only The Wind
Thu Sep 02 2021
4
Really started appreciating this during "To Face the Truth." There's an earnest cheesiness to this that is appealing to me.
Mon Nov 22 2021
4
A really nice, more mature outing by the Pet Shop Boys. I think the Pet Shop Boys were always among the best of their genre, with smarter lyrics and better arrangements than a lot of their peers. But this is some next level Pet Shop Boys. Some really rich, elegant arrangements. Love the presence of Johnny Marr on guitar, which adds a nice additional texture you don't always get in electronic music. It teeters on the line of being a little overly torchy, but thank goodness for that. Otherwise it would be another drab synth album of the period. It feels a touch dated musically at times, but overall a really strong collection of songs. Fave Songs: Jealousy, The End of the World, To Face the Truth, This Must Be the Place I've Waited to Leave, Nervously, Being Boring, My October Symphony
Mon Jan 31 2022
4
I apologize for anyone whose first exposure to Pet Shop Boys this is. It's an outlier. Compared to their dance crazy hits before and after, this is a mature, melancholic entry best met with a glass of brandy in the study. Some may accuse it for being pretentious, with its openly cryptic album cover and title, and the overtly serious content matter, which is a criticism not a member of my entertainment factors. The direct, confrontational lyrics paint the narrator as a man of action, a vivid storyteller, full of dreams and regrets, ideas of change and resolve. Combined with its unique subject matter and clear, soothing vocals, it makes for one of the more engaging listens out there. Synths are top of the notch... this is Pet Shop Boys we're talking about. No one has a more refined sound in the genre besides maybe Depeche Mode. It's also PSB's most consistent effort. There's a range of synth sounds here, but yet the mood remains the same. The most discoesque song is probably "My October Symphony," yet even then I'm not sure I'd dance to - especially with that classical symphony sound - just groove out to. Maybe "So Hard" is a better candidate with that laser solo. No song feels out of place, and there are some pretty sweet transitions.
Sun Nov 20 2022
4
It was such a disappointment when it was released what is now regarded as best Pet Shop Boys album ever... it was received with kind of disgust from band's fans of the first era like myself. We had enjoyed uplifting hits like 'It's a Sin', 'Domino Dancing', 'Suburbia', 'Rent' or 'West End Girls' and did not embrace their new mature direction. 'My October Symphony'? Come on. 'Only the Wind'? Bleh. 'Jealousy'? Booring. 'To Face the Truth'? Give me a break! Even the singles. 'Being Boring' and 'So Hard' were good, but far too serious compared with previous radio hits. Luckily, time has been on its side and we can see now how well they showed a new face, which was going to be developed in the years to come and eventually made of PSB a long-term entity in the History of pop
Wed Jun 16 2021
2
I feel like I could have gotten into some of the instrumentals here, but the vocals just did not do it for me at all.
Fri Jul 08 2022
2
Seriously, if this album came out this year, it would be considered as a joke. The best example of synth-pop that didn't age well (and I'm a big fan of synth-pop)
Fri Jul 23 2021
1
Crap
Fri Mar 12 2021
5
New wave at its best
Tue Jun 15 2021
5
Rating: 9/10 Best songs: being boring, how can you expect to be taken seriously, my October symphony, the end of the world
Thu Aug 26 2021
5
This one sounded really cool. I liked the synth sound a lot.
Fri Feb 11 2022
5
Me gustó de principio a fin y pues nunca había escuchado un disco completo de los Pet Shop Boys. 9/10
Mon Mar 07 2022
5
I came across a cache of old photos And invitations to teenage parties "Dress in white" one said, with quotations From someone's wife, a famous writer In the nineteen-twenties
Mon Jul 25 2022
5
Solid pop album with really catchy melodies and lyrics. Probably pretty influential in the electro music scene.
Tue Feb 01 2022
5
Piirrän tälläkin hetkellä tulevaa sarjakuva-albumiani, joka on (jälleen kerran) novellikokoelma. Jokainen tarina viittaa yhteen tärkeään biisiin, yhteensä 12 niitä ihan tärkeimpiä biisejä on kokoelmassa (albumissa?) mukana. Being Boring on yksi näistä.
Wed Dec 28 2022
5
Today was the perfect, gloomy day for a wistful, deeply reflective album that over the years has grown to mean more and more to me. I haven’t listened to this from beginning to end in some time, though, so it was on this rainy day that I revisited this well-worn album. Every note is so familiar and yet I am still discovering new emotions and meaning in these songs. This is arguably the best from a duo that has given me a lot of bests. While I loved every moment of my multiple listens to this today, the quiet parts really stood out to me today. “Being Boring”, “This Must Be The Place I Waited Years To Leave,” “To Face The Truth,” “My October Symphony,” “Nervously,” “The End Of The World” capture so many important moments in my life. All without forgoing the dance floor masterpieces like “So Hard”. What an incredible album.
Wed Dec 28 2022
5
More subdued than the Pet Shop Boys I'm used to. Sophisticated class.
Wed Dec 28 2022
5
Not at all familiar with this album, but I fell in love with it immediately and hoped the feeling would last…it did!
Wed Dec 28 2022
5
Having owned this album and having listened to it quite a lot in the early 90s, this was a lovely revisit of an old friend. This might well be my exhibit A for folks that look down on synth-pop as somehow robotic or mechanical. Listening to this I realize how masterfully the synthesizers are used to craft really interesting sounds and music. A couple of these songs have amazing bridges. There are authentic emotions and clever social commentary. And it begins and ends with harp flourishes! Bravo!
Wed Jan 18 2023
5
There are some bands who are frozen in their first flush of teenage youth for decades (think the Ramones), and other bands who appear middle-aged from the start. The National come to mind, but the daddies of the prematurely middle-aged pop star vibe are the Pet Shop Boys. So it is that this album is told mainly in the past tense. The adventures of youth (Being Boring) are events that happened years, perhaps decades ago. Though they were around before the phrase 'sad banger' was invented, they took the melancholia melodies at the heart of Kraftwerk and married them with lyrics focusing on failed romances, youths lost to AIDS, regrets at poor choices and misunderstandings. It's all very adult and amazing that they could do all this and sell millions of albums. There's a much quoted comment from Neil Tennant that once Domino Dancing went in the charts at 7 he knew their imperial period was over. This, the first album they made after that, is them staking out a more adult territory that would sustain them for decades. Is it five stars? Definitely 4.5 and I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt, if just for Being Boring which is perhaps their greatest ever piece of songwriting.
Thu Jan 19 2023
5
Loved loved lived the synths
Fri Jan 20 2023
5
Hurra hurra bra pop! Sämsta låten är ändå bättre än Gessles bästa.
Thu Jan 26 2023
5
How many memories listening to this album...
Thu Feb 23 2023
5
The entire album felt like it could be on a Café Del Mar compilation before they were a thing, so ahead of it's time?
Sat May 06 2023
5
cool
Thu Aug 31 2023
5
Really good!! Listened to it twice, it’s good background music. I thought I’d have more to say about it but I guess I don’t, favourite song Being Boring.
Fri Sep 15 2023
5
Sophisticated synth pop with a dash of lime. I love the music of the PSBs and this album is the fire behind that love. Well done and thank you Neil and Chris.
Fri Sep 29 2023
5
Great electronic album
Thu May 20 2021
4
ok this is cool... something I'd never actually listen to without being shown, but wow. I only remember their cover of go west as a kid, and west end girls. But this is super cruisy, tasteful etc etc. can't say I'd call it dance music, but more something to chuck on in the background while you come down haha. But it's really nice. A total 4/5.
Tue Oct 13 2020
4
9/10. had a low functioning day yesterday so im off schedule again. joy. was not lookign forward to this one since i listened to the first pet shop boys album a whiiile ago and was excruciatingly lukewarm towards it but this is great. mayb ive just grown to love that 80s sound more but i think this might just be better? shrug. mostly rly consistent, lots of cool sounds, being boring and to face the truth are probly gonna be lying-in-bed staples. the datedness is lovely and its all very pretty
Thu Jun 10 2021
4
1990: Being Boring, So Hard
Mon Jan 25 2021
4
Nice album
Mon Oct 19 2020
4
Pretty damned good
Tue Jan 12 2021
4
Verrassend awesome eigenlijk. Heel leuke popmuziek met toch beetje gravitas.
Thu Nov 12 2020
4
Not bad :)
Tue Jun 15 2021
4
A bit of a bizarre album, but enjoyed it a good bit.
Sat Jan 23 2021
4
vnice!
Wed Apr 21 2021
4
It's too bad I thought I didn't like them in the 80s. And this album actually came out in 1990!
Fri Jan 15 2021
4
GEILE BEATS ____ GEILE STIMME ___ TEXTE STARK ___ BISSCHEN VIEL EFFEKTE GEDÖNS ABER OKE __ WÜRDE ES IN EINER BAR GERNE MAL IM HINTERGRUND HÖREN __ JAWOLLL ALDER
Sun Apr 25 2021
4
Tres bon album new age. Surprenant je m’attendais a rien vraiment car je ne connaissais pa. 4.5
Fri Jan 22 2021
4
Very enjoyable album from start to finish, lush sounds, great beats.
Thu Feb 11 2021
4
No soy de techno pero la verdad es que me ha gustado
Sat May 01 2021
4
I'm not surprised if I'm the only one from our group, but I actually really enjoy the Pet Shop Boys and have listened to their Best Of quite a few times. I'm not really sure why they picked this album, my couple favorite Pet Shop Boys songs aren't on it. A slight shame, but I still enjoyed it.
Fri May 21 2021
4
Album has slow and relaxed tracks with a calm man's vocal and the same music.
Thu Mar 25 2021
4
very chill, probably would listen to it completely if the time was right.
Tue May 11 2021
4
Not my favorite PSB work, but still good. The opening track rules.
Thu Apr 29 2021
4
Very, very british. Solid, upbeat. Not huge on the vocalist personally but the beats are good.
Wed May 05 2021
4
i like some songs of theirs, lets see if this list picked the album with the hits or some random one. well i dont know any songs from the tracklist. okay it started i could be into this. im a liar i actually do know this first song lol they play it on the radio at work sometimes. so, im done and i quite liked it. its good. no surprise im into this i do love pop and synths and whatever else is in this. i feel pleased and satisfied, finally something truly enjoyable after all the boring rock variants ive been getting xd
Tue May 11 2021
4
really good 9/10
Thu May 13 2021
4
I wouldn’t say I’m a pet shop boys fan but I liked the album I thought the songs were good and I enjoyed it 4/5
Mon May 17 2021
4
Boring - reminds me of Air's tone but with an 80's backdrop. Loving the album. Definitely will want to go back.
Sun May 23 2021
4
Really enjoyed this laidback electronic sound and Tennant’s vocals.
Wed Aug 11 2021
4
Wow, another album that I had not listened to previously that I really like. Classic new wave sound. Favorite songs: Being Boring, This Must Be the Place I Waited Years to Leave, How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously, So Hard. Solid 4 on this one.
Sun Sep 12 2021
4
Looking forward to this one. Know some PSB hits but never explored them. After listen: Not exaclty what I was expecting but very danceable and good energy. Lacked some “catchy ness”
Tue Oct 05 2021
4
Einfach zu einfach sie als Pop Duo abzutun; viel zu viel an Texten, die einen näheren Blick erfordern, sehnsüchtelnde Riffs, wie ich sie mal wieder in Destroyer wiederfinde, eine nicht einzig von Tennant‘s Gesang getragene Grundmelancholie. Dazu Dance/House Elemente, die mir oft so plakativ vordergründig erschienen, aber nun eher wie das Lametta den Eingang zum trist-normalen Pet Shop zieren. Normalität ist es aber, was genau durch diese Einzelheiten überkommen werden soll. Ich mag es, ob vor, während oder nach „schöner Einnahme“? Let’s try…“My October Symphony“ kommt schon einmal im richtigen Monat. Herzenswarme 3.7
Thu Oct 14 2021
4
Enjoyable :)
Tue Oct 19 2021
4
A bit different to the usual PSB, and an intriguing album.
Wed Oct 20 2021
4
Pretty nice tunes. Not the biggest fan of his voice, but the music slaps!
Sun Oct 31 2021
4
I wasn’t prepared for how much I would love this!
Fri Dec 10 2021
4
Good music, chill vibes
Tue Dec 14 2021
4
Daft Punk i gamle dager. Sanger med mer sang, og gammel tekno, men allikevel kult nok
Thu Jan 06 2022
4
I had heard of the Pet Shop Boys, but wasn’t familiar with their music. I loved this. I loved the vocals, but I especially loved the music and the use of the synth (is that a thing? A synth? If not, don’t @ me). Kind of like a more lounge UB40 vibe without being cringe 😬 I really dug this. Being Boring could literally be my theme song (except I am literally boring lol). Great album!
Fri Jan 07 2022
4
Another pleasant surprise! I really enjoyed this one. I had always heard the name Pet Shop Boys, but never knew what kind of music they played. I guess I'm a fan now!
Wed Feb 02 2022
4
Onpas hyvä. Ihanaa myöhäisillan melankoliapoppia. Ehkä pari biisiä turhan imeliä, mutta pääosin nautin tyylistä ja soundeista. Being Boring on kyl mielettömän kova, olin joskus kuullut ja onneksi löytyi taas. PSB:n isot hitit ei oo ollut suurimpia suosikkeja niin tää oli kiva yllätys. Alkoi kaduttaa, että kävelin aikoinaan Flowssa kylmästi ohi.
Wed Feb 02 2022
4
Tää on must PSB:n paras levykokonaisuus. Siinä missä aikasemmilla levyil on megahittejä (its a sin, domino dancing jne), tää keskittyy jotenkin ehkä aikuisempaan ja vakavampaan ilmaisuun. Miten sitä vielä kuvailis, ehkä tää on vähemmän överi. Tykkään kovasti. Ihan siitä 3 ja 4 tähtee välistä. Menköön tällä kertaa neljän puolelle koska koko bändi on hienoo poppii, jolla on iso kulttuurillinen merkitys. 4/5
Fri Feb 11 2022
4
Banger... inget är lika bra som första sången dock.
Fri Feb 11 2022
4
Synth dance with a certain atmospheric sensibility. I does make me wish the orchestral stab preset was never invented
Fri Feb 11 2022
4
Sylt med smör på bröd fr 🥖 🧈
Fri Feb 11 2022
4
Shit slaps
Fri Feb 25 2022
4
like a more moody bowie
Sun Mar 13 2022
4
I thought it was beautiful.
Sun Mar 27 2022
4
Neat 90s electronica.
Mon May 09 2022
4
Great
Wed May 18 2022
4
This album contains two of my favourite Pet Shop Boys singles, 'So Hard' and 'Being Boring', so it seems a good place to start for a deeper dive into their discography. Pleasingly, the rest of the album lives up to the standard of those singles and continues the wistful and introspective themes. Chock full of glorious melodies, sad lyrics and catchy hooks, this is total Bill-bait. Two thirds of the tracks on the album could have been a singles, with only a small dip in quality in the middle third of the record. The album mixes of 'Being Boring' and 'Jealousy' are also superior to the single edits and add to the overall feel of the piece. Looking forward to the other two PSB albums on the list. Rating: 4.5/5 Playlist track: So Hard Date listened: 17/05/22
Thu May 26 2022
4
You know...it's not my favorite album on this list, but I get the appeal. The aggressively 90s synth is delightful and I really thoroughly enjoyed it. I can't say I'd re-listen to every single track, but the majority were enjoyable. I can't complain about this one, it was genuinely fun. Fave track: This Must Be the Place I Waited Years to Leave. Has a wonderful driving-down-the-road sound to it.
Fri Jun 10 2022
4
Pet Shop Boys are very much in my musical wheelhouse so I was excited about this album. I’m not sure what it is about PSB, though, because they just don’t do it for me. I listened to a mix of their stuff recently and just didn’t connect with it, much like this album. I feel like they take themselves too seriously or something. I did really like the song “To Face the Truth.” I listened to this a second time and liked it a little more, but was still overall left feeling “meh.”
Thu Jun 16 2022
4
I've listened to Pet Shop Boys previously, and I can tell by this point they have mastered their signature Synthpop sound. I might have to come back to this to see if I think more highly of it due to how many quality dance bops it has. Favorites: "Being Boring", "To Face the Truth", "So Hard"
Thu Jun 30 2022
4
Dark and ominous.
Thu Aug 11 2022
4
The video for being boring is very erotic! The song is also good. The album overall is a bit uneven. Some very catchy tunes, but some are less "danceable."
Sun Aug 28 2022
4
Bellos los sintetizadores, bellas las letras. El synthpop de ahorita tiene mucho que agradecerle a Pet Shop Boys.
Wed Sep 14 2022
4
Honestly too new for my tastebuds didnt hate just not sure i have heard enough of it😅
Fri Sep 16 2022
4
Enjoyed
Thu Oct 06 2022
4
Sympas mais parfois ça manque un peu de peps. 3,5/5
Thu Oct 13 2022
4
This was an awesome album. REALLY unexpected. The 2nd song was so fucking good I was legit shocked. I was really just lost in this album and soaked it in. So hard is a fantastic song. Jealousy is a great closer to this record. This would probably get a 5 on the relisten. Awesome! 8/10
Fri Oct 28 2022
4
Surprisingly enjoyable