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.
WikipediaPet 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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
Peak PSB. Begins with ‘Being Boring’, finishes with ‘jealousy’. Wonderful
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.
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.
Introspective and melancholy, but musically and melodically beautiful, lyrically deeper and less bombastic than the PSB's first three albums.
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
Really started appreciating this during "To Face the Truth." There's an earnest cheesiness to this that is appealing to me.
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
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.
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
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.
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)
I love me some new wave/synth-pop. A great album and I need to remember to listen to more Pet Shop Boyz
Rating: 9/10 Best songs: being boring, how can you expect to be taken seriously, my October symphony, the end of the world
Me gustó de principio a fin y pues nunca había escuchado un disco completo de los Pet Shop Boys. 9/10
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
Solid pop album with really catchy melodies and lyrics. Probably pretty influential in the electro music scene.
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.
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.
Not at all familiar with this album, but I fell in love with it immediately and hoped the feeling would last…it did!
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!
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.
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?
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.
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
Verrassend awesome eigenlijk. Heel leuke popmuziek met toch beetje gravitas.
It's too bad I thought I didn't like them in the 80s. And this album actually came out in 1990!
GEILE BEATS ____ GEILE STIMME ___ TEXTE STARK ___ BISSCHEN VIEL EFFEKTE GEDÖNS ABER OKE __ WÜRDE ES IN EINER BAR GERNE MAL IM HINTERGRUND HÖREN __ JAWOLLL ALDER
Tres bon album new age. Surprenant je m’attendais a rien vraiment car je ne connaissais pa. 4.5
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.
Album has slow and relaxed tracks with a calm man's vocal and the same music.
very chill, probably would listen to it completely if the time was right.
Very, very british. Solid, upbeat. Not huge on the vocalist personally but the beats are good.
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
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
Boring - reminds me of Air's tone but with an 80's backdrop. Loving the album. Definitely will want to go back.
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.
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”
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
Pretty nice tunes. Not the biggest fan of his voice, but the music slaps!
Daft Punk i gamle dager. Sanger med mer sang, og gammel tekno, men allikevel kult nok
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!
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!
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.
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
Synth dance with a certain atmospheric sensibility. I does make me wish the orchestral stab preset was never invented
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
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.
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.”
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"
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."
Bellos los sintetizadores, bellas las letras. El synthpop de ahorita tiene mucho que agradecerle a Pet Shop Boys.
Honestly too new for my tastebuds didnt hate just not sure i have heard enough of it😅
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
For a duo fresh out of the imperial phase, Pet Shop Boys sure do have a knack for remaining dignified and composed as opposed to looking in complete shambles. Behaviour is Chris and Neil at their most reflective, their most vulnerable and their most (for lack of a better term) mature. Remaining as ambitiously baroque as ever, but with loss and melancholy on their tails, the duo would enter the 90s not as kings of their field but as astute observers of an increasingly changing landscape. Favorites: Being Boring, This Must Be the Place I Waited Years to Leave, To Face the Truth, How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?, So Hard, Nervously, Jealousy.