Introspective

Introspective is the third studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. It was released on 10 October 1988 by Parlophone [8] and received generally positive reviews from critics. It is the duo's second-best-selling album after Very (1993), with over 4.5 million copies bought worldwide.

This article is about the Pet Shop Boys album. For the album by Amber Smith, see Introspective (Amber Smith album). For the album by John Holt, see John Holt (singer). For other uses, see Introspection (disambiguation).

Introspective
One of several CD editions
Studio album by
Pet Shop Boys
Released10 October 1988 (1988-10-10)
Recorded1987–1988
Studio
Genre
Length48:03
LabelParlophone
Producer
Pet Shop Boys chronology
Actually
(1987)		 Introspective
(1988)		 Behaviour
(1990)
Singles from Introspective
  1. "Always on My Mind"
    Released: 30 November 1987
  2. "Domino Dancing"
    Released: 12 September 1988
  3. "Left to My Own Devices"
    Released: 14 November 1988
  4. "It's Alright"
    Released: 26 June 1989
Alternative cover
Vinyl cover
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Los Angeles Times[2]
Rolling Stone[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[4]
Spin Alternative Record Guide10/10[5]
Uncut8/10[6]
The Village VoiceA−[7]

Background

The album was unusual in that it reversed the typical process by which pop/dance acts released singles. Instead of releasing an album of regular-length (3–5-minute) songs, then releasing lengthy remixes of those songs on subsequent singles, Introspective was released as an LP consisting of songs that all lasted six minutes or more. Tracks released as singles were issued as shorter, more radio-friendly mixes. Of the four tracks released as singles — "Left to My Own Devices", "Domino Dancing", "Always on My Mind" (which was released prior to the album) and "It's Alright" — none was released as a radio single in the same form as it appeared on the album.

Of the six tracks on the album, only two were written specifically for the album — "Left to My Own Devices" and "Domino Dancing". "Always on My Mind" and "It's Alright" are cover versions, "I Want a Dog" is a song that previously appeared as B-side of the single "Rent", and "I'm Not Scared" is their own version of a song they had written for Patsy Kensit's pop group Eighth Wonder. "Always on My Mind" was re-recorded for this album and mixed with "In My House", a new acid-house track on the album which expanded the lyric.

Introspective was re-released in 2001 (as were the duo's first six albums) as Introspective/Further Listening. The re-released version was digitally remastered and came with a second disc of B-sides and previously unreleased material from around the time of the album's original release. Yet another re-release followed on 9 February 2009, under the title Introspective: Remastered. This version contains only the six tracks on the original. With the 2009 re-release, the 2001 two-disc re-release was discontinued. On 2 March 2018, the two-disc version of the album was re-released, this time featuring newly remastered versions of the tracks. It was also released as a digital download and on vinyl.

Neil Tennant, in a speech he gave to the Oxford Union, said he regretted releasing Introspective so soon after Actually as he felt the 12-inch nature of the songs may have put some fans off the band and this probably impacted on the sales of Behaviour, the subsequent album critically regarded as the Pet Shop Boys' finest album but commercially one of their least successful. Nevertheless, Introspective remains, according to Tennant, the best-selling Pet Shop Boys album internationally. It peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart, behind U2's Rattle and Hum.

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Left to My Own Devices"
8:16
2."I Want a Dog"
  • Tennant
  • Lowe
6:15
3."Domino Dancing"
  • Tennant
  • Lowe
7:40
4."I'm Not Scared"
  • Tennant
  • Lowe
7:23
5."Always on My Mind / In My House"
9:05
6."It's Alright"Sterling Void, Marshall Jefferson, Paris Brightledge9:24
Total length:48:03

Further Listening 1988–1989
  1. "I Get Excited (You Get Excited Too)" (Full Length 12" Mix) – 5:35 **
  2. "Don Juan" (demo version) – 4:22
  3. "Domino Dancing" (demo version) – 4:47
  4. "Domino Dancing" (alternative version) – 4:52
  5. "The Sound of the Atom Splitting" – 5:13
  6. "What Keeps Mankind Alive?" – 3:26
  7. "Don Juan" (disco mix) – 7:35 **
  8. "Losing My Mind" (disco mix) – 6:09
  9. "Nothing Has Been Proved" (demo for Dusty) – 4:51 *
  10. "So Sorry, I Said" (demo for Liza) – 3:26 *
  11. "Left to My Own Devices" (7" mix) – 4:47
  12. "It's Alright" (10" version) – 4:47
  13. "One of the Crowd" – 3:56
  14. "It's Alright" (7" version) – 4:20
  15. "Your Funny Uncle" – 2:18

Notes

  • (*) Previously unreleased.
  • (**) Not the same version featured on Alternative.

Personnel

Guest musicians

  • Richard Niles – orchestra arrangement and conduction on track 1
  • Sally Bradshaw – additional vocals on track 1
  • Josh Milan - piano solo on track 2
  • Fro Sossa and Mike Bakst - additional keyboards on track 3
  • Nestor Gomez – guitar on track 3
  • Tony Conception, Kenneth William Faulk, Dana Tebor and Ed Calle – brass on track 3
  • The Voice in Fashion – backing vocals on track 3
  • Blue Weaver- fairlight programming on track 4
  • Andy Richards and Gary Maughan - fairlight programming on track 5
  • H. Robert Carr, Dee Ricketts, Derek Green, Gee Morris, Herbie Joseph, Iris Sutherland, Judy Bennett, Mario Friendo, Michael Hoyte, Paul Lee, Sharon Blackwell, Yvonne White – backing vocals on track 6

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Brazil — 140,000[28]
Canada (Music Canada)[29] Platinum 100,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[30] N/A 32,840[30]
Germany (BVMI)[31] Gold 250,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[32] Platinum 100,000^
Sweden (GLF)[33] Gold 50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[34] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[35] 2× Platinum 600,000^
United States (RIAA)[36] Gold 500,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone

References
  1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Introspective – Pet Shop Boys". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  2. Hunt, Dennis (13 November 1988). "Dancing and Thinking". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  3. Coleman, Mark (1 December 1988). "Pet Shop Boys: Introspective". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 13 July 2007. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  4. Hull, Tom (2004). "Pet Shop Boys". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 630–31. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  5. Sheffield, Rob (1995). "Pet Shop Boys". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 294–95. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  6. Dalton, Stephen (March 2018). "Pet Shop Boys: Please / Actually / Introspective". Uncut. No. 250. p. 43.
  7. Christgau, Robert (14 March 1989). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  8. "Introspective". Pet Shop Boys. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  9. "Australiancharts.com – Pet Shop Boys – Introspective". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  10. "Austriancharts.at – Pet Shop Boys – Introspective" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  11. "RPM100 Albums" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 49 no. 8. 10 December 1988. p. 11. ISSN 0315-5994. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  12. "European Hot 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 5 no. 45. 5 November 1988. p. 30. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 4 August 2018 – via American Radio History.
  13. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 233. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  14. "Offiziellecharts.de – Pet Shop Boys – Introspective" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  15. "ペット・ショップ・ボーイズのアルバム売り上げランキング" [Pet Shop Boys album sales ranking]. Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 11 January 2013. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  16. "Charts.nz – Pet Shop Boys – Introspective". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  17. "Norwegiancharts.com – Pet Shop Boys – Introspective". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  18. Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  19. "Swedishcharts.com – Pet Shop Boys – Introspective". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  20. "Swisscharts.com – Pet Shop Boys – Introspective". Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  21. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  22. "Pet Shop Boys Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  23. "Top 100 Albums of '88" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 49 no. 10. 24 December 1988. p. 13. ISSN 0315-5994. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  24. "1988 Year End Eurocharts – Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6 no. 52/1. 1 January 1989. p. 31. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 4 August 2018 – via American Radio History.
  25. Scaping, Peter, ed. (1991). "Top 100 Albums: 1988". BPI YearBook 1989/90. London: British Phonographic Industry. pp. 66–67. ISBN 978-0-9061-5410-6.
  26. "Top 100 Albums of '89". RPM. Vol. 51 no. 8. 23 December 1989. ISSN 0315-5994. Retrieved 4 August 2018 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  27. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 1989". Offizielle Deutsche Charts (in German). Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  28. "Discografia marcada pela 'Dance music'". Jornal do Brasil (in Portuguese). 9 December 1994. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  29. "Canadian album certifications – Pet Shop Boys – Introspective". Music Canada. 23 December 1999.
  30. "Pet Shop Boys" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  31. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Pet Shop Boys; 'Introspective')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  32. Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (PDF) (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. p. 924. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  33. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. 28 December 1988.
  34. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Pet Shop Boys; 'Introspective')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  35. "British album certifications – Pet Shop Boys – Introspective". British Phonographic Industry. 9 January 1989. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Introspective in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  36. "American album certifications – Pet Shop Boys – Introspective". Recording Industry Association of America. 22 December 1988. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
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