Alternative (album)

Alternative

Compilation album by Pet Shop Boys

Released

7 August 1995

Recorded

1983–1994

Genre

Pop, dance, synthpop

Length

134:12

Pet Shop Boys chronology

Disco 2
(1994)

Alternative
(1995)

Bilingual
(1996)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[1]
Robert Christgau	^[2]

Alternative is a compilation album by English synthpop duo Pet Shop Boys. It was first released in 1995.

Alternative is a 2-disc set, consisting of 30 B-sides in chronological order. The title Alternative was a last-minute change from the title that had been long saved for such an album, Besides, but that title was taken by American rock band Sugar, who released their own B-sides compilation two months prior.

Alternative only really gained popularity among devoted fans of Pet Shop Boys with the exception of the UK, where it entered the charts at #2.^[3] A remake of the original 7-inch "Paninaro", titled "Paninaro '95", was released as a single (which was featured in the later PopArt set) to promote the 2-disc compilation.

The cover of Alternative features photographs of Tennant and Lowe in fencing masks. The first copies of the CD have a lenticular image on the cover which shifts between the two photographs.

Neil Tennant admitted in a radio interview with Absolute Radio that a second B-side album may be released in 2010. This materialised on 11 November 2011 when the duo announced through Varsity that they would release another B-sides album in February 2012 titled Format.

Track listing

All tracks written by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe; except where indicated.

Disc one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Featured on	Length
1.	"In the Night"		"Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)" (1985 release)	4:50
2.	"A Man Could Get Arrested" (12" Mix)		"West End Girls"	4:19
3.	"That's My Impression" (disco mix)		"Love Comes Quickly"	5:18
4.	"Was That What It Was?"		"Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)" (1986 release)	5:14
5.	"Paninaro"		"Suburbia"	4:40
6.	"Jack the Lad"		"Suburbia"	4:31
7.	"You Know Where You Went Wrong"		"It's a Sin"	5:51
8.	"A New Life"	Tennant, Lowe, Helena Springs	"What Have I Done to Deserve This?"	4:56
9.	"I Want a Dog"		"Rent"	4:58
10.	"Do I Have To?"		"Always on My Mind"	5:14
11.	"I Get Excited (You Get Excited Too)"		"Heart"	4:54
12.	"Don Juan"		"Domino Dancing"	3:54
13.	"The Sound of the Atom Splitting" (extended version)	Tennant, Lowe, Steve Lipson, Trevor Horn	"Left to My Own Devices"	5:12
14.	"One of the Crowd"		"It's Alright"	3:55
15.	"Your Funny Uncle"		"It's Alright"	2:16

Disc two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Featured on	Length
1.	"It Must Be Obvious"		"So Hard"	4:24
2.	"We All Feel Better in the Dark"		"Being Boring"	4:00
3.	"Bet She's Not Your Girlfriend"		"Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes off You)"	4:28
4.	"Losing My Mind"	Stephen Sondheim	"Jealousy"	4:34
5.	"Music for Boys"		"DJ Culture"	3:36
6.	"Miserablism"		"Was It Worth It?"	4:10
7.	"Hey, Headmaster"		"Can You Forgive Her?"	3:06
8.	"What Keeps Mankind Alive?"	Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill	"Can You Forgive Her?"	3:24
9.	"Shameless"		"Go West"	5:02
10.	"Too Many People"		"I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing"	4:17
11.	"Violence" (Haçienda Version)		"I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing"	4:58
12.	"Decadence"		"Liberation"	3:56
13.	"If Love Were All"	Noël Coward	"Yesterday, When I Was Mad"	2:59
14.	"Euroboy"		"Yesterday, When I Was Mad"	4:27
15.	"Some Speculation"		"Yesterday, When I Was Mad"	6:34
16.	"Girls & Boys" (live in Rio) (Blur cover, Japanese edition bonus track)		"Paninaro '95"	5:03

Personnel

Producers

Pet Shop Boys – all tracks except disc 1: track 13
Phil Harding – disc 1: track 1
Bobby O – disc 1: track 2
Shep Pettibone – disc 1: track 7, additional production on disc 1: track 4
David Jacob – disc 1: track 8
Trevor Horn and Stephen Lipson – disc 1: track 13
Harold Faltermeyer – disc 2: track 6
Stephen Hague – additional production on disc 2: tracks 7 and 9
Jonathon Ruffle – disc 2: track 8
Richard Niles – disc 2: track 13

Guest musicians

Blue Weaver – Fairlight programming on disc 1: tracks 1 and 11, Hammond organ on disc 1: track 11
Adrien Cook – Fairlight programming on disc 1: tracks 5, 6 and 7
Helena Springs – additional vocals on disc 1: track 7
Stephen Lipson – guitar on disc 1: track 11
Shirley Lewis and Dee Lewis – additional vocals on disc 1: track 11
Chris Newman – assistant Fairlight programming on disc 1: track 12, additional programming on disc 2: track 4
Juliet Roberts – additional vocals on disc 2: track 2
Dominic Clarke – programming on disc 2: tracks 2 and 3
Gary Maughan – additional keyboards on disc 2: track 3
Scott Davidson – programming on disc 2: track 5
Harold Faltermeyer – programming on disc 2: track 6
Pete Gleadall – programming on disc 2: tracks 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14 and 15
Richard Coles – additional keyboards on disc 2: track 8
Carol Kenyon, Katie Kissoon and Tessa Niles – additional vocals on disc 2: track 9
Bruce Woolley – additional vocals on disc 2: track 10
J.J. Belle – guitar on disc 2: track 11
Sylvia Mason-James – additional vocals on disc 2: track 11
Johnny Marr – guitar on disc 2: track 12
Frank Ricotti – percussion and vibraphone on disc 2: track 12
Richard Niles – string arrangement and conduction on disc 2: track 12, arrangement and conduction on disc 2: track 13
Tony Walthers, Daniel Gaha & Lance Ellington – backing vocals on disc 2: track 13
Gerard Presencer – trumpet solo on disc 2: track 13

References

↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Pet Shop Boys: Alternative at AllMusic. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
↑ Christgau, Robert. "Pet Shop Boys". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
↑ "Alternative". ChartStats.com. Retrieved 30 September 2011.

Pet Shop Boys

Chris Lowe Neil Tennant

Studio albums	Please Actually Introspective Behaviour Very Bilingual Nightlife Release Fundamental Yes Elysium Electric Super

Compilation albums	Discography: The Complete Singles Collection Alternative Essential PopArt: The Hits Story: 25 Years of Hits Party Ultimate Format

Remix albums	Disco Disco 2 Disco 3 Disco 4

Live albums	Concrete Pandemonium

Extended plays	Christmas

Soundtracks and scores	It Couldn't Happen Here Closer to Heaven Battleship Potemkin The Most Incredible Thing

Other songs	"King's Cross" "The Loving Kind" "The Night I Fell in Love" "I'm Not Scared" "In Private" "Nothing Has Been Proved" "So Sorry, I Said" "Don't Drop Bombs" "Euroboy"

Film, stage and television	It Couldn't Happen Here Closer to Heaven Pet Shop Boys: A Life In Pop The Most Incredible Thing

Notable tours and concerts	MCMLXXXIX Performance Discovery Somewhere Nightlife Release Fundamental Pandemonium Progress (as special guests) Electric Inner Sanctum

Related articles	Discography x2 Reputation Results Electronic Back to Mine: Pet Shop Boys West End Girls

Book

Pet Shop Boys singles

Please (1984–1986)	"West End Girls" "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)" "Love Comes Quickly" "Suburbia"

Disco (1986)	"Paninaro"

Actually (1987–1988)	"It's a Sin" "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" "Rent" "Heart"

Introspective (1988–1989)	"Always on My Mind" "Domino Dancing" "Left to My Own Devices" "It's Alright"

Behaviour (1990–1991)	"So Hard" "Being Boring" "How Can You Expect to Be Taken Seriously?"/"Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes off You)" "Jealousy"

Discography (1991)	"DJ Culture" "Was It Worth It?"

Very (1993–1994)	"Can You Forgive Her?" "Go West" "I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing" "Liberation" "Yesterday, When I Was Mad"

Alternative (1995)	"Paninaro '95"

Bilingual (1996–1997)	"Before" "Se a vida é (That's the Way Life Is)"/"To Step Aside" "Single-Bilingual" "A Red Letter Day"

Nightlife (1999–2000)	"I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Any More" "New York City Boy" "You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You're Drunk"

Release (2002–2003)	"Home and Dry" "I Get Along" "London"

PopArt (2003–2004)	"Miracles" "Flamboyant"

Fundamental (2006)	"I'm with Stupid" "Minimal" "Numb"

Disco 4 (2007)	"Integral"

Yes (2009)	"Love etc." "Did You See Me Coming?" "Beautiful People"

Ultimate (2010)	"Together"

Elysium (2012)	"Winner" "Leaving" "Memory of the Future"

Electric (2013-14)	"Axis" "Vocal" "Love Is a Bourgeois Construct" "Thursday" "Fluorescent"

Super (2016)	"The Pop Kids" "Twenty-something" "Inner Sanctum" "Say it to me"

Non-album singles	"One More Chance" "Absolutely Fabulous" "Hallo Spaceboy" "Somewhere" "Break 4 Love" "She's Madonna" "Love Life"

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