Neil Tennant later coined a phrase when he called the Pet Shop Boys’ mid to late 80s run their ‘imperial phase’ and the remarkable success of their second album showed that to the full. Actually allowed the duo of Tennant and Chris Lowe to fully experiment with their electronic dance hybrids and knowing, often melancholic lyrics in a variety of forms, from the utterly melodramatic “It’s a Sin” to the windswept sorrow of “It Couldn’t Happen Here” and the delightfully wry Dusty Springfield duet “What Have I Done to Deserve This?”

– Ned Raggett