Introspective - Background

Background

The album was unusual in that it completely 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 more lengthy remixes of those songs on subsequent singles, Introspective was released as an LP consisting of songs that all lasted six minutes or more. Songs from the album that were released as singles were released as shorter, more radio-friendly mixes. Of the four tracks on the album that were 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 were released as radio singles in the same form that they appeared on the album.

It is also notable that of the six tracks on the album only two were actually written specifically for this project— those being "Left to My Own Devices" and "Domino Dancing". "Always on My Mind" and "It's Alright" are both 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 previously 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 lyrics to the song.

Introspective was re-released in 2001 (as were the group'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 6 tracks on the original.

Neil Tennant, in a speech he gave to the Oxford Union, said that he regretted releasing Introspective so soon after Actually as he felt that the 12" nature of the songs may have put some fans off the band and that this probably impacted on the sales of Behaviour, the subsequent album which is critically regarded to be 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 #2 in the UK Albums Chart, behind U2's Rattle and Hum.